Gwen sat out in the small but private garden that had come with their new apartment within the palace. The sky overhead was a paler blue than the one she’d known on Earth, but after a year of living on Pyros, she’d grown accustomed to the differences. The stars that filled the night sky may not be the ones she’d grown up with, but they were still beautiful, and the twin moons that orbited this world made for some truly amazing moonlit nights.

Sometimes, it felt like only a few days had passed since she had been reunited with Maggie and Lisa. That first meeting had been memorable. They had hugged and babbled incessantly, alternating between laughter and tears as they caught each other up on the momentous events of their time apart. Lisa had been gleeful about how well her suggestion to try the Star-Crossed dating site had worked out, and Maggie had repeatedly demanded her friends’ solemn word that they would help her step into her new role as a princess. Gwen’s golden eyes and new abilities amazed everyone, including her friends’ new mates.

Meeting the powerful men who had claimed Lisa and Maggie’s hearts had been nerve wracking, but that feeling hadn’t lasted long. They looked at her friends with the same adoration as Kash looked at her, which made it easy to like them. By the time they arrived on Pyros, the six had become fast friends, full of hope and plans for not only their futures, but the future of both their races.

Her infant daughter burbled softly and stirred, drawing Gwen’s attention down to the tiny miracle in her arms. Hope had been born two months ago, and the entire planet had celebrated her arrival. She was the first child to be born to any of the human/Pyrosian pairings, and the only female to be born on the planet in nearly five years.

“Hello, sweet pea. Did you have a good nap?” she cooed, her heart overflowing with love for her little girl.

“Of course she did. She’s resting up so she can cry at maximum volume for hours tonight when her parents are trying to sleep.”

Gwen turned to see Kash standing in the doorway with a smile on his handsome face. “You’re back. How did the meeting go?”

“It would have gone much faster if everyone wasn’t asking after you and Hope. Lilanna was disappointed you weren’t in attendance. It was all I could do to stop her from sending someone to escort you to the meeting. She insists that you come to the next one.”

“And when Hope gets fussy?”

Kash walked over to where she sat and crouched at her side, his big hands stroking his daughter’s cheek as he leaned in and kissed Gwen. “To quote our beloved queen, ‘anyone who complains about Hope can bring it up with me, and I will tell them what I think of their priorities.’ I don’t think we’ll have any trouble.”

“The only trouble we’ll have is getting our daughter back from Lilanna afterward. She’s quite smitten with our little angel.”

“Along with the rest of the planet.”

“That’ll change soon enough. Maggie’s due in four months. When the princess gives birth, everyone will forget about us. I’m starting to think Lisa was the smart one. She’s gallivanting about the galaxy with Vadir right now, having the time of her life.”

“I know you don’t mean that. You wouldn’t give up our Hope for anything in the universe, and neither would I. It will be easier once we’re on our way to Earth. Joran and I have already decided that we’re going to stretch out the journey as long as we can and turn it into something of a vacation. We’ll have Isli with us to help with Hope, too. Vadir and Lisa will meet up with us before we use the rift generator to make the hop to the far side of the galaxy.”

“That sounds nice. Are we going on the Firebrand?” She had fond memories of that ship. After all, it was where Hope had been conceived. Birth control pills don’t work when you don’t take them for several days, and thanks to the Scorching, she hadn’t even thought about it until they returned to her house to pack up her things.

“We are. Along with two other vessels that will carry the males selected for this miss— I mean, this round of pairings.”

A lot had changed since she and the others had been quietly whisked away from Earth. There were no more missions to sneak in and steal human women. It had taken time to convince the Inter-Planetary Council that the existence of Pyrosian DNA in the human population was proof that first contact had already been made, but Vadir had used his considerable influence to maintain the pressure until the Council had agreed. Thanks to Lisa’s idea, Earth was entering a new phase, one that might save both the people and the planet a great deal of suffering.

“What was the final count?” Originally, Gwen had been part of the planning process, but since Hope’s birth, she had stepped back and allowed others to take over. Today’s meeting had been the first of several to finalize the details of the next part of the adventure.

“Five hundred and thirty-seven males have been matched and will be accompanying us to Earth.”

“That many? The last I heard it was only three hundred or so.”

“The information campaign we’re running on Earth is starting to work. More females have signed up to be tested in the last few weeks. By the time we bring the first group home, there may well be enough matches to send more ships. Once they meet you and the other females already living on Pyros and hear your stories, I imagine that we’ll have more volunteers than Earth’s governments were counting on. There might be some resistance once they realize what’s happening.”

“If they are true mates, it won’t matter what the governments want. They all signed the same agreement. No technology or trade unless they agreed to allow any woman who voluntarily signed up to be taken to Pyros if she is matched.” And the governments had agreed so quickly she’d wondered if they’d even read the whole agreement. Some of them probably hadn’t, but that was their problem.

Earth was now a probationary member of the Council, and they had quickly come to realize that their newly discovered neighbours were more advanced than humans in every way. If they wanted access to the technology and knowledge to stabilize their world, end hunger, and create a brighter future for everyone, then they were going to have to play by the Council’s rules.

“You are adorable when you’re being fierce. Of course, they’ll abide by the agreement. Just as the application process here is open to any unmated male, regardless of their age or status.”

“Maggie made sure of that. For someone who aspired to live a small, simple life, she’s certainly adapted well to life as a future queen. She’s really the fierce one. I just stood back and watched her work.”

“You did so much more than that. I am proud of all you have accomplished, kaheya. And now you will return to your planet and be hosted by the leaders of your world.”

She groaned. “Don’t remind me. The only reason I’m doing this is because I know you’ll be at my side. I’m still not sure how I got talked into this.”

He leaned in, resting his head against her shoulder as he stared down at Hope with a goofy smile on his face. “You were the obvious choice. Maggie is still learning her duties as the next queen, and Lisa is with Vadir, helping him negotiate his trade agreements with Earth. But even if they weren’t already busy, you would still be the perfect one to take this role.”

“You’re biased.”

“Yes, I am. But I am still right. You were born to do this, and I will be with you the whole time. If it gets to be too much, just hold up this beautiful little girl and let her charm them all.”

“She is pretty charming, isn’t she? She must get that from me.”

Kash snorted. “Are you saying I’m not charming? I managed to convince you to come away with me to live on another planet, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but you made me so mad I set your room on fire, first. Plus, you had divine intervention working in your favour.”

“Yes, I did. And I give thanks to the Gods every day for it. I didn’t know how empty my life was until you came along and showed me what I was missing.”

She let all the love and joy in her heart well up inside her, and let it flow through the bond that would connect them for the rest of their lives. She’d found her future, her family, and her home the night Kash had knocked at her door.

Soon, she would go back to Earth and offer the same opportunity to other women who dreamed of finding someone to love. After all, she was now the spokeswoman for the Star-Crossed Dating Service. Offering adventure and romance from out of this world was all part of her job description.