The Hunter - Rena Marks

THE HUNTER Rena Marks The Hunter Rena Marks Book 1 in the Stargazer series. In 1692, a starship carrying volunteers arrived on planet Earth near a small town called Salem, Massachusetts. The long journey across many light years caused the female inhabitants aboard drastic memory loss. It was already known when they would arrive on Earth, they would have no memories of who and what they really were. They would be as helpless as newborn lambs. The goal was to breed with Earthlings, to prevent their own race from dying out. If it was successful, years later more Stargazers would be sent to co-exist with the humans on Planet Earth. But alas—the females were slaughtered. * Publisher’s Note: While each Stargazer Series book is a standalone, the greatest enjoyment will come from reading them in series order.

Dedication The Stargazer series is dedicated to Laurann Dohner, who encouraged me to start writing again, brainstormed my plan with me, and gave me ideas for many more stories in the future. My deepest gratitude to my friend, editor, and partner in crime, Helen Hardt. I don't know what I'd do without her, her amazing editing skills, her friendship, and her support. I'd also like to thank my fellow author Jory Strong, who held me by the hand and walked me through the technicalities of writing in this new era. She encouraged me to get one under my belt, even untangling my problems for me. All three strong, beautiful, and brave women took time out of their busy schedules to help someone else in need. I'll be forever grateful. Table of Contents Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve The Enforcer About the Author Also by Rena Marks Prologue The atmosphere in the grand council meeting was tense, grim even. In the center of the room, laser lights of green and blue flashed, drawing attention to the enlarged hologram of the speaker. Around the hologram stood dozens of females. They were dressed in odd clothing, obviously not from this world. The fabric looked coarse, and the garments were crudely designed. They consisted of shapeless cumbersome gowns. Some of the women even wore strange head coverings. And then the voice boomed. “We are gathered here to review the report on the future of our race. I am Nepa, and I am your general speaker.” He paused, allowing the audience time to adjust to the beginning of his speech. The pause wasn't necessary, however, as the entire planet was riveted to this life-altering event. “As you are all aware, we have spent decades on one ongoing problem. Our females are slowly becoming infertile. At this point, there is a huge imbalance on our planet, with males outnumbering females six to one. With all of our advanced technology, we cannot figure out why. The dilemma of the council consists of reaching out to inhabitable planets to decide if we can co-exist with other species. To interbreed. It is a dilemma because those planets are not as technologically advanced as we are, most are not even aware other space inhabitants exist. Their ignorance may cause fear. What we can offer to those planets is a solution to their own in-breeding, and to share knowledge of future

ramifications. As we have discovered, eventually the gene pool narrows so dramatically that every culture faces the same problem we have, the phasing out of a species. We offer this benefit to smaller planets, the knowledge of our experience without having to find out the hard way, as we did. “However, we are not making contact with other planets at this point. Instead, our scouts will be sent out to see if conditions are favorable. “Naturally, that is a concern. At this point, our females are precious and few. It hurts every one of us to ship them off to a strange new planet to adapt. We are grateful for the brave volunteers.” Huge clapping ensued. The hologram vision bowed his head, signaling acknowledgment of the applause. When the clapping ended, he raised his head to speak again. “We cannot send males at this time. Radiation from the youth of certain stars have rendered males infertile. The feminine reproductive system is encased within the body, protecting it from radiation. We have tried everything possible to mimic the results with males, to no avail. And we are out of time. If we do not split our planet at this time, we face the very grim reality of our population dying out. However, we continue to work on the problem and are confident that males will be able to travel without the threat of sterilization in the next decade. In the meantime, we wish a positive farewell to the cherished females of our planet. “You each will arrive in various—but nearby—locations on a planet called Earth. We chose Earth because of their limited communications and technology. It is completely necessary that our scouts do not interfere with the education of their planet, instead allowing them to self-educate naturally. For this, our scouts have each agreed to be placed in stasis.”

Hushed whispers swept through the audience. “I know,” continued the hologram. “Being placed in stasis for an undetermined amount of time will cause permanent brain damage—namely, complete amnesia. You will enter a planet without communication from your own race. You will be 'reborn' in a sense, on planet Earth, dressed in the clothing similar to what other Earthlings wear. You will be ejected from your stasis capsules, and the ship will implode. Your capsules will dissolve, nourishing your bodies, until you awaken. But once you are awake, you will have no knowledge of who or what you are. You will adapt to the planet and learn to live as a human. It will not be easy. Does anyone wish to resign her volunteerism?” The room was hushed. Of all the females around the hologram, no one stepped up. “All right. You are aware of the dangers. One condition of your new life, which all of you already know, is permission granting us examination of you and of any offspring you may bear. Your memories will be wiped clean of each future abduction. However, I'm sure it will be a terrifying experience as you will be as immature as an actual Earthling, who have not even experienced space travel yet. “Ladies, please step into your stasis capsule. Good luck to every one of you.” Bubbles floated gently around the hologram, circling around the image. Each oddly dressed female stepped forward and entered the shiny, invisible bubble-like capsule. Once inside, they lay horizontally, seeming to float in air as the capsule expanded around them. Immediately, the inner air collapsed and they fell unconscious. The hologram was solemn. “God be with you.” Present day: The Hunter entered the great room of the Communicator. The man who was normally projected as a hologram sat alone, staring out the grand windows that made up an entire wall of his office.

The Communicator spoke without turning around. “Did you set up the portal?” “I did.” There was a brief moment of silence while The Hunter came and stood at the wall of windows also. Together they watched their stars. The community down below. The hovering dots of light that signaled their airborne travel system. “What did you find?” The Communicator's voice was a whisper. “I know your moods, and this somber attitude cannot be good.” “Most of the travelers were slaughtered.” “What?” The Communicator turned his head sharply. But The Hunter still stared out the window. “They called our females witches. While they were able to blend in with the clothing we assigned, it was suspicious that so many had amnesia and did not have any previous memories. Panic shifted into frenzy and it grew from there.” “But witches? That is good, is it not? Why would they have been slaughtered?” “Apparently, on Earth witches do not have the same revered status they do here. There, they were feared. They were believed to be devil worshipers. Instead of being healers, they were said to cast witchcraft.” The Communicator's mouth fell open. “They still believe the devil exists?” “The religion of the people where they landed did. A lot of others around the planet believe the same thing. It may have been better if we had sent them a bit earlier, because the more primitive people who had lived in that location prior gave thanks to the environment. They worshiped the land, the air. They did not believe in the devil. We could have changed Earth's history by sending our females a bit earlier. However, luck of the draw chose one hundred and fifty years ago, when Salem, Massachusetts was already dominated by Puritans. Mass hysteria ensued.”

“We are not to change history,” The Communicator murmured softly. Automatically, almost. But his next words belied his horror. “How many were slaughtered?” “Ninety-five. However, history has changed the figure to reflect a lot less. Human history tends to smooth over vile acts. The primitives that had lived in the land earlier? They are now called Native Americans. Today they celebrate a holiday as a treaty between the two populations of humans, when in fact they slaughtered the entire community to confiscate their land.” “The remaining few of ours who survived?” “They have bred,” The Hunter said. “We do have a handful of descendants on the planet.” “One small success,” whispered The Communicator. “The descendants are healthy?” “Yes, our DNA has merged successfully with the native species of Earth. Our ship has monitored a scant handful over the centuries.” “Then it is time for contact.” He cut his eyes to The Hunter finally. “You will be best for the job. You have been on the crew, gathering the info on the species. I know you have been hunting for a long time. Are you ready for something different?” The Hunter widened his eyes. “It is not something I had thought about.” “It will open you up to be one of the first settlers on the new, safe Earth. First in line to find your own mate and have a chance at being part of a family. It is a small reward for your years of servitude to protecting others.” Dante the Hunter bowed his head. Chapter One The temperature in the diner was hot as hell. Of course, it was Oklahoma in the middle of summer. The small diner with its large deep-fryers would have been hot anywhere.

Even though her golden brown hair was swept up in a ponytail, small tendrils escaped and curled in damp ringlets at her hairline. Still, it was work as usual, and she walked up to a table with five men already seated. Kele pulled a pen out of her apron pocket. “What'll it be, guys?” “Girl, hush! Don't ya see them damn aliens on the news?” The old trucker had weather-beaten skin, and small lines cut cruelly into of the corners of his eyes like a jigsaw puzzle. His attention swept back to the small television on the wall. “...and so an arrangement has been negotiated with the government. A small parcel of land has been designated for the new Earth race, Stargazers. It's unknown how many inhabitants will co-exist on our planet. More tonight at ten.” “Goddamn aliens! They're gonna take over our planet, I tell ya! Why the hell are we giving them land?” Kele shrugged. “To keep them safe?” From the likes of prejudiced, sadistic, hate-filled fullblooded Americans? “We fought for our country! Not them!” Kele forced her voice to remain calm and even. “I believe we're giving them land as an apology for slaughtering their people.” “They had no business sending their goddamn witches here! They deserved to burn! Besides, it was two hundred years ago!” “The Salem witch trials were in 1692,” Kele murmured. “That's what I said.” The old man glared. “And they weren't witches. They simply had different ways of healing and used herbs and oils. They taught us a lot about midwifery.” “How do ya know? Were ya there?” Kele plastered a smile on her face. She resigned herself to knowing, unless she

worked at it, this could be a low-tip table. Sometimes ignorance couldn't be educated. “What can I get you?” “Don't tell me you're one of them alien lovers.” The old man sneered. “I hear they have two dicks.” His friends snickered. “Really,” she murmured. Lord, sometimes she felt like the only sane person on the planet. “Any woman that lays with an alien might as well lay with a dog!” The old man growled. “Yes, sir. Would you like to hear the specials?” “No, I don't wanna hear the goddamn specials! Just git us some good ole American burgers, girl! And beers.” That was the last thing they needed. Liquid courage to loosen their inhibitions. * * * * * Dante noticed the waitress immediately. Still, he kept his attention on the small group of men with him. Three of the men were human, government military who worked with Stargazers. Normally dressed in black military fatigues, today all six wore casual clothing to blend with the environment. The other men, including himself, were his own people— Stargazers. Vesta and Diamond. The six men comprised a team called the Protection Task Force, or PTF—the first line of defense against threats to the human/Stargazer alliance. The waitress dropped the ticket off at the cook's counter and served bottled alcohol to the already rowdy truckers near the front of the diner. “What do you think, Dante?” Vesta asked him. “We will need food shipped into Gateway for this year. However, we can designate certain individuals to be schooled in farming. By next year, we should be able to have our

own consumption of produce planned.” “And the meat?” Jonas asked. Jonas was tall and muscular, could easily have passed for a Stargazer if his eyes hadn't been a plain shade of dark brown. And a tad bit smaller. Still, the human was as close a friend as Dante had ever become with another being from this planet. The other human across from him was Brandon, and the youngest human member of the team was known as Jack. The two Stargazers at the table groaned. “You know with our heightened senses, we can taste the spoilage in your meat. Animals raised for consumption are unhappy. It taints the meat. We'll need newborn animals immediately, which we will raise from birth. They'll roam free and eat from the earth. Not mass produced feed.” “They'll sicken, and Gateway will have a food shortage.” “It's nature's way. We can't inject our animals with your medications and then eat the meat. It's a poison to our system. I can't understand why you don't taste it.” The waitress approached their table. “Hello, gentlemen. I'm sorry it took a bit to get to you. Can I get you all something to drink?” The six men who sat in the corner were quiet as she approached. Dante assessed the situation, trying to figure what the small women would see from her angle. They were at a booth-like table, three men on the bench side, three in chairs on the opposite side. While they were all muscular and tall, three had military haircuts. The other three had long hair tied back, although four of them wore caps. Three of the men on his side of the table wore sunglasses in order to protect against humans noticing the unusual color of their eyes, but it may have been too obvious while they sat in a row.

“A pitcher of cola, a pitcher of iced tea, and a pitcher of water, please,” Jonas said. “Diet or regular? Sweet tea or plain?” “Regular. Plain. Oh, and bring lemon slices, will you?” “Sure thing.” The waitress smiled. Dante caught his breath. The smile lit her entire face. Small teeth sparkled white against the pink of her lips. Her honey hair was up in a high ponytail, but small tendrils escaped, curling in the heat. She was tiny and smelled sweet. She looked directly at him. “The three of you on this side have on sunglasses. Did you want me to lower the blinds? It's not time for the sun to shine in this window yet, but...” Dante's breath caught and his stomach flipped. She had spoken to him. Directly to him. It was irrational, but he felt like a schoolboy. “No, we're fine. It's not bright. We just came from the optometrist's office. We're dilated.” “Oh,” she laughed. “I hate that! It's such a pain. I'll be right back with your drinks.” As soon as she left, Jonas spoke. “A couple of you should take off your sunglasses. We can put caps on your heads and you can tug them down over your eyes. There's no need to look at anyone. No one will notice your eye color.” Diamond snorted. “Have you seen Dante's eye color? His lavender eyes practically glow.” “You're one to talk with your sapphire eyes,” said Vesta. “Don't be so dramatic. They're blue. Just blue,” Diamond said. Brandon corrected him. “My human eyes are blue. Your eyes are...sapphire, man.” Jonas sighed and muttered under his breath to Jack across from him. “Like they don't all have gemstone eyes.” “She's the only one who noticed the sunglasses,” Dante said. “Let's wait.” The five men at the other table were getting louder and more rowdy. “Girl!” The

oldest man bellowed. “Git us another round!” From the corner of his eye, Dante noticed the waitress glance at her boss. The man shrugged. “But they're getting drunk,” she whispered. “It's money. And your tip,” he said. He turned his back on her. Anger simmered in Dante. No female should be placed in a position where she had to beg for her money and ignore her instincts. “What's going on?” Jonas asked quietly. He knew of Dante's amplified hearing and that he could pick up small whispers from across the room. “That group is about to give the waitress a hard time,” Dante said under his breath. One of the men groaned. “We're not going to do this, are we? Which part of undercover do we always seem to miss?” Vesta came to Dante's defense. “We can do this and keep our identity secret.” “I hope so,” Jonas muttered. “What's happening now?” “One of the drunks is yammering about how hot she is. They're planning on dumping beer on her to find out how see-through her white T-shirt gets when wet.” “What are we going to do?” The human who spoke was the newest member of the government team. Jonas sighed. “They can't stand when women are abused. Plan on staying until closing time. We're not leaving until we know she's safe. And then we're going to have to figure out how to cover this up.” Vesta smiled. “You love us.” “We're a good team,” Jonas agreed, cracking his knuckles. This was one of the things people admired most about Stargazers. Their strength. The team could definitely kick ass.

This time, the server came around to the corner near Dante. She was so close he could smell the delicate, flowery scent of her body wash. “Here's your drinks,” she announced, setting the three pitchers down in the middle of the table. “Kele,” Dante said, peering at her name tag. “That's pretty.” “It's unusual,” she agreed. “It'd be difficult to pronounce my full name,” she added ruefully. “What's yours?” “I am called Dante.” Someone kicked him under the table. All five other men had their eyes downcast, staring at the blank white table as if words were written in it. Dante knew he'd screwed up. He'd been so intrigued with her, he'd reverted to the English he was taught, before the slang was introduced to the Stargazers. He had sounded stilted and formal. Kele smiled. “Not from around here, Dante? You spooked your friends.” The rest of the men glanced up, surprised they'd been called out. Dante smiled back. She loosened his inhibitions and so he flirted boldly. “They're nervous around beautiful women. Not very experienced. You'd do best to stick your attentions with me.” Vesta snorted, his pale blond hair loosening from the hair tie. “Actually, I'm very experienced. I've got tons of notches in my belt.” * * * * * Kele forced herself to look shocked, and then snickered. “Dante, explain to your friend he just called himself a tramp,” she whispered loudly, and then turned to greet another couple walking in the front door of the diner. The six men at the table—except for the blond—laughed.

