The ricocheting hope in Vegas’s heart made her dizzy. She raced through the station with Heather. She had to find Solan. She didn’t care if she was caught now. She needed to tell him how she felt.

Vegas had resisted her feelings for such a long time, focusing on her need to make sure My Single Alien worked. She’d been lying to herself, trying to prove she didn’t need love in her life. What a fool she’d been. She needed love. The real kind. The kind that came with mess, complications, and frustrations. This was real. It was right in front of her. Vegas was ready to grab it and hold on for what would be the bumpiest, most exciting ride of her life.

She’d come so close to passing up this opportunity with Solan. Was she too late? Vegas didn’t know where he was or what had happened to him. Maybe he’d already left the bar. Maybe Padam had killed him. Maybe he’d killed Padam and station security was dragging him to the cells.

Whatever had happened, Vegas needed to know and needed to tell him everything that raced through her head.

She ran into the bar with Heather gasping for air alongside her. The place was a disaster zone. Tables were kicked over and glass scattered on the floor.

Olid was hurrying around, lifting tables and muttering under his breath.

“Where’s Solan?” Vegas ran over to him.

“I’m guessing you mean the half-crazed Galaxar who went on a rampage in this place with his friend.” Olid continued to clean, his back to Vegas.

“That’s the one,” Vegas said. “Are they both okay?”

“I’ll never understand Galaxars,” Olid said. “One minute they were laughing and joking, sharing a drink together. The next, one punched the other. I warned them not to damage this place. I’ll be sending a bill to their Brigadier. My poor bar.”

“You do that,” Vegas said. “Just tell me where they went.”

“They sorted out their differences and left.” Olid finally looked at Vegas. “Hey! They were arguing about you.”

“I told you they were,” Heather said to Vegas. “When things got serious I took off.”

“I believe you. What did they say after Heather left?” Vegas asked Olid.

“The bigger one said he didn’t want to be with you. He was looking for somebody else.”

“Solan doesn’t want me?” The urgency Vegas felt was replaced with a cold, painful ache in her heart. Had this all been a mistake?

“That was when his friend punched him in the face,” Olid said. “He told him he was an idiot. I tried to clear as many breakables out of their way before they started slamming into each other.” He looked around at the smashed glass. “I don’t know why I bothered. I’ll have to shut for the night while I clear up the mess.”

“Keep going,” Vegas urged. “What happened next?”

“He said something about him making a mistake,” Olid said. “He was telling him to see sense. Then they slammed into each other a few times, scattered their blood everywhere, and suddenly it was all over. The bigger one, the colonel, realized he was wrong.”

“Hold on a second.” Vegas shook her head. “Solan does want me?”

Olid smirked. “That’s something you need to find out. Good luck with that. He’s a stubborn one.”

Vegas let out a shaky sigh, delight dancing through her veins. “I already know that. Are you sure you don’t know where they went?”

“Most likely the holding cells. They went there to find you.” He held out a broom. “I don’t suppose you fancy helping me sort this place out? It is sort of your fault that I now have a destroyed bar on my hands.”

“I promise, I’ll make it up to you.” Vegas grabbed Heather as they headed for the door. “We’ll buy extra drinks the next time we’re here.”

“It will take more than that to sort this place out.” Olid shook his head.

Vegas was only half listening as they ran out of the bar. “I’m more confused than ever.”

“Stop fighting this.” Heather looked along the corridor. “We’ll go back to the holding cells and see if Solan is there. He’ll have discovered you escaped. You two need serious alone time to figure all this out.”

“Vegas!”

She spun on her heel and took a couple of steps forward. He was here. Solan was looking for her. She saw blood on his face and damage to his knuckles. Before she could ask if he was okay, he swept her into his arms and covered her mouth with his.

He pulled away. His gaze swept over her. “You are here. You are safe.”

“I am. I’m fine. Well, I am now you’re here. What happened to you?” Her fingers touched a bruise swelling on his cheek.

“I have taught my second-in-command how to fight well,” Solan said.

