Harper:

I drift in and out of consciousness for days. Every time I wake, one of the two hotties are at my side. They feed me bowls of broth and small helpings of meat and fruit, and they give me a strange green potion to drink. I want to ask them where my friends are, but I’m never awake long enough to be able to satisfy my curiosity.

Should I be afraid of them? I’m not. They might be criminals, but their eyes are kind, and they’re taking really good care of me. I decide not to worry about it.

The room is empty when I wake up. The two hotties are nowhere to be seen, and another large alien with warm, golden-brown skin stands in the doorway.

He turns around when I attempt to sit up. Stealth warrior I’m not. “Hi,” I greet him.

“Ah, you’re awake,” my guard says cheerfully. He’s as tall as the other two Zorahn, but he’s leaner than them. He looks like a runner. “Vulrux and Dennox have been worried sick.” His grin widens. “I’m going to have so much fun teasing Rorix about this.”

He seems friendly, and not at all like a dangerous criminal, not, of course, that I have any way of telling. “Who’s Rorix and why are you going to tease him?”

“Rorix brushed against the same fungus you did,” he replies. “But he was in a coma for three months.” An amused smile curls at his mouth. “You’re up in fifteen days. I’m Thrax, by the way.”

“And I’m Harper,” I reply. “I wouldn’t be so quick to mock Rorix if I were you. My body feels like an elephant has been using it for a trampoline. That’s not normal, is it?”

His gaze goes distant. If I had to guess, the translator in his ear is probably explaining the concept of a trampoline to him. I wonder what he thinks of it.

I don’t have too long to wait to find out. “You humans do some strange things,” he says, laughter in his voice. “You jump up and down on a stretched piece of hide for fun?”

I hear voices. Before Thrax can reply, my three ladies enter the room. Viola, Sofia, and Ryanna. “Oh my God, Harper,” Viola says, flinging her arms around me. “You’re awake at last. You’ve been in and out of consciousness for the last three days, and even though Vulrux and Dennox swore you were going to be okay, I was freaking out. Thank heavens you’re alive.”

I return her hug a little awkwardly. “I’m pretty excited about living too,” I deadpan. “But it looks like I’ve missed a lot. The two hunky aliens told me that we’re not on Zoraht. Fill me in. What the hell’s going on?”

The women exchange glances. “Thrax, could you leave us alone for a few moments?” Viola asks the alien in the room.

“Of course,” Thrax replies, speaking with a deference that surprises me. Back on Earth, the Zorahn treated us as if we were beneath them. I wonder what’s changed.

Once it’s just the four of us, Viola sits down on the mattress next to me. Sofia and Ryanna perch at the foot of the bed. “Don’t freak out,” Ryanna warns me. “You’re not going to like this tale of woe.”

“What do you mean, don’t freak out?” I ask cautiously. Something’s afoot. Thrax said I was in a coma for fifteen days. What’s been happening while I’ve been unconscious?

Sofia gives Ryanna an irritated look. “Look what you’ve done,” she scolds the dark-haired woman. “You’re worrying Harper.”

“Actually, all three of you are,” I reply. “Whatever it is, just spit it out. I’m a big girl. I can take it.” Something strikes me. “Where are the others, by the way? Olivia? May? Are they still in stasis?”

Viola doesn’t meet my eyes. “They’re fine. We think.” She draws a deep breath. “Okay, it’s rip-off-the-Band-Aid time. The last time you were conscious, we were trying to find food and water so we could survive until we were rescued, right? Well, here’s the thing. There’s no rescue possible. We’re stuck on this planet forever.”

“What?” My voice comes out in a thin shriek.

Almost immediately, the two aliens who have been taking care of me enter the room. “Are you okay?” Linebacker asks me, his voice gentle. “Do you need anything?”

Fuck yes. A brand-new, shiny spaceship that has the power to get me the hell away from this hot, humid, planet, filled with poisonous fungi that want to kill me. And, while we’re wishing for things, a bar of chocolate would be nice too.

Viola sighs. “She’s fine, Dennox,” she says, her voice tired. “Can we talk to Harper in private for a few minutes?”

The other alien gives Sofia a questioning look. “Viola just told Harper that we can’t leave the prison planet,” she explains. “She’s fine, Vulrux, I promise. I won’t let her get too tired.”

Vulrux and Dennox. Those are the names of the two aliens who’ve been taking care of me. Dennox is the linebacker, and Vulrux is the green-eyed one who eye-rolled at the idea of the High Emperor helping us.

