Galen jerked awake. He was floating in something warm.

He lifted his head, and discovered that he was lying in a warm, mineral pool. The sharp smell of the mineral-enhanced water filled his nostrils.

He sat up slowly and gingerly, and noted he was free of pain. Then he realized a couple of things. One, he was resting on a flat, shallow rock that sat just below the water, and two, he was naked.

He looked around and saw he was in a cave. He noted the single tunnel leading into the space. Beside him, he saw Sam resting in the pool, with the water lapping at her body. Her naked body.

Galen’s teeth snapped together. The water didn’t quite cover her breasts, leaving her dark pink nipples bare. Her hair spread around her, floating in the water.

Something inside him went still as his gaze moved over her. She was gorgeous. He liked the enticing mix of muscle, strength, and curves. It had been a very long time since a woman had tempted him this much. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, and her bruises had faded to almost nothing. Her skin glowed a beautiful golden-brown in the dim, lantern light that lit the cave.

He forced himself to drag his gaze off her. Instead, he moved his arms and legs. It was a relief to not feel any pain. Looking down at the cloudy water, he realized that it must have some sort of healing properties.

Suddenly, he heard a faint splash and saw Sam sitting up, blinking. She pushed her wet hair off her face.

“Dios mío.” She turned her head and then blinked at him.

Galen was used to nakedness. Gladiators trained together, showered together, patched up their injuries together. “Sam? You okay?”

Her gaze drifted down his body, over his chest and abs, then snagged on his cock. A cock that had surged to life when he’d first seen her. She blinked again, and Galen felt a spurt of pleasure at the heat in her gaze.

Then she shook her head, like she was trying to clear it. “Ah, I think so. You’re really naked.”

He fought back a smile and stood. “So are you.”

He heard her make a strangled sound as he left the pool. He thankfully found a stack of drying cloths at the water’s edge. Nabbing one, he wrapped it around his hips. “How do you feel?”

Sam slithered off the stone and sank into the water in a deeper part of the pool. “Bueno. I feel…amazing.”

“These are healing pools.”

“You’re better?” she asked.

He nodded. “There’s no pain.”

“I’m assuming the desert wraiths didn’t kill us.”

“I lost consciousness just after you did. But unless this is the afterlife, I’m guessing we’re in wraith territory.”

Her gaze moved over his chest again. “I haven’t felt this good in ages. Like I’m buzzing with energy.”

Galen snatched up another drying cloth and held it out for her. He forced himself to stare at the rock wall as she climbed out. He heard the water splash, the slap of her wet footsteps, and his brain became obsessed with imagining the water running down her body, clinging to that golden skin.

She wrapped the cloth around her, and when he deemed it safe to look back, he learned to his dismay that the damp fabric stuck to her, turning transparent.

His cock hardened more and he swallowed a groan. He couldn’t remember the last woman he’d taken to his bed. When he’d first arrived on Carthago and fought in the arena, he’d had his fill of meaningless, easy sex. There was always someone keen to share a gladiator’s bed. Later, he’d lost interest in the women who were out to cross an imperator off their scorecard.

But in truth, he’d only ever allowed himself quick, empty couplings. He’d had a job to do—providing for Raiden, winning fights, and building his House. Wallowing in pleasure hadn’t been a part of his plan.

Sam raised her arms, lifting her wet hair off her shoulders. Her breasts were perfectly outlined, full and tempting, and her nipples were hard.

He looked away. She’d just escaped a nightmare and needed time to heal. What she didn’t need was someone taking advantage of her.

“Galen.” Her voice was low and husky. She reached out and touched his shoulder.

He looked down into her face.

“Thank you,” she murmured. “For getting me out.”

He shook his head. “Sam, you got me out.”

“We did it together. We’re not a bad team.” She stepped closer.

His muscles went taut. “Sam—”

“Galen.” A smile moved her lips.

“You just survived hell.” He could hardly miss the thick tension pumping between them. And she could hardly miss his cock tenting the drying cloth. “You need time to heal.”

“I’m feeling healthy.” She moved her shoulders which drew his gaze.

He saw a drop of water run down her neck, then down her collarbone. He wanted to lick it up with his tongue. He ground his teeth together. He was used to controlling his wants and needs.

“I don’t feel any pain, and I’m pretty fucking happy to be alive.” She took another step, her breasts brushing against his chest. “I like what I see when I look at you.”

Drak. Galen’s hands curled into fists, he didn’t move.

“I want to kiss you,” she said.

His gaze moved to hers. To those brown eyes that looked like deep pools.

She smiled. “Just a kiss.”

“It’s not a good idea.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

Her eyebrows rose. “That’s all you’ve got? Because?”

