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“So far, I haven’t found a scientific explanation for the spontaneous change in our bodies.” Natasha frowned. “I don’t believe there is one.”

“Back to Jevax. Do we need to take a baseball bat to him?” Emmy persisted.

Natasha snorted.

“You are like a dog with a bone.”

“This surprises you why?”

Morgan found herself relaxing at the easy banter between the women.

“None of us had an easy time with our mates in the beginning.” Kara’s blue eyes were serious. “We really do want to help you. Whether it’s to come up with a plan to illustrate to him how stupid he is or to let you move on depends on you.”

All the women nodded and waited. Morgan’s fingers twisted in her lap.

“Does it have to do with him getting his memories back?” Ava asked.

“Yes.”

“Don’t tell us he had a sidepiece we didn’t know about.” Rachel’s eyes narrowed.

“No, that would be too easy.” She inhaled deeply. “His mother and five sisters died within days of each other when the virus hit.”

“That’s sad,” Lin murmured.

“Grulen saw how devastated the adult males were and how long it took before they began to recover. He vowed never to take a mate so he would never be in the same position.”

“That’s some fucked up logic,” Kara took a sip of her Estalan liquor.

“He would’ve been a child,” Natasha said. “And viewed the loss and grief from a child’s perspective.”

“That’s what I told him.”

“The destruction caused by the virus was like a planetwide trauma. Imagine a tsunami sweeping over every inch of Earth. No one could remain unaffected.” Talia grabbed some green crackers and cheese from a plate before passing it on.

“What happened?” Abby asked quietly.

“He told me his honor demanded he keep his vow and we shouldn’t be together romantically.

I asked if there was anything I could say or do to change his mind.

He said no. So I packed and left.” Morgan took a piece of chocolate and popped it into her mouth.

God, I’ve missed chocolate and right now, I need it.

“Do you love him? Do you believe he loves you?” Ava poured some of the fruity drink from a pitcher.

“Yes, I love him. I thought he loved me. At least he acted that way.” Tears welled up in Morgan’s eyes.

“Then we need a plan to bring him crawling back to you.” Kara punctuated her words with a burp. “Excuse me.”

“Dress you up and can’t take you anywhere,” Rain teased. Everyone laughed.

“I’m not sure he’ll change his mind. If I get my hopes up and it doesn’t work, I’m not sure I’ll survive it.”

“With or without Jevax, what would make you happiest? Going back to the Wing Raiders? Staying here? Going to a colony? Going back to Earth? Something else entirely?” Natasha listed her options.

“I could go back to Earth?”

“I can arrange that. My biggest concern would be how Earth’s leaders would treat you.

They might keep you under wraps and interrogate you under the guise of protecting you.

” Rachel frowned. “I would know. I was an MI6 agent. We’d have to have safeguards in place before Traxen or I would allow you to go. ”

Morgan nodded. She makes sense.

“I honestly wouldn’t want to return to Earth to stay, although I would like to visit and reassure friends I am safe.”

“Do you have anything in mind?”

“I’ve been thinking seriously about teaching at Phoenix House.”

“That’s a wonderful idea. It’s not common knowledge yet, but after we sign some treaties, we’re going to set up some communities specifically for domestic abuse victims and their children. I think the plan for the first one will be near Phoenix House,” Talia said.

“Are you sure having battered women so close to a variety of aliens would be good for them?” Lin bit her lip. “It might make them even more afraid.”

“Traxen and I have been discussing this. We believe we’ll set up a small village with housing and shops between the two.

The new arrivals will be in a gated community with everything they need, but as they gain confidence, they’ll be able to venture out into the village.

We’re thinking of setting up a joint school so the children can begin interacting right away.

From a logistical standpoint, it is easier to provide security for the women and children, the village, and Phoenix House from a central location.

An added benefit is that the humans would transition away from largely populated areas. ”

“That would be good, not only for their own healing, but I remember how pushy some of the Svesti males were at Court not long ago.” Ava shuddered.

“Pushy? I didn’t have that experience, and I spent a year here.” Morgan’s forehead wrinkled.

“When you were here before, they didn’t know humans could spark fated mate bonds.

Even though they don’t appear like they have historically, some of the males still believe they can convince the bonds to show up if they touch a woman.

I got so tired of males wanting to touch my arm.

Beyond being irritating, I felt bad each time their hopes were dashed. ” The edges of Ava’s lips dipped down.

“I was ready to stab someone,” Rachel grumbled.

Natasha laughed.

“How many knives are you wearing now?”

“Three.”

Morgan’s eyes grew wide at Rachel’s answer. I guess she really was MI6.

“So, should we have Morgan push Grulen to confront and deal with his trauma like you did with Karid, Ava?” Lin timidly spoke up.

Ava’s red curls bounced as she rejected that plan.

“Karid was self-destructing and needed immediate help to keep from hurting himself. Grulen is just being obtuse and not seeing the trauma’s effects on him fully. He believes he’s dealt with it.”

“So what do we do?” Kara propped her chin on her fist.

“Morgan goes to Phoenix House and lives her best life without him. It’s somewhere she wants to be and when he comes around, he’ll have to take that into account.” Ava gave the others an evil grin. “I think we utilize our mates for the rest of it.”

“How so?” Talia leaned forward.

“We visit the stubborn male and act all lovey-dovey with our mates, not-so-subtly reminding him he could’ve had the same thing with Morgan.

And we convince our mates to slap some sense into him in their own unique ways.

Do you think any of our mates would choose to let us go now even though they know they would experience pain if something happened to us? ”

A chorus of no’s filled the room.

“Exactly. Their reasons for loving us despite the unknowns are their own and only they can express it. I believe it would be more effective if the males share versus us females.”

“So I do nothing?” Morgan glanced at each of the women who wore satisfied expressions.

“Just do what you would do without him. Let us take care of the rest.” Rachel stabbed a piece of fruit with one of her knives. Where the hell did she pull that from? I never saw it.

“Damn, I’m so glad I ended up with you as my friends,” said Emmy. “We always have each other’s backs.”

“Yeah, you were a tough nut to crack, but we figured you out.” Natasha tossed a piece of cheese at the Australian.

Morgan’s shoulders relaxed and she realized her head no longer hurt. Even if Grulen never changed his mind, she could get through this. I can’t regret loving him. He gave me back my sexuality and reminded me there’s more to life than surviving.

“Thank you, all. I actually do feel better than I did an hour ago.”

“Any time, Morgan. You’re one of us now and we take care of our own.” Talia grinned. “Even if you don’t want us to.”

Morgan laughed along with others. Kara was right. I needed this and I needed them.