Vegas glanced at Padam who stood a few steps back, a smile on his face. “You did this?”

“I have my own injuries.” Padam held up bruised looking knuckles.

“It is how we settle things,” Solan said. “Knocking sense into each other is the Galaxar way. If we are to be mated, you must understand that, although I will never hurt you. I will try to change, but I need time to adjust.”

“I do understand. But you must also understand I will worry about you when you’re fighting. That is the human way.”

His fingers gently brushed across her lips. “Does that mean you want to be my mate?”

Heather cleared her throat. “Perhaps you can talk about this later?”

“I thought you wanted me to get this sorted out?” Vegas couldn’t pull her gaze away from Solan. Why had she resisted this gorgeous alien? All the time they’d wasted when they could have been having so much fun together.

“It’s just that, well, we’ve got company.” Heather tugged on Vegas’s arm.

She looked past Solan, and her chest grew tight. Boros and four of his troop stood at the end of the corridor. Boros’s fists were clenched and his eyes narrowed as he stared at her clasped in Solan’s arms.

“It’s not just him,” Heather whispered. “Diadora is behind us.”

Vegas stepped back and turned to stare at Diadora. She wasn’t sure who she was more scared of, the angry Galaxar who looked like he wanted to tear her head off or her boss, who would fire her so hard she’d feel bruised for a month.

“We had a deal.” Boros stomped along the corridor, his guards flanking him. “This human female is mine.”

Diadora marched toward them, until Vegas, Solan, Padam, and Heather were surrounded.

Solan growled a warning and pushed Vegas behind him, turning his back so he could watch both parties.

“We do have a deal,” Diadora said.

“There’s no deal.” Vegas poked her head around Solan’s huge bicep. “Diadora, I’m not yours to sell. And Boros, you cannot buy me. I do not want to be with you.”

Diadora snapped her teeth together. “You have no idea how much Boros has paid for you. The money will ensure we can make all repairs required to the space station and triple the marketing budget for My Single Alien.”

“We aren’t getting that money. It’s all gone into your private slush fund.” Vegas didn’t believe a word Diadora said.

Heather nudged her. “If Diadora’s telling the truth, that’s a huge payment Boros has made for you.”

Vegas shook her head. “That’s irrelevant. I’m not property to be sold.”

“You’re the property of My Single Alien,” Diadora said.

“You can’t sell me!” Vegas threw her hands up in exasperation. “And you’re certainly not selling me to him.” She jabbed a finger at Boros.

Diadora took a step closer. Solan stepped forward and glowered down. “Choose your next move carefully, human.”

“No, it’s fine.” Vegas would deal with Diadora. She stepped around Solan. “You’ll have to return the money to Boros. The deal is off.”

“It’s too late for that,” Boros said. “The arrangements have been made. You are my property. We are leaving on the next available departure.”

Solan growled again, his scowl shifting to Boros. “She is not your mate.”

“She is not yours either,” Boros snarled.

“Perhaps you could be on loan to Boros,” Diadora said.

Vegas tried to speak but only made startled noises.

“She’s joking,” Heather whispered.

“Give Boros a few children, let him have what he wants, and then you can come back here,” Diadora said. “You would be away for three years at the most. I can’t keep your job open, of course, but you can return in a junior capacity. You might enjoy some time away. You always say how busy you are. This is an opportunity to have a break.”

“If I went with Boros I would get a break, but it would likely be a broken arm or nose. I am not offering myself to Boros for a single second. And I’m not giving him a few children.”

“You’re a disrespectful female,” Boros said.

“I’m only disrespectful to people who deserve it,” Vegas said.

“How about one child?” Diadora inspected her cybernetic fingers. “You could be in and out in nine months. You’d barely notice the time go by.”

“I’d notice it if I had to be with Boros.”

“You insult me,” Boros growled. “Diadora, I demand what I have paid for. I will take Vegas. And I want Solan dead. He is a Galaxar traitor. I will see that his name is dishonored throughout the star system. Whenever anyone hears of Solan, they will know he is a betrayer of the Galaxar.”