Vulrux gives me a questioning look, and I nod slightly. “We’ll be right outside if you need us,” he says.

The two of them leave. “Explain,” I tell my fellow astronauts, my head spinning with confusion. “What do you mean, we’re stuck here?”

“An asteroid belt surrounds this planet,” Viola replies. “No Zorahn pilot can get a ship through it without serious damage. You saw what happened to the Fehrat 1.”

“Okay.” My mind feels fuzzy, but I focus my thoughts as best as I can. “How did the eye-candy get here?”

Ryanna snorts in laughter at my description of the aliens. “The eye-candy,” she says, “were put in a drone ship.” Her lips tighten. “The Zorahn weren’t very concerned with their survival.”

Her comment prompts another thought. “What did they do?” I ask curiously. “Why were they exiled to this world? They aren’t serial killers, are they?”

Viola shakes her head. “They’re Draekons,” she replies. “Men that can shapeshift into dragons. They were created by the Zorahn scientists to be soldiers more than a thousand years ago, but there was some kind of rebellion, and they were all killed. Ever since then, the Zorahn test their population yearly, and when they find someone with Draekon genes, they exile them. The fourteen men in this camp have been here for sixty years.” She smiles faintly. “Obviously, the Zorahn live longer than humans.”

I barely register Viola’s comment about how old the aliens are, and I even ignore the fact that they can shape-shift into dragons; I’m so shocked by the circumstances that led to their exile. “Wow,” I murmur, horrified to my core. “That’s shitty. How do you know all this?”

“She’s banging two of them,” Ryanna replies with a grin. “They shifted into dragons when they saw her. They’re her mates.”

To each their own, I guess. I’m not going to critique Viola’s taste in men. I’m more concerned with the ‘stuck on this planet forever’ situation. “Can we fix the spaceship? Or their drone ship, can we MacGyver it to get us out of here?”

“There’s a big hole in our hull, Harper,” Sofia says. “Remember?”

“Holes can be welded,” I retort. “Between their ship and ours, maybe we have enough parts to get one useful spaceship.”

From the look on their faces, I’m assuming they haven’t thought about it. Frustration rises in me. It sounds like in the two weeks I’ve been doing my best Sleeping Beauty imitation, these three have resigned themselves to living on this hellish planet for the rest of their lives.

Scratch that. Sofia and Ryanna might be resigned to living here, but Viola is captivated, from all accounts, by dragon dick.

Not me. I’m not giving up without a fight.

“I can’t believe,” I say acidly to Viola, “that you’ve just assumed we have no options. Where’s your backbone? You’re going to stay here and play cavewoman with your two aliens, and forget about your life back on Earth?”

“I didn’t have a life back on Earth,” she retorts grimly. “Besides, what makes you think that going back is a good idea, even if it were possible? Our government sold us out to the Zorahn with no due diligence. Do you trust the Zorahn scientists to keep us safe? Arax was the Firstborn, and they exiled him. What kind of protection do you think we’ll have?”

I think of the way Vulrux had rolled his eyes when he talked about the High Emperor. Maybe Viola’s right.

Then my natural skepticism reasserts itself. “Hang on. Fourteen men were exiled to this planet. Suddenly, nine women show up in their midst. Of course, they’re going to tell you whatever the fuck it takes to keep you here. As far as they’re concerned, Christmas came early. They’re not going to give us up.”

Viola’s lips tighten. “I trust Arax and Nyx,” she says. “I believe them. They’re not lying when they tell us there’s no way out of here.”

“What about the others?” I demand. “Olivia, May, Felicity, Paige, and Bryce. Where are they?”

Sofia answers me. “They were taken by another Draekon exile batch,” she says unhappily. “We’re not sure if they are prisoners, or if they’re there of their own free will.”

I try to jump to my feet. Bad mistake. The room spins around me, and I collapse back on the bed. Thankfully, my two Draekon protectors don’t hear me. “They’re what?” I screech. “And you’re sitting here instead of looking for them?” I glare at Viola accusingly. “You’re having sex while the others are being held captive?”

Viola turns white. Ryanna puts a hand on her shoulder. “There’s nothing we can do, Harper,” she says. “It’s the rainy season. It’s coming down so badly that you can’t see your hand in front of your face. Can’t you hear the deluge?”

Now that she mentions it, I notice the dull, pounding throb on the roof. “That’s rain?”

Sofia nods. “According to the guys, it goes on for three months,” she says. “You remember that mountain we were walking toward when you got poisoned? We’re at the peak of that mountain right now, and the lowlands surrounding us are flooded. We can’t do anything until the weather improves.”

