Core watched Avery with amusement. She had an expression of bemused fascination on her face as she nodded in response to his little sister excitedly telling them about her incredible weekend.

Is she always this animated? Avery’s sudden inquiry flashed through his mind and she glanced at his face before returning her attention back to Nadine.

She can be worse, he teased.

Nadine had appeared first thing this morning, unable to wait a moment longer to tell him about her weekend. He turned when the computer announced that his mother had also suddenly decided to visit.

I will return, he said.

Promise? she asked.

His heart warmed at the teasing in her voice. Perhaps.

Her silent chuckle echoed through his mind as he turned and hurried down to the lower level. He reached the level as the door opened and his mother stepped inside. His footsteps slowed when he saw the expectant expression on her face.

“Where is she?” Nadu demanded, eagerly looking around behind him.

Core shook his head. “How did you know she was here?” he replied.

Nadu smiled. “Word has spread all over the palace that there was another female from Tilly’s world in the medical unit. Unmated warriors have lined up outside to see if she is a mate for them. During the council meeting, it was mentioned there was a second human female here as well. It did not take long for word to spread that she was seen leaving the palace with you. This is the one you have been talking about, yes?” she impatiently questioned.

His expression softened when he saw the excitement and relief in her eyes. He reached out and gently tucked her dark hair behind her ear. Her hands immediately lifted to smooth the wild tangle.

“Yes, Avery is here. Just how fast was Nadine piloting the glider?” he murmured.

Nadu shook her head. “I am lucky that my hair is not white. She has far too much of you and your father in her for a young maiden. Fortunately, there are no new dents for you to have to repair. Now, where is my new daughter?” she demanded with an impatient wave of her hand.

The smile on Core’s lips disappeared. “I do not want to overwhelm her. Nadine has already slipped into the house by climbing the trees. Avery and I are still… working things out,” he warned in a cautious tone.

“What do you mean… you are working things out? Did your father not have a talk with you? When a warrior finds his mate ….” her voice died when he scowled at her.

“I do not need you to tell me about the Mating Rites. I am well informed about what happens,” he growled.

Nadu leaned forward and brushed her hand affectionately across his cheek. “Your face is warm,” she commented before patting it. “It is good to know that you did not listen to all of the nonsense about females not enjoying sex. The elders are either ignorant, stupid, or just miserable because they’re not getting any. Your father is a very good lover. Have you used restraints? Tilly taught us that humans do not use them as frequently as Prime do, but when they are, there are many different ways mates on her world use them. Did you know that they can be used on males? I need to try them on your father when he returns. You should ask Avery if she would like to try a few other variations.”

“I do not want the image of you and father together in my head,” he said with a shudder. “Please promise me that you will not say anything about restraints to Avery.”

He grimaced when he heard his pleading tone. How was it that it didn’t matter how old he was, his mother still made him feel like he was an awkward teenage warrior? He cleared his throat and gave his mother a fierce glare that soon melted against her flushed cheeks and cheerful expression.

“I promise. Where is she?” Nadu asked.

They both turned when they heard Nadine’s excited chatter coming closer. Core braced himself. This would be a true test—of his nerves. There was no doubt in his mind that Avery could handle both his sister and his mother. He’d watched her from a distance for months as she dealt with a wide variety of people. He just wasn’t sure he could deal with it.

“And then there was a tall tree that I swear appeared out of nowhere and I had to turn the glider at the last second and we missed it by this much. It was so awesome! I heard Tink use that phrase. She says it means that something is very good. I had the best trip ever,” Nadine said with a loud, contented sigh.

“It sounds like you had a very busy weekend,” Avery replied.

Core studied Avery’s expression as her amusement faded to cautious politeness when she saw his mother. What was worse—he could feel the wall in her mind rise to shut him out. Stepping forward, he grasped one of her hands in his and held it tightly as he turned to face his mother.

