Khaza’s brittle smile would shatter before the choosing ended. Preor Choosing Station Tau was crowded with her people—the Preor—as well as many human females. No, she mentally shook her head, they are women. Women who were frightened as they slowly walked into the choosing station. Each came through the doors with one purpose—to find a Preor mate—but that didn’t mean they weren’t afraid of the males they faced.

She couldn’t blame them for their hesitation. The males of her species were large—much larger than humans—with glittering scales, paper-thin wings, and the ability to shift into two-hundred-ton dragons. They were glorious in their bestial forms. Then again, Khaza was a Preor female. She was biased.

She was also already mated to a Preor male, so she was very biased.

She might be mated to a Preor as these women wished to be, but there was a large difference between the human females and Khaza. The fact had turned her smile into one so fragile—their fertility.

Even now-bearing—pregnant—human females eased into the choosing station, their stomachs rounded by the young they carried. After the news of a Preor male happily claiming a pregnant woman and her dragonlet for his own spread, other females came forward. Now, some Preor warriors were gifted with mates and dragonlets when the Knowing—Preor blood history—manifested.

Khaza had a Preor mate. She did not have a dragonlet. Nor did she believe she would ever have a dragonlet. She placed her hand on her lower stomach, rubbing the smooth plane of her abdomen. She imagined a dragonlet with her eyes and Chashan’s wings. A dragonlet that would be an honorable warrior like his sire or a respected Heart Master like her dam.

Khaza? You are well? Chashan always worried over her. Especially at times like these. Times when her fertile period ended without a dragonlet in her womb.

I am well, shaa kouvi, she returned, using her kind’s endearment. My beloved in the human language.

I would not call you a liar, shaa kouva, and yet…

Her lips twitched. Truly, Chashan. I am well.

As well as she could be. One hundred years of being mated to Chashan and they still had no young.

You know I love you, Khaza. My life is yours. I would give— Worry for her filled his tone.

Hush. My heart’s bruised but it will heal. You know this. Syh will bless us with a dragonlet when it’s time. And not a moment before.

Khaza… His sadness, heartache, and disappointment traveled through their connection. The Knowing not only gifted them both with the Preor blood knowledge, but also the ability to communicate mind to mind. There were no secrets between Preor mates.

Movement to her right drew her attention. Another handful of women slowly padded into the choosing station. She glanced at the time keeper on the wall and realized the next choosing would begin soon. Esteemed Warrior Jarek and his mate Melissa would oversee the event with Khaza.

Jarek used to be the third fleet’s War Master and was the most powerful—and honorable—warrior on Earth. His presence would ensure the warriors remained in control and did not frighten the much smaller humans. Melissa would stand at his side beneath his wing as an example of a human-Preor mating.

Khaza would… She swallowed hard and straightened her spine. She was a warrior in her own right. She’d use her strength as a Heart Master to monitor the emotions of all within the choosing station. She would calm warriors and soothe human females with a single thought or softly murmured word. It was a gift granted her by Syh and she’d prove herself worthy of the honor.

At the risk of your own heart, shaa kouva. Chashan’s sigh drifted through her mind and she rolled her eyes.

Return to your duties, shaa kouvi, or I will tell Elle’s quasti you wish to visit with him.

That earned her a growl from her mate. The quasti was a dangerous animal, feared and hated by many Preor, but Charlie was also a close friend to one of the human-Preor mates.

You would not.

Her lips twitched. I would.

Chashan grumbled. You will come to me after the choosing.

I will, she easily agreed. There was nothing greater than being in her mate’s arms and beneath his wings.

A few Preor warriors entered from the doors to Khaza’s left, honorable males hoping to find their mate among the humans present for the choosing. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, drawing their emotions into her heart. Hope. So much hope flowed from them. Hope for a mate, a future, love… a family.

She swallowed her own sob, her soul crying out for the same. It was difficult to remember that Syh would grant them a dragonlet when the time was right. Preor females were not fertile often. Not like humans who were capable of conception once a month.

Khaza recognized several of the males striding into the space—Warriors Triem and Radoo as well as Primary Healing Warrior Yazen. Others would come. Others would be filled with hope.

A laughing trio of women entered, cheeks flushed and bright, smiles wide while a hint of nervousness thrummed from them. Her heart—her essence—encouraged her to approach them. To smooth their emotions and calm them.

She padded forward, lips pulled widely into a welcoming smile. No matter her jealousy, she was still thrilled for her people—overjoyed at the prospect of more warriors finding their mates.

“Hello,” she said, keeping her voice low.

Three heads swiveled in her direction and Khaza reached out with her Syh-granted strength. Her powers did not work as well on unmated females as they did on the Preor, but she could calm some of their uneasiness. The tightness of their muscles relaxed, shoulders lowering and deep lines of worry on their faces softening.

“Welcome to Preor Choosing Station Tau. How are you this day?” The moment the words left her mouth, she frowned. “I did not say that correctly. How are you today?”

