High above the atmosphere, watching like a guardian in the sky, the Primarian battle cruiser, the Intrepid, maintained a constant orbit. It did so from a distance, giving the anxious governments of Earth the semblance of safety. All pretense. Their ship had proximity and the capability to intervene in seconds, if needed.

While Ram navigated the winding corridors on his way to the bridge, he considered their situation. Cognizant of the fact an advanced race with superior weaponry hovered above their planet, most of the human leaders said nothing, likely out of pride. What choice did they have other than watch their world crumble around them?

Still, it made for some awkward negotiations. Ram had been a part of many such talks but preferred leaving it to Commander Roth, the leading authority on this mission, and Maggie. Once the captain of the Earth ship, Odyssey, and Roth’s former captive, she was now his willing mate, and because of her unique perspective into both worlds, served in a dual role as the Primarian liaison and Earth ambassador. The couple had an aptitude for diplomacy, as opposed to Ram, the Master Warrior, used a more hands-on approach to keeping the peace.

Ram turned down the long corridor leading to the lift, pushing thoughts of Roth and Maggie aside. Seeing them together reminded him of Eryn. And nothing good ever came of remembering their time together, bringing only pain and grief.

His anger had dissipated with the weeks and months passed. However, if he dwelled on their brief mating, and their parting, it would begin simmering again. No good would come of his brooding; he kept telling himself. Besides, he had to get some sleep. He didn’t need dreams of his treacherous, one-time mate disturbing him.

He heaved a protracted sigh while forcing himself to a faster pace. Although he’d have rather gone straight to his quarters, to sink into the hot, soothing waters of the bathing pool awaiting him, he couldn’t seek the comforts of a bath or his bed until after a planned briefing with Allon, the Intrepid’s captain.

When he entered the lift and rode up six levels to the command center, he ignored the tired, achy muscles in his back and shoulders protesting the additional duty, and mentally laid out the rest of the evening’s agenda.

First, the briefing, second, a nice long soak then bed.

When he arrived on the bridge, the crew not engaged in active duties of engineering the ship came to attention. After signaling them to be at ease, he crossed to the small alcove on the uppermost level where Allon awaited to give his report. Ordinarily, this would have been dealt with by the commander, but with Roth entangled in political negotiations almost daily, as second-in-command, many of his duties had fallen to him.

This left Ram pulled in many different directions, including overseeing much of the integration, processing, and scheduling of travel for both mates to Primaria, and construction teams to the colony on Ventorcopia—what the humans had dubbed New Earth. In addition, he and his warriors had been called upon to assist the human’s military from time to time, most often in a crisis when they required extra resources—manpower primarily.

Thus, the reason for his fatigue.

They had just completed a three-day joint assignment with a local platoon in a nearby town. Inundated with heavy rains for over a week, the townspeople required help defending against the rising flood waters. Unfortunately, the mission turned into a search and rescue of citizens who had refused to leave their homes, becoming trapped when the river crested higher than expected, and the raging water overflowed its banks by twenty feet.

After they worked for seventy-two Earth hours straight, the rain stopped. With cleanup efforts just beginning, Ram and his men found themselves released for something the Earth soldiers call R&R. Rest and relaxation, a foreign concept to Primarian warriors with work yet to do, came as a surprise. But the presence of seven-foot-tall aliens in the small town caused more of a stir than it helped —especially when the news media arrived. With lives no longer in peril, he agreed with the Mayor and Army officer in charge and returned to the base.

Although his men had settled in, Roth still had this one last duty. He could have received the briefing by remote interface from the base, but the lure of the hot pool in his stateroom and his big bed were too great, so he transported up to the Intrepid for the night.

With fatigue weighing upon him, he sorely wished he could skip tonight’s report. But with the Earth in constant chaos, warring factions at odds all over the globe, and the ever-changing, always-volatile weather, a missed briefing could put the mission and his people at risk.

“Let’s make this quick. I’m dead on my feet,” he uttered, getting right to it when he joined the captain in the darkened conference room adjacent to the bridge. However, when Ram saw the 3-D holographic image of the Earth appear above the projection table, it didn’t take him long to identify the topic of their discussion.

“Faex.” He muttered the curse while he took a seat next to Allon in one of the seven vacant chairs, his hopes for a quick briefing appeared unlikely tonight.

