When Mary awoke, she found herself submerged to her neck in fragrant pink water. What was that minty sweet essence? She’d never smelled anything like it before. As she inhaled the unique scent, she felt her shoulders relax. She sank further into the warm, silky water. Oh yeah, baby.

Wait.

Stop that.

Something’s off. Waaaaaaaay off.

Mary shook off her stupor and, as she blinked into total awareness, she realized immediately she was not at home. Duh. She had to stop passing out around Tek. That guy seemed to think the solution was getting her naked and throwing her into a tub.

She glanced around and sucked in a surprised breath. This wasn’t Tek’s bathroom, and Mary got the distinct feeling she wasn’t anywhere on Earth anymore. This had to be the alien version of a caveman conking his woman on the head so he could drag her off to his cave.

The room, designed to look like a lush, tropical jungle, was huge. Cavernous. Pink water gurgled down a wall of chunky obsidian rocks and splashed into the large circular tub—well, more liking a swimming pool. Large-petaled flowers in wild neon shades of green, red, orange, and blue dotted the perimeter. Some were huge, far taller than her, their stalks more like tree trunks.

Mary whistled. This was some fancy cave.

Above her were thousands of small lights and, as she stared at the glossy black ceiling, she swore the white pinpoints were moving. Yep. Moving in a rhythm—dancing without music.

Maybe I’m at a super rad spa.

Yeah? Well, Mary, how did you get here then?

New theory. I’m dead.

And the afterlife is really fucking weird.

Memory flashed. She remembered going to Tek’s apartment, standing up from the couch, and then—nothing.

The tub wasn’t too deep. Her feet touched smooth stone. Okay, good. Mary swam forward until she reached the center and then turned in a circle trying to determine how to get out of the most luxurious soak she’d ever experienced.

To her right, she spotted a wide staircase and paddled toward it.

As she landed on that first step and rose out of the water, cool air swirled around her naked body. She ducked down into the water again. Nope. She wasn’t getting out and exposing herself to whoever might be out there.

She swam along the perimeter, and it didn’t take her long to spot shiny copper towels hanging on hooks on the wall in front of the pool’s exit. Mary launched herself out of the pool and hurried toward the towels. The minute the tips of her fingers touched the silky fabric, it began to move on its own. It was almost like liquid—sliding down her arm and over her skin.

She screamed as the fabric wrapped itself around her and visions of boa constrictors strangling and swallowing their prey played in her mind. Damn Discovery Channel and all its cautionary tales!

“Your most regal highness! What is wrong?”

“I’m being killed by this—this—whatever the hell this is!” By the time Mary finished the sentence, the copper material had settled onto her body in the form of a head-to-toe body suit. It even covered her feet.

“Oh, no! I’ve been gilded!” Mary turned her gaze from her suddenly copper skin to the female that had answered her cries.

“I’ve never known a freck to harm its host,” said the worried woman.

Mary blinked. “You’re yellow.”

“No, most regal highness. I am Levia, and I belong to you. Crown Prince Tek has honored me with your care.” She hesitated. “But you may call me Yellow if you prefer.”

The female was shorter than Mary and leanly muscled. Her eyes were big, almond-shaped orbs with purple irises. Otherwise her features were humanoid—slanted cheeks, thin nose, and pouty lips. She wore a white tunic that went to her knees, and her feet were bare. Oh, and she only had three big toes that were webbed. Her moon-white hair was thick and long, braided into one long strand that went all the way to her butt.

Levia’s expression grew anxious. “Do I not please you? I promise to try harder.”

Mary’s eyes widened. “Yeah. Uh, let me get back to you on that.” She looked around the lush garden. I’m dreaming. I’m definitely dreaming. “Where’s the exit?”

“Exit?”

“You know, the way out. How do I leave this room?”

Levia stared at her, unblinking.

“Uh … are you all right?”

“I do not know. What is ‘all right’?” Levia twisted her hands, which had four long webbed fingers. “I do not wish to displease you.”

The woman’s anxiety was so palpable, Mary grasped her strange hands and squeezed. “It’s all good, Levia. Please don’t worry yourself into an aneurysm.”

Levia went still, and her mouth dropped open. She looked down at their clasped hands then returned her gaze to Mary. “You are … comforting me?”

“Yeah. ‘Cause I don’t want you to implode.” Mary squeezed Levia’s hands again. “You good?”

“Yes,” said Levia. “Thank you, your highness.”

“My name’s Mary,” she said. “I don’t know what all this ‘your highness’ business is about, but trust me, I’m as far away from royal as you can get.” She began to realize where she probably was—and she was not on an acid trip or dead. But she knew a particular alien crown prince who would be very soon, if he didn’t explain himself.

