I sense her fear the moment the tether goes slack behind me. I realize what has happened too late. The storm is fierce, much worse than we realized. Her hand is reaching for me as the wind lifts her tiny form into the air, out of my reach. I panic, something new and foreign to me. Without a second thought I’m bounding through the snow, headed in her direction.

I feel helpless as I watch her being whipped around in the storm. Her body hits an icy protrusion with a sickening thump and crumples at its base. I like control and I’m used to having control. I need it, the predictability that comes with it. Margo is already messing with my control.

The adrenaline starts to course through my blood while I run, the energy flowing through me and propelling me forward. I’m desperate to get to her. A thought pops into my mind, out of nowhere, and the shock of it is like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head. Is it possible that she’s my fated? Why else would I feel this way for a human?

The irony would be great. As our society demands, I joined the guard and took the required oath of celibacy when I failed to find my mate by my 25^th birthday. That was a little over a year ago. Since then, I’ve learned how to be the strongest, fiercest warrior I could in order to protect the city. I buried the hope deep down inside of me that I would ever find the one who would make me whole.

Could it be she has been delivered to me straight from the stars?

Branyx and Kjallak are flanking me as I run, their training and loyalty to me immediately taking over, overruling the doubts they might have had of being escorts for human women when there are much more dire threats to protect the city from.

“She’ll be at the foot of the ridge, protected from the winds,” I say behind me as I run. If the rocky outcropping wasn’t there, she could have been carried miles away. Humans are new to me, so I don’t know what kind of damage her body will have sustained from the impact. I need to have her close to me so I can ease this feeling of panic in my chest. It’s still possible that what I’m feeling is just the responsibility that is always inside of me, making sure we always do the best job we can. In this case, protecting the guests of the city so no harm comes to them while they are here. I can’t help being intrigued and I silently vow that I won’t let her out of my sight until I know whether or not there is indeed a connection between us.

It takes longer than I can stand before we finally reach the foot of the icy bluff. The red stain in the snow is the first thing I see. Her limp body is already buried in snow and I frantically dig her out. Her breathing is shallow and I can’t get her to open her eyes. The side of her face is covered in fresh blood. I reach for the belt at my waist and pull out the small emergency medical kit.

“I’ll close her wounds and then we’ll take her back to the ship where I can fully assess her injuries. There’s no way she’ll survive the journey to the city in this condition.” I don’t wait for any kind of response. I’ve switched to autopilot. My hands gently trail over her head and it doesn’t take long for me to find the gash that is gushing blood, painting her long blonde hair a dark red. I know that humans don’t heal as quickly as Attalans do so I’m not sure what our timeline is or how fast I need to work.

“We’ll need to get her back and get her warm or she will freeze to death out here,” Kjallak says from over my shoulder.

“I will work fast,” I tell him. I apply the Alcadazole, hoping that it will destroy any possible infections and help to close the wound faster in her, like it does for us.

“Is that safe for humans?” Kjallak asks, seemingly reading my mind. “Her skin seems to be much different from ours.”

I pause before applying the cream from the metal tube. At this point it’s a decision between letting her bleed out in the snow and risking the chance that the solution might have some sort of adverse affect.

“It’s all I have.” I look to Kjallak, letting him know exactly how I feel about being questioned as I press the glue like substance along the open gash in her head. She moans, a quiet pained sound, and it cuts through my heart. I pick her up and cradle her against my chest. Her clothes are wet and cold to the touch and her body starts to shake violently in my arms. I find comfort in the fact that she’s shaking, because at least she isn’t suffering any obvious affects of hypothermia yet. In this storm, it wouldn’t take long at all for a human to succumb to the frigid temperatures.

It takes longer than I’d like for us to make our way back to the ship. The winds are frustratingly strong, whipping snow into our faces and hindering our progress. I shield Margo as best as I can but I know it isn’t enough. I need to get her dry and warm fast. I shudder when I think of how quickly the wind carried her away. I silently curse myself for not paying closer attention to what the storm was doing before we left. I was too damn distracted by this woman in my arms.

We board the ship and I take her directly back to her quarters. Branyx and Kjallak start to follow me into the sleeping area but I turn and say, “I’ll let you know if I need anything.” There’s no way in hell they’re laying eyes on her when I remove her wet clothes. “Secure the ship while I tend to her. We’re going to be here for awhile.”

