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Aklan led Sonja through the ship toward his quarters. She followed meekly, stumbling from time to time without uttering a word. Shock, he guessed, or perhaps fatigue. It was his unfortunate duty to leave her soon, yet could he first see to her needs in the time between now and then.

Once in his quarters, he shrugged off his satchel and took her backpack from her, stashing both in the footlocker near the room’s lone bed. Her eyes met his, and he saw not shock but a mute acceptance tinged with sorrow.

He brushed his thumb along her lower lip, smoothed her tangled hair away from the delicate line of her jaw. “What is it, beloved?”

“I—” Her mouth firmed, and she shook her head. “This isn’t the end, is it? What do you intend to do now?”

“Now, we travel to the Center for the Advancement of Humankind where we will claim the women denied us by your diplomats.”

“Will they be treated well?”

“Have I not treated you well?” he countered.

A tremulous smile touched her mouth. “Maybe too well. I’m still a little sore.”

“Ah, but you have had the pleasure of my… What do humans call it? A nightstick?”

She giggled. “I’ve never heard it called that before.”

“Hmm. I shall have to find a better word.”

He kissed her then, unable to resist the lure of her touch. She leaned into him, returning his kiss with a passionate fervor that threatened to sweep away his discipline. Already, he weakened, he thought ruefully, and firmly ended the kiss and stepped out of temptation’s path.

“Come, beloved. Allow me to introduce you to the ship’s functions.”

As quickly as he could, he showed her how to use the sink, toilet, and shower in the attached head. At her request, he unlocked the viewscreen in his quarters and walked her through the security features so she could login to the ship’s computer without his aid.

“I’m going to have to contact him,” she said, her gaze lingering on the viewscreen. “Mike. I don’t want him to worry, even if he does fire me on the spot.”

“I think perhaps he needs you more than he realizes. You are his liaison to my people, are you not?”

“I suppose so.”

Aklan’s wristcom chimed an alert. He flicked it off with one claw and knelt beside where she sat, on the stool before the viewscreen.

“I must leave now,” he said. “Promise you will not contact anyone until I return.”

“I won’t. Even if I could figure out how, it’s better to wait.” She sighed heftily and bumped her forehead to his. “Promise me you’ll be gentle with those women.”

“We would never deliberately bring them harm.”

It was a vow made as much to himself as her. Now that he’d come to know his mate, he understood how fragile humans could be, and how strong. He could not protect the other females as he did Sonja, but he could treat them with the courtesy and respect they deserved, as much as possible.

She pressed a soft kiss to his mouth, then drew back. “Go before I change my mind and drag you back to bed.”

“When I return,” he growled, and left before he could do the dragging.

Sonja toyed with the computer until fatigue settled around her shoulders like a heavy blanket. She stripped to her skin, leaving her clothes where they lay, and stumbled into the shower stall for a quick scrub. After, she toweled her hair dry, then crawled into Aklan’s bed, not bothering with a night shirt or the dim light Aklan had turned on when they entered.

And laid there staring at the room’s ceiling, her heart racing as her mind tripped over what Aklan was doing. Stealing those women away, taking them from the safety of their workplaces. She flopped over and punched the bed’s lone pillow. So unnecessary. Mike would get an earful when she finally reached out to him.

Of course, he’d probably give her an earful in return.

She measured the passing time by the pressure of the ship’s rise and fall through Earth’s atmosphere, allowing it to lull her into a fitful sleep. Her dreams were empty, her mind fogged until the hatch opened and a light footfall alerted her to Aklan’s presence.

He stood at the edge of the bed, staring down at her, his expression shadowed.

She held a hand out to him, inviting him closer. “What is it, love?”

“We have secured the females,” he said.

“How many?”

“Nearly three dozen. They rest in the cargo hold, should you care to see them.”

“I will. At some point, I’ll need to send a report back to Earth so their families know they’re safe. Do they need anything?”

He grunted as he unfastened his skinsuit and shucked it and his boots. “We have supplied them as well as we could. The hold is colder than we would like, but they have thermal blankets and plenty of food and water.”

“Good. I’ll check on them later.” She pushed up on one elbow, allowing the thin sheet to slide down her body, baring her breasts. “Come to bed.”