A tall yellow dude dressed in a black tunic with red trim appeared out of freaking nowhere. His moon-white hair was short, worn in what Mary could only call “monk-style.” Though his eyes were the same purple as Levia’s, his face was more round. He scowled. “How dare you, Levia!”

Levia dropped Mary’s hands and stepped back, lowering her gaze to the ground.

“I am sorry, your highness,” said the man. “I will assign you another jemina. This one has shown disrespect.” He lifted his hand. A purple curl of something wet and vine-like unwound from his palm and wrapped around Levia’s wrist. It dragged her forward but Mary stepped in front of the girl.

“Dolma!” The deep male voice, rife with censure, was that of Tek. He wore a gold tunic with some kind of symbol on it, tight-fitting green pants, and weird sandal-esque shoes. The tunic was squared at the top and the green gem glittered from his sternum. It was no longer attached to a necklace and she realized that the stone was embedded into Tek’s flesh. Oh, and his skin had taken on a golden luminescence. Because that wasn’t weird or anything.

He strode past the yellow dude and stood in front of Mary, his massive arms crossing over his chest. “You dare lift a hand to my harataya?”

Dolma winced and the purple vine slurped back into his palm—ew, ew, ew—and dropped his hand. His expression was one of horror. “Never, my most honorable crown prince. It is the jemina I wish to discipline. She has touched your bride.”

Tek whirled around, his gaze landing on Levia. “Is this true?”

“Hey,” said Mary. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but no one, and I mean no one—“ she narrowed her gaze at Tek “—will be mean to Levia.” She moved back and put her arm around the trembling girl’s shoulders. “She’s gonna have a freaking heart attack because of you two.”

Dolma’s pinched lips dropped open, his gaze going wide. Tek’s expression turned to confusion. “You wish to protect her?”

“Don’t you?” she asked. “How is she any different from Carlotta?”

“We don’t abuse the Cudo.” Tek gentled his voice. “You do not know our culture. The Cudo are servants. They are bred and raised only to serve the royals. Their only desire, their only reason for living, is to care for us.”

“First of all, I’m trying really hard to believe this is real,” said Mary, although she had a yawning pit in her stomach that felt a lot like oh-shit-this-is-not-a-dream panic. “And secondly, what the hell is wrong with you? You breed servants? That’s … that’s slavery.”

“You are clearly upset,” said Tek. “Though I don’t understand your reaction. The Cudo are not slaves.”

“Really?” Mary looked at Levia. “Do you have any choice about whether or not to serve the royals?”

Levia stole a glance at Dolma and then at Tek. “There is no need for a choice,” she said softly. “It is our sacred duty to care for the descendants of M’athera.”

Mary narrowed her gaze at Tek. “Doesn’t sound like a choice to me.”

“Please, Mary,” said Tek. He looked nonplussed. “Allow Levia to go with Dolma. She will not be harmed. But you will get a new jemina.”

“No. I like her. She’s my friend.” As crazy as this situation was, Mary was not letting Levia out of her sight.

The Dolma gasped before silence descended heavily.

“You wish for Levia to be your friend?” asked Tek.

Mary looked at the girl, who probably hadn’t been able to make a single decision for herself in her whole life. “Would you like to be friends?” she asked.

“Very much,” whispered Levia.

“This is most unusual,” said Dolma. “Your highness—“

“Do not question the wishes of my Mary,” said Tek. “Levia is her friend.”

Dolma looked like he was sucking on a lemon. A flash of anger appeared in his odd gaze before he bowed and left.

“How do you get out of this place?” asked Mary.

“Follow me,” said Tek. He moved forward toward the craggy rock wall and stepped through it.

Mary hesitated.

“Like this,” said Levia. She stepped around Mary and walked through the wall, too. Then Levia stepped back inside and offered her hand. Mary accepted and, the next thing she knew, she walked into an opulently appointed room.

“As my bride’s friend, you will be moved to a nearby suite. Is this acceptable?”

Levia nodded. “Thank you, your highness.”

“You will also need new clothes, so I will call my seamstress. I’ll have Dolma inform the staff of your new status.”

Levia nodded then she looked at Mary. “Shall I help you dress, your highness?”

“Levia,” said Tek in a gentle voice. “You are not her jemina. You are her friend.”

“He means you don’t have to wait on anyone hand and foot anymore.”

Levia’s mouth pinched in a look of consternation. She turned to Mary and held out her hands. “Then…what should I do?”

“Whatever you want,” said Mary. “Isn’t that right, Crown Prince Tek?”