Kele seated the other couple, and then returned. “Sorry about that,” she said. “Do you all have any ideas as to what you'd like?” “Dante does,” someone said. Kele's attention turned to Dante. He was staring. Her slow grin let him know she was aware. “Uh,” he muttered. “Don't worry about it, Dante,” she said gently. “I'll be the first to admit you are the most handsome man I've ever seen.” The blond man spoke up again. “Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of competition here.” “Well, there's that,” Kele agreed, and turned back to Dante. “But your eyes could be crossed underneath those sunglasses, and I'd still think you were beautiful.” The two youngest males of the group laughed. They seemed to find the eye reference hilarious. “Ignore them,” Dante said. “They're pups. Those two are Brandon and Jack. This is Vesta and Diamond. And he's Jonas.” She smiled. “They're fine. It's nice to have a laugh in the middle of a long day. You guys make me smile. It's nice to meet you all.” “You need a break. Don't your feet hurt?” “I take breaks if and when the diner empties. Unfortunately, it looks like those guys,” –she jerked her head toward the truckers–“will stay a while. They're regulars.” “What time do you get off?” “Nine.” “It'll be dark.” “Yeah,” she laughed. “But barely. Harder to avoid the dark other times of year. What

will you all have to eat?” “We're all fine with the specials. But could you bring salads out too? “Of course,” she said. “Anything else? A veggie tray to nibble on?” “Definitely.” “Will do.” Kele turned her head toward Dante and winked. His nostrils flared slightly. “Is there anything else you need?” “No,” Jonas said. “If it's all right, we're just going to sit a while and visit.” “No problem whatsoever.” Kele smiled. “I'll check on you all from time to time.” “Can you point me to the restroom?” Dante's smooth voice rumbled. Kele looked his way. “Follow me, handsome. I'm headed there myself. I wouldn't want you to bump into something with those sunglasses on.” Dante rose and followed her. Jack snickered. “Maybe he'll pretend to be blind so she can lead him by the hand.” Dante sighed. “Sorry about that,” he said, once out of earshot. Kele flashed him a quick grin. “Don't worry about it. He's cute. I will take you by the hand when we head back. It'll make their jaws drop.” She led him across the diner to a small corridor with a table. Two doors were on either end of the alcove, men on one side and ladies on the other. She motioned him toward the men's side and disappeared into the ladies. When she left the restroom, Dante was already leaning casually against the small table. “That was quick, handsome,” she said. “Are you ready?” “Not yet.” He reached for her hand, and yanked her toward him gently. “You flirt

with me too easily, sweetness.” “I can't help it.” Kele stepped in even closer and wrapped one arm around his neck. “You're gorgeous even if you are cross-eyed under those glasses,” she teased. “I'm not cross-eyed,” Dante whispered, his breath so close to hers it mingled. Kele spread her other hand open onto his chest. His heart thumped beneath her palm. “Is this a casual flirtation?” he asked. “Do you flirt with everyone?” “No. But you must get flirted with a lot. You are one of the most attractive men I've ever met.” “And you're the most beautiful women I've ever met. I'd like to kiss you,” he said. “I'd like that, too,” she whispered. Dante lowered his lips to hers. Kele brought her hands up to grip his shoulders. They were broad and hard with rigid cuts of muscle. She rose onto her tiptoes to get even closer to the amazing man. His lips were so soft and warm. It amazed her that he wanted to kiss her. He was attractive, so sexy and smelled delicious. She'd noticed how people stared at him when he walked by. He had no shortage of attention. Yet he had admitted first, before she even admitted it, that he wanted the kiss. Could it be he wanted her as much as she did him? He opened her mouth with his lips, and his tongue stroked hers. Kele heard a soft moan and realized...it was her. She clutched his shoulders and then completely wrapped her arms around his neck, like never wanting to let go. He deepened the kiss. All tenderness fled as he manipulated her into something wild and wanton. His tongue in her mouth was hot. She felt flutterings deep in her belly and a quivering started between her thighs. She left all inhibitions behind and let loose with a wild abandon. Who knew if she'd ever get a chance like this again?

There was no longer anything light about his kiss. He kissed her like he owned her. He tasted every inch of her, his tongue stroking hers as he explored her fully. Vaguely she felt his hand splayed on her lower back, just under her the fabric of her T-shirt. It felt warm as he stroked. Her heart raced, and her breathing quickened. She wanted to moan out loud again. The sounds from the diner faded away as she concentrated on Dante. Slowly, her dazed brain realized there was a hard swell between them. The bulge in his pants proved his desire was as strong as hers. She had an insane urge to wrap her legs around his waist and grind herself onto his erection. Instead, she pressed herself into the warmth of his body. He lifted her slightly, with his hands cupped beneath her ass. He lifted her up, and turned her so she was leaned against the wall. Now, she was lined up with the magnificent bulge she felt earlier. She pressed her sex against it. Her heart pounded and she felt a throbbing in her clit. This was so the wrong place for their kiss. They needed to be somewhere alone. This was crazy and sudden, but there was no turning back from this point. They broke apart when a woman mumbled a soft excuse and scooted by to get into the restroom. Dante lowered Kele so her feet could touch the floor. “Wow,” Kele murmured, eyes wide. “I'd like to see you again,” he rasped. “You know where I work,” she teased. He smiled. “Away from here, Kele.” “I'll give you my number,” she said. “But I need to get back to my tables.” His hand didn't let go of hers. Instead, he held on, and with his other, motioned for her to go first.

She brought him to the table, leading him gently. When they reached it, the five other men stared at their entwined hands in silence. Dante's lips turned up. “Thank you,” he said loudly. “My eyes have gotten much worse since we've been indoors.” “What the—” Jack mumbled. “He took my idea and ran with it.” Kele winked at Jack, then leaned down to whisper loudly in Dante's ear. “No problem, handsome. If you need my help again, or if I missed any buttons in that dark little restroom, you just let me know.” With a quick peck on his cheek, she spun and left. The look Jack had was priceless. His face had gone slack, and his mouth fell open. Behind her, Dante laughed. The sexy rumbling sound made her nipples tingle as she hurried away.

Chapter Two Kele couldn't stay away from Dante. The feel of his kiss was burned onto her lips. It was beyond his physical attractiveness. He was commanding but obviously felt the same attraction for her. It made her feel good to watch the subtle darkening of his cheekbones when she was nearby. Now she understood the power of a woman. “Everyone doing okay over here?” she asked their table. Dante scooted to the left, forcing Diamond and Vesta to move farther down the bench seat. “Kele, take a load off your feet. Sit down for just a minute.” She sat down on the bench next to him, relieving the pressure from her lower back. Her feet slightly throbbed and her ankles ached. “This is heaven,” she said. “I'm glad the diner cleared out.” Dante reached for her hand under the table. He entwined his warm fingers with hers, and brought her hand over to his hard thigh. The muscles underneath bunched under her touch. “Almost cleared out,” she said. She watched the truckers who still drank at their table. They'd demanded the remote for the television so they could search for more news about the aliens. “For the moment, they're occupied,” Dante murmured. Kele squeezed his hand. He brought his head closer to hers. The rest of the team seemed wrapped up in their own conversation and weren't paying much attention to the two of them. “Are you working tomorrow?” he whispered. He brushed his lips against her temple. “Yes.” She knew regret rang in her voice. “I'm the breakfast shift tomorrow, so I'll get off at four.” “I'd like to see you. If you're not too tired.”

“I'd like that, too. I won't be too tired.” “If you are, we'll just relax. I can rub your feet.” “Can you be any more perfect?” His lips turned up at the corners. “The rest of us don't think he's perfect,” the dark-haired man next to him said. Diamond. “Shut up,” Dante said to him. “You're ruining my moment.” The men snickered. “Diamond's an unusual name,” Kele said. “I'm an unusual guy,” he said. “Half man, half beast,” Jack said. That was definitely true. He looked wild with his jet black hair. His muscular forearms had tiny crisscrossed scars winding up to where his sleeves concealed them. The trucker table was starting to squirm around. “I better go check on them,” Kele said with a sigh. She slid out of the seat and slipped away. * * * * * Diamond pushed Dante with his shoulder, scooting him back out of the way. “I got your back, brother. If she comes back, we'll squeeze her in again. But for now, give me some goddamn room to breathe.” Jonas raised his brows. But Dante wasn't paying attention. He had his ear tuned in to Kele. “Anything else?” Kele asked the older trucker. “Would you like your check?” The old man glared. “Did I ask for the check, girl? Git us another round.” “How about something else to snack on?”

“Just the drinks.” She headed to the back for five more beers. She had just loaded them onto her tray when the phone rang. The caller ID showed Helen, one of the servers scheduled to take over at eight-thirty. “Hey, Helen, what's up?” “What's Don's mood like?” Kele smiled. The owner of the diner was one of the moodiest people she knew. “Lighter than some days. I've seen worse.” “Oh, good. Because I have a test to cram for.” “You might want to come up with a better excuse,” Kele said. “Sore throat?” “Good idea. Has it been slow today?” “It was rushed earlier. It's been slow for about an hour now.” “Awesome. I'll call him back and do it.” The girls always pre-warned each other. If they didn't plan it out, Don would force one of them to work overtime. Which wasn't feasible when you'd put in a long day and had to be in early the next morning, as he forced Kele to do ever since she'd turned down his advances. “Great,” Kele said. “I'll be sure to get out right on time and avoid him until then.” Helen snickered. “All right. If you do get caught, call me and let me know. I'll come in.” “Will do.” Even as she said it, Kele knew chances were she wouldn't call Helen in. Helen was so close to graduating and her studies were definitely more important than this dive. She took the beer out to the truckers. “Took you long enough,” one muttered.

“Just took a phone call.” She smiled. “The diner's only got two tables in it. Feel free to call out whenever you need me.” “Oh, you bet we will.” Only the oldest man could make it sound like a threat. She headed back over to the cook. “Where's Don?” she whispered. “He left for a couple hours. You on tonight?” Sean's dark hair was swept under a net. He was one of the good guys, and they worked great together. “No, I'm off at nine.” “Who's working after?” “Tina and Helen are scheduled.” “It's Thursday.” He grimaced. “Helen's probably got exams tomorrow.” “You got it,” Kele said. “So if she calls in an hour and Don's not here, can you write a note and slap it on his computer? If I do it, he'll make me cover. Which I won't mind if it comes to it, but that's exhausting when I'm scheduled immediately for the breakfast shift.” “That's what happens when you turn the guy down.” Sean grinned. “Good lord, it was over a year ago! He carries a grudge like no one's business.” “Tina had to bring her boyfriend around to get him over it. You got one of those laying around?” “I'm working on it.” Kele grinned. “I'm hoping it's table two,” he joked back. Kele laughed out loud. Table two was Dante's table. Table one, on the other hand, was the drinking truckers. They were regulars and usually had Thursdays off, which was their day to toss back a few beers. Don didn't usually let them get too out of hand...unless Kele was working. She figured this was part of his grudge against her. She brought another pitcher of water out to Dante's group, setting it on the table with

fresh lemon slices. Jack was missing. “Bathroom,” Jonas said. “He wanted to wait for you to take him, but didn't feel like taking on Dante.” The rest of the men laughed. “Kele,” Dante said. “Be careful with the other table. They're getting jealous that you're spending more time with us.” “Technically, I'm spending more time with them.” Brandon and Jonas nodded. The truckers were obnoxious and demanding. “They're tipsy and starting to feed off each other.” She sighed. No wonder Don had left. “I'm going to have to cut them off. They're not going to like it.” She looked at her wristwatch. “Oh, good. It's almost eight, anyway. I should get off in an hour and won't have to deal with them. They can take an hour to sober up.” “Plus we're here. They won't get too rowdy,” Dante assured her. “Thank you,” Kele said. “Your table really made my day.” “Girl!” The old man was loud as he showed off for his friends. They snickered. “Here it comes,” Kele whispered. She headed over to them. “How 'bout if you pay attention to your job instead of whoring around over there?” “Here's your check, sir.” “I didn't ask for no goddamn check! Our beers are empty. Can't you see?” Kele placed the check on the table anyway. “You've had enough to drink. My shift ends at nine. I'll bring you some crackers and coffee.” She turned and headed back to the kitchen. She grabbed a tray and loaded it with coffee cups and the coffeepot, bringing them back to the table.

The men were gone. She turned and looked at Dante's table. “They left?” Dante's table was unusually quiet. A few men nodded. “Great,” she mumbled, gathering up the dirty dishes. They had thrown cash on the table, enough to cover the bill only. They'd shorted her tip. All she had to put up with, and now she didn't get paid. Gritting her teeth, she gathered up the dishes and took them to the back. * * * * * When she'd left, Jonas turned to Dante. “We'll stick around until she gets off?” Dante nodded. “They have more booze in the truck. One of them said, 'Bullshit, that no woman was going to tell men when to stop drinking.' We'll just stay long enough to make sure she gets off safely.” Kele returned to clean the table and tally out their check, placing all the money in the register. Her boss, Don, returned, heading straight into his office and closing the door. * * * * * At eight-thirty, Tina arrived. She tied her apron around her middle as she walked toward Kele. “Has it been slow?” she asked, her voice concerned. “Yes. Though it's been a crazy day.” “Will and the rest of the rednecks show up?” Kele smiled. “I always forget his name is Will. I think of him as the old trucker. Yes, he showed. They got drunk and managed to pay their bill only.” Tina grimaced. “I'm sorry, hon.” Kele shrugged. “On the upside, Helen's calling off. Hopefully Sean already took the note and placed it on Don's computer by now. I should be able to slip out before his mood starts.”

“I'll warn you if it gets there,” she said. “I know Helen would be willing to come in if he forces you.” “I know. But we both know how important this is for her. One of us needs to get out of here.” “Who are the romance cover models?” Tina asked. Out of the corner of her eye, Kele thought she saw Dante cover a grin. Surely he couldn't have heard that. “What a mix, huh? Three with long hair and three military. They're really nice, and I have a date with the hot one.” Tina tried not to stare. “Which one is that?” she asked, pretending to wipe drool from her chin. Kele laughed. “The hot one. Wearing sunglasses because he's gotten his eyes dilated. Which reminds me, I need to write my number on the ticket.” She pulled it out of her apron pocket, scribbling it carefully. She wanted it to appear casual, but also wanted to make sure it was clear enough that he could read it without issues. “Don't accidentally write mine instead,” Tina teased, fanning herself. “Oh, I won't. I'm making it clear as a bell.” With Tina in tow, Kele took the check over to the table and handed it to Dante. He flipped it over immediately. “Perfect,” he murmured. Kele felt as giddy as a schoolgirl. “Everyone, this is Tina. She's taking over. You're welcome to stay longer, if you wish.” “No,” Jonas said with a grimace. “I think we can all use a good stretch.” “I'll cash out your ticket for you all,” Tina said.

Dante handed her his credit card, and she headed to the back. The men slowly stood. They were all at least six feet and dwarfed Kele. But Dante stepped in close to her, making her feel safe and cherished. Like he wanted to keep her protected. Tina hurried back with Dante's receipt and card. “Thank you,” he said. Then he turned back to Kele. “I'll call you,” he promised, as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. The rest of the men waved goodbye, and they made their way out. “Girl, he was smoking! And I almost swooned when that sexy deep voice said he'd call you. And then he kisses you. Gawd, you're so lucky!” “He is hot, isn't he?” “Kele!” Their boss's voice boomed across the diner. Kele sighed. “Looks like he found Helen's note.” * * * * * Kele's last table had been the six hot men whom Tina had called the romance cover models. They'd eaten quite a bit in the span of time they'd been hanging out at the diner, and their check was large. Plus, Dante tipped well. For that reason alone, Kele was able to pacify Don long enough to let her slip out of there at nine-thirty, only half an hour after her shift ended. She'd proven the diner was enough for Tina to handle. She didn't even point out that Tina had worked for him longer than she had. Tina was still swooning over the six. She'd have died if she'd known about the kiss Kele shared with Dante near the bathroom. The six men were buff and well-defined, like bodybuilders, but it was obvious with the various scarring and the way they moved, their toughness was real and not earned in a gym. Especially Dante...there was something about Dante. He had an aura about him. He wore sunglasses, even while indoors, while

the other two had removed theirs. Not that Kele paid attention to the other two. Her focus was on Dante alone. And the kiss near the restroom. The man could kiss, that was for sure. She remembered when she'd wrapped her hand around his bicep. It was so huge, her hand was splayed out almost flat. A quiver shot through her. How long would it take him to call? She'd written her number carefully on the ticket. Even if he misplaced it, he knew where she worked. He could stop back in. Her best friend, Bay, was never going to believe this. She could hardly wait to get home to their shared apartment so she could tell her everything. Every little detail. Especially the one about the size of the bulge pressed against her when they kissed. The front door chimed. “Customers!” Don yelled. When Kele heard Don's voice, she hurried out the back. She had to cross the parking lot to get to her truck. The cheap old jerk never let the servers park near the building. She had to rush, before he started bellowing. If she had any qualms that Tina couldn't handle it, she'd stay. But she was tired. And Don was just being vindictive. Dammit, she'd forgotten her purse inside. Good thing she had her keys in her apron pocket. She took a deep breath. If she went back inside for it, Don would make her work past her shift. Her purse should be safe overnight. It was secure in her locker, and she had to be back here for the morning shift anyway. She could get away with it for one night. She really wanted to get home to share the whole astounding story with Bay. She fantasized about Dante as she walked out to her old pickup truck. “Here, kitty-kitty.” Kele whirled around to face the truckers from her table earlier.