“Agreed.” The other man blew out a breath of frustration. “A day doesn’t go by on this Maker-be-damned alien world without an earthquake, tornado, or hurricane.”

“Give me the worst first,” Ram urged with a weary sigh.

“An 8.9 undersea quake in the Pacific has spawned a tsunami which is projected to strike the coast of Japan in four time cycles—I mean hours, Earth hours.” Allon paused, frowning. “I keep forgetting the term.”

He waved it off. “Go on.”

“Our advance detection system allowed sufficient time to alert officials. They are evacuating those in its path to safety. Regrettably, the inevitable destruction will be devastating.”

Allon was right; this constant state of crisis had become situation normal. With a disaster happening somewhere on Earth almost every day— chaos, property damage, and most of all, loss of life—people had become disheartened. The only bright spot, when undecided countries at last accepted the volatility of their circumstance and realized it was foolish not to plan or take action for the inevitable, they became willing to negotiate. Every day the alliance expanded, open to all willing to abide by the treaty.

Unfortunately, many holdouts that feared foreigners remained. And what could be more foreign than an alien race from a far-off galaxy they hadn’t known existed until a few months ago? Ignoring the scientists’ dire predictions, and shunning all negotiations, these opposing governments isolated themselves, perpetuating their denial of the dismal future they faced by keeping the unstable Earth as their home.

He rubbed his tired eyes. “Is that all?”

Allon shook his head. “Hardly.” With a wave of his hands, he repositioned the holographic globe.

Ram would have had to be blind to miss the blanket of thick, white clouds covering a large portion of the Atlantic Ocean. “Another hurricane?”

“Two, actually.” He zoomed in on the affected location. “They rise out of the warm tropical waters almost faster than we can track them. The good news is these are fast moving storms, so perhaps the flooding won’t be quite so severe.”

“I just came from a flood,” Ram muttered. “This damn planet is mostly water, and the damage it can wreak is devastating.”

“Yes, and they have an unusual fondness for it. Why build such large cities where they are so vulnerable?”

He could only shrug, having wondered the same thing himself. “Is there time to evacuate the target zone?”

“Not enough. They’re both category 6 and are not projected to diminish by landfall.”

“Aren’t they all category 6 these days?” he grumbled.

“Yes,” came Allon’s succinct response. “And each one seems to get stronger. Before long, they’ll have to expand their scale again.” It had been less than two months since a sixth category had been added by the International Hurricane Center.

“Where and when?”

“Both have a similar trajectory threatening the coastlines of the Caribbean Islands, Eastern Central America, and the southeastern region of the United States. Our computer predicts landfall in twelve hours. The second will follow in another six to ten.”

“Back-to-back hits. Damn, that’s going to be tough.”

“Yes. The roadways are already packed with evacuees, and you know from past storms, many coastal residents won’t leave their property unattended, even to go to a local shelter. They’ll insist on riding it out; many will be stranded, if they survive.”

“Fools,” Ram bit out. “Haven’t they learned yet a category 6 is deadly?”

“Sadly, no.” Also showing the strain of concern, Allon who was usually stoic, rubbed a hand across his tense jaw. “And in the case of some of the island people, they have no choice. After the last storm destroyed so much, they don’t have enough high ground and shelters to run to.”

They both fell silent, staring at the hovering globe. There was nothing they could do except pray for lives to be spared. In much the same shape, the citizens and governments in the storm’s path had no recourse other than to brace for nature’s force and deal with the damage in the aftermath.

“We need to step up our preparation efforts on Ventorcopia. I think time’s running out.”

“Agreed. But establishing necessary services and building shelter for so many takes time. We leave with our first group of mates and ten more construction crews next week.”

Coming to his feet, Ram heaved a ragged breath. “Not a day too soon for me.”

“General Trask is coming to relieve you, isn’t he?”

“Not this trip. The Primmum got tagged for the task.”

He chuckled. “Your warriors will enjoy the respite.”

“They better not! I’ll have Krager’s head if he allows them to slack off and get soft.”

“I’m sure he’ll follow your example.”

“Or face my wrath,” he grunted. Although well trained, as the heir and first successor to the Princep, Krager, the Primmum Ectus, had assumed a more diplomatic role of late. Foremost a warrior, after being away from daily training, he’d likely be rusty. But Kerr insisted all his leaders be involved with the integration, despite being spread thin between Primaria, Earth, the new colony, and a host of other enterprises around the galaxy. The man was capable, even so, Ram planned to have a word with Krager, or several, before he left.