“Not even Viola’s pet dragons?” I snap. “They can’t fly on recon missions and find our friends?”

“Why don’t you go outside and see for yourself?” Viola snarls, pushed too far. “Maybe then you’ll realize that while you were unconscious, we weren’t idle. We’re trying to figure out how to survive here, Harper, and your crappy attitude isn’t helping.”

She seems on the point of tears. As if they sense her emotions, two new men enter the room and move to her side. I’m assuming these are Viola’s dragons. Their lips tighten when they take in Viola’s distress. “Aida?” one of them says softly. “What’s the matter?”

I feel a slight tinge of envy when I see the way the two of them look at the brown-haired botanist. As if she’s the only woman for them. Back on Earth, I’d hoped that Tom would look at me that way.

Of course, Tom had turned out to be a two-timing weasel, and he’d been such a dick that I’d had to quit my job. Running out of money, I’d volunteered to travel to an alien planet.

Now, I’m stranded.

Viola smiles tremulously at the man who asked her the question. He’s got shoulder-length dark hair, and a beard covers his face. “Nothing,” she tells him. “Harper was just concerned about Olivia, May and the others.”

Shame trickles through me. Viola could have tattled on me, but she’s put the nicest possible spin on my yelling spree.

I don’t think Bearded Dragon believes her. “I’m Arax,” he says to me. “I’m the leader of this exile batch.” He indicates the man next to him. “This is Nyx, my pair-bond. Nyx, will you fetch Vulrux and Dennox? We have something to discuss.”

I happen to catch Viola’s expression. She’s biting her lower lip, and she looks nervous.

I don’t have time to ponder what’s going on because the two hotties re-enter the room. Vulrux’s eyes fly to Arax’s face and his body tenses. “What are you planning, Arax?” he asks bluntly.

Arax doesn’t answer him directly. He turns to me. “Harper Boyd,” he says. “You’ve already met Vulrux and Dennox. Their blood mingled with yours, and it saved your life.”

“Yeah.” My throat is dry. I can’t help feeling like the other shoe is about to drop. Any moment now. “I’m pretty grateful.”

“Vulrux and Dennox are your mates,” Arax continues. “Your presence wakes the dragons inside them.”

Wait, what? No, no, hell no. Viola might be happy to shack up with her hot alien lovers on this planet, but I’m going back to Earth, where we have things like cell phones, Internet access, and pizza delivery.

I’m not the only one who doesn’t think much of this mating thing. Viola’s looking pole-axed, and both Vulrux and Dennox have identical unhappy frowns on their faces.

Huh. I’m pretty glad the aliens aren’t itching to jump me, but I can’t deny feeling a little wounded pride at their disinterest.

“We need all the strength we can muster to find your missing friends,” Arax says. “If Vulrux and Dennox complete the mating bond, there will be two more of us that can transform into dragons.”

Viola bites her lip. “Arax,” she says quietly, “we can’t force Harper. That’s not how we do things.”

“No,” Arax agrees. “I won’t compel anyone to mate against their will.” He straightens. “Here is my decree. Vulrux and Dennox, you will court Harper Boyd. You will spend your waking hours together. If by the time the rains cease, the three of you are not bonded, you are free to go your separate ways.”

“What the fuck, Arax?” Viola demands. Got to give her credit, she thinks this idea is bullshit as well. Complete, total bullshit.

“Vulrux and Dennox will not force Harper Boyd,” he replies, as if that’s all that matters. “But if we are to save the other women, I need Draekons who can transform at will.” He gives me a hard look. “I heard you earlier,” he says to me. “You seemed very concerned about the fate of your companions. Here’s your opportunity to demonstrate your caring.”

He spins on his heels and leaves, Viola and Nyx trailing after him. There’s perfect silence in the room. My head aches. For a second, I wish I was back in a coma.

I stare at the two alien Draekons who are supposedly my mates. What the fuck happens now?

Ryanna breaks the quiet with a chuckle. “Well,” she says dryly. “I think it’s safe to say that after that, Arax will be spending the night on the couch.” She gets to her feet. “Come on, Sofia. We’ll leave the lovers to it.”

The two of them leave, and it’s just the three of us. Dennox. Vulrux. And in the middle, me.

Great. Stupid orange goo that kills me. No chocolate. And now, this. Two alien mates.

I lift my chin up and give them a defiant glance. “Before you say anything,” I say, my voice harsh. “Let’s make one thing perfectly clear. I don’t care how magical your dicks are. I’m not going to sleep with you.”