“What do you want?” she snapped. The men moved in and surrounded her. Adrenaline surged through her arms and legs, making them tingle. She quickly took a look around. It was dark out, and the lighting was dim. Most of the streetlamps were in the front. The signs from the diner were lit, but they didn't reach all the way to the back parking lot. “We just wanna talk. You're a pretty lil thing.” The smell of stale booze was strong. They weren't even close and the sour smell made her wrinkle her nose. They must have drank more since leaving the diner. Who knows what they would pull while drunk? Her heart pounded, and her palms ached. She unclenched her fists and wondered if she could outrun them. “Get out of here before I call the cops,” Kele threatened. She didn't even have her cell phone. It was in her purse. She should have turned around and gone back inside for it. But a nondescript, black SUV pulled up, the tires squealing as the car doors opened. “Leave the female alone.” From the vehicle stepped Dante and his men. He had removed his sunglasses. “Aww, we weren't gonna hurt her,” one of the truckers said. “We was just fooling around.” “I know what you were going to do,” Dante said. Before she knew it, the older man grabbed her, holding her against him. His hot breath blasted the back of her head. Something sharp pressed painfully into her side. Everyone froze. Kele's heart continued to pound. Could it thump hard enough to explode? “Don't hurt her,” Dante said. “Relax. We can all turn around and go home. We'll forget anything happened here.”

“You have no business sticking your nose in ours! Move on your way, or the girl gits cut.” “You harm her, and we won't let any of you live.” Dante's voice was cold, unremorseful. Not at all like the man she'd flirted with in the diner. Kele screamed when a razor-sharp pain hit her side. It stung like fire before wetness hit, and then it just burned. She slowly exhaled as her legs weakened. She sank, in slow motion, to her knees. The scene around her erupted into chaos. The six men attacked the drunks. The last image Kele had was of Dante, who rushed toward her. One fist shot out and connected with the drunk who held her. Someone else pulled the old trucker away from her, and suddenly she was free. In one smooth move, Dante grabbed Kele as she sank slowly to the ground. She raised her hand, twisting it into his shirt, afraid to let him go. “Easy, sweetness,” he said. “Relax. We're going to take care of you.” “I'm scared,” Kele said. “I'm here,” Dante said. “How is it?” one of the men asked. “There's a lot of blood.” “Someone shine a light.” Kele gasped. One of the men raised his hands. An inhuman glow shined from his palms, as clear as a flashlight. “What?” she gasped. “We're Stargazers,” Dante said. “Don't worry. We've got you. We won't hurt you, Kele.” So these were the aliens from the news? And she'd fallen for one? How much more

damage the truckers would have caused if they'd have known. “Dante,” one of the men said. “The entry is jagged. The bastard twisted the blade.” “He pulled it in and out,” Kele said. Something was wrong with her voice, her breathing. She wheezed. “Kele, this is serious. I want you to stay calm. We've got this, we're not going to let anything happen to you.” Kele felt the gravity of the situation. The six men, who'd been laughing and joking in the diner, were eerily silent. Every beat of her heart caused her to weaken, as if her life leaked away on each beat. “No,” she whispered. “It's too late. You guys leave before you take the blame. Before you get exposed. You know how it is.” T he public would jump to accuse them, not the truckers. “You're worried about us?” One of the men snorted. “People are jealous of you. That causes fear. Prejudice,” she wheezed. But she was slipping fast. “Kele,” Dante said gently. “Kele, open your eyes. I need you to understand something, sweetness.” It took effort, but she opened her eyes. Though she couldn't see much anymore, just the dim image of the handsome man before her. Everything else tunneled into swirls of darkness. “Kele, do you trust me?” His eyes were lavender. Lavender. A shade so pretty, it glowed. Her vision must be playing tricks on her. She knew, without a doubt, she wanted to get to know this man. Her heart broke when she realized she couldn't.

“It's too late,” she whispered. “No, sweetness. It's not. Hurry up, make a choice. Do you want to be with me or not?” Her last word exhaled with her last breath. “Yes.” And then she was completely still, her eyes staring ahead lifelessly. “Shit,” Jonas said, trying to shove him aside. “Dante, move. Let's start CPR.” “No,” Dante said. “She needs to die. She just gave me permission.” “What the hell are you talking about, man?” “Your Earth world will know her no longer. She belongs to me now.” Jonas' mouth dropped. “What the hell are you going to do with a dead girl?” “Watch.” Dante felt his eyes glow in the night as he looked up at Diamond. Diamond reached down and pulled the knife from Kele's side. It was serrated. Blood immediately gushed from the wound. She'd been bleeding internally this whole time. The knife had plugged the wound. Still holding Kele, Dante held one arm out to Diamond. Diamond sliced Dante's palm. Purple blood immediately pooled in his hand. Dante massaged her wound with his cut palm, mixing their blood. “This marks her as mine. A matching crest will link us.” Gently, he laid her down on the ground, closed her eyelids, and stood. “Let's go.” “What?” Jonas said, still stunned. “She's dead. Let's go before we're exposed. And Stargazers are blamed.”

Chapter Three The next morning, Dante and Diamond walked up the front steps to the morgue. Jonas was already there. As planned, he'd arrived a few minutes earlier to see how busy it was. He waited at the front desk. He nodded slightly as they joined him, signaling everything was on track. Jonas showed them his wristwatch. It was actually small computer—the size of a wristwatch. The video played, showing the front end technician had left Jonas to take a teary-eyed woman into the back. Jonas would have used that time to jam the camera feed to the outside, scrambling the feed showing their approach. The world would never know their team visited the morgue. The technician came back. “Sorry about that.” He started when he noticed Dante and Diamond. “No problem. They're with me. We need to see the body,” Jonas said, putting his ID back into his wallet. “This way.” The technician walked them down the hallway of the morgue. “She's scheduled for the autopsy in less than an hour. Right now the body's being identified by her, uh—” He checked his paperwork. “Best friend. Her roommate. The woman I just took back there.” Dante looked over at Diamond and then Jonas. They entered a waiting area where a small woman huddled. Her smooth, copper hair was sleekly styled. She appeared delicate, her slim shoulders shaking as she silently sobbed. “Miss Walters?” The woman looked up. Her eyes were bloodshot. One lone tear trekked down her

cheek. She nodded. “Come this way with us, please.” The technician opened a drawer, pulling it out to expose the dead form of the waitress. Her eyes were closed, a blue sheet tucked around her body over her breasts. “Oh my God,” the redheaded woman sobbed. “It's her. It's Kele. I didn't think it would be, I somehow hoped it was a mistake somehow...but it is. It's her.” She hunched over, more tears flowing freely down her cheeks as she sobbed. Jonas looked at Dante and then wrapped an arm around the small woman. “There, now,” he soothed. Dante removed his sunglasses and stared directly at the technician. He allowed his eyes to glow. “What the—” The technician stared into the lavender gaze, suddenly bemused. Diamond bent down and picked up Kele's body, sheet and all. “You will erase any footage of our visit,” Dante said. His voice was deeper than usual. “Any sign that we were here. You will remember nothing of this encounter. The next thing you will remember is sitting at your desk and you will explain the time lapse as you must have fallen asleep. You have no idea what happened to the body in this compartment.” “What the hell is going on?” the woman asked, pushing herself from Jonas's embrace. “Come with us,” Dante said softly. “I'll explain it to you.” “Where are you taking my friend's body?” “Shh,” Jonas said. “This way, please.” The three men and one woman slipped out with the technician still standing dazed, staring straight ahead into nothing.

On the roof, a helicopter waited. They climbed aboard, Dante first. He placed headphones on and then reached out to Diamond, who had stepped up with Kele. Diamond passed the body to Dante, and then climbed aboard and placed his own headphones on. He reached out to Miss Walters, pulling her up by the hand and handing her a set of headphones. Dante cuddled Kele's small, cold form while Jonas climbed aboard and added his headgear so they could communicate through the noise of the helicopter. The helicopter rose and took off immediately. “Miss Walters,” Dante said. The redhead with the red-rimmed eyes looked dazed, like she was in shock. “My name is Dante Paris. What's your name?” “Bay,” she whispered. “I'm going to put you into a light sleep right now, okay, Bay?” He removed his sunglasses without waiting for a response. His lavender eyes shined, reflected in Bay's pupils. She slumped over, right onto Jonas's shoulder. “What's going to happen next?” Jonas asked through the headset. “Kele's body is too cold,” Dante said. “Refrigerated. We must warm her.” “You know when she's warmed, her body will deteriorate, right?” Jonas's eyes widened. “No,” Diamond said. “That's why he mixed his blood into hers. While the visual of ours disappears into the red color of your blood, it changes your composition. Her cells froze, so to speak. There was no cell deterioration past the few seconds after her death.” “That's wicked scary,” Jonas said. “Do you know what this means? That death can be averted?”

“You don't understand,” Dante said. “It doesn't work on full-blooded humans, or fullblooded Stargazers. It only works on individuals with a small amount of Stargazer DNA, when a Stargazer adds his blood to them.” “So you mean Kele—” “—is a descendant from our planet. One of the descendants from Salem who survived. She's probably felt different her whole life. Viewed things differently. Never fit in fully.” “Damn,” Jonas muttered. “So you all could tell? Back at the diner?” “Not all of us,” Diamond said. “Only a person who bonded with her. Dante.” “Bonded? What's that?” “They had a connection when they met.” Diamond shrugged. “Didn't you think it odd that he acted like a schoolboy with a crush?” Dante growled into his microphone. “Damn. Now that you mention it, it was out of character,” Jonas said. Dante was usually harder than the playful side he showed at the diner. “They were attracted. Or so she thought. Dante knew better. He knew she was meant to be his. He just had to figure out a way to get her. And then get her permission.” Jonas cut his attention to Dante. “That was what you asked her, right before she died? To be yours? I don't think she understood what she was agreeing to.” “Doesn't matter,” Dante said, his voice cold. “She's mine now. As far as your world is concerned, she's dead. The body is missing. But she is dead.” Jonas leaned back. “If I didn't know how protective you guys are of females,” he said, “I could be worried. But if you want her to agree to remain yours, come see me. I'll explain human ways to you. In the meantime, we better plan how to cover this up if we get exposed. Especially now with this one.” He nudged Bay's sleeping head with his

shoulder. “What are you going to do about her?” “I'm not sure,” Dante said. “But my instincts told me to grab her.” Jonas sighed. “Immunity or not, we're gonna have a lot of explaining to do.” He closed his eyes for the duration of the trip. When the helicopter landed, a stretcher waited, parked underneath an overhang next to a Stargazer nurse. Standing with the nurse were the other three members of their team, Brandon, Jack, and Vesta. The nurse pushed the stretcher up to the copter, and Dante passed Kele to him. She was laid gently on the stretcher and strapped down, while the rest disembarked from the copter. Dante tucked the sheet tighter around Kele, making sure she was covered. They walked the short distance from the landing pad to the elevator and then rode down to one of the waiting hospital bays. Diamond handed the sleeping Bay off to Vesta. “Make sure she stays out until Dante figures out what to do with her, okay?” Vesta nodded. “She feels light. Like a...cat,” he said. Diamond grinned. The bay was filled with other Stargazers. They'd gathered around the edges of the walls to be as inconspicuous as possible. Vesta laid the fiery-haired female onto another stretcher and felt her forehead with the back of his hand. She was still completely out. Her skin was so pale she looked fragile, with a smattering of light freckles over her nose and cheeks and faint darkness under her eyes. “What color are her eyes?” Vesta asked Diamond. “I don't think I noticed. She'd been crying a lot.” “She'd probably be cute no matter what eye color she has,” Vesta said.

Diamond looked at him strangely. “What?” Vesta said. “What's next?” Jack asked, interrupting them. “We warm Kele,” Dante said. “Once her temperature is up, we wake her from the stasis.” Dante looked at Diamond, and slightly nodded. Diamond stepped forward and held out his hands again, much as he had the night she'd died. They hovered over her midsection. This time the glow was a reddish color instead of the bright white from the other night. Dante tore a small piece of the sheet from the side of Kele, from the spot where she'd been stabbed. The exposed wound had been loosely stitched together. Dante reached out and clasped the small hand in his. “She's warming,” he murmured. They waited a few more minutes. “Look at that,” Jack said, his voice incredulous. Her wound had knit together, the black thread of the stitching disappearing. Instead of a scar, a small raised crest appeared. Dante smiled at Jack. He flipped over his hand, where he had sliced his palm the night before. Instead of a wound, the same small crest was smack dab in the middle of his hand. “She's warm,” he said. Vesta stepped forward to take over. He placed his hands around the crown of Kele's head. Her tone became almost translucent. Blood raced beneath the skin, and she pinked. Vesta stepped back. He returned to hover over the form of the redheaded girl.

Kele opened her eyes. She looked confused, her eyes darting around the room. Her gaze settled on the handsome face in front of her. “Hey, sweetness,” Dante whispered. “I told you not to worry. I'd take care of you.” A small, pink tongue tentatively wet her lips. “I—I'm not dead?” He smiled. “You're not. But you can't leave Gateway. Ever. The rest of the world thinks you're dead.” “What did you do to me?” Kele asked, her voice agitated. She tried to sit, and the sheet dipped dangerously low. Dante retrieved it. “Easy,” he said. Kele looked down at the torn piece of sheet on her side, where the wound should be. Instead there was a small, raised crest. Slowly, she reached out with her hand and traced the emblem. Her breath came in short, sharp gasps, faster and faster. “Kele,” Dante said. “Relax. You're fine.” She shook her head, clearly panicked. She began to struggle. Dante tried to hold her still. “What's wrong?” he asked, his face close to hers. Her hand shook as she pointed. “Is—is that—a toe tag?” “Shit,” Jonas muttered. He yanked the tag off her large toe, tossing it onto the floor behind him. “No,” she wheezed between gasps of air. “No!” Vesta stepped forward and placed his hands around her crown again. Immediately, she was out. The room was quiet. “Well, that didn't go so well,” Jonas said, sarcasm lining his voice.

Dante stared at the sleeping figure. “I'm surprised. I thought she'd be happy to see me. Happy to know she lived.” Jonas sighed. “You guys really don't think like humans. She may have your blood, but she was raised here. Completely human. Completely female. You're going to need to court her gently, make her fall in love with you. Not raise her from the dead and assume she knows she's yours.” “Court?” Jack snickered. “Shut-up, pipsqueak. Where's your woman?” Jonas snapped. “I choose to be single,” Jack said. “Whatever.” Jonas turned toward Dante. “Let's get her settled in her room before she wakes,” Jonas said, clasping his friend Dante's shoulder. “Let me explain the female mind to you, son.” Diamond rolled his eyes. “I'm four hundred years old. He can't be much younger.” But he reached over and unlocked the front brakes of the stretcher. Jonas kicked the rear brakes, and they rolled the stretcher out of the medical bay. Vesta sighed and stroked the lock of red hair between his fingers. “They forgot about you, little one. I'll have to take you home. I don't even know your name.” He paused. “Or your eye color.” * * * * * The next time Kele woke, she was in a house—tan walls, sheer white curtains that wafted gently with the breeze from the open window. She lay very still, recalling the events from earlier. Meeting Dante. The stabbing at the diner. Waking up in a hospital. With a toe tag. She wriggled her toes. It didn't feel like anything— a ny tags— were wrapped around

them. A shadow caught the corner of her eye. “How do you feel?” Dante asked. “Alive,” Kele said dryly. “Please tell me I didn't die.” “We're Stargazers, Kele. There are things we can do beyond your human capabilities.” He stared at her. “I did die.” Her voice was flat. He was wary , she realized. His face had been much more expressive around her. Now he seemed unsure of the situation. She sat up slowly. “Let me help you,” he said, rushing over to place a pillow behind her back. “Can I get you something to eat?” “Maybe later,” she said. “I'm really not hungry. I don't think my insides are working yet.” He nodded. “Please explain to me what's happening,” she said. “The stab wound at the diner was fatal. You were bleeding internally. When you died, I was able to mix my blood with yours and place you in stasis. That is why you can't go back out into the world.” “But...the body? My body?” “The news reports show your body was 'lost' by the morgue. I imagine your family will bring a lawsuit.” “I don't have a family. My parents passed when I was in my teens. I've never married, never had children.” “Aunts? Uncles?” “No. Both of my parents were estranged from their families.”