Thinking about Kerr and Krager, both close kin to him, made Ram realize how much he missed them, the rest of his family, and everything about Primaria. His eyes returned to the globe and the white blanket of circular clouds. Especially the lack of constant turmoil from the ever-changing weather.

“It will be good to be home, if only for a short while.”

“Are you planning to seek another match while you’re there?”

His already-bad mood soured further with the question. If Allon hadn’t been such a close friend, he would have chewed him a new one for asking. It had been almost six months since the abrupt end to his mating with Eryn, and he still couldn’t talk about it.

Appearing to know his thoughts, he added, “It’s been too long. You need to settle it with her or move on.”

“Are we done here, Captain?” Ram sent a hard, reproachful glance his way, not willing to entertain the subject in the slightest.

Far from stupid, Allon didn’t push further. “Yes, sir. Until the next crisis crops up.”

“I’ll leave you to it.” He walked out, feeling Allon’s concerned gaze drilling into his back. His steps didn’t slow as he crossed the bridge and stepped into the lift. “Level four,” he grumbled, setting the unit in motion.

Leaning against the wall, the image of her green eyes haunting him, he tried not to think about Eryn on the turbulent world below. Where, he purposefully had not asked, but he couldn’t keep from wondering, with each weather briefing of one disaster after another, about her safety. He tried to push aside the idea of seeking her out just to be sure. Tracking her down would be pointless; they were done. But Primarians mated for life, which made shutting down his protective instinct difficult since he once thought she’d always be his.

It must be the reason he hadn’t moved on.

To keep from dwelling on memories of her, especially the blow she’d dealt his pride and his heart, and the desire he couldn’t erase from his mind or quell in his body, he threw himself into work—of which there was no shortage.

The new treaty required they proceed cautiously, ever watchful of their new allies, many of whom hadn’t come to trust them yet, and perhaps never would. They needed to guard their own interests first, including the hundreds of Primarians living and working on the planet’s surface, mingling daily with the still-wary residents.

Behind in both technology and medicine, the Earthlings accepted the knowledge and advancements the Primarians shared; however, the promise of a new home brought them to the table. And Kerr went a step further, sweetening the deal by offering to help them build their new world and powering it with uladite, a clean source of energy unique to Primaria and soon Ventorcopia, once their scientists introduced stores of it there. In time, this would make the humans self-sufficient.

Their generosity couldn’t be construed as entirely altruistic, of course. They had a need almost as dire as a crumbling planet—they required mates. With their female population devastated by a meteor storm and the subsequent radiation sickness two decades ago, their species dwindled. Compounded by widespread sterility among the female survivors, if left unchecked, in a few generations, they would die out. Their scientists spent years searching for a cure for their infertility. Unsuccessful, they began looking off-planet for a compatible race to mate with and save them from extinction.

They’d almost given up hope when a lucky group of warriors in search of game on their hunting planet found something much more valuable when eight desirable females more or less fell in their laps. Learning they were a near-perfect genetic match had been a blessing from the Maker himself. One too great to ignore.

But the decision to take captives didn’t come easy, particularly for their leader.

Not a people of war, Primarians engaged only when required to protect their own. And, they had never conquered another species, always willing to work together, believing it better to live and let live. Yet desperate men did desperate things sometimes, and having already made the decision to do anything necessary to save their people from extinction, they claimed the females.

Three hundred mates seemed promising, but it was merely a small step in the right direction. To solve their problem long-term, they needed one thousand times as many, and the solution couldn’t be based on capture and conquer. No one wanted that. This led to negotiations with a distant, unknown world. What had started as an adversarial situation, evolved into an alliance between their two planets, mutually beneficial to both, although their goals differed greatly.

As they moved forward with the integration, while intent on saving the humans from devastation and ultimate extinction if they did not intercede, they remained mindful of their ultimate goal—mates and repopulation of their own species.

Like good strategists, they hadn’t shown their hand entirely, reserving the knowledge they had the power to blast the already-unstable Earth into dust. Although they had no intention of employing such a measure, as it would defeat the purpose of their mission, it always remained an option to protect them in a worst-case scenario.