His teal-colored eyes glowed as he reached for her, and they lost themselves once again to the passion spiraling between them.

Later, she showered again, this time with Aklan, at his insistence. Once they were dressed again, he led her to the cargo hold so that she could personally check on the women’s wellbeing. They were here because of her. Making sure they understood what had happened was the least she could do for them.

They had to go through what Aklan called a transition, something to do with the way they were traveling. Outside of popular SciFi movies, she’d never been interested in space travel, and so took him at his word when he advised her to try to sleep through them.

After, though, she could no longer delay the inevitable. With Aklan’s help, she contacted Mike through the communications satellite one of the warlords had dropped into Earth orbit. Unfortunately, it was voice only, but it would do until they could make other arrangements.

She hoped they could make other arrangements.

The contact went through as a regular phone call, right to Mike’s cellphone. He answered with a terse, “Hello?”

“Mike?” she said. “It’s Sonja.”

“Oh, thank God. I’ve been worried sick about you since that Xeruvian bastard kidnapped you.”

She bit back a laugh, sternly reminding herself that she was acting as a diplomatic liaison and must act accordingly. “The Xeruvian bastard is standing beside me, and he didn’t kidnap me. I went voluntarily.”

Mike was silent for a moment. The line crackled once. Aklan murmured, “Ion particles.”

Another thing she took on his word.

Finally, Mike said, “Are you ok?”

“Right as rain,” she assured him. “Did anyone get hurt down there when we left?”

“One of the diplomats sprained an ankle.” He sounded disgusted more than anything, which put her mind at ease as little else could have. “Mostly wounded pride on all our parts. It was a flawless strike. Please commend the Xeruvians for it on my behalf.”

“Now, Mike. What did you expect? They needed to retrieve Aklan.”

“And you,” he gritted out. “And the thirty-two women they took from the CAH.”

“You knew that was coming,” she reminded him gently. “It could easily have been handled a better way, without the Xeruvians having to resort to kidnapping.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were defending them.”

“I’m not defending them. But I understand why they did what they did. I understand, too, that we’ve lost a lot by denying them the opportunity to court those women at their leisure. You were worried about losing ground technologically. Well, now not only have humans lost technological ground, they’ve also lost a potential ally in the Xeruvians.”

“I know,” he said on a heavy sigh. “I know. You warned me. I warned my superiors. They just didn’t see the situation clearly.”

“Some of them did,” she corrected. “The ones who sent people to help us escape. Which, by the way, I didn’t appreciate having to do.”

“Yet you accomplished it marvelously.”

Yes, she thought, biting back a laugh. She’d made quite the sight when Aklan threw her over his shoulder. Her dignity might never recover the ignominy.

“Still. It was unnecessary.” She glanced up at Aklan, caught his stoic nod, and suppressed a sigh. Back to work. “I’ve been authorized by the Xeruvians to lay the ground for further negotiations. They will not give the women back. That’s non-negotiable, so don’t even ask. But in time, they would like to reapproach the bargaining table. Aklan has assured me that this sector of the galaxy is a dangerous place. That Earth hasn’t been discovered by a hostile alien race is purely luck. The Xeruvians are willing to overlook this incident in favor of an alliance, if humans are willing to do the same.”

Again, Mike fell silent, then emitted a soft laugh. “You’ve landed on your feet, Sonja. I’m proud of you.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat and absolutely, positively refused to let fall the tears pricking her eyes. “You’re trying to butter me up. It won’t work.”

His laugh came easier then, heartier. “Don’t worry. I know better. I’ll pass along the message. Hopefully, we can come to a better accord in the future. I expect regular updates. You’re still on the payroll, you know.”

“I appreciate that,” she said softly. “We’ll be in touch.”

She cut the call on Mike’s goodbye, then swiveled toward Aklan. “Well? What do you think? Are humans still worth negotiating with, or will you guys going to keep kidnapping helpless Earth women?”

He grimaced at her. “Helpless? You have stolen my heart, female. I shall never be the same again.”

She grinned and pulled him down to her. “That’s what you get when you tangle with your mate. Still happy you met me?”

“It was the best surprise a warrior could ever hope for,” he said, then he kissed her until the universe faded away, leaving only their love behind.