“Avery, I would like to introduce you to Nadu Ta’Duran, my mother,” he quietly said.

“You warm my heart as much as you warm my son’s—” Nadu started to say.

“—heart…. As much as she warms my heart as well,” Core hastily interjected.

Avery turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. “What did you think she was going to say?” she asked.

Core could feel his cheeks warm. He shot his sister a warning look when she giggled before he shrugged. It was impossible to lie to Avery.

“I’m not sure, but I fear it would be something that I would never live down,” he sheepishly admitted.

Nadine giggled. “You’ve got a dirty mind, old man,” she proclaimed with a regal wave of her hand.

Nadu looked at her daughter with a frown. “Was that a phrase in one of Tilly’s educational films?” she asked.

Nadine shook her head. “No, that is what Tansy was saying to Lord Mak in the corridor when he could not take his eyes off of her. I asked Tink what it meant, and she said it means he is thinking things of a sexual nature—like Tansy warming his bed or doing warm things to his body,” she answered, wiggling her nose in distaste. “I’m never going to do such things. I’m going to go to your planet and become a ticket-giver for your underground metal tubes and save individuals before they are hit by your travel machines. I’m gonna be a ‘superhero’, and fight monsters, and become a pirate.”

“Why would you become a pirate? They are horrible creatures who must wear a mask to cover their faces,” Nadu demanded.

“I want to fight a giant and scale the cliffs and outsmart the evil prince. Why should men get to have all the fun? Tansy worked for her government. She was even gravely wounded. Avery, Core says that you fight bad men. One day, I can be like you,” Nadine declared.

Core felt Avery’s body stiffen and the smile that had formed on her lips faded slightly as her eyes became haunted, a wave of sadness sweeping over the mental wall between them. She reached out and carefully brushed a strand of Nadine’s hair back from her cheek. The gentle gesture shook him to the center of his soul.

“You don’t want to be like me, honey. You are a bright light in the world. People like me need people like you,” Avery murmured.

“But… why? Why can’t I be like you and Tansy?” Nadine protested.

“You have to grow up first,” Core said. “I heard you did well piloting the glider.”

Nadine’s face lit up with her proud smile.

Several hours later, Avery stood holding a basket of fresh fruit and vegetables. They had been gifted to her as she and Core strolled through the village. She nodded and smiled at a young warrior who was looking at her with a mixture of curiosity, awe, and envy. More than once she felt an urge to pinch her arm to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

“They are happy to meet you. The Eastern Mountain clan has always lived in relative isolation, protected by the forest and the mists that surround us,” Core explained as they walked along the path.

“Yet you travel to the main city on Baade,” Avery murmured.

“Each clan has representation on the Council. Teriff rules over all the clans, but he is held accountable by the Council—or at least as much as they can contain him. Prime warriors are excellent fighters, but we do tend to have issues with authority, especially the clan leaders,” he admitted with a wry grin.

She paused when a young girl who looked to be about six years old ran up to her with a handful of wildflowers, and offered her the colorful bouquet. Avery’s throat tightened and she instinctively reached for them. Bending, she knelt until she was at eye level with the girl.

“Thank you. What is your name?” Avery quietly asked.

“Saylee,” the little girl replied, beaming at her.

Avery carefully placed the flowers in the basket with her other gifts. “Thank you, Saylee,” she murmured.

Saylee giggled and leaned forward to brush a kiss across her cheek. The display of affection took her by surprise. Her hand instinctively rose and touched the spot as Saylee turned and skipped away.

“She reminds me of Nadine when my sister was younger. My parents often told me that if I was ever blessed with a bond-mate and we had children, they hoped they would be like Nadine and me. It is said a union between a Prime warrior and a human tends to produce ‘twins’, so I imagine it is possible,” he said with amusement.

Pain seared through Avery. She quickly blocked the emotion and stood up, her gaze following Saylee as the little girl ran back to her waiting parents.