Arriving on the fourth level, Ram exited and made his way down the long interior corridor to his stateroom, marveling at the oddities of fate and how much Primarian life had been impacted by what happened on the hunting planet months ago. His life, without a doubt, had drastically changed.

Once hopeful of mating and starting a family of his own. The failed mating and Eryn’s betrayal had left him bitter. Thoughts of his would-be mate plagued him day and night, and the idea of trying for another match left him cold. What if he didn’t bond a second time? Then he would have to consider that perhaps the fault lay with him.

He couldn’t go through it again, not now, maybe never. It was too damn painful.

Passing through the dining hall, the smell of food didn’t tempt him. He wanted only to sleep and forget for a while.

After a brief soak to ease his knotted, aching muscles, he climbed into his welcoming bed—one large enough to fit three if he chose—doing so alone, and closing his eyes for what respite he could find.

---

Reclining languidly surrounded by softness, his body stirred at the brush of warm lips against the side of his neck. The gentle caress sent shivers coursing down his spine, branching off deliciously at his chest and lower abdominals then shooting with a jolt of sensation to his already-hard prick.

Practically dormant since the day of Eryn’s betrayal, his libido had surged back to life these last few weeks. The female moving restlessly above him, her smooth legs rubbing against his heavier, coarse-haired ones, her nipples dragging across his chest, partly responsible. When his cock twitched in response, nudging against her thigh, her mouth curved into a seductive smile, and she gave a low, throaty laugh, the heated exhale washing over his skin.

“I want to please you, Master Warrior,” she entreated in her sultry, sexy voice.

“By all means, little one.” He grinned. What fool wouldn’t agree to such a request?

Fingers slid along his belly, gliding over the hard plane that rippled in reaction. She inched downward, past his tense, jumping lower abdominal muscles, and beyond jutting hip bones to where he longed for her touch the most. Not making him wait long, she encircled his erect shaft, squeezing in a tight fist before parting her plump, dew-kissed lips. Her tongue slipped out and licked the tip like an ice cream cone, a treat he had noticed Earth females were very fond of. Her husky moan of delight while lapping at the end of his shaft proved she had an inordinate fondness of this treat as well.

Her lashes fluttered open, and she gazed up at him, eyes dark and gleaming with desire as a grin tilted up the corners of her luscious pink mouth. His body urged him to act, to end the unnecessary torture and demand she cease teasing him, taking him deep, and making him come.

The rational part of his brain wondered how far her daring would take her. Unaccustomed to a passive role during sex, Ram typically took command in the bedroom, like he did in all things. Today, however, since she wanted to play, begging to explore every inch with her soft hands and lips, he allowed it. It gave him a taste of how enjoyable it could be on occasion to receive, without having to direct each minute and movement.

When she enveloped the head, her incredible heat, and the slow circling of the tip with her tongue became pure torment. Unable to control the urge to order her to open wider and suck harder proved he wasn’t cut out for submission, something he knew all along.

Gruffly, he demanded, “End this, woman. Take me into your mouth.”

Not hesitant in the least, she eagerly swallowed at least half his length on the next glide while he closed his eyes, reveling in the exquisite suction and the warm wet haven she created.

“Deeper, little one,” he encouraged with a husky growl.

A sigh of pleasure escaped when she slid him along her tongue, almost to the back of her throat. To take all of him without gagging required practice, something he would happily offer to assist her with in the future.

Still needing more, he sank his fingers into her thick auburn hair and set the pace. Not so quick to bring him to completion, but with enough speed and friction to keep him on the edge. He watched through eyes half-lidded from his rising passion as she bobbed up and down steadily, with little guidance. He’d signal when ready for more. For the moment, he wanted to savor and revel in her skills at giving oral pleasure.

Her diligent work accelerated his heart rate, gradually building his need into what was shaping up to be a satisfying and explosive climax. Adding to his pleasure, a soft hand swept up his flank moving inward, seeking his nipple with her fingertips. The play upped his response until he noted the familiar stirring in his balls. She circled the bud, making it stiffen then flicked it with the edge of her nail. At the same time, she cupped his aching balls and massaged. Both hands moved in tandem while she continued to suck, her tongue licking and circling the sensitive tip, until his back arched reflexively.