“You have a best friend.” “How do you know that? Bay is the only one who'll care.” Kele said. The thought of her friend shedding tears over her was enough to make Kele's eyes water. “Then I did the right thing. I took Bay, too. She's staying with Vesta right now. We'll have to report her missing. If she chooses to leave Gateway and return to the outside, she'll have to choose to have her memory erased.” “What do you mean, you took Bay?” “She was crying in the morgue. She had to identify your body. I couldn't stand seeing her pain.” He winced. “So if she has her memory of Gateway wiped, she'll still think I'm dead?” He nodded. “When can I see her?” “I'll have to find out when she awakens. And have Vesta explain things to her. He's...caring for her. Maybe tomorrow. Then we'll let her decide what she wants to do.” “So,” she said hesitantly, “what now? Where do I go from here?” Dante seemed surprised. “You live here. With me.” “We're living together?” Dante inhaled deeply. “Jonas said I needed to woo you slowly. Actually, the word he used was 'court' until Brandon and Jack made fun of him. So that's what I will be doing.” “You'd like to date me? While we live together? Like roommates?” “Roommates? I don't understand.” “We'll share the same house. I have my bedroom, and you have yours.” Dante narrowed his eyes. “This is our bedroom. We also have a guest room.”

Kele's mouth dropped. “That's not taking it slow. We're strangers who shared a kiss in a greasy diner, for heaven's sake.” “Life's short.” He shrugged. “And you want me as much as I want you. That kiss was incredible, and you know it.” His smile flashed bright, sexy teeth. “I ordered clothing for you. It's hanging in the closet. You have this side of the dresser drawers. I ordered body soap and lotion for women. It's in the bathroom.” “Apparently you thought of everything,” she said, only half serious. “Yes,” he agreed. “I am very serious about us. You and I were meant to be together and I intend to convince you of that.” “We don't even know if we're compatible,” she said. “I mean, I'm human. I never even realized you weren't.” “Trust me, sweetness. We'll be compatible. We wouldn't feel it otherwise.” She knew what he was talking about. The instant attraction at the diner. The touches between them. The eagerness to explore. She had been holding his hand under the table like a schoolgirl, for heaven's sake. This was crazy. It had moved so fast. He leaned over and kissed her forehead before leaving her to get ready. The giddy feeling entered her belly again. Kele showered quickly and walked back into the bedroom with the towel wrapped around her middle. She searched through drawers and closets for clothing and headed out of the room. It was quiet. Way quiet. She didn't hear any traffic, nothing. She made her way through the house. Through the glass sliding doors on the back porch, she found Dante. She stepped onto the porch. “Where are we?” she asked. “The Alien Gateway,” he murmured. “We simply call it Gateway.”

“It's so quiet here. I don't hear traffic outside, nothing. Will I need to get a job?” “You don't need to,” he said. “But there is education available. You can pick your courses. Would you like to teach others a skill? Learn to play an instrument for entertainment? Learn to garden? To farm? We're in the middle of establishing a livable community right now. All Stargazers and their human counterparts are deciding what interests they would like to provide for others.” “I can do anything I want?” “Yes.” He smiled. “Or nothing. Are you ready to see where you live?” Kele nodded. “Let's go get lunch. You'll meet some people and get to see the Stargazer community.” He walked her a short distance to a small building with an outdoor patio. Several people sat outside, taking their lunch under the umbrellas. Opening the door for her, he steered her inside with a hand on the small of her back. They were seated quickly, but people turned and watched as they made their way to a small table. A man waited for them to sit, and then stepped forward. “Hello. Dante, may I introduce myself to your mate?” Kele's raised her eyebrows at the word mate. Dante merely nodded. “Hello, I am Cesar.” “Hi, Cesar. My name's Kele.” “Nice to make your inference, Kele. I trust you are feeling better since your crossing?” Kele stared, confused. Dante growled. “I have not explained matters to her yet. We came to have lunch

and discuss her new life.” Cesar's eyes widened. “I am sorry! I did not realize. Please excuse my cumbersome.” Kele looked over at Dante, her eyes wide. He gave her a small smile. “Cesar is still learning the language.” “Yes,” Cesar agreed. “I struggle more than most. I was originally slated for another area. I am well defined in that language. However, that one is useless now.” “Though English is difficult, you'll catch on.” Kele smiled. “I hope not,” Cesar said. “I find human females like my accent. They coo at me. And we are here to meeting females! Please have a good day. I merely wished to establish my condolences.” With a nod, Cesar wandered to a table where smiling females waited. Kele whispered to Dante. “That was the most confusing conversation. Does he realize he doesn't actually have an accent?” Dante sighed. “He tries. He calls it French.” Kele blinked. “You're kidding.” “No.” A server came over to their table. “Hi, I'm Chelle. Oh, you're the human from last night!” “Aren't you human, too?” Kele asked dryly. “No,” she said. “I'm mated to Divinity. I gave up my humanity.” “Okaaay,” Kele smiled, even though she was confused. “I see.” She thought Cesar had used the word mate, but just assumed he had words mixed up with his “accent.” “What can I get you two? This is so exciting. Another mating!” Kele looked at Dante and raised her brows. He mouthed, later.

“I don't know what you have. I didn't see a menu.” Kele looked around the table. Chelle smiled. “We have specials. It's always organic, and you choose your meat. Beef, chicken or fish. The special is prepared with seasonal vegetables. And you choose between soup and salad.” “What kind of meat? I mean, how is it prepared?” “Whatever the special calls for.” Chelle shrugged, as if it were no big deal. “Trust me, however it's prepared, you'll love it. Just order the special.” “Let me get this straight,” Kele said, massaging her temple. “The only thing on the menu is the special, right?” “Yup,” Chelle said cheerfully. “I guess I'll have the special.” “Wise choice.” Chelle winked. “Beef, chicken, or fish?” “Chicken.” “Soup or salad?” “Soup.” “Dante?” “Beef. Salad.” “Gotcha.” She popped her gum, and stepped away. “So do you know everybody here?” Everyone seemed to know him by his first name. Dante nodded. “I was in the original batch sent in to your planet. My job is to be the ambassador between your people and mine. And my people knew me as The Hunter, before this.” “What exactly did you hunt?” “Back on my planet I hunted other alien species. Not all are good, Kele. I hunted the

ones who intended to harm the more peaceful beings. I was shipped from planet to planet, until I became ambassador between species. That's how I ended up here, on your Earth.” “That sounds dangerous.” “It wasn't easy. You never know what form another species may take. One of our planets was primarily water. We were on their turf.” “What did you do?” “I had to take him out of his element. Take the fish out of the water, so to speak. He became less limber, less slippery.” She shuddered. “I thought your people were peaceful.” The few newscasts she'd watched had always tried to stress that. “We are. But we have to police the less fortunate.” “Do you miss your planet?” “Not any longer. This is my home now. Here, with you.” “But to give it all up? The exploration of other lands. Other planets. Your home planet?” “Clean living on my planet resulted in longer life spans. I spent two hundred years on my planet as The Hunter. This is like a new lifetime for me.” Kele's mouth dropped. “How old are you?” “I'm not sure, exactly. I was two hundred when I volunteered to come to your planet. I traveled for a hundred and fifty years to get here. I'm guessing between three fifty and four hundred years. On my planet, you stop celebrating birthdays,” he said wryly. “Is everyone that old?” “Everyone who traveled with me is. Some of the beings that arrived later are not.

Once we forged the path to Earth, our ship was able to send details back to our own planet. Where the black holes were, etcetera. Black holes are a way to travel quickly. Diamond is my age. Vesta is a little younger, maybe by a hundred years.” “How long do you live?” “We live according to the environment, Kele. Now that we are on Earth, our lifespan will pan out around the same average a human's does. The chemical pollution already on this planet affects our bodies as much as it does yours.” “So if I were to travel to your planet, I could live a few hundred years also?” He nodded. “But trust me, living a long time isn't all it's cracked up to be. I really do feel like this is an entirely different life from what I lived before. As if, when I was The Hunter, I was a completely different person.” “I can understand that. I feel like a different person now than when I was in my twenties,” Kele smiled. Dante leaned back. “I'm ready for a slower pace now. A mate. Children. Do you want children, Kele?” His voice was smooth. A tingle shot down Kele's midsection as she imagined his voice rumbling against her throat. Her bared breast. “Someday,” she murmured. “Tell me what mated means. I thought Cesar made it up until the waitress used it, too.” “It's our version of marriage. Our people choose one mate for life.” “Forever?” Dante widened his eyes. “Of course.” “That's a long life. What if you made a mistake?” “It's not possible. The male knows when he's found his mate.” “How?”

“He feels the connection. And she will be sexually attracted to him.” “Dante, a woman can feel sexual attraction for a lot of men in her lifetime,” Kele said. “It doesn't mean she'll want to tie herself to him forever.” And then it dawned on her. “Oh. Everyone thinks we're mated because that's what's happened, hasn't it?” For a minute, she thought Dante wouldn't answer. Then he leaned in. “Yes. We are.” “How?” “I asked you, when you were stabbed.” Kele shook her head. “But I don't remember.” “I asked you if you wanted to be with me or not.” “I did want to be with you, Dante,” Kele said slowly. “But I knew I was dying. I could feel myself slipping away. I knew it was too late.” “But that is why you were allowed to cross over. You gave permission to mate yourself to me and to become Stargazer. You gave up your humanity.” She looked at him blankly. “Your humanity was out the window, anyway,” he said. “You chose life with me over death.” “How could you save me from death?” “A Stargazer's blood has healing properties. And certain Stargazers have other developed gifts. I stopped the cell deterioration when you passed away. Diamond warmed your cold body from death. And Vesta awakened you from stasis.” “That's why everyone is impressed? I awoke from death?” Dante nodded. “It's a big deal. The conditions were all perfectly aligned to save you from death. You chose to be with us, and to be one of us.”

“So mated...means married?” “Yes. I guess you could say that.” “But it's not legal outside of Gateway?” “Kele,” Dante said gently. “You're not alive outside of Gateway. Watch.” He pointed to the television set across the table from them. A news program was on, the reporter telling of an attack in the parking lot of a truck diner and how the body of a young woman murdered was found in the same parking lot. How the body had gone missing from the morgue the very next day. “My body's missing?” “It's right there,” Dante pointed across the table. “And it looks good to me.” “I'm a walking dead person.” “You're very much alive. Warm, soft, and breathing.” “I don't quite know how to process this.” “Don't think about it too much. Just let the knowledge be accepted within you.” “We're strangers. And we're married.” “Mated.” “Whatever.” “I know it's unusual. People usually know each other first. At least on your planet. But on ours, we feel things with our hearts instead of feeling with our heads. I knew from the first time I laid eyes on you that you were mine. I just have to convince you, my little human.” “You have lavender eyes.” His beautiful eyes blinked, the long lashes sweeping like lace to shadow his cheekbones. “You just noticed?” “No.” She smiled. “I just wondered what other differences there are between us.”

“Do you want me to tell you about our physical differences?” “Yes.” She nodded. “I don't want to be surprised. Like I was with the toe tag.” “Understood. Well, our body parts are shaped differently.” “What do you mean?” She had a feeling she knew what body part he was referring to, and it alarmed her. “My...sex organ. It's thicker than a human's. And the head is shaped differently. Like a rather large...maybe a huge...mushroom.” “It's bigger?” She hoped she didn't sound too eager. He shrugged. “Depends on how average humans expect. We have no complaints.” “Are you bragging?” Kele teased. Dante grinned. “Can I see it?” “Not here,” he growled. This time Kele grinned. “Did you call it a sex organ?” “I was trying to keep it clinical so I won't get a raging hard-on as we sit here.” She couldn't help it. She laughed so hard she had to wipe her watering eyes with a napkin. “And you should know”—he leaned in—“children will be possible. That was the primary purpose for our people to travel to other planets. We lost our own ability to breed, which is what happens to a planet over a certain amount of time. You become inbred, so to speak. We offer diversity to your gene pool before your planet reaches that stage.” “How will the children look?” “A combination of our people and yours. There's really not much difference. Our eyes are slightly larger and brightly colored. And our males have thicker dicks.”

“The powers that you have?” “That is from years of cultivation. I don't think it will come easily to the next generation. Though you never know. Also, there is something you should know. A lot of the people here were present at your awakening. They lined up unobtrusively along the walls of the hospital bay. They were a little eager for me to take a mate. It's why you are so warmly welcomed here. Cesar heading over? Chelle? And many more have been looking over, wanting to meet you. If you pay attention, they keep eyeing us. They just want to give us time together. We're a lot friendlier here than the outside world is. Don't be alarmed. You're safe here, okay?” Chelle interrupted, bringing over two covered trays and a pitcher of water. She smiled, setting down the trays. “Just flag me down if you need anything,” she said and wandered off again. This time without popping her gum. Dante lifted the cover from his tray, showing Kele how to do it. He reached for her cover and placed it with his on a shelf over their table. The aroma wafting from the meal smelled wonderful. Her stomach rumbled loudly. “Dig in,” Dante said. She took a bite and widened her eyes. “It's delicious!” Dante nodded. “Still wish you had more choices than the specials?” “No,” she laughed, taking a much larger bite. “Suddenly I'm starved. What's in the pitcher?” “Flavored water. Usually with fruit. It's the only drink we have with a meal. It helps digest your food properly. We are all so appalled at the human habit of drinking sugared syrup laced with poison with your food. And then you carbonate it.” “You're health nuts,” she said with a smile.

He shook his head. “We just learned your lessons long before you. We learned how easily a planet could be poisoned. And all of you need to learn it quickly, before there's no turning back.” Dante pulled out a small tablet, while Kele continued to eat. He touched the tablet, and a map of Gateway lay on the screen. Along the outer edges, near the gates, was an outlined area. “This area is referred to as the Realm. It's the area between Gateway and the physical gates that separate us from the outside world. The Realm is where humans and Stargazers live and work in harmony. But it's also the first line of defense to Gateway. Gateway is actually a portal, and our job is to protect it at all costs. That's why only Stargazers are allowed in Gateway. There are just a few select humans.” “That's why the Stargazers and the humans work together. Stargazers are actually watching the humans in the shaded area? Realm?” He nodded. “Earth is not as primitive as some cultures. Some planets are very peaceful. They worship their planet and love each other. Other, stronger and more selfish life forms are always after them, trying to convert them to follow their lead. To steal their planet's resources.” “A lot like the different countries on Earth.” “Exactly. Your countries and cultures fight each other for control. With hate. Instead, you must learn to love and accept each other.” “So your culture established a...police force? I guess you could say.” “Sadly, it was necessary. We couldn't bear to watch the massacre of these peaceful planets in our galaxy. They figured out the way, and yet jealousy arises everywhere to destroy it. If you're finished eating, I'll walk you around.”

