Harper:

A couple of days go by, and life falls into a kind of rhythm. Every morning, after breakfast, we go swimming. After that, we each head off to our tasks.  Vulrux makes salves, tinctures, and ointments out of the medicinal herbs he’s gathered during the dry season, and when he’s not doing that, he’s in charge of making kunnr wine.

Dennox carves bone knives and mends the pathways, which always appear in need of repair.

Me? I’ve been assigned the laborious task of weaving the tree bark together so we can use it as roofing. I should find the work mind-numbingly boring, but as I fiddle with the fibers, I feel myself relaxing for the first time in a long time.

It’s a peaceful life on the prison planet. One with friends and laughter, food and drink, warmth and happiness. One with love. There’s a community here that I never had back home and a sense of belonging.

Sometimes, I think of the cloakship that Beirax mentioned, but the urge to find it is never very strong. Once the rains stop, I know we’ll go looking for it, but I can’t say I’m in a huge hurry for things to change.

The truth is, things are pretty damn good as they are.

Sofia and I are preparing the evening meal for the first time, and we’re running terribly, horribly behind. “Dios Mio,” she groans. “Ferix asked me if we needed help and I told him we had it under control.”

Newsflash: She was lying.

“Yeah,” I mutter. “I know. I was there.”

Vulrux and Dennox are in the dining area as well, watching with open amusement. Dennox comes over to the small prep area, where Sofia and I are trying to dance around each other. “Are you sure we can’t help you, Harper?” he asks, his eyes twinkling with mirth. “The two of you seem to be having some trouble.”

“Men,” Sofia says under her breath.

“Stop laughing at us,” I tell Dennox sternly. “I’ll have you know that back on Earth, I was an excellent cook.” Okay, I might be exaggerating just a little bit. “On Earth though, we had electric stoves and microwaves and meat thermometers.”

The translator in his ear does its magic. Dennox encircles me from behind and kisses the side of my neck. “Poor Harper,” he whispers in my ear, his voice still amused. “How ever are you going to manage?”

Sofia rolls her eyes. “Can the three of you make out later?” she demands. “Harper, the others are going to be here for dinner any minute now, and all we have is burnt meat and mush. Get peeling.”

Dennox winks at me and leaves us alone. He joins Vulrux, and the two of them are soon in deep conversation. If I had to guess what they’re talking about, it’s Beirax’s revelations and Dennox’s memories. This morning, Vulrux decided to tell Arax everything after the evening meal.

All the more reason why Sofia and I need to hurry up and get food on the table.

I get to work on peeling knotty purple roots in front of me. Sofia, who’s much better at names than I am, told me what plant it came from, but I’ve forgotten already. As far as I’m concerned, the only thing that matters is that the roots taste a little like turnip. Ugh.

“Be careful with that bone knife,” Sofia warns me as she tears some pink leaves and throws them into a clay pot along with the few pieces of meat she’s been able to salvage from our earlier barbeque debacle. “It’s a lot sharper than it looks.”

“Yes mother,” I quip.

We work in silence for a few moments, and I shoot Dennox and Vulrux several covert looks. When I’m certain they’re not paying attention to me, I clear my throat. “Hey, Sofia, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

She doesn’t lift her head from the pot. “Uh-huh,” she says. “What’s up?”

“Umm, this is a little awkward. I kinda heard that you and Vulrux might have had a thing for each other when I was in a coma.”

That gets her attention. She gives me a stupefied look. “What?”

I bite my lower lip. “If you don’t want to talk about it…” My voice trails off.

She continues to gape at me. “Harper,” she says at last, “I’ve never had a thing for Vulrux. From the moment you got here, Vulrux couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

Oh. I’m going to kill Viola. She might have got the Thrax-Ryanna thing right, but she missed the boat entirely on this one. “Are you sure?” I ask her.

“I’m quite sure,” she replies dryly. “You’re welcome to your Draekons, Harper. I’m not pining for either of them. Now, can you get peeling, please? I’m pretty sure I just saw Strax and Odix walk toward the dining area.”

Crap. She’s right. It’s not just the two Draekons, I see a stream of people heading toward us, and we don’t have anything for them to eat. I’m about to start peeling faster when I see someone unexpected walking our way.

It’s Raiht’vi.

The Zorahn scientist has finally decided to join us for a meal.

There’s a bit of awkward shuffling at first, but then Haldax, who never met a Highborn he didn’t love, starts talking to Raiht’vi. Viola watches the scientist with narrowed eyes, and I remember our conversation from the other day. Did Raiht’vi send Viola into the jungle, knowing how dangerous it would be? Or was it all a big misunderstanding?

I can’t tell. The scientist is too inscrutable.

Someone else is watching Raiht’vi. Dennox. My mate’s expression is uncertain, and his shoulders are tense.

After her initial look of surprise, Sofia’s returned to her cooking, moving at a frantic pace. I don’t see what the big deal is—so what if dinner’s a little late anyway? It’s our first time alone in the kitchen. While I want to impress Vulrux and Dennox, I’m not going to twist myself into knots about my culinary abilities.

Sofia isn’t quite as calm. The instant I’m done peeling and chopping the purple turnip-thingamabobs, she snatches the wooden cutting board from me.

It seems to happen in slow motion.

The bone knife that I’d set down next to the roots goes flying in the air. Acting instinctively, I make a grab for it, but my fingers don’t close around the handle.

They close around the razor-sharp blade.