“Yes, Lodyn,” they both say as they nod and turn to walk away.

Once they’re gone I walk back to the bed where I found her clothes and lay her down gently. Then I get right to work undressing her. Her winter gear isn’t the worst I’ve ever seen, but the snow during this type of storm is incredibly dense. It clings to clothing and weighs the body down. Her snow pants and coat are soaked through, causing the clothing closest to her skin to be wet and cold as well.

It feels a violation, undressing her while she’s unconscious, so even though I’m curious and have the desire to touch every inch of her body, I do my best to keep things clinical. As each piece of clothing is removed, I wrap that part of her in warm blankets. I’m careful to look her over for any more bruises or broken bones that she might have sustained when she hit the ice ridge.

She’s bruised and battered but there are no additional broken bones or gashes that need to be sealed. Even with my vow to keep things professional, though, it doesn’t escape me how smooth and soft her skin is. Her overall body temperature is much cooler than my own but that could be from the exposure she has suffered. I trail my fingers over her arm before I pull the blanket tighter around her. As soon as I make contact with her skin there’s a strange sensation that moves through me. It’s like nothing I have ever felt before.

Her hair is soft when I brush it from her face, the golden color still stained from her blood. Her eyes are closed but I’ll never forget the brilliant green color from when she stood before me like a fierce Raxos demanding we leave her alone.

Her teeth are still chattering and her body is still shaking but she’s dry and her core temperature will warm quickly now that she’s covered. There’s a dim light on in her room above her bed and thanks to the backup systems on the ship there’s still heat to keep her warm. She’s so small compared to me and yet the ample curves of her body call to the mating instinct within me.

I’m not a medic but I have basic survival training. All of the warriors in the guard receive intensive training once we take the oath. I hope she’ll come to fairly soon. The combination of a head injury with the frigid cold worries me, but I don’t know what other options we have right now. It isn’t safe to take her out in the storm again and it could be days before things clear.

I lean back in the chair next to her bed. My thoughts slip to the unexpectedness of today’s events. We were all on the wall like we were supposed to be, waiting for the arrival of the human guests. Because they were supposed to land inside the city, there really wasn’t much for us to do. We had to continue to keep watch like we usually do. We actually thought it was going to be a quiet night.

Now this small human has crashed into my life, turning everything upside down. Every fiber of my being is drawn to her. But she’s human and I’m Attalan. I dodn’t know if it’s even possible to mate with someone not of our species. None of my guard brothers have experienced what it is like to have a fated mate so they’ll be of no help to me either. But deep down, I know that I don’t need their help to know what she is to me.

She’s fierce and stubborn, just like I am. It made my heart race when she stood tall and defied me. That would never happen among my people. No one defies the guard. And somehow that fire inside of her heats my blood and stirs things within me that have long been dormant. Now she’s under my skin and I need to be close to her. A fierce protectiveness rumbles through my body, surprising me with its strength.

A knock on the door pulls me from my thoughts.

“Come in,” I say, my eyes not leaving my mate.

“Lodyn,” Kjallak says as he steps into the room, “the storm isn’t letting up. We’ve secured the doors and will plan on staying put until it’s safe to leave. We’re keeping watch but I don’t think we’ll need to worry about the Salthu until the worst of the storm is over.”

“Thank you, Kjallak. Hopefully we won’t have to worry about the Salthu at all, but station yourselves so you have eyes on the valley and the open expanse to the South, just in case.”

Kjallak nods, leaving without another word. The situation isn’t ideal but we’re in it now. I know he didn’t understand why I was being so lenient with the human. At the time I didn’t know why I was being so lenient either. They were given permission to be here under the agreement that they would do as they were told and follow our rules. My usual brusque manner didn’t feel right with Margo, though. For the first time in my life, I wish I knew more about wooing a female. A human female.

“Maybe there is something wrong with me,” I say to myself while trying to shake off these thoughts and focus on my job at hand. Discovering my mate is a human, in the middle of a snowstorm while she lies on the bed unconscious from her wounds that were essentially caused because of my negligence, is enough to worry about for one day.

As if we needed anything else to go wrong, the light flickers above the bed and snaps off, leaving us in darkness. I can hear the backup power system shutting down until all that is left is complete silence.

Now, not only are we left in darkness, but it’s about to get really cold in here.