Kele nodded, pushing back her chair. Dante took her hand as he walked her out of the restaurant. Everyone was staring at them, so she clung to him, feeling a little overwhelmed. “It's okay, Kele,” he whispered. “They'd never hurt you.” She looked into his beautiful eyes. “I trust you.” He brought his lips down to hers for the barest kiss. “Everything okay now?” She nodded. “I guess I'm used to humans. If they're all staring at you, it's never a good sign,” she said. “That I understand. Are you ready to visit Bay?” “I am.” Chapter Four Bay Walters woke up dazed. She was staring at the most beautiful man in the world. He was laying down next to her on the bed, on his side, facing her. Staring at her. His hair was so blond it was almost white. It was casually braided into one long plait behind him. His eyes were unusual. They were yellow. Not just any yellow, but a beautiful, bright, sunshiny shade. His lips were full, wellshaped, and kissable. For a moment she panicked. Why didn't she know him? Did she have amnesia? Where was she? Who was she? But wait. She knew who she was. She repeated it just to make sure. “Bay Walters. Twenty-seven. Born July 10. I'm a Cancer and I live with my bestie from high school in Avant, Oklahoma.” The beautiful man looked slightly surprised. Ahh, hell. Maybe she wasn't sane after all. Apparently she did forget him, she couldn't even recall his name. Though how she could possibly forget a hunk like him,

she had no idea. Maybe he was her boyfriend. Maybe this hottie was one of the aliens who was always on the news. Or maybe her boyfriend liked to wear contacts like an alien fan club member. She'd heard certain New York Times authors sometimes had fans who even used character's names. It was very feasible her boyfriend played dressup. “Hi,” she said. Before the gorgeous creature could respond, she leaned in and tasted his lips. Wham! Lust hit her like never before. He didn't complain, so she went at it full force. She slipped her tongue into his mouth. Suddenly, she remembered. The morgue. Kele's body. The aliens who'd taken her with them. She pulled away from the alien she was kissing. “Oh, shit,” she said. “You're real.” He finally responded. “Very.” His voice was deep, just as she imagined a phone sex operator's would be. “Sorry! I thought I was a little crazy.” “I did, too.” She felt slightly offended that he agreed. “Who are you? What am I doing here?” “My name is Vesta. I'm on the Protection Task Force. Dante Paris met a waitress in a diner, your friend Kele. He resurrected her and is her mate now.” “Resurrected?” “Yes. She is here, on Gateway.” “Is this some kind of sick joke? What's a mate?” “No. I know it's hard to believe, but we're Stargazers. Mated means they're a couple. We have other abilities your government doesn't know about. ”

“Then why are you telling me? Why not let me assume she's dead?” “That I don't know.” “And I'm supposed to believe you?” He sighed. “You'll believe when you see her, I guess.” “Yeah, right.” Bay stayed sarcastic. He must have thought she was some kind of stupid to believe Kele was still alive. Though what the aliens would want with her, she had no idea. * * * * * Across from the restaurant was a small waterfall set in a park. A lot of people stood huddled together, watching the water, laughing and talking. A few sat on various benches. The other five men from that night at the diner approached. “Kele, you remember Diamond and Vesta, Jonas, Brandon, and Jack?” This time, all men were minus their sunglasses. Diamond's black hair was loose, flowing across his shoulders. His tanned face was lean with cuts in his cheeks that resembled dimples. His eyes were such a bright blue, she understood why he wore glasses. In the sunshine, Vesta's hair was so blond it appeared white. And his eyes were...yellow. As bright as she imagined the sun would be. Vesta was as muscular as most of the Stargazers, but he seemed more laid-back. Gentler, somehow. Jonas was almost as large as Dante but was obviously human with his military haircut and soft brown eyes. Brandon had blue eyes and brown hair, and Jack was a dirty-blond, but the hair grew lighter around his hairline. “From the diner? Yes. And thank you for saving my life. Or bringing me back to life. Whichever it was.” Kele grinned.

Diamond inclined his head. “No problem. Dante wanted you.” “I remember. I wanted him, too.” Kele looked into Dante's eyes as she smiled. He squeezed her hand gently, and quivers shot through her belly. The connection was still there between them. But they weren't alone. “So are you all mated also?” “No, I'm not,” Diamond said. Vesta answered also. “No, ma'am.” Their answers were quick. Kele's interest piqued. “Why not?” “We have not yet found our mates.” Diamond shrugged. “Are you looking? Do you date anyone for the fun of it?” “Date?” “You know. Go out and have a good time.” “No. We work.” Kele raised her eyebrows. “Isn't the point of traveling to Earth to find women?” “Dante found you while he was working,” Diamond reminded her. “Excellent point,” Kele said. “I guess we'll find you someone, in that case. Do you prefer blondes or brunettes?” “I prefer females.” Kele blinked. “Hmm. That should be easy. Does your team look for other mixed breeds?” “Not necessarily,” Dante murmured. “Anyone with Stargazer DNA would believe they're completely human. Our females were sent on a ship three hundred years ago.” “The Salem witches? I can't believe they were slaughtered.” Diamond's face was grim. “Our females had no memory of who they were. Back then, to travel such long distances in old fashioned-stasis capsules caused memory loss. We'd dressed them up to look like you, but when they arrived they were called witches

and killed. The few who survived were committed. Called crazy for their stories of alien abductions. They couldn't remember the entire abduction, or they would have realized they were treated very well. That they were among their own kind and the examinations were painless. But because there were memory gaps, their brains worked against them, and terror reigned. Especially with future generations, who imagined all sort of sexual torture, including being impregnated and having alien babies left behind on the ships. Still, we had some success in studying the merging of our genes. We know we are fully compatible with human females. You are proof.” She nodded. Dante turned to his men, interrupting the conversation suddenly. “Guys, I'm taking Kele out of here and into the human realm, so she can see how things are run. And she wants to visit her friend Bay. She's at your place?” Dante asked Vesta. Vesta nodded. “The human realm?” Kele asked. “Is that the shaded area on the map? Aren't there humans here?” “This is only high security humans, like Jack, the human on our own team. The human female you met at the diner? She was mated, which makes her Stargazer.” “Every person we've come across here is Stargazer? I guess I didn't pay attention.” “That's interesting,” Jonas said, with his eyes narrowed. “Isn't it, Dante?” Dante narrowed his eyes. “I'm explaining things to my mate in pieces. The rest of you can butt out. I will care for her.” “Oh, sure,” Vesta said. “He needed us to help care for her during the revival.” Dante growled. “Okay, that's enough,” Jonas said. “Move along and let Dante take care of his new mate.”

“Just give us a few minutes,” Dante said. They waved as they left, leaving Kele alone with Dante. “What am I missing, Dante? Why did Jonas think it was interesting that I didn't notice everyone was Stargazer?” He sighed. “Kele, you didn't realize how many people here were plain Stargazer because it didn't dawn on you they were a different species. You're completely comfortable with both. You were descended from a Stargazer who had survived the Salem witch hunts. You're a mixed breed. When Diamond said you were proof, he wasn't just talking about our attraction. He meant you have Stargazer DNA.” She dropped her jaw. “How do you know?” “I sensed it. That day in the diner. It's why we were able to revive you from death.” “Is that why we can have children?” “No, sweetness. We are compatible with full-blooded humans. You were born, after all.” “Why didn't you tell me I was mixed?” “You didn't take being revived from death well. I just wanted to give you some time to adjust. I wasn't keeping things from you.” “It's okay, Dante. I was just confused. I'll admit to being slightly shocked too.” “I would never hurt you.” His beautiful lavender eyes were sincere as they focused on her. “I know,” she whispered. His hand came up to her neck, reaching his thumb out to stroke along her jawline. She focused on his lips. They were full and passionate. Kissable. “I'll never keep anything from you. You should also know I have a gift of advanced hearing. I can hear whispers from across a large room. That's how I knew what the

truckers in the diner were planning, why we stayed so late.” “You wanted to protect me.” “Always, Kele. You're my first priority.” His voice was a whisper now. She licked her lips. His hand was warm against the side of her neck. And she was turned on. “We're not alone enough,” she said with a smile. He began to pull her in to him. “Hi, Dante. Kele.” A man nodded as he walked by, his beautiful black eyes glittering like stars as he passed them. Now, Kele recognized the stranger as a Stargazer. “Everyone seems to know you,” Kele murmured. “Us, now.” “I was the first contact from my people to yours. My family—people were waiting for me to take a mate. They were all excited when you were found and accepted.” “Does anyone know I wasn't aware of what I accepted?” “No,” Dante said easily. “I am more than up to convince you.” He pulled her to him until there was no space between them. His lips parted on a smile, teeth white against his tanned skin. He lowered his head to hers. The man could kiss. His lips moved over hers, parting her lips. His tongue swept against hers. He held her against to his body length, where she felt protected. Cherished. Wanted. Her hand was splayed open on his rock hard abs. It would take nothing to slip under his shirt. A small throat clearing broke them apart. “Dayumm!” Jack said. “We didn't even get a chance to leave.” All of Dante's men who had been with him in the diner were watching them kiss. Kele's cheeks warmed.

“I'm glad you took my advice and are courting her properly,” Jonas said, looking around at the waterfall and green grass. Next to him, Diamond muttered, “We agreed not to use that word.” Jonas grinned and spoke to Kele. “I taught him everything he knows.” Dante looked surprised. “You did?” “Well, practically.” Kele tried to get the focus off her “courtship.” “I was just asking Dante how everyone here knows him.” Jonas blinked. “Your mate is famous, honey. Don't you watch the news?” “No. I mean, I saw snippets of newscasts while I was working. But I was usually too exhausted when I got home to sit and watch much television.” “Dante is the first contact between the Stargazers and humans. He was the leader in the first ship.” “I can't believe you've never seen him on the television,” Vesta said. “He's like a movie star,” Jack agreed. “The Brad Pitt of aliens.” He snickered when Dante glared. “I'm mated to someone famous?” Kele teased. “Please tell me your last name is Pitt. I'd like to be Kele Pitt.” Dante raised his eyebrows. “Not exactly,” Jonas said. “What is your last name?” Kele asked. “Dante Paris.” “Your last name is...Paris?” Kele blinked. “What kind of a last name is that?” Jonas snickered. “Their last names are places. Some choose where they'd like to visit, like a bucket list. Some choose a city that they think flows with their first name.”

Kele turned toward Diamond. “What's yours?” “Diamond Colorado.” “You're kidding.” “No. I'm not.” “Vesta?” “Vesta Vegas.” Kele slapped her forehead. “It just got worse.” “Yeah, well, us humans have normal last names.” Jack grinned. “Not exactly,” Brandon said. “Tell her yours, Jack.” “There's nothing wrong with my last name! It's a strong surname. My mom was just young when she named me. It's Pott.” Kele blinked. “Jack Pott?” “Uh–huh.” Jack's ears were tinged pink. Brandon's grin reached ear to ear. “There's a reason why we picked him for the team. It certainly wasn't his youth and enthusiasm.” Kele laughed. “Your team seems to be very well-rounded.” She clasped her hand into Dante's. He stared into her eyes. “Okay, you guys. We're out of here,” Dante said. Vesta nodded. “I'll go tell Bay you're visiting later.” As they walked away hand in hand, several people smiled. Kele nodded at them. “Do you walk everywhere?” she asked Dante. “For longer distances, we have a public transportation system. We also have a couple of cars for the team to use, since we go to the outside world.” They continued to walk, cutting through the park. Up ahead, stood an electric fence. It was solid, without any visible gates. A lone

Stargazer guard patrolled the area on the opposite side. Dante waved. The Stargazer held his hand upright over the gate. A small portion about the size of a doorway disappeared. With the disappearance came sounds from the other side. “It's that easy?” Kele asked. “The fence is an illusion. It's created to mark the boundary between Realm and Gateway for the humans. It has the appearance of an electric fence to discourage the humans who work at Realm from being tempted to cross.” “But if they try anyway, what happens?” “They never have.” He grinned. “It's enough discouragement that we screen our human employees carefully. And that we have Stargazer guards patrolling the fence. And that they think it's electrified. But if they do get close enough to touch and it disappears instead of killing them instantly, they still can't get through. The actual invisible boundary is impenetrable unless disabled by security clearance. Which you and I have. Someone from Realm wouldn't.” They stepped through the gate, and Kele turned. The fence appeared again, as if it had never been gone. The guard nodded at them. “Welcome, Dante. Kele.” “Many stars, Amias. Kele, this is Amias.” “It's nice to meet you, Amias.” He smiled at her. “Welcome to the community. Please feel free to explore.” “Thank you.” She smiled back. She and Dante walked away. “It still surprises me how friendly Stargazers are. It makes me sad that humans are so opposite. And that those hate groups are so vicious over nothing.” Dante nodded. “Imagine our surprise when we entered the outside world. Oh,

there are a handful of humans who are friendly, but a lot seem to follow the masses with the hatred they spew. That we steal their land. That we steal their women. That the devil sent us, just like he did our witches.” “I'm sorry, baby.” He grinned. “That's a sexy little endearment.” Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed him gently. He looked into her eyes. “You've never kissed me first, Kele.” “Not true. I practically attacked you in the diner.” “You attacked me? That's not how I remember it. In fact, I wanted you so badly, it took all my self-control not to act like a caveman and carry you off.” “I've wanted you since the day I met you in the diner.” “I've been trying to give you time to acclimate to your...death,” he said. “Before I pounce on you.” “Duly noted. I think it's sunk in.” “Are you saying—” “I'm saying it's time to explore other things between us. We've been compatible in every way so far. And do you know how sexy you are? I can hardly keep from feeling your ass, right out here in public.” “You can touch me any time you want to. My job is to keep you happy.” He bent his head and slanted his mouth over hers. The kiss left her breathless. “You are such a good kisser,” she moaned. “I love kissing you.” His lips were still close to hers, and she could feel the vibration as he spoke. “I'd like more than kisses,” she whispered. Then she pressed up to him again, and swept her tongue into his mouth. Her heartbeat pounded. She wanted nothing more

than to continue where they'd left off. To press herself against him and feel the bulge in his jeans against her sex again. She could rub herself on it. If Dante lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist...she was already wet thinking about it. “Ahem. It's daylight out.” Kele jumped, and they stepped apart. She tried to control her breathing. At the fence, the security guard grinned. “Thanks for the reminder, Amias,” Dante growled. “No problem.” The guard grinned. “Take my car.” He tossed his keys to Dante. Kele was mortified and sure her cheeks were pink. Dante made her crazy with lust, to the point where she forgot herself sometimes. “Come, sweetness.” His voice was gruff. “I'll take you to the PTF office. There are some documents I need to sign.” They headed to a small parking lot where quite a few cars were parked. Dante knew which one belonged to Amias. He opened her car door for her, closing it gently. The buildings in Realm were more human looking than those in Gateway. They headed to the PTF office located at the Realm. Dante opened her car door and took her hand to help her out of the car. “Good morning,” the receptionist said, as they walked into the building holding hands. “Good morning, Jessie. This is Kele, my mate,” Dante said. “Nice to meet you, Kele. It's about time he settled down,” Jessie said. She was human, and a cute one, with blond hair cut into a short hairstyle that showed off her graceful neck. “I was waiting for Ms. Perfect,” Dante said, bringing Kele's hand up to kiss her knuckles.

Jessie smiled. “You found her.” “Hey,” a sultry voice murmured. “There's my favorite alien.” A voluptuous woman raked long, fake fingernails over Dante's shoulder. Kele narrowed her eyes. “Hello, Dante,” the woman purred. Dante removed her hand from his shoulder gently. “Loretta. Good afternoon. Please meet my mate. Kele.” Loretta's heavily mascaraed eyes widened. “You mated?” “Yes. I did.” “I see. Congratulations.” She turned to Kele. “Nice to meet you, Kele.” “Nice to meet you, too.” The woman looked Kele up and down. “Have you been to the visitor center? That's where I work. It's right across the street.” “Not yet.” “Let me show you how to get there. Then we can do lunch sometime.” Loretta smiled, exposing pure white teeth beyond her red lips. The smile transformed her face. She was actually quite pretty. “That's a good idea,” Dante said. “I'll run up to the office and sign my documents and run across the street to grab you.” Kele nodded. He pressed his lips firmly to hers. Loretta's smile had frozen into place. “Come, I'll show you.” Kele walked out with her, and crossed the street. When they entered the visitor center, there was a small desk with another receptionist. “Whenever you come here, you sign in right here.” Loretta pulled the sign-in sheet

that was attached to a clipboard and handed it to Kele. Kele scrawled her name and the time, and Loretta added hers underneath. “Then you're free to walk through.” “What's the purpose of a sign-in?” “The Realm tracks everyone. Everyone who has access to Realm has a security clearance. If there's an attack, we need to know how many people are in the building at any given time. They balance that against the count from the gates that allow you in and the residents who live here.” “I see. But why doesn't the PTF office have one?” “They do. But Jessie, the receptionist, keeps it. Instead of you signing in, she logs you in. The only people who would go to PTF should be known officials or highsecurity clearance officials.” “I see,” Kele said. “So now that you know how to get here,”—Loretta smiled—“we can do lunch sometime. I'd like to be friends.” Kele smiled noncommittally. “That sounds like fun.” It sounded fishy as hell. “The visitor center has all the information on Stargazers,” Loretta said. “It's set up like a mini museum. There are pictures of the scouts they sent in 1692 over in this room.” Loretta swept her hands toward a door. “And over here is a dark room. It's set up like a theater. The lights turn off and you're shown pictures of their galaxy, leading to their planet. It shows their culture. The film lasts about a half hour. It's really cool.” “It sounds amazing,” Kele murmured. “It's really a wonderful place to work. Over here is a room that shows you pictures of other alien life forms they've encountered over the years.”

