We land on the crown of the massive Qroq statue, in the Fortress of Bones. Back where it all started.

I was brought here a slave, a ‘breeder’, meant to entertain the vile impulses of General Vakgar. I return on the wings of Prince Tau, ready to take on the Qroq emperor himself.

If everything goes according to plan, that is.

The entire crown is filled to the brim with Qroq warriors and generals. I recognize a few faces from that time I served the generals wine. Upon closer inspection, I see that there are Thalanil women among the crowd as well, serving the Qroq warriors wine.

One face, however, stands out.

A man-like being, taller and lankier than the Qroqs, sits on a golden throne. His hairless skin is purple, and where his mouth should be hang four tentacles. A garish robe adorns his spindly frame.

Just looking at him makes my skin crawl.

A giant golden scepter rests in his right hand, a brilliant diamond attached on top. The jewel brims with strange power, emitting a bright light.

This must be the emperor, but there’s no way he’s a Qroq.

“There you are,” he says as Xnath and I slide off Tau’s back. He talks like his mouth is full, his tentacles moving with every word. It is a wet, sloppy sound. “My wife to be. Come here, so I can look at you better.”

As if.

I look at my Qroq companion and nod. Together, we grab Tau’s shock-collar and pull it off. The device falls to the ground with a heavy thud, and a collective gasp passes through the crowd.

Tau shakes his neck, roaring wildly. He claws at the stone floor, smoke rising from his nostrils.

Get him, Tau.

My mate charges for the emperor, who sits in his throne, unconcerned. Right before Tau’s sharp, dragon fangs connect with the purple alien, a bright, white light shoots forth from the scepter — and strikes my mate.

My heart breaks into a million pieces.

Tau falls back, flying, shifting in mid-air. I’m watching it happen in slow-motion. All my dreams, all my hopes are being shattered in front of me.

When he lands on the stone floor, he’s back in his humanoid form, and unconscious.

This can’t be.

“Put that traitor in the pits,” Emperor Qotl snaps.

Xnath is grabbed from behind by two large Qroqs and dragged away, into the crowd.

I fall to my knees next to my mate, cradling his head in my hands.

“Please wake up,” I say. “Please.”

Tears stream down my face, but it’s of no use.

A bony finger runs across my cheek, and I jerk myself away.

“You’re mine now,” the emperor says. “Mine alone.”

“Never,” I say, my voice brimming with hate.

He grabs my wrist and pulls me to my feet. The alien’s surprisingly strong for his spindly frame.

“Come here, let me look at you,” he says, peering into my eyes with those giant purple bug eyes of him. I try to look away, but there’s something hypnotic about his misty eyes, and I find my muscles losing their strength.

“That’s it, gaze into my eyes, worm,” he says. “You’ll fall in line, just like the others. Ah, I see you are from Earth. Hm. Yes.”

It feels like the alien is reading my mind, invading my very thoughts.

“Billions of juicy slaves,” he says, his voice thick with desire. “Excellent. You will lead me to them.”

“Never,” I grit through my teeth with all my strength.

A thin smile appears on his face. It only makes him look even more unsettling.

“The Qroq are my thralls, the Thalanil are my thralls… why do you think humans will be any different?”

“You don’t possess anyone,” I bite. “There will always be resistance.”

“Where is this resistance than, hm?” the alien asks.

“Right here.”

I lurch forward with all my strength and grab the alien’s golden scepter with both of my hands. I slam it right into his purple, egg-sized head, and the scepter explodes with a bright, white light. The emperor stumbles and falls backwards, and at that moment, all hell breaks loose.

All around me the Thalanil women pull weapons from beneath their robes and start attacking their Qroq overlords. Most are drunk, and those who aren’t find that their weapons are missing, their straps loosened, or their boots tied to one another.

I run towards my mate, and grab his hand. To my relief he moves, and slowly opens his eyes.

“I’m here, baby,” I say. “Right here.”

He smiles, and I’ve never felt happier to see those fangs of him come into view. Suddenly, his eyes grow wide, and he hops to his feet in one quick motion and yanks me away.

A second later the ground where I stood lights up with colored sparks — the alien emperor is firing at us with that strange scepter!

My mate squeezes my hand in a loving gesture before charging at the alien. The ground lights up with more sparks, but now that he’s in his humanoid form, Tau is much more nimble, and he dodges every shot the purple alien fires at him.

All around us there’s chaos as the Thalanil women fight the Qroqs, but my attention is focused on my mate, my heart racing as I watch him charge the emperor.

Ten more steps.

Five more.

Three.

One.

Tau jumps forward and wraps his strong, broad arms around the emperor’s frame — and together, in a final flash of white light, they tumble over the edge of the statue.

I scream.

The entire world falls quiet as everyone turns to see what happened. When the Qroq notice their leader is missing, they stop their struggle, and look at each other in a daze.

Did the blast hit Tau? Is he falling to his death?

I can’t bear to look over the edge, but I have to know.

The silence, which probably lasts only a few seconds, feels like an eternity. I fall down to my knees, my insides hurting, my heart aching with every beat.

And then, a great, turquoise dragon soars through the sky, and my heart leaps into my throat.

My mate!

He lands at my feet, shifting back into his humanoid form, and falls into my arms. He’s weakened, wounded, tired, but most importantly, alive!

I hug him so tightly he groans in pain — but he’s smiling throughout it all.

“What about the emperor?” I ask.

“He’s down at the bottom,” Tau answers. “I couldn’t catch him.”

I nod at the Qroq warriors and Thalanil women who still surround us, their weapons drawn.

“Maybe you ought to say something,” I say. “You’re their prince.”

He nods decisively, and I help him get up to his feet.

“Qroqs!” he addresses the crowd. “Emperor Qotl lies dead at the foot of this statue. Lay down your weapons, and I will guarantee your safety.”

A murmur passes through the crowd.

“What?!” a familiar, female voice cries. Sera pushes her way forward, a knife in hand. “What are you talking about? They don’t deserve mercy!”

Tau raises his hand, and the sounds stops instantly.

“This is the dawn of a new age,” he says. “I’m not going to lie: It will be hard. It will take time. But, there will be no more bloodshed today.”

A single Qroq drops his sword on the ground. A moment later a few more follow, and then it’s a cacophony of sound as all swords are dropped on the stone floor. The green aliens start leaving, looking confused.

My heart feels like it’s going to explode as I hug my mate tightly.

It’s finally over.