Near the end of his tolerance, his hands curled around her head, one fisting in her hair as his hips thrust upward, sending him gliding deeper. He fucked her mouth the same way he dreamed of taking her pussy—thoroughly claiming every inch. She didn’t resist, opening wider in eager acceptance. Her own sweet moans of pleasure filled the air, joining his gruff, masculine groans.

“Touch yourself,” he ordered, knowing without looking from the shift of the bed she had spread her legs and obeyed. Angling his chin down, he watched her splayed fingers slide over her belly and mound, and disappear between her thighs. He could imagine the intense heat of her pussy, the wetness increasing while she avidly worked her clit.

“Hurry, lest I leave you behind,” he urged.

Thrusting faster, while sliding his shaft over her greedy, slurping tongue, he careened headlong toward a shattering climax. “Dip two fingers inside and use your thumb on your clit. And get ready to come with me.”

Her muffled agreement vibrated around his cock and her body writhed, matching the rhythm of his own as he pumped into her. Low and rumbling, he groaned his pleasure. Pounding heart accelerating, his balls tightened in anticipation. So close.

Although he preferred they climax simultaneously, he was beyond waiting. Both hands held her head as he drove into her mouth, taking all she willingly gave. The next moment, while her squeals of release rang in his ears, his body tensed, ready to follow her. But instead of sending his seed pulsing down her throat, his eyes flew open.

Fully awake, he realized his seductress, with her vivid-red hair, full pink lips, and gorgeous green eyes, didn’t merely resemble his would-be mate; she was an identical recreation of Eryn, a fantasy conjured up to torment his beleaguered brain. And rather than her mouth, parted and ready to receive him, his hand beating a steady up-and-down rhythm on his rigid cock as he shuddered with release. Too far gone, sweat beading on his face and chest, he came in a violent, shameful climax, spilling over his fingers and onto his sheets instead of on her eager tongue, where he wanted.

While tremors rocked him from the roots of his hair to his toenails, he roared his frustration. Another dream. The same one he’d awoken to repeatedly, with a few deviations created by his active imagination. Invariably, it ended the same, and he woke alone, cock in hand, spending himself like an uncontrolled teen in need of his first woman. He covered his face with his other arm in complete exasperation.

“Damn her,” he growled. The temptress wouldn’t set him free, ruling his dreams at night and haunting his mind during the day. Something had to give.

At first, he’d tried hard to dispel her memory using a barrage of nameless women, to no avail. Blonde or black hair changed to red. Blue and brown eyes became green. Pallid lips turned to the rosy-red hue that always tinted Eryn’s. After a while, he stopped trying to fuck her out of his head and moved on to a celibate existence. No more effective than the first method, he still wound up seeing to himself when his dreams took over. All for his want of Eryn.

Violently, he surged from his bed and stormed naked to the shower. There, he attempted to wash away her memory and his body’s ache, yet, like the countless nights before, his cock-stand raged on.

Tonight, no different from the many preceding it, the cold gave him no ease. And with the water pelting against his overstimulated body, and the vision of her continuing to flash in his mind, he had to satisfy his need a second time to bring his tormented body ease enough to sleep.

---

One Earth hour later, his foul mood had his men keeping their distance as they transported down to the surface for scheduled training. Five days a week, he demanded this of his men. They spent most of their time patrolling the base, monitoring scanners—a sedentary task—or simply waiting for the human military to request their help, a rarity. Therefore, they drilled often, Ram not allowing them to be idle or to grow soft.

For the rest of the daylight hours, he, alongside his warriors, ran and re-ran the obstacle course made available for their use. With a few modifications to accommodate their larger, taller, heavier bodies, Ram made the arduous gauntlet of climbing, running, jumping, and crawling more grueling. He followed this up with hand-to-hand drills, pitting man against man in combat, and wound them down at the end of the day with a rejuvenating five-mile run. His warriors worked hard with him at their side every step of the way, not asking more than he was willing to give himself. Although he did so with the intent of keeping them fit and battle ready, if he benefited by exhausting his body to get his mind off Eryn and gleaned a few time cycles of sleep from it, who could fault him?

But that night, even though his mind and body had been pushed to their limits, the enchantress plagued his dreams.

“Faex!” he roared to the unsympathetic four walls and ceiling as three o’clock rolled around and he woke again with the image of her naked body spread out for his pleasure in his lonely, empty bed.