He gripped her arms. “Drak, Sam. I’m trying to take care of you.”

She moved up on her toes. “Then say yes.”

Something inside him snapped. He yanked her closer.

He crashed his mouth down on hers, sliding his hands into her wet hair. Hunger shot through him, and he parted her lips with his tongue, sliding inside. She moaned, and the sound vibrated through him.

Sam’s hands gripped his shoulders, her fingers digging into his skin. He drank deep and her tongue slid against his, demanding more. This was no sweet, submissive woman who’d let him lead. She’d take, demand, and give back.

Galen felt strength pour through him. A woman who matched him, step for step. He felt alive, his body pulsing with desire. She tasted even better than he’d imagined, and he found her strength intoxicating.

When they finally broke apart, she looked dazed. “Jesus.”

He dragged in a breath, trying to find his equilibrium. Drak, she’d scrambled his brain. Then he heard a faint sound.

Spinning, he pulled her close, and faced the tunnel leading into the cave. “Someone’s coming.”

Several desert wraiths appeared at the cave entrance. Galen tried to push Sam back behind him, but she elbowed him and moved right up beside him.

His mouth flattened into a line, and he shook his head wryly. He should be used to Earth women ignoring his orders by now.

“Imperator Galen,” the wraith in the lead murmured.

The man was more muscular than most of his brethren. His chest was bare and streaked with white pigment, and he wore trousers made of the hide of some desert beast. He had a proud face, his dark, dreadlocked hair almost reaching to his waist. Twin curved swords hung at his hips.

Galen bowed his head. “Thank you for helping us.”

The man watched him. “My name is Catto. I know you assisted Zisa and her clan to the east of here.”

Zisa had lost clan members to a crazy genius who’d holed up in the desert and had also purchased Mia for his high-tech experiments. Galen had led his team in to free her and the man’s other captives. “It was my pleasure to help bring down Catalyst and free Zisa’s people.”

Catto tilted his head. “And now you have another mission.”

Galen felt Sam shift closer to him, their arms brushing.

“You know of Zaabha?” Sam asked.

“The floating devil city.” There were hushed, angry murmurs from the other wraiths in the room.

“There are people trapped there, forced to fight to the death,” Sam said.

The wraith leader glanced at her. “We will give you assistance to regain your strength and return to your House.”

Sam took a step forward. “I can see you’re warriors. You could help us bring it down—”

Galen wrapped his hand around her arm and pulled her back. His gaze met the wraith’s. “We are grateful for your help.”

Catto inclined his head. “Rest. We will bring you food and clothes.”

“We need to get back to Kor Magna,” Galen said.

The wraith nodded again. “At nightfall, my warriors will escort you to the Al-Maa Trading Post.”

And leave them there to find their own way home. It was more than Galen expected. He was grateful they’d saved their lives.

The wraiths turned to leave, melding into the shadows around them.

“They won’t fight?” Sam asked.

“It’s not their way.”

“I saw some of their people at Zaabha, Galen. Most of them refused to fight and were killed by the Thraxians.”

“And we will rescue any who remain prisoner. For now, we rest, and then we get back to the House of Galen.”

She nodded. “And then?”

“Then we put together our army to stop the Thraxians and destroy Zaabha.”

* * *

Sam woke snuggled in Galen’s arms, her cheek pressed to a firm chest.

Dios, he was so hard. She breathed him in. He smelled like dark spice and male. Parts of her that had been dead for so long flared to life. Desire made her dizzy, and she felt the throb between her legs.

She barely knew him, and yet, she felt like they were connected. After everything they’d been through, they weren’t strangers.

It was just the intense situation making her feel like this. They’d fought side by side, escaped Zaabha and the desert monster. That connected people.

She looked up at his face and the glossy black patch over his eye. Sleep did nothing to soften him. He looked like a slumbering warlord—always ready for battle, even when he was resting. Any second, he’d leap up, sword in hand.

She blew out a breath. She was attracted to him. This wasn’t just some delusion of adrenaline combined with their dangerous situation.

Sam, you don’t need the complication of a man. Life had been hard these last few months. She needed to get her feet back under her, to be steady for a while, before she thought of anything else.

What if she ended up back in Zaabha? Her muscles locked. What if the Thraxians came for her? Her innermost fears bubbled up, clogging her throat.

She rolled away from Galen, but an arm snaked around her waist. It tightened and pulled her back.

“Where are you going?” His deep voice was low and husky.

She looked around the cave. There was nowhere to go. “Well—”

“Relax.” He pulled her back to his chest. “We have a bit longer until the suns set.”