“I have to go,” she suddenly stated in a voice devoid of emotion.

“Where would you like to go next? There is a region to the north that I could show you….” he started to say before his voice faded.

Avery turned to look at him. “It is time for me to leave, Core. Our time is up,” she quietly said, holding out the basket to him.

He reached out and took the basket from her with a confused frown. She knew he’d thought he could convince her to stay, and she did wish… but it was impossible. She didn’t look away as his brief confusion changed to determination.

“Avery…. Let us return home,” he said, reaching out to capture her hand.

She pulled back before he could, unwilling to touch him at the moment. Her emotions were too close to the surface for her to fight him and herself. She stiffened her shoulders and turned in the direction of his home. They walked in silence, nodding a greeting when one of the villagers called out to them.

Her gaze swept over the beautiful homes built among the majestic trees. She captured every detail and tucked them safely away into her memory. She had visited a magical world where love, hope, and peace were real—for a short time. She touched the petal of one of the flowers Saylee had given her. In a different life, such a reality might have been hers.

Her throat tightened as the lift took them up to the upper levels of Core’s home. She stepped out into the living room, and walked into the kitchen. A minute later, she was carefully arranging the delicate flowers in a tall vase decorated with a swirl of vivid colors and dried flowers pressed within the glass.

“Why does life have to be so complicated?” she murmured. She continued before he could reply. “I promised myself three days because I knew if I stayed any longer, it would be impossible to leave.”

“Life does not have to be complicated. You can stay, Avery,” he quietly replied.

She felt the warmth of his body as he stepped up behind her. A shiver of need ran through her and she closed her eyes as it was followed by a shaft of anguish. Opening her eyes, she looked down at the delicate flowers. The stem of one of them was broken and it leaned sadly to one side. Her fingers gently tried to straighten the fragile stem, but of course the stem remained broken—like her.

“No, I can’t,” she said.

Her hand dropped to her side and she turned to look up at him. She opened her mind to him, allowing the memories she’d kept hidden to flow through to him. His face paled, but he didn’t resist the visions she was sharing.

“The bullet that was meant to kill me went through my side and struck my hip. Fragments tore through my uterus. I was bleeding to death, and I didn’t want to make the same mistake my parents did, Core. One way to prevent history from repeating itself was to make it impossible to conceive. My new handler told the doctors to remove my uterus rather than risk repairing it. It took 6 months to recover from my injuries, and then I spent years training to become the spy that my parents should have been. In another life, perhaps I could have been your bond mate, Core, but not in this one. My heart can belong to no one—not even you,” she explained with a sad smile.

“We will make a new life, Avery. You are all that matters,” he insisted.

She tenderly stroked his cheek. Her fingers traced a path down to the corner of his mouth, and she ran her thumb along his bottom lip. Rising up onto her toes, she pressed a light kiss to his lips.

“You are a good man, Core,” she said.

She stepped around him. With her head held high, she walked out of the kitchen. The Ice Queen indeed, she scoffed at herself. Her heart hammered in her chest so hard she feared that it would burst. Pain swept through her. She let it flow. It was an emotion that she understood and had learned to handle.

A minute later, she entered the master bedroom. She had packed her bag earlier. Her hand slid into the pocket of her jacket and her fingers wrapped around the silver cylinder that would take her home. She pulled it free at the same time as she picked up her bag.

“This is not the end, Avery,” Core quietly said behind her.

Avery turned to look at him. He stood in the entrance to the room, watching her, his determination unfazed. Her fingers tightened around the handle of her bag. She desperately wanted to drop the bag and throw herself into his arms. Her breath caught when he raised his palm to his lips and pressed a kiss to the mark that connected them.

Her lips parted in protest. Unfamiliar tears burned in her eyes. She shook her head even as she lifted the cylinder in her hand and activated the Gateway.

“Goodbye, Core,” she whispered before she turned and forced herself to leave behind the heart that she had thought was frozen.