“How do you get any work done? This is fascinating,” Kele said. “You do need discipline,” Loretta murmured. “There you are, sweet.” Both women turned to see Dante. Kele reached for him, and noticed when Loretta's eyes followed her hand. “Hate to break up the girl time,” Dante said. “But I have a few things to show Kele before we head over to Vesta's place.” Kele nodded. “Nice to have met you, Loretta.” “Likewise. I'll call you for lunch soon.” Loretta smiled. Kele and Dante headed out of the building. “You've already made another friend,” Dante said. “I'm not sure. Though she tried, she didn't seem totally happy that you're mated,” Kele said. Dante shrugged. “I'm not interested in her. I never have been. She's a human staff member, nothing more.” “She's interested in you.” “I have never given her reason to believe I may be interested in her,” he said. “My attentions have not focused on anyone until I saw you in the diner. I knew then I wanted you.” “Okay.” Kele smiled. “And I can't wait for us to be alone,” Dante said. Kele took a deep breath. She couldn't wait, either.

Chapter Five “This is where Vesta lives,” Dante said, pulling up in the driveway. They walked up to the front door and rang the bell. Vesta answered and ushered them inside. Bay sat on the sofa. She jumped up, straight onto her feet. “Kele! It's real? It's really you?” “I know! Yes, it's me.” Bay ran to her, wrapping her arms around her. Tears flowed down both of their faces. “I can't believe it! Vesta told me, but it was too unbelievable.” “I know,” Kele said. “I woke up and the first thing I saw was a toe tag. Scared me to death! So to speak.” “How do you feel? What happened? You were dead, Kele. Completely dead. Do you remember anything?” “Not about being dead. It was just like I was sleeping.” The two women sat on the sofa, and Dante and Vesta headed toward the office to give them privacy. “So what happened?” Bay asked. “How did you meet aliens? And how did you die?” “They saved me from some drunk truckers at the diner. But the trucker stabbed me. Dante told me he asked me, before I died, if I wanted to be saved by becoming his mate, and I agreed.” “So you can't leave?” “No. The world thinks I'm dead. They think my body was stolen from the morgue. I'm famous, you know. On the news and everything.”

They laughed. It was a thing with them, to tease that one day they'd both be famous. The men had sauntered over toward the study, whispering over the documents Dante had brought from the office at Realm. Bay watched them slowly move away. “Tell me all about Vesta,” she whispered, when the men were out of earshot. “Vesta? He seems nice. The whole team really gets along with each other well. Why?” “He's hot.” “Is he? I didn't really notice.” “Are you kidding? Look at how built he is.” “They all are. And guess what Dante told me?” “What?” “Their...junk is different. Stargazers have a bigger head. It's huge and mushroomshaped.” “How big?” “I don't know,” she laughed. Maybe Dante had been teasing. “Well, I woke up in Vesta's bed. And he was looking down at me with those gorgeous eyes. I thought I was in heaven! I grabbed him and kissed him, I swear!” “Oh, my Gawd,” Kele said. “What did he do?” “He let me.” Bay shrugged. “I was out of my mind for a little bit. I couldn't remember where I was or how I'd gotten here. I talked myself into figuring he must be my boyfriend or something.” “You did not!” Kele grinned. That was so Bay. “I did,” Bay said ruefully.

“Who'd have thought we'd be interested in aliens?” Kele said. “If we'd have known how hot they were, we might have been alien stalkers,” Bay agreed. “Like groupies.” “I'm sure that's coming,” Kele said. “I just met a woman who I swear has a crush on Dante. He doesn't seem to notice.” “Well, I have a secret,” Bay said. “What?” “The big mushroom thing? It's true.” “What?” Kele shrieked. Her shriek brought Dante and Vesta in running, but the girls just giggled, refusing to speak about it. Dante and Vesta looked at each other and then sat down to listen to the females, who changed the subject from the matter that had them in stitches just seconds before. “Anyway, that night was horrible,” Bay said. “When you didn't come home, I panicked. I called and called your cell. I called the police, but they said you had to be missing for at least twenty-four hours. I called your boss and told him you never came home. The jerk said you'd left a little later than usual, but not much. Then I got a call back from the police. They'd found you in the parking lot.” She shuddered. “But your identification wasn't there.” Kele nodded. “I'd forgotten my purse in my locker. I didn't want to go back in, because you know how Don will make me work longer.” Bay nodded. “Then, the next morning, I went to the morgue to make an ID. I kept thinking it couldn't possibly be you. Dante and a couple of other guys were there. I can't remember much. I think I was still in shock. Especially because Dante did some weird mind meld thing with the worker at the morgue, making him forget they all were there.

His friend picked up your body, to steal it. I couldn't believe it. I thought I was dreaming, it was so unreal.” “It was Diamond, Jonas and me,” Dante said. “But I can't remember anything else.” “When you got onto the helicopter, I suggested you sleep. You were still in shock. When we arrived, I had Vesta care for you until you woke. I trust he did well.” Kele noticed Vesta's cheeks tinged pink. “Bay,” Dante said. “Technically, you're a missing person right now. Possibly even a suspect in the disappearance of Kele's body. So I need to know what you would like to do. We can allow you to live on Realm, the area that borders Gateway where humans also work and live. We'd have to change your identity, like you're in the witness protection program. Or you can choose to go back to the human existence instead. However, if you do so, your memory will need to be erased. We can't have anyone finding out about Kele's resurrection.” “So I'll believe Kele's still dead? And she'll be here, knowing I think she's dead.” “Yes. I'm sorry.” The two women stared at each other. “I'm okay with whatever you want to do,” Kele said gently. “I know you just started dating again.” Bay reached out and grabbed Kele's hand. Their fingers entwined. “How long do I have to decide?” she asked Dante. “This weekend. I'll need your answer by Sunday night,” he said gently. She nodded. “Let's not think about it right now,” Kele said. “Let's just shove it aside.” Bay breathed deeply. “Tell me about your day.”

“It's been incredible! Dante took me to Realm, where the humans live and Stargazers work. I met a woman who has a big crush on Dante.” She looked over at him. Vesta interrupted. “Loretta Davidson?” Dante's mouth fell open. “You know her?” Kele asked. Vesta's lips turned up. “I know she stares at Dante's ass. I honestly didn't even realize she was female until recently.” It took a minute for the dig to sink in before Kele and Bay laughed. “She is...larger than life,” Kele agreed. “Big fake nails. Big fake hair. Big fake boobs. I could see how she'd be confused with a drag queen.” “Poor woman,” Bay said. “Yes,” Kele said. “But she was after my guy.” She blew a kiss Dante's way. He smiled at her. “I'd like Vesta to take Bay around town at Realm. It's not fair for her to make a decision until she sees how she'll live.” “If I do accept a position at Realm, I'll still be able to see Kele?” Bay asked. Dante nodded. “We should be able to arrange that.” Kele hugged Bay tightly. “Whatever you decide, I'm really okay with. I love you.” Bay's eyes glittered bright with unshed tears. “I love you, too.” * * * * * Dante took Kele out of there before more waterworks could start. Kele was heartbroken on the drive home. “I didn't get to spend much time with her.” She fretted. “I know I said I'm okay with any decision she makes, but if she decides to go back Sunday, I'll never see her again!”

Dante smiled. “Sweet thing, she's not going back. Stop worrying.” “You don't know that! She has a brother, they're not close, but he's still family. And there's a guy she had just started seeing.” “Kele, Vesta's not going to let her go back. Trust me, he's wasn't sure he wanted to settle down, but did you see his face when he heard she was dating? He doesn't want to lose her. He's the one who wanted us to leave so he could seduce her.” Kele's mouth dropped. “Oh.” “I hope you're ready for your best friend to live here. Even closer than Realm would have been.” Kele's smile was beautiful. That was exactly what he wanted. To always please her. * * * * * They arrived back at his house. Kele felt a twinge of awkwardness. They'd been surrounded by people all day long, and now it was just him and her. Her...mate. A foreign word, and it was more binding than marriage. Even the thought of plain marriage sent her into a panic. But here she was—mated—to a stranger. And what did a mate do? Should she ask him if he'd like her to make dinner? Should she do the laundry? She stood, wringing her hands, as she pondered all of life's difficulties. “What's wrong?” Dante asked. “Nothing,” she answered quickly. Too quickly. His eyes narrowed. He took a step toward her, invading her space. She stepped backward to get away, but he stepped forward again. “There's something wrong. You're just not telling me what it is. You were having

fun earlier, laughing and joking with the team. Visiting with your best friend. Hanging out with me.” She held her hands out to keep him at bay. “It's just...awkward, you know?” “What's awkward? Being alone with me?” “I was just told I was a mate,” she explained. “I have no idea what a mate does.” His tone gentled. “You don't have to do anything, Kele. There are no rules.” “I can't even ask you,” she ranted, “if it's like a wife. Because you don't know what a wife does.” He reached out, grabbed a hand, and yanked her into him. “It's okay,” he soothed, wrapping her in his arms. “Relax. I don't need you to be or do anything. I just want you. That's all.” But Kele was still tense, refusing to look at him. “Look at me,” he ground out. Kele lifted her eyes. His jaw was tense, as if that were the one body part he couldn't relax. “This is a mistake,” she said. “Maybe,” he murmured. “But how will we know if we don't try?” She backed away. “This is going to happen,” he said. “I want you, and you want me.” “I'm nervous,” she said again. “You don't need to be. It's just you...and me.” His tone was final. He reached out and yanked her against him. She was pressed up, breasts smashed against his chest. Despite her fear, her breathing quickened. “Let go.” Her voice sounded a little desperate. “Never,” he muttered. “Never.”

She smothered a moan when he leaned down and pressed his lips underneath her ear. His lips burned, sending stark need through her. Her breasts tingled and her nipples hardened. “Say my name,” he urged, his voice husky. “Dante,” she said, as she wrapped her thighs around his waist. He cupped her buttocks and lifted her to him. She pressed her core against him. A wonderful bulge in his pants teased her. This was the position she'd continually fantasized about. “Do you want me?” he asked. “Yes,” she admitted finally. “I have since I met you in the diner.” Her breasts ached with her need, and she wondered how long it would take for him to take a nipple into the warmth of his mouth. The need to rub against him became so intense it was all she could do not to squirm. He used his tongue and teeth to explore her shoulder and throat. “You're mine,” he growled. “No one else's.” “Yes, Dante,” she agreed. “All yours.” She began to unabashedly masturbate herself against his cock. Dante's fingers tightened on her ass, squeezing the globes painfully. “Kele,” he groaned, his mouth close to the whorl of her ear. “You turn me on so much,” he muttered. She panted in response. “Hold on, sweetness.” He set her down long enough to whip his shirt over his head. His body was magnificent. His shoulders were broad and his chest huge. His biceps were so hard they looked swollen. Steel abs tapered into the waistband of his jeans. And to top it off, black tattoos covered his smooth, tanned skin in an intricate pattern.

Kele caught her breath. “Your tattoos,” she murmured. “They're beautiful.” “They distinguish my family. I'm the Hunter for my lineage. Others high up in ranks have similar tattoos that distinguish them.” “What did you hunt?” she whispered. He smiled. “Bad guys, sweetness.” “You're so muscular. You must work out a lot.” “Nah. We utilize our nutrition easier.” He pulled Kele against him again. “I love how soft you feel. Your skin is like silk when it presses to mine.” He lowered his lips to hers. He swept his tongue inside, stroking hers, tantalizing her with his taste. He picked her up easily into the same position. She wrapped her legs around his waist because she wanted to feel the stiff bulge trapped in his jeans pressed against her hot core again. She smashed her pussy against his swollen cock. “You'll drive me insane,” he murmured. He rocked his hips against her, a slow rhythm set to drive her mad with lust. “I need you,” she murmured. She couldn't focus on anything except the firm feeling of his sex pressed against hers. Her skin burned, heated from the inside out as if she were already about to climax. She became frantic, rubbing against him as she ached to have him inside her. Her vagina clenched with her need. She'd never wanted anyone this badly before. Dante seemed to sense it. His rocking rhythm became more firm as he deliberately masturbated her. He shuddered against her, finding her throat and pressing kisses there. “Kele.” His deep, sexy voice signaled his need. “Come for me, baby.”

Kele imagined what it would be like when he freed his cock from his jeans and pounded into her. The image of what his cock would look like—what it would feel like when he fucked her with it—sent her spiraling into orgasm. She tossed her head back and screamed as her entire body shook from the force of her release. Dante held her close and crooned into her ear, “I've got you.” She slowly came back to reality. She'd just come, fully clothed, rubbing against his cock. He carried her into the bedroom, where he laid her gently on the bed. “I want to see you,” he murmured. His voice was thick. He traced up her smooth thigh, under her skirt. She lifted her hips, and he pulled the skirt off her hips. She sat up slightly, and helped him remove her shirt. Then he released her bra at the tiny heart-shaped clasp in the front of her chest. Her breasts fell out and she allowed the bra to slip off her slender shoulders. “You're so beautiful,” he muttered thickly. “Me?” she gasped. “You are the most beautiful man I've ever seen.” He grasped the top of her panties and pulled them down her legs. They were soaking wet. “I can't wait to taste you,” he muttered. He spread her knees apart. The wide stance opened her pussy fully. He took a good look at her body. She'd never felt so wanton. Then Dante bent his head and carefully licked up her slit. She almost jumped through the roof. His mouth was hot and she was so turned on by the sight of his dark head planted between her wide-spread thighs. Sensation erupted over her nerve endings, sending white-hot lust throughout her body. He attacked, licking and sucking. He focused on her sensitive clit, but took a moment

to delve farther down and dip his tongue into her pussy. Kele hissed. He came back up and sucked more tender skin into his mouth. Kele's fingers tangled in his hair. She wasn't sure if she should push him away, or pull him closer. All she knew was her body was going crazy. Finally she decided. She pushed him away, and then yanked him up. Frantically, she began jerking at the waistband of his cargo pants, unfastening them and pushing them down his hips. His boxers followed, and he kicked them off. His erection was beautiful. Long and thick, and just like he'd promised, the head was much larger and wider than the shaft. She grasped it. It was rock-hardness covered in silky smoothness. She ran her hand along it, but was stopped when she reached the mushroom head. He groaned. “It's very sensitive where the head meets the rest.” “Right here?” She traced the seam. His cock jerked. He covered her body with his, breaking her hold on his erection. “We're going to need to save your exploration for next time,” he said, kissing her. His erection prodded against her swollen pussy. She widened her thighs and wrapped her arms around his back, pulling him in. The thick head of his cock pressed against her pussy, almost like it was too big to fit inside. He rubbed it along her wetness and then pushed, breaching her body. Pure bliss! They paused to savor the moment, and he slowly slid in farther. “It feels so good,” she gasped. She could feel every inch of him, deep inside. He rotated his hips in a circular motion. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He began a slow, rocking rhythm. She was struck by the beauty of his eyes as he looked down into

her face. The pure, clear shade of lavender. The long dark eyelashes that framed them. In and out he moved, forcing her higher and higher. Suddenly, it was too much. Kele's body tightened, her sheath gripping him tightly as spirals of orgasm racked her body. “God, yes,” she screamed. Dante yelled. His cock vibrated, like a sex toy that had turned itself to full blast, inside her as he came. Her body filled with the heated fluid of cum as it spurted from him. He collapsed on her, panting. He pulled his erection from her tight sheath. Kele shuddered at the hypersensitivity. “You vibrate when you come.” “Oh. I must have forgotten to mention that.” “Did you ever. I have never felt anything that amazing in my life.” His eyes turned so lavender they practically glowed. “I want you again. Do you want me to give you a few minutes to recover?” She was panting so hard her chest rose and fell with each breath. She shook her head and twisted so he spread out alongside her on the bed. She traced the tattoo from his waist up a rib. Everywhere she felt was hard bulging muscle. He leaned in to kiss her, and her breasts melded to his chest. She grasped his erection in her palm. He was hard again. Slowly, she explored his cock with her palm while she kissed him. He kissed her relentlessly. He was right. The head of his cock was huge and felt massive in her palm. She pushed him back slightly. “Can I see it?” His beautiful lavender eyes were half-lidded and sultry. “If you'd like.” She slid down and pushed him flat onto his back at the same time. His cock jutted up, hard and thick. The head was enormous. She traced the seam where the head met his cock and he gasped, gritting his teeth.

