The conference with Roth and the leadership team over, Ram rose from his seat and moved towards the door. In the hallway, he paused, the sound of feminine laughter washing over him. When he looked up, he saw the two Earth women, assigned by the government as assistants to the Primarian council, standing at the end of the corridor. One, an attractive brunette, much too thin for his taste, the other, curvy with reddish-blonde hair—strawberry blonde he’d heard it called once. Though becoming, it lacked the vibrancy of the darker-red shade he preferred, and didn’t shimmer with golden highlights when it caught the light. She was petite. To meet her eyes while standing close would strain his neck, and to kiss her, he’d have to pick her up, or bend himself in half.

No, a tall, sturdy female suited him better. One who wouldn’t break beneath him, with soft curves in contrast to his hardness, whose body molded perfectly to his as he pulled her close.

An image of Eryn in his bed, in his arms, her full, pink-tipped breasts pressed against his chest, loins aligned and legs entangled had his cock stiffening in his trousers.

“Faex,” he muttered while doing an about-face and moving in the opposite direction. Working around human females constantly reminded him of Eryn. He made great efforts to keep his distance, delegating tasks to others whenever possible, but, sometimes, he couldn’t avoid interacting with them.

“Ramikin. Hold, please!”

Thwarted in his retreat, he closed his eyes, willing his erection away.

If only it could be so easy.

After checking the corridor ahead of him and finding it empty, he made a quick adjustment then glanced back to see who’d summoned him.

Mordrun, one of several council members who had joined them on their journey, approached, and Ram nodded his head with respect.

“We haven’t spoken in some time,” the older man said in greeting.

“No, sir,” he agreed. “With all that’s been happening, we’ve both been busy.”

“And you didn’t attend Roth’s mate’s barbeque. A very entertaining evening. I think you would have enjoyed it.”

With many of Maggie’s Earth friends in attendance, mostly female, it would have been torment, something he had plenty of already. He’d declined.

“I had duties,” he explained, “and sent Maggie my regrets.”

The man was astute, an elder had to be to hold such an important position. And the way he considered him, while stroking his long white beard, made Ram feel like the time he’d broken a window when he was eight and been summoned by his father to explain.

“I’ve been worried about you,” he stated at length. “How are you doing after your disastrous pairing?”

He blinked. Elders also had the reputation for being blunt. Mordrun exceedingly so. As his uncle, he seemed to think it gave him the right to ask personal questions. It grated on his nerves, yet he maintained a respectful tone when he replied, “I have put it behind me.”

Ram gave this same response to anyone daring enough to ask.

“Do you plan to seek dissolution when you return home?”

Rare among his people, permanent separation from a mate was never taken lightly. It necessitated proof beyond conceivable doubt a mate bond hadn’t occurred and would not, based on weak or absent biocellular compatibility. Both parties had to agree to dissolve the match and required a two-thirds majority vote by the elder council, and approval from the Princep. In his and Eryn’s case, all the conditions had been met except for his request.

He struggled with the decision, but what other choice did he have? A lifetime bound to an indifferent mate, one who betrayed him, left him, apparently without pangs of regret, and had made it clear more than once she didn’t want him and never would—a dismal proposition.

In answer to Mordrun’s question, he nodded. “After seeing these new mates safely to Primaria, I plan to travel to the colony. Many of my warriors are assigned there. Before I go, I’ll make my formal request for dissolution.”

“Good, good.” The older man clapped him on the shoulder. “I was concerned you reconsidered after the long delay.”

“Why would this concern you?”

“You are family, Ramikin. Your father and I were close, but the two of us…” He shook his head and frowned. “With you entering warrior training and it consuming all your time, we never had the chance to become close, which is something I regret.”

Ram didn’t know what to say, so he remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

“I’m also concerned because, well… To be direct—”

“This is my preference, as well,” he agreed, hoping he’d get to the point.

“There have been calls from some of the people, and a few elders, for your mate—soon to be former mate, rather—to appear before the council.”

“This would mean Eryn returning to Primaria, which is doubtful.”

“You’ve spoken to her?” he asked with surprise.

“No, not since the last time when she told me in unequivocal terms her duty to her people came first. She doesn’t want a mate, me in particular. To travel to Primaria when she feels this way would be pointless. I imagine she’ll continue her work on Earth and eventually journey to the new colony. Or be reassigned to one of their ships, which seems to be her calling. But as I said, her ever going back is unlikely.”

“If the council insists…” Mordrun contended.

“They cannot. The treaty does not allow extradition of criminals. Since our two systems of judgement are so different, it was decided each should take care of their own. You know that.”

“In principle, she is still your mate; however, which makes her a Primarian citizen and under state rule.”

“Why are you pressing this, Mordrun?”

His golden eyes flew wide. “I am but a messenger. When I left, the people were demanding justice for the miscreant responsible for the mine explosion. Your Eryn topped the list of suspects. The council is interested to find out if she has any information which might lead us to whoever is responsible. The Purists are saying nothing.”

Ram grunted at this unsurprising fact. “Because they are guilty. These criminals call themselves pure, claiming they assisted the females to escape to maintain the purity of our race and thereby saving us. They are traitors in my eyes for risking our very existence with their actions. Of course, they’re behind the explosion. My guess is, if they didn’t plant the explosives themselves, they know who did. Further, I believe by their silence, they are protecting someone, probably a male with power and influence. And I suspect he devised their entire plot.”

“Hmm, you’ve made several good points.” He stroked his long white beard thoughtfully.