Solan step toward Boros. His guard instantly flanked him, their swords drawn and pointed at Solan.

“You’ll need an army to defeat me,” Solan said. “You’re not Galaxar enough to fight me one on one.”

“Why get my hands dirty with a traitor?” Boros sneered. “You’ve stolen something that belongs to me and I will have it back.”

“I am not yours.” The fury simmering off Boros made Vegas anxious. He was not going to let her go. He would fight to the death for this unwarranted right to claim her.

She looked at Heather and was relieved to see Padam protecting her, inching her closer to the wall.

Vegas turned back to Diadora. “There must be a compromise. This has been a mistake. Give Boros back his money, he can meet his mate as we’d planned, and we’ll forget this ever happened.”

“It’s too late for that,” Boros said. “I do not want the mate chosen for me. It is you I have chosen.”

“That’s not how this works,” Vegas said. “Diadora, give him his money back.”

Diadora tapped her fingers on her arm and smirked at Vegas. “He paid an excellent price for you.”

“He paid for something that wasn’t for sale.” Vegas scowled at Diadora. This monster was going to sell her down the space river. She hoped Diadora choked on the money. As if she had any plans to use the funds for the station or the business. She was probably going to get an upgrade for her arm. Or look into surgery to see if they could thaw her frozen heart. Evil bitch.

“You should not have presented yourself to me if you did not wish to be chosen,” Boros said.

“I presented you with nothing,” Vegas spat. “This ends, now. The deal is off.” She looked at Diadora, who stood with her arms crossed, her expression blank. “Make this stop.”

Diadora shrugged. “If the Galaxars wish to fight for you, then who am I to stop them?” Her gaze slid over Vegas. “But I am not certain of the appeal.”

Vegas shook her head. Diadora was a stone-cold horror.

Before she had time to imagine the horrible ways she wanted Diadora to die, Solan’s arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her off her feet before setting her against the wall.

“What are you doing?”

“Keeping you safe,” Solan said. “Stay out of the way. Boros and his guards will attack you if you try to protect me.”

“You can’t fight them on your own.” Vegas’s anxious gaze shot to Boros. “There are too many of them. He’ll kill you.”

Solan pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. “You underestimate me. You have not seen me in battle before.”

“He’s a brigadier,” Vegas whispered.

“Which means he’s gotten fat and slow by issuing orders to other Galaxars.” Solan stared into Vegas’s eyes. The intensity made her heart skip a beat. “I will beat him. For you, I will beat him so we can be together.” His lips brushed hers before he turned and strode back to Boros.

Vegas stayed by the wall. Solan was a born fighter. She’d seen images of him in battle. But she’d never expected to see it up close. She couldn’t risk him being killed because he was protecting her.

She took a step forward, but a vice-like grip on her upper arm stopped her from getting any closer.

“My advice is to stay out of the way,” Diadora muttered. “You cannot help your Galaxar. He has made his decision to fight. A Galaxar does not back down once a challenge has been accepted.”

Vegas tried to shake off her grip, but Diadora remained clamped on her arm. “We wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for you. How could you make a deal like this?”

Diadora’s gaze flicked around the corridor. “The space station is on its knees. Earth is not providing the funding we need to keep it operational.”

“What do you mean?” Vegas kept her attention on Solan and Boros, who were staring each other down. The air around them simmered with anger. Several other aliens had stopped farther along the corridor, watching the fight as it brewed.

“I mean, the money Boros provided me with will save this place. I can also employ more staff for My Single Alien. It would also mean you would have the break you keep bleating about.”

Vegas stared at her. “You really took that money to safeguard this place?”

“I’m not such a stone-faced bitch as you think I am.” Diadora leaned closer until her mouth was by Vegas’s ear. “Don’t let anybody else know that.” She dropped her hold on Vegas’s arm.

Vegas took a step away. Was she serious? Diadora actually cared? This was too much to handle. No matter her reason, there was no way in this star system Vegas would be Boros’s mate.

“We still have to stop them,” Vegas said. “Boros and Solan can’t fight.”

