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edges of his vision.
    “Kai—it’s Kai, right?” Ivy took a single step closer. “Uh, are you
    okay?”
    “Merely the excitement of the day.” He needed to get away from her
    before he did something humiliating, like faint at her feet. “I apologize.”
    Gripping the doorframe when the dizziness threatened to overwhelm
    him, he squeezed until his knuckles turned white. “We’ll speak again in
    the morning.”
    “Wait, I have questions. You can’t just keep me here like this.”
    “The captain will answer any inquiries you may have.” As if
    summoned, Tira appeared at his side. “Tira, I’ll leave it to your
    discretion.” He tried to smile, but by the females’ worried expressions,
    he imagined he’d failed miserably. “Until our next meeting.” He lowered
    his head slightly toward Ivy. “Rest well, my lady.”
    Retreating, he staggered down the stairs, leaning heavily on the
    railing, and stumbled through the corridors until he reached his
    chambers. It troubled him to leave Ivy after such a short meeting, but
    with his stomach churning and his head pounding, he could barely
    undress before collapsing onto his bed.
    The silky gray sheets felt cool against his overheated skin, and the
    soft mattress cradled his aching body. Every muscle, tendon, and joint

    pained him. Even his hair follicles hurt. Stars above, he didn’t know what
    had come over him, but a part of him felt death would be preferable to
    such suffering.
    Illness didn’t plague the inhabitants of Xenthian. Not once in over
    four thousand years had Kai experienced even something as minor as a
    sniffle. In the back of his mind, the part still fighting against what he
    already knew, he wondered if Ivy had somehow bewitched him. Burying
    his face into the pillow with a groan, he dismissed the notion as quickly
    as it came.
    He was lying to himself, had been from the moment he’d walked into
    Ivy’s room. Upon seeing her, he’d felt the pull, the unshakeable desire to
    be near her. His entire being swayed toward the beauty, something
    inside him shifting to make room for this magnificent being he’d never
    even considered existed.
    Kai wanted her. Not for a day, a night, or even a hundred years. He
    wanted eternity with her. His heart had recognized what his mind had
    not, and his body had taken it upon itself to respond in the ways of their
    kind.
    Soulmate.
    Being in Ivy’s presence had been like standing in the eye of a great
    storm, both beautiful and terrifying in the way she consumed him.
    Soulmate.
    How he hadn’t recognized it immediately, he couldn’t say. Perhaps
    because he’d never before experienced such emotions. Maybe because

    he’d never expected to find his destiny with a human. Whatever the
    reason, he vowed to make up for his lackluster introduction when his
    head stopped throbbing.
    One brief encounter had changed him, irrevocably altered him. Now,
    he just had to find a way to explain it to Ivy.
    After sleep. Squeezing his eyes closed, he burrowed deeper into the
    nest of soft blankets and groaned. Yes, definitely after sleep.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Kai didn’t come the next morning.
    In fact, he didn’t return the next evening, or anytime during the
    following day, either. Not that Ivy wanted to see him or anything. She
    just wanted to know when she’d be getting out of her windowless room,
    and he held all the cards.
    Several strange meals had passed through her quarters during her
    stay. Unnamable meats, neon colored fruits, and a few things she
    thought might have been vegetables. The first day, she ate nothing. By
    the second night, however, her complaining stomach and throbbing
    temples protested so insistently that she finally gave in to her hunger. At
    first, she’d only meant to eat what looked and tasted similar to salted
    pork, but by the time she’d slowed down enough to properly breathe,
    she’d already cleaned most of her dinner tray.
    If she had to be a prisoner, she could think of worse places to be