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“Thank the stars,” I slur. “I was afraid this was a nightmare. Maybe now it can be a sexy dream.”

Jalus curses under his breath, then seizes what looks like a flask from his pocket and takes a long pull from it. His lips crash onto mine.

I savor the kiss, drinking in his scent. His tongue parts my lips, making my pulse kick up a notch. Then he’s passing a liquid into my mouth, something that feels like honey on my tongue but tastes more like kombucha. I swallow reflexively.

The world settles into sharper focus. The way the breeze caresses my bare skin, the sharp pain of thorns digging into my arms and legs…this isn’t the hazy fog of a nightmare. This is real. I am awake.

I tug against the roots and vines holding me, but the trees hold me fast.

“They’re trying to speak to you in scent-language,” Jalus murmurs next to my ear, low and urgent. “They say that this is your last chance. If you won’t save them from being cut and hollowed, they will bury you the way they buried all these others.”

“Tell them…” My voice comes out high-pitched, words tripping over themselves to come out. I force myself to take a deep breath, to consider what I want to say. “Tell them I’m on their side.”

Jalus’s eyes meet mine. “I already have.”

He believes me.Tears well, unbidden, in my eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t have time to prepare you before that vid-call today. I had to make something up to buy time for creating a real solution.”

He leans close to the crook of my neck and breathes deep. Does sincerity have a scent?

I can’t stop myself reaching for him. My fingers brush across the wound on his lower arm. It’s been little more than a day since he was injured, but it’s already nothing more than a raised pink-violet line across his skin. Imperial hospitals would pay dearly to get their hands on that kind of?—

Wait.

“Jalus…I think I have an idea.”

“Tell me,” he murmurs hoarsely.

“The moss.” I show him my palm, displaying the scrape from yesterday. It’s so well healed, I can barely tell I was ever hurt. “Can it be harvested without harming the trees?”

“In moderation, yes. As I told you, the Old Kin have used it for millennia.” Understanding lights his eyes. “You think your father would want…?”

A miracle medicine that millions will be eager to pay him for?Uh, yeah, I think I can convince him.

“I can draft a treaty with airtight protections for the Kin and all the Eiris wildlife.” I’m thinking aloud, but Jalus’s face is alight with hope. “I’ll make Dad buy the moss at a fair price from the Kin. That’ll cut the expense of bringing contractors and equipment to the planet. Kin harvesters can control where they take from so they don’t disturb the ecosystem like outsiders would.”

I glance around the clearing at the eleven unconscious ambassadors. “If I can guarantee the trees’ protection, will they release the hostages?”

Jalus scents the air. “When a treaty is signed and these people no longer pose a threat, they will be released.”

“Fair enough.” I hesitate. “Of course, I’ll probably have to stay here longer than six months, to make sure Dad’s people keep their side of the treaty.”

He tenses. “Is that…what you want?”

The Moon Palace already feels like a past life. Lonely, cold, sterile luxury compared with the bright, dangerous, sensual beauty of Eiris and the warm four-armed embrace of a man I think I’m already starting to fall for…

It’s a no-brainer.

“Yes. I want to stay.”

The man is beautiful when grumpy, but he’s absolutely life-ruining when he smiles. The roots fall away from my legs as he lifts me into his arms.

When his mouth meets mine, I’m home.