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Tira’s lips twisted into a scowl, and her brow furrowed to form deep

lines between her eyes. “I don’t understand,” she admitted after a

pregnant pause. “To what are you referring?”

“It’s just an expression.” These Xenons amused the hell out of her.

“I’m asking how you’re doing.”

“I’m attending to multiple situations at once, Ivy Dalton. To which

one would you like to know the status?”

Ivy blinked twice before bursting into a fit of giggles. Once she’d

pulled herself together, she crossed the vast library filled with shelves

and shelves of leather-bound books, ornate boxes, and yellowed

parchment scrolls. Standing directly in front of the captain, Ivy held the

female by her elbows and looked her directly in the eyes while she

worked out how the Xenons would phrase her question.

“Are you well, Captain?”

The tight expression faded, replaced by a brilliant smile, and Tira

squeezed nodded in response. “Yes, Ivy Dalton, I’m quite well, thank

you.”

“It’s just Ivy,” she corrected lightly as she turned to face Kai. “You

wanted to show me something?”

His eyes lit up, his brows winged toward his hairline, and a grin

stretched his pink lips, showing off little dimples in his cheeks. Despite

his new, impressive size, in his excitement, he still looked like a little boy

on Christmas morning, and Ivy’s heart melted just a bit.

“It is to be a celebration in your honor,” he told her, pointing to an

animated projection screen on the far wall. “Everyone from the Five Isles

will be invited, and the great hall will once again be filled with music,

laughter, and joy.”

Biting her lip, Ivy wandered closer to the screen. The invitee list alone

filled more than a third of the display, and her right eye began to twitch.

Selection of wines, entrees, and exotic flowers rotated in their own

designated sections, and her pulse raced. Seating arrangements, jewels,

centerpieces, candles, dresses, and something that looked very much like

a tiara—Ivy gripped the edge of the desk to keep herself upright when

the blood drained from her face.

“Ivy?” Worry bled from Kai’s tone as he wrapped an arm around her

waist to help steady her. “I thought you’d be pleased.”

“I…I…can we talk?” She cut her eyes to Tira and offered and

apologetic smile. “Alone?”

“I’ll leave you.” Tira fisted her hands beside her thighs and bowed

her head before marching out of the room.

Alone with Kai, Ivy moved to one of the armchairs in front of the desk

and lowered herself to the edge of the cushion. “Kai, I can see you’ve put

a lot of work into this, and it’s very sweet.” She didn’t want to hurt him

or disrespect the beliefs and traditions of his people, but she also didn’t

want to mislead him. “I know how important this is to you, us being

soulmates, and I’m trying to understand. I’m just not ready yet.”

Still smiling, Kai kneeled at her feet and cupped her cheeks in his big,

warm hands. “It is important to me.
You
are important to me, but I

promised to give you time. Don’t fret, my lady.” Leaning in, he brushed

his lips over her forehead, her cheeks, and finally her lips. “It is not a

ceremony of our union, merely a celebration to welcome you and your

friends to Xenthian.”

“Oh.” Ivy’s cheeks heated, and her insides burned with

embarrassment. “I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions.” Afraid he’d want

to talk about soulmates again, she hurried to change the subject. “There’s

something you need to know, Kai, about how we ended up here.”

His expression changed at once into a mask of concern. “Tell me.”

“We were attacked, just beyond your shield. It was a smaller ship,

but whoever they were, they were packing some serious firepower.”

“You don’t know who attacked you?”

Ivy linked her fingers together between her knees and shook her

head. “Well, honestly, at first, I thought it was you—Xenthian.”

“No.” He didn’t appear upset by the accusation, merely thoughtful.

We do not leave the planet,” he said simply. “What more can you tell me

of this ship?”

She’d been mostly certain the ship hadn’t hailed from Xenthian, but

relief filled her at his confirmation. “There was an emblem, but I didn’t

recognize it, and we couldn’t establish contact with them. We destroyed

the ship before we lost power, but this looked more like a scouting vessel

than anything.”

“You believe more will come.”

“I don’t know, but I think you should be prepared. We should all be

prepared, which is why I need to contact my superiors in the Alliance.”

“Communications off planet are strictly forbidden.”

“Are you the king or not?” she demanded. “Look, beyond getting

shot out of freaking space, I also need to make sure my crew in the evac

shuttles made it to safety.”

“You misunderstand. Yes, I’m king, but the elders control outgoing

communications.”

Huffing, Ivy pushed to her feet and straightened her tunic. “Then let

me talk to the elders.”

“Impossible.”

“Nothing is impossible. My ship is janked, my crew is dead for all I

know, and now you’re telling me not only am I trapped here, but I can’t

even contact my own planet?”

With an easy grace, Kai rose to his feet as well and pressed a finger

to her lips to silence her argument. “I will appeal to the Court of Elders

on your behalf. Have patience, my lady. I will bring you answers soon.”

Ivy deflated, releasing her building anger in a rush of warm breath.

“Okay.” She bobbed her head a couple of times. “Okay, thank you.”

“I’ll have Lorcan arrange a meeting with the elders. In the meantime,

could I interest you in a tour of the gardens?”

She couldn’t do anything until she received permission to contact

Earth. Being idle didn’t suit her, and the inactivity was driving her crazy.

Maybe the fresh air would soothe her frayed nerves, and as a bonus, it

would give her the opportunity to get to know Kai better.

“I’d like that. Will you tell me more about your planet? You

mentioned there are five islands? Are you king of all of them?”

With a hand on her waist, he chuckled as he led her from the library.

“Yes, in a way. Each of the Isles have their own leaders, but I have the

power to overrule them. Though, I try not to interfere unless necessary.”

