An hour later, Eryn paced the floor in her apartment, nerves strung tight. Being suppertime, she needed to eat, but with her stomach in knots, she feared she wouldn’t keep anything down. Footsteps came from outside in the hall, and she froze. Her gaze shot to the door, expecting Ram to come bursting in. She’d reacted to noises like this since she’d gotten home. Every thud, squeaky floorboard, and slamming door made her jump, dread clenching her insides with the anticipation of their inevitable confrontation.

When the steps halted at her door this time, she spun around, searching for an escape option. She eyed the window. Three floors up, she quickly ruled it out. So, she held her breath, motionless as she stared at the door, reassured with both the lock and the dead bolt engaged. If she remained quiet, he might leave.

Damn! When had she become such a coward?

She held her breath when the door swung open a second later. Lana stepped in, pausing a foot inside with bags of groceries in her arms. “Eryn, what’s wrong?”

Her relief so great, she plopped down—before she fell down—onto the couch behind her.

“You’re shaking.” Concern filled her roommate’s face. “And white as a sheet. Are you ill?”

“No, but I could be.”

“What?”

“Actually, I probably will be by the time the night’s over.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Maybe I should call the doctor.”

“I just came from there.”

“Really? I’m so relieved. What did they say?”

“Everything is progressing normally, though they aren’t really sure, since normal hasn’t been defined yet in a human-Primarian pregnancy.”

“Let me put these down then you can tell me what else they said.” Bags crinkled as she dropped them on the counter, muttering, “I knew you weren’t three months along.”

“Go ahead and gloat. You win the prize of most annoying, know-it-all friend.”

“Like I need permission to say I told you so.” On her way to the couch, she halted. “Wait. Does Ram know?”

“No, but I’m sure Roth has shared the news by now. He was very insistent.”

Lana twisted around and rushed to the window. “I hate to tell you this, but I thought I saw him on my way home from the PX.”

“Are you sure it was him?” Eryn nearly shouted the question as she joined her at the window. Brushing the filmy drape aside, she pressed against the glass while straining to see down the street.

“I don’t know. Is he a big guy, about seven feet tall with long dark hair?”

“Very funny.” This description matched almost every Primarian male. “I’m serious.”

“It was him.” Lana stepped, allowing her side of the curtain to fall back in place. When she glanced her way, tension lined her face. “And he seemed pretty ticked.”

“How long before he gets here?”

“A few minutes. He’s on foot but really moving.”

“Dammit! I’m not ready for this.” In a panic, she hurried to the door. She’d go out the back, avoid him until she figured out what to say and what to do. It shouldn’t take long…a few hours, a couple of years, no more than a full decade.

Maybe she’d head west to the mountains. As a kid, she’d camped with her parents, and learned some skills. She’d become a mountain woman, living off the land, raising her son or daughter in peace. The baby kicked hard, evidently not on board with the plan.

“Wyoming might be nice,” she murmured then swung open the door.

“You can’t go!” Lana warned. “You’d be AWOL. Besides, have you met these Primarian Warriors? He’ll come after you. Trask followed me across galaxies.”

Their eyes locked.

“It will be all right, Eryn. Talk to him. He won’t hurt you, and I doubt if he’ll spank you too hard while you’re pregnant.”

“Lana!”

“What? There’s no denying their nature. We both lived with one for weeks. And you teach classes on their ways for God’s sake.”

“I can’t think about this right now. I’ve got to go.”

“What you have to do is be rational. Don’t forget the treaty. It’s a capital crime to take a child from a Primarian parent, especially the father. If you run, you’d be a fugitive, Eryn.”

“Damn treaty!”

“Every U.S. Marshal in the country would be on your trail, not to mention Ram, who would employ the full power of their alien technology to hunt you down.”

“Thanks, Lana,” she snapped. “You’re making me feel so much better.”

“I’m trying to make you see reason. The males I’ve met are good men. A little intense sometimes, but they care.”

“So why did you leave?” she challenged.

“I had my reasons.”

“And I have my reasons not to stay here.”

A slamming door echoing throughout the corridor had her tensing. Footsteps sounded on the stairs. She raked her fingers through her hair, imagining his reaction at the news. After what had happened, how would he feel about being forever mated to a…a…?

She closed her eyes, unable to think the awful word while forcing herself to face the truth. Even before that unforgettable morning, their pairing had been disastrous. A captive, she’d been justified in her defiance but had pushed it too far in the end. Regret weighed heavy on her shoulders.

Yet, it had come ahead of an alliance, the signing of a treaty, and the droves of willing women who jumped at the opportunity to travel to another galaxy to become Primarian mates—inconceivable to some, but they had five thousand signed contracts and a waiting list with more. Back then, when they had been unwilling captives of barbaric aliens, everything had been different.

Silence followed another slamming door. “Not Ram,” she breathed in relief. But it was just a matter of time before he arrived and confronted her. “I need to go, to think.”

“Promise you won’t leave the base?”

She met Lana’s gaze, her friend’s eyes bright with unshed tears, her sympathy palpable.

“I’ll stay and face the music because, as you say, where on Earth would I go to escape him? But not now, not yet. Today has been, well, overwhelming doesn’t do it justice. I need more time if only a few hours.”

Letting the heavy door slam shut behind her, she hurried down the steps at the rear of the building. The metallic ring echoed in the stairwell, sounding censorious in her ears. Running was a stall tactic, nothing more, one she’d used repeatedly with Ram. But she needed a little time alone, because when he caught up with her, she doubted he’d let his baby out of his sight again.