She frowned. They were underground. “How do you know?”

“I can sense it.”

She settled back against him. It was easy to forget that he was an alien. He certainly looked human. “What other abilities does your species have?”

“I can sense essences. Essentially what a person’s personality is like.”

“Handy.”

“And Aurelians are bred tough. We’re stronger and hardier than we look.”

“How come most species I’ve seen look humanoid?”

“Because of the Creators.”

“Creators?”

“An ancient, advanced species who created life in the galaxy. They seeded life on habitable planets, and created sentient beings in their own likeness.”

“Wow. What happened to them?”

“No one knows. They disappeared millennia ago, leaving the species they created and some ruins behind.”

As they lay there, she felt his hand stroking her hair. Again, she felt a curl of heat low in her belly.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

Except for wanting to jump your bones. She nodded and moved her head. Her lips accidentally brushed against his skin. She felt him tense beneath her.

Sam had always been upfront about sex. If she saw a guy she liked, she asked him out. It hadn’t happened a lot. Work, especially working on a space station, had kept her pretty busy. She never dated people she worked with, so her hookups were limited to her trips back to Earth.

Her last relationship had been a disaster. Rex had been a high-powered businessman in New San Francisco. On their last date, she’d saved him from being mugged. Instead of the thank you she’d expected, he’d been angry. Told her everything she did emasculated him and that she wasn’t feminine enough. She’d dumped the asshole as quick as she could.

Unfortunately, most of the men before Rex hadn’t been much better.

She breathed Galen in. She was pretty sure that nothing she did would make Galen feel emasculated. She tried to remind herself that Galen was a man holding the fate of all the surviving humans in his scarred palm.

But her body wasn’t listening. She moved her hand, rubbing her fingers over his flat nipple.

He groaned and they both went still.

“Galen.” She looked up at his face and she saw something working in his crystal-blue eye.

“Sam…you’re vulnerable…”

She smiled at his obvious line of thought. “And you’re not going to take advantage of me, right?”

“Correct.”

She moved her fingers over his chest, caressing the hard slabs of muscle. “What if I want you to take advantage of me?”

He sucked in a breath and reared up. He pushed her onto her back and rolled on top of her. “No.”

Sam felt the rapid beat of his heart under her palms and an ugly thought slid into her head. “You don’t want me?” Maybe Galen liked sweet, pretty little things that made him feel big and strong.

His hand gripped her wrist. “We both know that isn’t true,” he growled.

Her tense muscles relaxed and she slid a hand up to cup his stubbled cheek.

“But you’ve been through an ordeal,” he added.

“Galen?”

His eye glittered. “What?”

“Shut up.” She pushed, rolling until he was flat on his back, and she straddled him. She leaned down and kissed him.

His hands clamped on her hips, his tongue thrusting into her mouth. Oh, so good. The kiss was hard and rough, and she wanted it to never end. Liquid heat poured through her, and her only thought was that nothing had ever felt so good, so right.

The kiss deepened, turning fierce. Galen rolled them again until he was on top, his body fully settling on hers. She loved the solid weight of him, and the hard bulge of his cock between her legs. A very generous cock. She lifted her hips, grinding against him. A groan tore through him, mingling with her own husky cries.

“I’m sorry to interrupt.” The low voice of the wraith leader.

Galen froze then pressed his forehead to hers.

“Night is falling,” Catto said. “We’ve brought you some food and clothes.”

Galen gathered himself, pushed off Sam, and rose. “Thank you. For all your assistance.”

The wraith nodded and left.

Sam sat up. The drying cloth did nothing to hide Galen’s large, erect cock. She swallowed.

He grabbed one of the plates the wraiths had left. “Here.” He set the food down for her.

She didn’t recognize a single thing, but her mouth watered. Everything looked fresh and wonderfully edible. There was nothing that stank or was rotting. She started trying things—sweet fruits, tasty meats, something she thought might be a kind of cheese.

Galen popped a few things in his mouth, then moved to the pile of clothes resting on a rock. Sam didn’t even pretend not to watch as he dressed. He pulled on black leather trousers, giving her a brief flash of a muscular flank, and then fastened a leather harness across his chest.

After her belly was full, she fished around in the clothes and pulled on a pair of leather trousers of her own. They were slightly too small, which made her think they’d originally been made for a child, and cupped her ass like an eager lover, but they were better than anything she’d been given at Zaabha. She pulled on a beige shirt that felt soft on her skin, and tucked it into her trousers. Galen’s boots and her sandals had been cleaned and returned. Lastly, she strapped her sword on.