“I’m surprised you don’t think it’s romantic,” Diadora said, “two Galaxars fighting over you. I’ve seen your screen saver; I know how into Solan you are. This must be like all your fantasies coming true.”

A growl of anger from Solan had Vegas spinning on her heel. This time, Diadora didn’t stop her from approaching the angry Galaxars. Before she’d reached Solan, Boros’s blade flashed through the air.

Vegas staggered back with a horrified gasp, expecting to see Solan’s blood splashed on the floor. She blinked several times. There was nothing.

Her heart leaped. He’d avoided the blade.

Solan ducked and spun, avoiding Boros and his guards as they stabbed and sliced at him.

Vegas was mesmerized. For a big guy, he had some serious moves. Way to go, Solan. One guard was already on the ground, and Solan had the guard’s sword in his hand.

He glanced her way, shock filtering across his face when he realized how close Vegas was to the fight.

“Look out!” she screamed.

A blade sliced across Solan’s back. He roared and slammed a fist into his attacker, sending him flying.

Boros also had his sword out but let his guards attack Solan. The coward. He most likely expected them to tire Solan, then he would step in and finish the job. He would claim Solan’s death was due to his abilities with a blade.

“Vegas, get out of there,” Heather yelled, who was pinned to the wall by Padam.

“I can’t leave him.”

“You are no good to him,” Padam shouted. “Move to safety before you are harmed.”

Something hard slammed into Vegas’s foot. She jumped back and saw a bloody blade on the ground. She grabbed it up, not certain what she was planning to do, but one less huge sharp thing stabbing at Solan could only be a good thing.

“Human, you challenge me.” Boros slid around the fight, Solan held back by two guards as they slashed and stabbed.

Vegas’s eyes widened She swallowed the sick feeling sliding up her throat. “No, I’m just keeping this blade safe.”

“You have defiled a Galaxar’s weapon by touching it. You think you can handle such a fine blade?” He swung his own blade in the air in a graceful arc.

She heard Solan roar in anger, but her gaze was fixed to the blade swirling in the air.

“I will gut you,” Boros growled. “If I cannot have you, no one will.”

Vegas scowled. He was one of those guys, only happy when he had total control over the woman he was supposed to care about.

Solan howled. The howl was followed by a white blast of light.

Vegas saw blood pooling on the floor. It couldn’t be his; please don’t let it be his blood.

“They’ve got lasers,” Heather shouted.

Vegas looked past Boros. Two of his guards held small metallic lasers, pointing them straight at Solan. They were illegal on the station. They were also deadly if set to kill.

All Solan had was his speed and a blade. Would it be enough?

Boros hit her blade, and Vegas almost lost her grip. Clamping both hands around the hilt she smacked his blade away.

His eyes glinted. “So, you do want to fight.”

“What I want is to get you off this space station, you sick, twisted asshole.” She only needed to hold out for a little longer. Station security must be aware of the fight. They’d be on their way. Vegas had to keep Boros’s blade out of her gut until then, and she’d be fine.

Vegas heard Heather scream. Padam was fighting a guard as she hid behind his broad back. But he was losing. Blood leaked from a wound on his leg and he was fighting with his left hand, the blade seeming heavy in his grip.

Boros tapped her cheek with his blade. Vegas leaped back and swung her weapon wildly, not realizing how close Boros was.

He smirked. “You lose focus and you die. I’m going to have you beg before you die.”

“I’m begging you for nothing.”

“Not even to spare your lover’s life?” He stepped to the side.

Vegas’s jaw dropped. Solan was on the ground. The blood she’d seen was his. They’d killed him. “Is he... what have you done?”

“Defended my honor.”

Vegas heard Padam yell before he was slammed against the wall. Another of Boros’s guards grabbed Heather in a choke hold.

“No! Stop.” Vegas made to run toward Heather, but Boros’s blade sliced across her arm. She dropped the blade, clamped her hand over the wound and stumbled backwards, hitting the wall and sliding to the floor. She was trapped. Solan was gravely injured, Padam had been downed by the guards, and Heather was unconscious.