I stare at my hand. A thin red line appears, blood trickling down my wrist. It’s nothing serious, I tell myself, and then the flow increases. Blood begins to seep from the cut, slowly but steadily, dripping on the floor.

The knife clatters to the ground, and the noise makes Vulrux and Dennox look up. The instant they see my face, they’re at my side. Dennox makes a strangled noise in his throat and goes pale.

Vulrux swallows hard. “How deep?” he asks, his voice shaky. “Flex your fingers for me, diya.”

“It’s just a cut,” I say, but I’m beginning to feel light-headed from the blood loss. I lean on my two mates, grateful for their support. “It’s nothing serious. I’m not going to be a juggler anytime soon though.”

Before either of them have a chance to respond, Raiht’vi comes up. “Let me see,” she orders. I obediently show her my hand, and she surveys it for a few seconds and then shrugs dismissively. “It’s a minor cut,” she says. “It won’t hurt you. The wound will heal.”

It’s a good thing Raiht’vi never became a doctor because her bedside manner sucks ass.

Dennox’s fingers dig into my flesh, jerking my attention to my mate. His face has gone even whiter, and he’s staring at Raiht’vi in horror. “I remember you,” he says. “You were in the Crimson Citadel. You were one of the people that experimented on me.”

He takes a deep breath, and when he speaks next, there’s a note of raw anger in his voice, one I’ve never heard from him. “You were there that night, working late. Everyone else had left. I remember.”

A stillness spreads over the crowd. Arax stalks over. “What are you saying, Dennox?” he asks, his voice soft and filled with menace.

Dennox is still looking at Raiht’vi. “I remember the guards coming in with the news that Vulrux was in the citadel. You asked them if any of the more senior scientists were around, but nobody was there except you.” His eyes haze with pain. “Did you…”

Raiht’vi straightens to her full, impressive height. Her face is set in hard lines. “Yes,” she says. “I did. I gave the order that killed your mate.”

Dennox breaks from his stillness, lunging towards Raiht’vi, who does not recoil. She stands bravely as the warrior charges. Shouts rise from everyone. “Dennox, stop,” Arax orders. “No,” I cry out, adding my voice to the mix, but he cannot hear me.

“You,” Dennox roars, “You will not hurt our mate!”

A body blurs past Raiht’vi, slamming into Dennox. It’s Thrax, trying to stop my warrior mate. The blow forces him back, but in a smooth move, Dennox ducks and sends the leaner alien flying, crashing into the staring crowd. Thrax springs back to his feet, shakes his head and rushes back, but he’s no match for Dennox, who moves with the skill and speed of an elite soldier.

Nyx rushes Dennox, feinting at the last moment to slip past his defenses. The two Draekons wrestle, Thrax jumping on the pile, grabbing Dennox’s arm as he slams Nyx to the floor. More Draekons rush to help.

Cool air washes over my skin, a shocking change from the broiling humidity. My skin prickles with the significance.

Dennox is calling his dragon.

“No,” I scream louder, and start pushing through the crowd, trying to get to him.

Vulrux whirls and catches me, lifting me into his arms. “We must get you to safety.” There’s fear in his voice. He’s realized what I have: Dennox is no longer in control.

“Dennox, please,” I sob, terror washing over me. Somehow, my voice catches my warrior mate’s ear in the chaos and the tumult.

“Harper?” He turns to find me, almost pulling Nyx and two others off their feet. My heart breaks at the confusion in his eyes. He seems to slowly gather his wits. He draws in a deep breath and takes a half-step toward me.

“Yes, that’s it,” Vulrux breathes. “He’s back in control.”

Nyx and Thrax get a hold of Dennox’s arms, but he’s no longer fighting. He looks straight at me, his chest rising and falling like he’s run a marathon. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I snapped.”

“Almost,” I correct him. “You didn’t, though. What happened?”

“He remembers,” Vulrux murmurs, and I realize why Dennox charged Raiht’vi. For a moment Dennox was back in that awful place, watching his first mate die, helpless to protect her. His instincts kicked in when he remembered what Raiht’vi had done.

“She killed your mate,” I whisper, feeling ill.

“She gave the order,” Vulrux says quietly. His mouth is twisted, and his eyes are filled with pain. My heart aches at the sight. I want to cling to him, but he steps away, towards Dennox, and I let him go.

“Enough,” Arax says. He has his arms around Viola, shielding her from any possible danger. A motion from him, and Nyx and Thrax release Dennox. The Firstborn gives Raiht’vi a long, assessing stare. The scientist’s face is pale, but she still stands tall. “I will see the affected parties in my house,” Arax says icily. He glances around at us. “Vulrux and Dennox. This crime was committed on the homeworld. By the laws of Zoraht, you, as the injured party, may pass judgment on Raiht’vi. You will decide,” he pauses and draws in a deep breath, “whether she lives or dies.”

Vulrux and Dennox are looking at Raiht’vi in stunned horror.

I want to be sick. All the while, I’ve been trying to convince myself that the two men aren’t still broken up by the death of their mate, ignoring the signs that pointed otherwise. I’ve tried to forget that the real reason Vulrux drugged Beirax is because he wanted to know the truth of that night. I’ve turned a blind eye to the fact that Dennox didn’t want to mate with me until his memories reappeared.

I’m a fool. A stupid, love-struck fool wearing rose-tinted glasses.

It’s clear from their expressions that Vulrux and Dennox never got over their first mate. And I don’t know where that leaves me.