She turned and found Galen watching her.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

She nodded. He looked at her with a flat stare, like they hadn’t kissed or touched each other. She sighed. Maybe it was better this way. Better not to succumb to this crazy, intense desire that would complicate everything for them.

They headed out of the cave, and two wraith guards met them. Silently, they followed the wraiths through the twisting tunnels and came out into the night-drenched desert.

Ahead, she saw the wraith leader standing beside a large, cat-like beast. Sam sucked in a breath. She’d seen similar creatures in the arena—they liked to tear their prey apart.

But this one sat quietly, watching them with calm, golden eyes. It reminded her of a black panther, just bigger. It also had a blanket tied onto its back.

Catto waved at the beast and Galen strode forward. He climbed on, finding his seat. Sam climbed on behind him, wrapping her arms around his hard body.

“It is a short run to the trading post,” the wraith leader said. “We will escort you to the gates.”

Someone let out a sharp whistle, and the beast sprang into action. Sam gripped Galen harder, watching as he directed the beast with the simple leather reins. Several wraiths fell into step beside them, running alongside with ease. They were fast and nearly invisible. Amazing.

She had no idea how far the trading post was, but the minutes turned to hours. Carthago’s moons rose up into the sky, brighter than the moon on Earth. For the first time, she let herself enjoy the view. She’d only ever seen them from Zaabha’s arena, but now, wrapped around Galen’s warm body, feeling fed and clean, she watched the moons and felt something inside her relax. She had to admit that even though much of Carthago could kill, the planet possessed a harsh beauty she liked.

Some of the wraiths were murmuring in their quiet language, and the sound caught her ear.

“Look,” Galen said.

Peering over Galen’s shoulder, Sam spotted the glow of light on the horizon.

As they got closer, she saw a large, metal fence surrounding a desert village. The Al-Maa Trading Post. Galen pulled the beast to a halt some distance from the gates. They were close enough now that from inside, she heard raucous laughter.

“This is where we leave you,” the wraith leader said. “Travel well, Imperator Galen.”

“Thank you again.” Galen bowed his head.

In a blink, the wraiths were gone. Sam strained to see them, but it was like they were never there. The beast they’d ridden bounded into the darkness after them.

Galen grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the trading post entrance.

A bored-looking guard sitting above the gate eyed them for a moment before he lifted a hand and flicked a finger. One of the large gates creaked open just enough to let them inside. As they entered, Sam’s gaze landed on deep, jagged scratches in the metal.

“What the hell did that?” she asked.

“Night beasts. The desert is filled with some unfriendly creatures, especially after the suns have set.”

Sam was happy when the door clanged shut behind them.

Inside, the place looked as though she’d stepped back in time. The buildings were made of beige, clay-like bricks with dome-shaped roofs. The trading post was laid out haphazardly around a few dusty streets, and she saw several large pens filled with numerous kinds of beasts that she assumed people rode and traded.

She glanced at Galen. He was eyeing the place impassively. “What now?”

“We need to contact the House of Galen.” He strode forward, pulling her with him.

As they headed down the street, passing some open-fronted stalls selling goods and food, she could hardly believe she was out of Zaabha. Here, people were going about their daily lives, most likely completely unaware of the horror that floated in the sky somewhere above them, and it felt a bit surreal to her.

Galen stopped in front of the building that Sam guessed had to be a bar. A bright light blinked above the entrance, and inside, she heard the rumble of conversation punctuated by wild laughs and music. She might be half a galaxy away from Earth, but some things were the same.

Inside, the building was filled with a haze of smoke. People huddled around small tables, or sat at the long bar at the back. On one side of the space was a small stage, where a thin, green-skinned woman with dreadlocks writhed desultorily.

Galen nodded to the bar. As they reached it, a large, alien bartender looked up from cleaning dirty glasses with a rag. Sam hadn’t seen his species before. He had brown skin, hulking shoulders, and a single eye resting in the center of his forehead.

“I need a communicator,” Galen said.

The bartender’s set face didn’t change. “Tech don’t work well out here.”

“I’ll pay.”

The bartender ran his gaze over their simple clothes and lack of gear. “Don’t think you can.”

“I’ll pay when my people arrive,” Galen amended.

The bartender shook his head. “Only take upfront payment.”

Galen pressed his palms to the bar and leaned forward. “Listen—”

Sam drew her sword, and in a flash, held the tip against the bartender’s throat. “You’re speaking with an imperator, so show some respect.”

The man’s eye widened, and his gaze moved to Galen’s face and eyepatch. “Galen,” he breathed.

Galen shot her an amused look, before he turned back to the bartender and inclined his head.

“There is no charge for the Imperator of the House of Galen.” The big man threw his rag on the bar. “This way.”