“Is that okay?” she asked. “Very sensitive after I come,” he gritted. “And you turn me on so much. I almost came in your hand.” Kele leaned down and licked the head of his cock. He tasted sweet, and male, and of heady sex. He clenched the bedspread. His head was tossed back and she knew he was unaware of nearly ripping the fabric. Very gently, she sucked the tip of his cock. His entire body bucked. “Kele,” he ground out. “I can't take it.” Before she knew it, she was flat on her back, and he covered her body with his. He looked into her eyes. “I need you. You have no idea.” He had a sense of urgency to his voice, a desperation she connected to. “I might,” she said, raising her brows. Because that was exactly how he made her feel. Like she'd die if she didn't have him here and now. Moisture still rimmed her pussy. It thickly slid through her labia and moistened the skin at the juncture of her thighs. She was hot, wet, and ready for him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and felt the head of his cock part through the lips of her pussy. “Oh, God,” she gasped. The head of his cock still felt huge, like a tennis ball. He grinned. “You love it.” “I do,” she said, her voice greedy. “More.” With a tilt of her pelvis, she forced more of him inside. “You're so wet,” he muttered. “Ready for me.” “You have an amazing cock,” she said. “It's all yours, sweetness. I'm going to take you to heaven.” His smooth ass tightened as he thrust into her.

She saw stars. Electric tingles deep in her pussy triggered nerve endings everywhere. Her body screamed for release. Her orgasm exploded. She screamed his name as the waves rolled over her, barely aware of his shout. The warmth of his semen gushed into her. The urgency of the vibrations started, rolling through her pussy. Dante collapsed on her, his forearms taking most of his weight. “That was amazing,” she panted. “I told you, sweetness.” Very gently, he pulled out of her body. He curled her up, spooning her, his warm hand wrapped around a breast. “You're mine,” he muttered. “I'm glad,” she murmured.

Chapter Six Kele woke to breakfast in bed. A small tray sat on the nightstand with a glass of orange juice, a plate of scrambled eggs, some sliced strawberries and bananas, and toast. She sat up immediately. Dante came in from the living room. “Would you like a cup of coffee, too?” “No,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “I don't like coffee.” “I thought every human liked coffee.” “All except this one.” She grinned. “Thank you for making breakfast.” “After that amazing night? It was the least I could do.” “It was good for you, too?” she teased. “You know it was,” he growled. He leaned in and kissed her bare shoulder. “We should sleep naked every night,” Kele said. “That's an excellent idea.” “You're dressed already.” “Yes. I'd love to stay with you instead, but Diamond and I are looking for recruits for the team. We need to expand before the other territories begin opening.” “It's all good,” she said. “We'll try to wrap it up quick. I want to take you out to dinner again.” “Don't worry about it.” She laughed. “I'm sure I'll find something to do.” “I feel like a terrible mate,” he said. “Your second day at Gateway and I leave you alone.” “You're the Dante Pitt of aliens, remember? Your work is important,” she said. “And you're a pretty damn good mate. I was nervous yesterday, and you soothed my nerves, gave me awesome sex, and then brought me breakfast in bed. I'll be fine. I'll explore around the house. If Vesta's working, I'll call Bay.”

He leaned in to kiss her. “You're perfect, Kele.” Kele kissed him back. Lord, she was already in love with this incredible creature. * * * * * Kele finished a late lunch and washed her few dishes. She wiped off the counters, and took a cup of hot tea out to the front porch. A black car rolled to a stop in front of the house. Dante opened the passenger door. “Hey, baby,” he called out. “Hi, handsome.” She didn't hear any protest from inside the vehicle, so she assumed Diamond was with him and not Jack or Brandon, who would have begun an exaggerated gagging by now. She assumed correctly. Diamond moved forward to see her and nodded. “We're heading over to the Center finally. It's where newbies are kept in stasis first, and then go through the different levels of quarantine. We like to visit them from time to time. Would you like to come?” “Of course,” she said, setting her tea on the small table next to her chair. Dante opened the back car door for her and then sat in the seat next to her. “We have a chauffeur,” she said with a laugh. “Mmm,” he said, reaching down to kiss her. “I missed you. I've been gone a couple of hours.” Diamond mumbled loud enough for them to hear. “I'm going to put you both through the wringer when I find my mate. I swear, it won't be pretty.” It took less than ten minutes to reach the Center. They stepped out of the car and Kele stood for a minute, appreciating the sight. The building was unlike anything she'd seen. It was round and sleek.

They went inside. A security guard sat at the front desk. He nodded to them, and they continued walking down a long corridor. When they reached an elevator, Dante waved his hand over a small device over a symbol carved into the wall. The elevator doors opened. “Only high-security clearance can open these doors,” Diamond explained. They stepped inside. There were straps on the walls. Diamond strapped himself in, while Dante showed her how. Then he strapped himself. “Why do we need straps?” Kele asked. It had her a little worried. “It goes fast. We're a portal, remember?” “So the Center is actually somewhere else?” “Technically, though we call this circular building the Center.” The elevator doors closed and the lights flickered on and off as it descended quickly. A breeze rustled her bangs, and then all of her hair swept upward. It settled gently back down around her shoulders. When all movement stopped, both Dante and Diamond removed their straps, so she did, too. The doors opened and they stepped out. The scene was futuristic. Everything was slick, shiny glass and metal. Softly, machines hummed. They'd arrived in an entirely different world. Around the edges of the circular room, small pods were set up, with people still frozen in stasis. “Why are people in those?” she asked. “It's an acclimation process. They just arrived. Their bodies need to adjust to the planet. They'll be awakened slowly and then quarantined until we can be sure they didn't pick up any 'visitors,' alien parasites or illnesses or foreign bacteria. Only then are they released into the top world.”

“How many are there?” “This portal holds fifty pods. Soon we'll stop arrivals until some Stargazers here decide they no longer wish to stay. As they leave, more of our others will replace them.” “They're all men.” “That's our purpose for your planet. To find mates and to breed. Sometimes the people leaving will be a Stargazer with his human mate. Perhaps a child. That opens up the number for three Stargazers to awaken.” “Where do they go?” He shrugged. “Wherever they want. Back to our planet, usually. But they're also welcome to travel to any of the planets we have treaties with.” “You and I could leave?” “If you wanted.” “Diamond, you could leave at any time, too?” “Whenever I want. But I have no intentions of leaving just yet. I intend to find a human mate.” They walked around the pods and arrived at a round desk, where one person sat, looking down as she wrote into a log. She had pale blond hair, elegantly tied into a bun at the nape of her neck. Glasses perched on the end of her nose and though human, she wore a white and silver uniform from alien-made material. Diamond spoke loudly. “Hello, baby girl.” The woman looked up, eyes wide. “Diamond! Dante. How are you?” She set down her pen and jumped to her feet, coming around the desk to hug them. “Good as always. This is Kele, my mate,” Dante said. “Kele, this is Diamond's best friend, Cassiopeia.” “Best friend, my eye. He doesn't call, he doesn't write,” she said with a smile. “Hi,

Kele. It's great to meet you. Please call me Cassio. The aliens find it amusing that my parents named me after a constellation and use it every chance they get.” Cassio extended her hand, shaking Kele's warmly. “Especially because she chose science as a profession, instead of writing hot romance novels.” Diamond winked. Cassio laughed. “My mother was sure I'd become a best seller. Probably figured I'd write about a New Species Series or something.” “Cassio monitors the people in stasis, waking them when it's their time,” Dante said. Cassio nodded. “I also keep each person in quarantine.” “She's usually not their favorite person.” Diamond grinned. “No. They get crabby,” she agreed. “Three months is a long time to wait when you've been kept in stasis for who knows how long. But Earth has rules.” “How long have you been doing it?” Kele asked. “Since Center opened.” She shrugged. “Someone needs to, you know? The American government insisted it be a human job. And the aliens trust me. Now that the Council has been created, they can probably agree to other guidelines. Like maybe trusting another Stargazer enough so I can have some time off.” “You don't have anyone who relieves you?” Cassiopeia shrugged. “I have no life,” she sighed. “I eat, work, and sleep in a pod. But sometimes, I'd like to do something normal. Walk in the sunshine, maybe.” “Don't let her fool you, Kel,” Diamond said. “She admires the bodies of those in stasis. I believe she lifted my frontal sheet more than once.” “Diamond!” Cassio shrieked. She quickly looked around. Dante laughed. “Who's going to see you? The sleeping people?” Kele couldn't help it. She joined in the laughter. Finally she was able to ask, “Where

are the quarantined people kept?” Dante answered. “Downstairs. There's a vacuum chamber where you're deactivated and cleansed going in, and again when you come out. They have a certain number of days they have to spend until they can acclimate to Gateway. If they need any schooling regarding Earth, a lot of it is given there since they have so much study time.” “So when a person wakes from stasis, they are sent to Quarantine?” “You got it. Because if they're carrying an alien life form, it lies in stasis with them. We won't know about it until after the person awakens,” Cassio said. “Do you get a lot of alien life forms?” “Parasites? Yes. None are harmful. But we're definitely taking precautions against introducing them to the Earth culture. We have a pass for Stargazers to arrive, nothing or no one else.” “What if one does get free?” “Well, we have the Hunter right here on Earth. And the Enforcer.” Cassio nodded toward Dante and Diamond. “Is that your title?” Kele asked Diamond. “The Enforcer?” He nodded. “So you have cool tatts, also?” Cassio answered for him. “Does he ever! Wow. He makes my heart go pitter-patter.” Diamond grinned. “Told you she lifted my frontal sheet.” He ducked when a flying paper clip sailed toward his head. “Would you all like to visit the Quarantine Level? The first stage can always use company,” Cassio said, more to Kele. “What's the first stage?” Kele asked. “The first stage is when they're quarantined all by themselves for about a month. A

full moon cycle. Stage two is when all the Stargazers can be quarantined together for another moon cycle after that. That's much better. They develop socially and explore the new language skills they've had input. Stage three is an introduced access within Gateway. After stage three, they can venture outside Gateway to other reservations. Currently we have three, this one here in New Mexico, one in Oregon, and one in Montana. Once the treaty is signed with the government, we'll have another, a fourth out east, an unknown location. There are talks of opening in other countries also. France, for one. England is another. But it's in the discussions phase right now, as we determine how many aliens we will allow to live here. And the numbers fluctuate, as so many travel back and forth. It's a political nightmare.” She laughed. “It hasn't been easy,” Dante agreed. “But it's slowly getting sorted out.” “Do you regret coming to Earth?” Kele asked. “No, we knew Earth wasn't as advanced as our planet. We had sent our scouts to Salem, remember? We knew we had a lot to offer Earth as far as reconciling peace is concerned. We hope to avert a third world war, which is where your planet was headed.” “And unfortunately, you guys have more brawn than brains,” Diamond said. “You would have blown up the entire planet during a third world war. You've developed technology quickly but lost focus on morals and manners.” He glanced slyly at Cassio when he spoke. “Oh, stop.” Cassio said, swatting at him. “That's definitely true,” Kele agreed, though she didn't understand the personal joke between them. “Kele, I know this is borderline rude, coming from one human to another. Trust me, the men won't understand why since aliens are more open and honest. But would you mind allowing me to examine you sometime? I know you have Stargazer DNA. I'd like to

compare samples to the offspring which have been born between complete humans and their Stargazer mates. See how much of the gene pool gets diluted, so to speak. It's just for my own personal studies here at the Center. None of the information would be leaked to the outer world.” “Ahh, then you must know I'm dead?” Kele grinned. “I do,” she said, smiling. “I'm privy to a lot of top secret conversations back here.” “I wouldn't mind,” Kele said. “And I'd love to visit Quarantine.” “Good! That's usually what Dante and Diamond do, keep the newly quarantined occupied for a brief time. They do get bored.” “I remember what it was like.” Diamond shuddered. “I skipped that phase,” Dante said. “I was in the very first ship.” “No one likes a bragger,” Diamond said, with one eyebrow raised. Cassio rolled her eyes. “They do keep me in stitches,” she said, taking Kele's arm. She walked her over to a small box-like object. “You'll feel bright lights. It's like a futuristic beaming device. Except when you're reassembled in quarantine, your cells are vacuumed and cleaned so nothing is brought in. It doesn't hurt,” she assured her. “I do it every day. It's their technology. You're not pregnant, are you?” Kele blinked. “No.” “Okay. I'll do a quick scan just in case. If you suspected you might be, I'd do a longer scan.” She pressed some buttons on the control panel on the wall. “It would be impossible for me,” she sighed. “I haven't had any action in a very long time. Hold still.” Kele held still, and a bluish light filled the small cavity. It immediately turned red. “All clear. Gentlemen?” Dante elbowed Diamond. “She called us 'gentlemen.' She likes you. She's impressed

with your manners. Thank you for allowing the upload of her program.” Cassio rolled her eyes again, then stopped herself. “Someday they'll make my eyeballs pop out of my head and roll across the floor. Leave my program alone!” She and Kele moved to the side so Dante and Diamond could squeeze in. Cassio quickly pushed a code into the panel, and this time the cavity filled with a bright, white light. It flashed quickly, much faster than the blue light did. Kele looked confusedly at Cassio, thinking perhaps the system had broken. Cassio laughed. “We're already here, Kele. I love first timers! You've been broken down and reassembled inside First Level Quarantine.” They stepped out of the small compartment, and Kele saw various pods, much like the Stasis Level had been. But instead of sleeping co-habitants, these Stargazers were wide awake and alert. A thin, sheer membrane separated their doorways from the main room. “The membrane is a filter,” Cassio said. “They can't hear us or each other. Their time is spent with studies.” Sure enough, many of the inhabitants sat at a desk, a hologram image projected onto the wall just beyond. “At night, while asleep, they are implanted with the English language,” Dante said. “And during the day, they practice vocalizing it. The hologram teaches them the mouth movements necessary. The body language. Culture is taught, along with social manners for America.” “Cassiopeia helped with that portion,” Diamond said. “It's her program.” So this was why Diamond teased Cassio about manners. She'd created the program to teach Stargazers their American manners. “It's my baby. ” Cassio grinned. “But some take to it better than others. Others are just beasts.” She eyed Diamond. “If I had my way, I'd have them all opening car doors and

presenting you with flowers.” “And asking your daddies for permission to date their forty year-old daughters. Imagine our surprise when our human counterparts laughed at us.” “Pfft!” Cassio clucked her tongue. “I keep threatening you all to let me expose them to my American Manners 101 Input, too. I'd make their mommas proud.” “The military guys claim you're creating pansies.” “Pansies!” Cassio's eyebrows flew up. “Not only are most of those tough guys single, but every time I meet one of their wives, they beg me for help. Everyone's impressed with my program.” Diamond elbowed Dante. Kele hid a grin when she realized he was just riling Cassio. “Come on, sweet stuff. You know how those gruff old men think.” Diamond's voice was smooth. “Losers!” she snapped. She turned to Kele, sighing deeply. “I have an empty pod set up as exam room. I can run a couple tests on you, while the guys visit around, if that's okay?” “Sure,” Kele agreed. Dante leaned down and kissed her. “I'll meet you back out here, love.” Diamond held his hand over his heart. “Thank you for being so brave as to volunteer for our demented scientist's testing. I'm sure she'll try to be much more gentle on you when she's slicing and dicing your human body parts.” “Oh, quit.” Cassio said, smacking him lightly. “Quit scaring her. Go off and visit with the guys.” Kele didn't miss the smile Cassio had when she turned her back to the two. “Come on. Don't listen to him. I promise it's quite painless. Their technology is amazing. Too bad

we can't introduce it to the rest of the world.” She led Kele to a pod away from the two men, who were laughing at each other. Dante slipped through a membrane and into a pod, while Diamond entered another. “Why can't it be introduced?” “Part of the treaty agreement. The aliens fear Earth isn't advanced enough socially to use the technology wisely. They have a strict 'No Interference' policy. Which is why there could be quite a ruckus if humans found out about your rising. We'd have hate groups screaming about how aliens are the devil because only God should raise the dead. On day three. Were you raised on day three?” “Nope,” Kele said cheerfully. “The next day.” “Uh-oh,” Cassio said. She walked into a pod, right through the membrane just as Dante and Diamond had. Kele followed her. A brief snap of static electricity zapped her gently, and then she was inside. Light listening music piped through the pod. None of the noises from the machines in the main room were perceptible on the inside. “This is amazing,” Kele said. “Isn't it? I'm so lucky to have access to their technology in my lifetime. Which should be quite a long time. Because I'm immersed in Center, which is close to their planet's equilibrium, I'm not subject to Earth's poisons. Even my food is brought in to me. So my life is being extended longer.” “How long will you live?” Kele asked. Cassio frowned. “I'm not sure. I'm usually so busy studying everyone else, I haven't bothered to calculate the estimations for myself.” Kele bit back a smile. Cassio was like a mad scientist, tucked away in here.