One female with hair as light as the sun tipped her head to the side, eyes narrowed and brows furrowed. “You’re not human.”

Khaza shook her head. “No, I’m Preor. Khaza joi Chashan. My mate is the Earth-based Healing Master. I’m here to ease worries and answer questions. Our males are…”

Another female, hair the color of chocolate and eyes the palest brown, grinned. “Big.”

The way she said the word made Khaza think she approved of the Preor males’ largeness. She had to admit, she loved nothing more than to be cherished and held by her mate. He towered over her, giving her a sense of safety and protection when he shielded her with his wings.

“And protective. Devoted. Loyal. They growl but would never hurt a female,” Khaza added.

“They really change into dragons?” The third woman nibbled her lower lip, another wave of unease reaching out from her body. Khaza drew the emotion into herself. She dispersed the woman’s strong worries and calmed her with a gentle thought.

“They do. Their scales, their wings…” She recalled the last flight she’d enjoyed with Chashan. “There is nothing like the strength and beauty of a Preor in flight.”

“They don’t scare you?” The sun-yellow female again. “You seem so much smaller than them.”

She shook her head. “Never. They are large, fierce, and violent with each other, but mates give them the softness they lack. They cherish that softness.”

Khaza drew on the remainder of their panic-laced worry, dissipating it into the air with a gentle breath. They remained uneasy, but not so much that it would put the warriors on edge.

Their reaction lightened the darkness in her own heart. She could not give her mate dragonlets, but she could help other warriors in this way. She could do well for her race.

She gestured to the display screen and datapad nearby. “If you would like to regi—”

The cry struck her mind with no warning. It pierced her thoughts and drove out all others. She drew in a sharp breath and stumbled left, swaying for a moment while dizziness overtook her.

“Khaza?” Golden hair, bright blue eyes. Worry. Her heart reached to soothe the human once more, body reacting on instinct. Before she could reach the female, another cry—spear of overwhelming fear—beat at her. “Are you okay?” The human woman reached for her, holding Khaza steady when she would have fallen. “Khaza?”

She shook her head. The pain. So much pain beat at her. “I need…”

Her body drove her, the essence of a Heart Master pulling her away from the trio and to the door. She followed the ragged thread that tied her to the one in need. It was a person—human or Preor she didn’t know—but they were desperate and that was all her gift required.

Soft murmurs chased her, but she ignored them, too intent on her destination. Wherever that may be.

“Khaza?” She recognized the deep voice—Jarek. “You cannot be outside the choosing station without a guard or Chashan. There are many…”

She waved him away. She knew why mates could not leave the choosing station alone. Many humans didn’t like the presence of the Preor, but no matter what she knew, she couldn’t obey the rule.

“I can’t stop,” she whispered and continued. She scanned the parking lot, looking for the source of the pain. She recognized it as human now. Human and… female.

Khaza’s stomach lurched and she nearly doubled over from the intensity. She kept her hand pressed low to her stomach, as if the pressure could cease the ache. Except it couldn’t since it wasn’t her own pain. It was another’s.

On trembling legs, she moved across the asphalt lot, scanning the area. There was a human woman nearby who needed and Khaza’s heart would not allow her to do anything but find her.

“Khaza,” Jarek murmured, his pace matching her slow shuffle. “Chashan would not like—”

“I’m hunting.” She whipped her head around and glared at him, curling her lip and exposing her teeth. Preor females didn’t have the dragon’s body, but they still had the heart and soul of the fierce beasts.

Jarek jerked back, eyes wide. “Yes, Heart Master.”

None could ignore a warrior’s orders—Jarek’s orders—except a Heart Master when hunting for the source of pain. Then the Heart Master’s needs trumped all.

Shock quickly left and he straightened, stepping forward once more. “I offer escort and protection.”

Khaza would thank him later. After this next rolling wave of pain left her. If only the aches remained focused on her body, but her emotions twisted and twined in agony, as well. She returned to her path, searching. She scanned the area, choosing to go left, away from the choosing station and Preor Tower—the building she called home on Earth.

Jarek kept pace and soon she heard the soft lilting tones of his mate’s voice. Concern lingered in Melissa’s murmur, but it couldn’t overcome the one who drew her.

The ground softened, asphalt becoming sand, and still she moved. She was close. She could feel the increasing agony vibrating in her bones. The closer she drew, the greater it became until she could finally separate emotional from physical. The physical… it was so great. A killing pain. Too much for a human to endure for long.

Khaza could battle the woman’s emotions. The other…

Chashan! She reached for him, panic adding to her strength as her mind reached for his.

Khaza? Shock and worry filled her mind.

A ryaapir unit, shaa kouvi. Hurry! She didn’t know what she’d find when she finally came across the woman, but Khaza knew it would be needed. This much pain… It would be essential.

Khaza stumbled over a mound of sand, topped the next dune, and… found her.