“So, like the difference between a commander and a high

commander.” Ivy could just picture the look on High Commander Jax

Spartan’s face when he learned of the mess she’d gotten herself into, and

the thought of facing him, even over a vid comm, made her cringe.

“I’m not familiar with your chain of command, but I believe so, yes.”

At the end of the corridor, he motioned to the left, guiding her through

another series of hallways before reaching a set of heavy, wooden doors.

“The elders have final say on matters that pertain to the shield and our

safety, and they intervene when conflicts arise between the Isles.”

“Does that happen often?”

“Not in a couple of centuries now.”

The way he spoke of time, as though centuries passed in mere

minutes, Ivy had to ask, “How old are you?”

“Four thousand and twelve.”

Ivy choked, coughing and sputtering as Kai pushed open the doors

that led to the rear gardens. If the days lasted longer on Xenthian, it stood

to reason that their years did as well. Maybe. It would depend on the

length of the rotation around their sun, and oh, stars, her brain fucking

hurt. She couldn’t even begin to calculate his age in Earth years, but it

was a hell of a lot older than her. He’d been born before the Alien Wars,

before the Zyphir had destroyed most of Earth and plagued the human

race with an unknown, incurable virus. Holy mother of the cosmos, he’d

been alive before humans had even discovered electricity, let alone

figured out how to harness it.

“I’ve upset you?” He tilted his head back, lifting his face toward the

midday sun, and sighed. “I’m not very good at this, am I?”

His insecurity helped Ivy find her voice, and she rested her hand on

his elbow to get his attention. “You didn’t upset me, just surprised me.

Does that mean you’re immortal?”

“Yes, in a way. We don’t age, and we’re immune to illness, but we

can still be killed. If we have the capacity for death, does that make us

truly immortal?”

He spoke as if he’d considered the conundrum many times in the

past, and the distant look in his eyes made her think he’d yet to reach a

satisfactory answer. The idea of living forever stretched so far beyond

her realm of comprehension Ivy had never spared much thought on the

subject. Humans lived, they died, and for a few lucky ones, they left a

legacy the universe would remember.

Ivy fingered the inky black star at the corner of her eye. When she

died, no one would remember her. She’d simply disappear as though

she’d never existed. There would be no children or grandchildren to tell

stories about her at family gatherings, no one to miss her.

Maybe it was better that way.

Shoving away the depressing thoughts, she took Kai’s hand and

linked their fingers together. “When did the shield go up around

Xenthian?”

“Many thousands of years ago, well before my birth.” Some of his

sadness seemed to lift, and he smiled as he pulled her toward the stone

path that led into the gardens. “Do you think us cowards for hiding?”

“No,” Ivy answered without hesitation, “but I also don’t think you

can hide forever. I’m sure the elders had their reasons for putting the

shield in place, but the universe has changed, Kai.” She didn’t want to

discuss soulmates, not yet, and it really wasn’t any of her business. Still,

that didn’t stop her from voicing her concerns. “I think there’s something

else you haven’t considered.”

“What would that be, my lady?”

“I, a human from Earth, am
your
soulmate, yes?” Without giving him

a chance to respond, she stretched up to rub their lips together in a soft,

tender kiss. “Then how many more Xenon mates are out there, just

waiting to be found?”

The Valley of the Elders appeared as lovely and serene as Kai

remembered from his previous visits. Six lavish mansions sat in neat

rows, three along each side of the cobblestone path. An inviting amber

glow spilled from the windows into the common garden at the center of

the tiny village. Moonlight sparkled off the thin fog that rolled through

the Valley, and the willowhips hummed a lazy tune from the nearby

trees.

Sentries patrolled the perimeter around the clock, and each elder had

been assigned their own personal guards. Enchantments added another

layer of security to the quiet vale, making it the most protected place on

Xenthian.

“I’ll wait here.” Back straight and shoulders back, Tira folded her

hands together behind her back and stared straight ahead.

The captain never openly expressed her dislike of the elders, but she

made a point to never be in the same room with them unless necessary.

Kai didn’t question her about it, and he doubted she’d tell him if he did.

Since it didn’t affect her duties, he’d decided long ago to let the female

have her secrets.

“Very well. Until our next meeting.”

Tira nodded. “Until our next meeting.”

Passing through the common garden, Kai crossed the street to the

walkway of the center house. Silver lanterns hung from the twin columns

that bracketed the steps, a single blue flame dancing and spinning

merrily within each. It was a simple bit of magic, one he’d learned as a

youngling, but his mother loved the pretty flares.

“
Chroma ignis
,” he muttered, waving his hand over the lanterns.

The flames changed from a deep blue to a soft lilac, his mother’s

favorite color.

Unable to stall any longer, he climbed the steps and waved a hand

over the motion sensor to announce his presence. The cheerful wreath of

yellow hollygrass swayed as the door swung inward, opening into an

extravagant, glossy foyer.

“Master Kai.” The attendant greeted him with a smile and a slight

bow. “Your father is expecting you. Should I inform him of your

arrival?”

“No need, Dalin, I know where to find him.” Kai touched the male’s

shoulder and offered him a kind smile in return. He started to sweep past

toward the staircase, but stopped with his hand on the banister and

turned. “Is there pudding?”

Dalinethryl Willow had been an attendant in his family’s household

since Kai’s childhood. The ebony of his long hair had faded to a pale

bronze with fine strands of gold throughout, but otherwise, he looked

no different than Kai remembered him. And he made the best dessert

pudding of anyone on the planet.

“Of course, Master Kai.” Dalin chuckled quietly, his shoulders

shaking beneath his dark-brown tunic. “It always was your favorite.”