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“Why?”
    He
sighed and sat back again. “You are a contrary female.” He glared at her.
“Because I wish to kiss you, that is why. Is that not
what humans do?”
    “You
never finished your story.”
    He
shook his head. “You have a gift for souring my mood, woman.”
    She
frowned at him, irked. “You know my name. Use it.”
    “Yes,
yes,” he said, irritatingly. After a moment he sighed again and continued. “My
father scented the change on me immediately. It enraged him. He sent us both
into the military. I was appointed captain, because of my status and the
training I’d received. The soldiers under my command did not respect me. They
plotted against us.” He nodded at her look. “Yes, mutiny. They ganged up and
beat me, then dropped me on your planet, expecting I would die soon enough.
They should have finished the job.”
    “They
did that because of your father? They resented you?” Sky asked, not sure where
this was going.
    He
shook his head. “No. They hated me because I swore blood oath to a slave. A half- Alphan , half- Xyran abomination.” He laughed again, but this time the sound was bitter.
“Little did they know their captain was also a half- breed. ”
     

Chapter
Four
     
    Zoen guided the ship to an easy landing at the base of a mountain ridge. He’d
managed to evade the humans’ radar, but avoiding Alphan and Xyran ships was much more difficult. He’d picked
up a Xyran tail halfway to Earth and had spent four
frustrating days backtracking and laying false trails in an effort to shake
them. When he’d reached Earth’s solar system, the space was crawling with Alphan ships: shuttles, warships, merchants.
    Bah! Fingers in every basket, so greedy, he thought, flicking on the cloak that would keep the ship hidden from
prying eyes. Alphans weren’t much better than Xyrans ,
as far as he could tell. In his experience, the strong ruled the weak. The only
exception he’d ever seen to that rule was when Jaxt had saved him. In return, Zoen would use his strength
to keep his blood-sworn kin alive, until one of them drew his last breath. Jaxt was the only sentient being who mattered. He was the
only one who ever would.
    Zoen opened the hatch and stepped out onto the dying world. A hot breeze shuddered
over his skin. After one quick look, he stepped away from the ship and let his
color change from the normal flesh tone he used in everyday situations to a
dusky brown, the perfect match for the deepening shadows and dust around him.
He grabbed his receiver and checked his position, then set off across the dry
landscape.
    ****
    Jaxt picked at the bindings on his arm. The woman had no idea how fast a Xyran healed, but she would find out soon enough. He smiled
in the dark, listening to her breathe. Sky was strong. Beautiful. The only female he’d ever met who didn’t shrink from him in fear.
    She
fidgeted in her sleep, and he let himself drink in the sight of her smooth
skin. Her eyes were a startling blue, strangely compelling. Zoen would approve, too, Jaxt knew. He slipped the leather
and wood from his arm and flexed his muscles. The bones had knit, and now he
needed to regain his strength. He performed a series of exercises, then put the splint back on. Sky’s arm flailed out, fingers
fisting tightly. She frowned with her eyes closed.
    Nightmare, he thought, reaching out. She has too many
nightmares. When he touched her forehead, her face smoothed out and she
rolled over. He stroked her back gently, soothing her until she sighed and her
breathing indicated that she’d slipped into a deeper stage of sleep.
    “Sky,
you will be our mate,” he said quietly, testing her name on his lips for the
first time. “When Zoen comes, you will understand.”
    “Understand
what?” she mumbled, rolling over again. She blinked at him, squinting in the
dim light of the fire. “Were you just talking to me?”
    He
debated what to tell her. When she began to frown again, he sighed quietly. She
was a much more