Boros also wasn’t finished with her. His kick made contact with her shoulder. She felt the impact judder through her bones as she spat curses through gritted teeth.

“Kicking a woman when she’s down. That’s hardly noble Galaxar behavior,” she hissed at him as he loomed over her with his blade.

“You have one final chance to end this,” Boros said. “Submit to being my mate.”

“I’d rather feel that blade embed itself in my stomach than have your hands on me.”

Boros grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to her feet. “As you wish.”

Slamming her back into the wall, Vegas saw stars as Boros’s hot breath huffed against her neck.

“No, you don’t.” Diadora appeared behind Boros. “The only person who gets to abuse my staff is me.” Using her cyborg arm, she smashed the blade out of Boros’s fist before yanking him round by the shoulder and slamming an uppercut under his jaw.

Boros flew backward through the air and smashed into the ground. He did not get up.

Vegas wasn’t sure what the hell was going on. Had the boss who hated her just saved her from being impaled on a Galaxar sword?

She tried to struggle to her feet, but nothing worked. Her limbs were like rubber, and her stomach lurched. If she wasn’t careful, she would blow chunks all over the corridor.

Diadora glanced at her, her gaze sharpening. “You look dreadful. Stay where you are. You won’t bleed out right away. Keep pressure on your arm wound.”

Vegas’s startled gaze went to Boros, who was sprawled on the ground. He wasn’t getting up anytime soon. Hurrah for cybernetic appendages. Maybe she needed a few of those to deal with the next horny, out of control alien nutball who came onto the space station.

“Why did you help me?” she stammered.

“I can’t afford to lose an employee. With all the red tape, it’s too much hassle.” Diadora winked at Vegas as she checked on Heather.

“You kept me alive so you don’t have to go through a recruitment process and fill in a few forms?”

“What can I say? I hate paperwork.” What looked like a smile drifted across Diadora’s lips.

Several words that didn’t sound like English fell out of Vegas’s mouth. She gave up trying to talk and stared at Diadora.

“Heather is not dead.” Diadora brushed her hands together as if removing dirt from them.

“And Solan?” Vegas whispered. He wasn’t moving, and he was bleeding, a lot.

“Someone will deal with him.” Diadora activated her wrist comm. “Security, we have a contained fight on C Deck. We require a clean-up crew and a medical team.”

“Acknowledged. We’re on our way.”

Diadora shook her head as she glanced at Vegas. “Try not to pass out. I need to get back to work.”

“Wait! You’re leaving me with this mess?” Vegas gestured weakly at the bodies on the ground.

“A capable employee like you will have this sorted in no time.”

“So long as I don’t collapse because of blood loss.”

“You’ll be fine. Get this situation under control. I want a full report.” Diadora strode along the corridor without a backward glance.

Vegas sucked in a breath. What was going on? What had just happened? She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She was not going to faint. People needed her. Solan needed her. He could be dead. Maybe he needed no one. Maybe she’d lost her chance to be with him.

Vegas yelped and kicked out as a hand wrapped around her ankle.

It was Solan on his hands and knees. His hand shifted up her calf, his eyes tight with pain as blood pumped out of the stab wounds on his legs and chest.

“You’re alive!” Vegas struggled to sit up, but her arm screamed in pain.

“Stay where you are. You’ve been hurt.”

Vegas’s fingers came away sticky with blood as she touched his chest and the burned chest guard he wore. “The same goes for you. You’re messed up.”

“It is nothing.” The tightness around Solan’s eyes suggested otherwise.

“It is. It is everything.” She forced herself up and wrapped her uninjured arm around Solan. “You fought Boros to keep me safe.”

“I failed you. His troop overpowered me. I lost control.”

“They cheated. They had lasers.”

“Boros only cares about winning. He would do anything to take what he wants.” Solan’s lips brushed her forehead, easing the panic in her chest. “You have saved me, Vegas Munro.”

She clung to him, smelling his blood and sweat but not caring. He was her alien. No one was ever going to hurt him again.