“It seems to me the people and the council want a scapegoat. It is beyond me how any of the females, new arrivals in Ariad and therefore unfamiliar with the city, our people, and our ways, could have set those explosives. Furthermore, they were under constant scrutiny, some, like Eryn, under guard. To carry out this plot would require time, access to the munitions stores, a means of getting there unobserved, and finding the damn mine in the first place. Which means if no one has confessed or been identified, there are more guilty parties out there, or, the mastermind himself is still on the loose.”

“You could question her, Ram, to see what she knows. If she gave us names, it might satisfy the people and the council.”

Didn’t the man see how farfetched it was to consider one of the females, especially his well-guarded one-time mate?

“We are estranged, Mordrun,” he snapped. “What’s more, I leave on the Intrepid soon. Upon my return, I will seek dissolution. This will void my claim, and, by extension, Primaria’s governance over Eryn. Best search for your answers elsewhere.”

“Take a moment to reconsider. They may not grant your request.”

He peered at the elder sharply. “Why ever not?”

“Charges are pending and questions remain unanswered. With the mingling of our people, there are regrets an exchange of lawbreakers was not included in the treaty. You don’t realize the strong feelings the citizens of Ariad have on this subject. They are demanding whoever is responsible for destroying our most productive mine and injuring so many, including the Princep, be brought to justice.”

“Ridiculous,” Ram exclaimed. “Kerr succumbed to separation sickness, not an injury. This is common knowledge.”

“Yet the image of the Princep being carried out of the smoking mine, covered in uladite dust and grime, and unconscious is what the people remember. They want someone to answer for all of it.”

“If they think this someone is Eryn, they are looking in the wrong direction.”

“Possibly, although facing her accusers may be the only way to clear her name.”

“Since she is here on Earth, I doubt she is concerned.”

“Perhaps not, although, if things change she might not be given the choice.”

“Are you championing this change, Mordrun?”

“Hardly,” he scoffed. “I have no strong inclination one way or the other, and am merely apprising you of the situation. Although I’d like to see the strife on Primaria ended as would Max Kerr. Give it some thought, my brother’s son.” He stared at him another moment before turning to leave. After a few steps, he paused and spun back, his robe whipping around his feet in his haste. “One more thing, Ramikin. If you have any residual feelings or concern for this female, you should warn her.”

“Of what? Political maneuvering on the other side of the universe?”

“Yes. There will come a day when she must decide. Either stay on her crumbling planet and face her fate with the others who don’t believe the end of their world is coming and soon, or colonize. I imagine there will be reason for our people to come and go between our two planets in the future. Unless settled, even without a change in the treaty, if she chooses the latter and ever sets foot on Primaria again for any reason—”

“She’ll be arrested and charged.”

“Correct. If you want to protect her, I recommend you move toward dissolution upon your arrival, or that action might well be precipitated.” Mordrun paused, letting it sink in then bowed formally. “Good day, Master Ramikin.”

The old man walked away with a bounce in his step, as though enjoying himself. Ram thought it odd how some of the elders seemed to get an inordinate amount of satisfaction out of drama and intrigue. Kerr had mentioned this in the past and how he had to rein them in at times. This matter with Eryn wasn’t trivial or a matter of bored old men making more of something than it was. People had been injured, and time and resources had been required to get the mine reopened and productive once again. Indecision weighed on Ram’s mind.

Time and again, he replayed the events leading up to the explosion and the females’ escape. Due to her resistance to their mating and her constant threats of escape, Ram had Eryn guarded when he couldn’t be with her. Not so close her every word was monitored, more so her whereabouts and actions. He hadn’t restricted contact with others, hoping as she grew more comfortable in her new home and with him, she’d acclimate and settle in. Unfortunately, this left her open to the subversive element intent on ridding Primaria of the undesirable humans. Obviously, they’d approached her and embroiled her in their plot. For her to have gone missing long enough to plant explosives in a mine well beyond the city limits without his knowledge…

“Impossible,” he reiterated aloud. “At least I know she is innocent of that misdeed.”

All this talk of plots, bombs, and escapes brought back more painful memories of those days. A time which should have been filled with excitement over a new mating, instead became forever marred by hurt and betrayal. Her active involvement in the escape cut him deeply, but distance had given him greater perspective. If taken captive, he would have done much the same, exhausting every effort to escape if in her place. To fault her for acting as he would, seemed wrong.

But one other thing remained he couldn’t set aside—her deceit. An act he found unacceptable any time, from a mate, unpardonable. How could he trust her ever again? And although he might, in time, bring himself to forgive her, he would never forget.

So why the hesitation to dissolve their match? Their physical separation had surely taken care of any weak bond that might have formed all those months ago. Did he cling to it out of pride? And to what end?

Since the Rain of Fire had so devastated their female population, dissolution had become almost nonexistent. In his lifetime, he couldn’t recall it ever happening. There would be talk, but he had endured it before. Rumors of their separation had raced through the ship like fire in a tinderbox after he’d left her in med-bay that day, and, without a doubt, had spread throughout all Primaria.

Ending the match seemed the right thing to do, and was necessary if he ever hoped to have what he longer for someday—a mate, sons, and, the Maker willing, a daughter. Although he once thought all of it possible with Eryn, she hadn’t been part of the plan for him.

For her, to dissolve a match she never wanted and couldn’t accept would be nothing, a mere formality. And, if what Mordrun said was true and the clamoring for justice on Primaria had grown so frenetic, it would protect her.

His mind made up, he continued down the corridor and out into the oppressive heat of the day. Other duties awaited him and needed attending to quickly if he planned to leave for home in a few days. While he walked across the grounds in the stifling heat, sweat trickling down his back, saturating his uniform, he tried to convince himself to be relieved at putting an end to this painful chapter in his life. Yet he felt gut punched, the same as when he’d learned of her treachery, the day he’d said his final good-bye.