“Let me take your vitals. If you'll lie on that bed, I'll scan your blood pressure, listen to your lungs and record your heartbeat.” Kele lay down. Cassio pressed a button. That was it. There was no noise, no flashing lights, nothing. “Okey-doke, sit up and I'll take blood samples.” Kele sat and extended her arm to expose a vein. She hated this. She wasn't squeamish about blood or the puncturing of skin. But she hated the pressure of a rubber band tied around her arm in order to extend the vein for puncture. She took a deep breath. “Relax,” Cassio instructed. She slapped a sticker on Kele's vein, like a patch with a tube attached. The flexible tubing stretched into a test tube attached to the bottom. Kele closed her eyes. “Coolness!” Cassio exclaimed. “Your blood is pretty!” Kele's eyes popped open. Blood? Cassio hadn't tied the rubber band on, or even punctured her vein. Sure enough, her blood was traveling through the flexi-tube into the glass test tube. It had nearly filled the test tube. The color was off. Instead of a normal bright red, it was burgundy. “That's not normal,” Kele said. “Normal is as normal does,” Cassio muttered. “Dante mixed his purple blood into yours. Normally it doesn't affect humans, but I'd say it worked a little differently since you already carry alien DNA.” “Do the mixed babies have burgundy blood too?” “No,” Cassio said. “They carry either the mother's red blood, or the father's purple blood. It's never mixed like yours is. How fascinating!”

“The mad scientist is coming out in you,” Kele murmured. Cassio looked up from her study of Kele's blood. “Sorry!” She released the rubber contraption from the test tube and pulled the patch off Kele's vein. Kele peered at her inner elbow. There was no puncture, no visible blood at all. “That's that,” Cassio said cheerfully, placing her supplies into a small medical tray. “Shall we?” They stood and made their way out of the pod. Cassio took her supplies over to the desk in the center of the room, placing the tube of blood into a small metal box near the computer. Diamond came out of one of the pods. He winked at the ladies and entered another. “He's quite the lady killer,” Kele said, looking at Cassio. “Hmm? Diamond? I guess.” Cassio shrugged. Dante motioned to Kele from inside one of the pods. She went over and entered the membrane. “Babe, I want you to meet Hayze.” “Good to meet you, Hayze. I'm Kele.” “Good to meet you, Kele, Dante's mate.” His English was broken and stilted. “Hayze has just been in quarantine for one week.” Kele's eyebrows shot up. “And you're already stringing along full sentences?” “Yes. It is not rolling off my tongue yet, but I am much better. Thank you for asking.” He stressed the gratitude. Kele looked at Dante. “Cassio's program?” she asked. He grinned. “Yes.” Kele turned back to Hayze as Dante continued speaking. “I knew Hayze from several

projects on my planet before I moved here. He may be interested in joining the team. We'd been discussing extending it to eight members instead of six.” “So Hayze would be number seven?” Dante nodded. “Number eight would have to be another human. We have to keep a balance. We're hoping to have up to a dozen task force members and then we can rotate members, splitting up into two or three teams.” “What did you do before, Hazye? On your planet?” “I was...” he paused, as if he searched for the English word. “The Defender. I guarded smaller, defenseless species from attacks.” Kele smiled. “You'll be perfect. You'll get along with the other team members. Diamond is here.” Kele looked around outside, but didn't see him. “And there's two younger guys, Vesta. He's a Stargazer. And Jack. He's a human. There's Brandon and Jonas. Jonas is the most knowledgeable of the human side, a leader. Like Dante.” She looked up, proud of him. He smiled down at her, touching her cheek gently. “A lot of our people have found mates since the ship descended?” Hayze asked. “A few have. Some children have been born. All healthy. The mates have all been human, except for Kele. She's a descendant from the Salem crew.” Hayze raised his brows. “Really? How fortunate. How quickly are people leaving the planet?” “It varies. We still have room for growth. We're looking into treaties with other countries and a couple more locations here in America. But some of the mates are interested in space travel. This is a planet whose inhabitants have not yet accomplished that. Nine out of ten couples do choose to visit other planets.” “Not us,” Kele said. “I'm fine with living here. Dante's job is important to everyone

here.” Hayze smile. “You're a great mate for him. Do you have any single friends?” Kele looked at Dante. “Unfortunately, no.” She didn't want to mention Bay, in case she did decide to go back to the outside world. Dante answered for her. “Kele is incognito on Gateway. She's dead, as far as the humans are concerned.” “You have resurrected her?” Hayze nodded. Apparently, it was something he was familiar with. Dante nodded. Hayze continued. “It is good that the ability extends to our descendants on Earth. There is always a fear that it won't work.” “There is?” Kele said, turning and giving side-eye to Dante. He grinned and went over to the pod membrane and flagged down Diamond. Diamond entered the pod. It was getting crowded, but surprisingly, the temperature didn't change. “Hayze!” Diamond embraced the other man. “I didn't know you were coming.” “Everyone is trying to come to this planet,” Hayze said. “But preference is being given to those who devoted their lives to our mother planet.” “Speaking of preferential treatment,” Diamond said, “be sure you tell Cassio you're one of us.” “And yet that's gotten you nowhere,” Dante said drolly. Kele grinned.

Chapter Seven Diamond dropped Dante and Kele off at their house and sped away. Kele's hand was firmly enclosed in Dante's. A neighbor waved. They waved back as they walked up to the front porch. How normal it now felt, like she and Dante were a family. Kele grabbed her now-cold mug of tea she'd left out earlier, and they walked inside. “Did you learn a lot today?” “A ton!” Dante did that for her. He'd made her happy. She was lucky to have him. “Come here,” he growled. “Gladly,” she agreed, moving to him. He bent his head and kissed her deeply. Her pulse raced with his kisses. It was now familiar, even expected, that he could turn her on at the drop of a hat. “You're the sexiest woman in the world,” he murmured. “I am so glad you're mine,” she said. “You don't miss not having the last name Pitt?” he asked with a smile. “I'm more than happy to be Kele Paris.” She lifted the hem of his shirt enough to skim her fingertips against his tight abs. Not an ounce of fat anywhere, just hard, solid muscle. His body felt hotter than hers. He helped her tug the shirt over his head. His skin was bronze all over. His chest was perfect. He was so broad and muscular— pure sexy masculinity. The intricate black tattoo winding up his torso gave an air of mystery. She leaned over and kissed a dusky brown nipple. He made a sexy sound, deep in his chest, like a rumble. His breathing quickened. She loved knowing she could arouse him so quickly.

She plucked the button fastening his slacks, and tugged them down his hips. He kicked off his shoes and pulled off his socks. His gray boxers came next. He stood completely naked before her. She sighed. He was luscious. His abs were beyond a six-pack. He had eight. Eight wonderful, perfectly cut muscles underneath his warm brown skin. His thighs were strong pillars of muscle. Fire stirred deep inside her, wetting the walls of her sheath. “You're not naked,” he rasped. “We can remedy that. I really want you. You turn me on like no one else ever has.” With one arm, she pushed him backward onto the sofa. She peeled off her tank top, gently flinging it over her head. Reaching behind her, she slowly unsnapped her bra and let her breasts drop from the cups. His lavender eyes darkened, and he licked his lips. She turned sideways and tugged her jeans slowly down her hips. She swirled her hips in a drawn out circle, sticking her rear out. Stepping out of the jeans, she stood before him in tiny panties and high heels. She pulled her panties away from the front of her body to offer him a quick peek of what was inside. She'd trimmed her small triangle into a landing strip of soft light-brown hair. The landing strip pointed down to her clit. He growled at the tease. She lifted one leg, placing her foot on the coffee table. Using both hands, she ripped her flimsy panties in half. Her sex was splayed open to his view. Dante swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing visibly. It turned Kele on to know she did this to him, made him so hot he could lose control. Using two fingers, she spread open her labia. His cock twitched, like it wanted to

jump inside. “I want you over here.” His voice was deep as it rasped from his throat. She sauntered over and lifted one heel to step onto the sofa. She sat on the back of the couch instead, pressing her back against the wall. She let her knees drop. He jumped between them, separating them farther with his broad shoulders. He kissed the inside of a knee and then kissed all along the inner thigh, straight up to the crease in her groin. He licked the crease where her leg separated from her hip. Kele quivered. It was such a sensitive area. Her pink flesh spread bare before him. She felt slick. “I can't wait to taste your cream,” he rumbled. Kele closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. Dante clamped his mouth onto her lips and sucked. He brought both hands up and squeezed her breasts. “Oh!” she moaned. “Just like that.” His mouth was hot, like a burst of heat over her sensitive sex. She squirmed, but his strong hands on her breasts held her still. Her orgasm loomed close enough to touch, she felt so out of control. She tilted her pelvis up slightly, rocking herself, mimicking the thrusting of the sex act. Dante pinched her nipples. Fire ripped through her, her orgasm shooting through a multitude of nerve endings. She came long and hard, screaming out his name. Dante kneeled on the sofa between her legs and watched her beautiful face as she came. His dick was hard as a rock. He stood on the sofa, lifted one thigh onto the back edge of the sofa and inserted his other leg between her spread thighs. The crown of his cock

pressed against her delicate flesh. The purple mushroom shaped head looked huge against her, as if it wouldn't fit. But she was soaked, her slippery juice visible on the outer lips of her pussy. He pressed gently, breaching her body. She swallowed him whole, enveloping him with hot wetness. She moaned. “Like that?” he said. “Dante, more! Faster,” she demanded. “Fuck me harder, please!” He thrust in and out, moving faster, hoping against all hope he wouldn't lose control and come. His thrusts became frantic. Fervor took over as their lust grew. The walls of her vagina seized, clenching him tight within her grip. She screamed in the throes of her second climax and then silenced herself by nipping his chest. The thought of her small white teeth on his naked flesh made him jerk one last time and then explode into her, emptying his seed deep inside. His vibrations hit, violently jerking inside her. She gasped, her eyes widening. “Omigod, that's going to make me come—oh...” She inhaled deeply as her body clenched. “Again.” She breathed out on a sigh. He gave them a moment to recover. Ever so slowly, he pulled out and collapsed onto the sofa, pulling her on top of him. He caressed her back, letting their heartbeats calm. “Are you okay?” he asked. “God, yes. I'm perfect.” “I didn't hurt you?” “Never. It feels so good.” There was silence for a moment. Then she continued, “I want everyone to feel this good.” “I know. I don't know how I lived so long without you. At least Vesta and Bay are on

their way.” “Diamond and Cassio seem really close, too,” she said. “Yeah, they've always been best buds,” Dante agreed. “If Diamond's looking for a mate...” “Cassio wouldn't have him with a ten-foot pole.” Dante laughed. “She looks at him like a test object. Always has.” Kele sighed. “She looks at everyone like a test object.” “True,” he said. “I want everyone to be as happy as us,” she said. “And everyone should be having magnificent sex. With mushroom-shaped penises.” He laughed. “It'll happen. Let's just enjoy us.” * * * * * Dante ran a soft feather down Kele's arm the next morning. “Wake up, beautiful. We have a plan today.” “What is it?” she mumbled, head pressed into the pillow. “I'll fix you a quick breakfast while you shower. We have to head down to meet the team today. And figure out what Bay's decision is.” She sat up suddenly, the sheet falling away to bare her breasts. “Oh! I need to call Bay. I've been so wrapped up in you, I have to find out what's going on with her and Vesta.” Dante sighed. “No. You need to find out along with the rest of us whether or not she's going to stay. You can always have the girl sex-talk later.” He laughed. “Oh, okay,” Kele grumbled. “You'll have lots of time to visit with your best friend. Vesta and I will be working next week.”

“No more stopping off at home to take me to Center?” “We can still plan that. I'm sure Bay will want to meet Cassiopeia.” “If she stays.” “She will, sweet. Trust me.” He kissed the top of her head. “She's going to love Cassio. I can hardly wait!” Kele jumped into the shower, quickly blow-dried her hair, and scrunched it curly. A short time later, they headed over to the PTF office located at the Realm. “Good morning,” the receptionist said as they walked into the building. “Good morning, Jessie.” Dante's smooth voice rumbled. “Hi, Jessie!” “Good to see you again, Kele. I met your friend, Bay. She's a sweetheart.” “Isn't she?” “Is everyone on the team here then?” Dante asked. “Yes, and I brought donuts. They're all in the conference room.” “Thanks,” Dante called out, as he and Kele headed down the hall. Dante and Kele walked into the conference room still holding hands. Bay was standing next to Vesta, talking with Brandon. Jack and Jonas were snarfing donuts. Dante closed the door. “Everyone's met Bay?” “Yep,” Jack mumbled through donut. “This time she was awake and everything.” “So creepy to know I was out of it and had no idea what was going on,” Bay said. “No kidding,” Kele said dryly. “I wore a toe tag.” Brandon laughed. “You were completely safe. Kele, Dante kept you covered up. You were so protected, it was ridiculous. Same with you Bay. Dante assigned you to Vesta and he never took his eyes off you. Now had he assigned you to Jack over there”—all eyes

swiveled to Jack, who was riffling through the donuts again—“he probably would have just remembered he was supposed to bring you to today's meeting. He'd be racing back right now to get you.” Bay laughed. “I'm glad Vesta was picked.” She looked right into Vesta's eyes when she spoke. Dante pulled out a chair, and everyone followed his lead. “I made Bay the offer of accepting a position here at Realm. We'd take care of her as if she was in a sort of witness protection program. Since Kele was 'murdered,' it stands to reason that her best friend and roommate would be a target for more hate killings. Especially once we spread a rumor that they were both considered 'alien-lovers.' She'll have to change her name, but she'd be here with Kele. And I don't see why we couldn't set her up with additional clearance so she could visit Gateway.” Jonas nodded. “I wondered how you would get her onto Realm. That's quick thinking, using Kele's murder as an excuse for the witness protection.” “Kinda creepy talking about her murder when she's right here,” Jack said. “Looking at us.” Kele smiled, showing teeth. Jack pushed his mangled donut away. “And if she doesn't want to give up her outside life?” Brandon asked. “I already explained to her,” Dante said. “We'd have to erase her memory and file a missing person's report. Then we can have her show up at a hospital. They'll think it's stress over Kele's murder. With that route, of course, she'll think Kele's dead. But she can go on with the rest of her life.” “Tough decision,” Jonas muttered. “And unfortunately,” Dante said to Bay, “you're out of time. People will start looking

for you when you don't show up for work Monday.” “Not a problem,” Bay said. “I don't need any more time. I choose the job at Realm.” She and Kele broke into matching smiles. “Okay,” Dante said. “Then it's up to Jonas and me to figure out some ideas as to where to put you. Diamond, you can come up with a background story and new name for her. Jack, find her an apartment.” “Maybe we should have a human come up with her name?” Kele looked at Diamond. “No offense.” “None taken.” He grinned. Bay looked confused at the exchange. “If they name you, you'll end up as Summer San Diego,” Kele said. Everyone laughed. “She doesn't need an apartment,” Vesta said. “She'll be safer with me.” The laughter stopped abruptly. “Safer from what?” Jack muttered. “She won't have to mingle with the humans in Realm as much. She can work and come home to Gateway.” “Well, I think this is probably a conversation we should have privately,” Bay started. “Oh, no.” Jack grinned. “We all work things out as a team. All your private conversations can be discussed in this very room.” “Nice try, Jack.” Bay smiled. “Okay, living arrangements can be worked out later, after you two have a chance to discuss it,” Dante said. “In the meantime, Bay can work on her own name. Jonas and I will come up with a cover story about the witness protection. Jack will work on her job. Which isn't too much of a rush, since she's staying with Vesta right now. I'll assume she

won't starve.” * * * * * Kele didn't have a cell phone any longer. Even if she did, she was so used to speed dialing Bay, she wouldn't be able to remember her number if she tried. Dante had given her his number before he'd left for work, but she wouldn't disturb him unless she had to. She'd written it on a notepad on the fridge. She headed to the kitchen to find it. But there, on the slip of paper where she'd scrawled his phone number, was a message from Dante. Kele, I love you. Here is Vesta's number in case you want to call Bay. He loved her? She completely forgot she was going to try to not disturb him at work. He answered on the first ring. “You love me?” she asked. He was silent for the barest second. “Of course I do. I've been trying to explain that to you over and over. You're mine, sweetness. My mate. My life. My everything.” “But you haven't said it.” “I didn't? I'm sorry. I thought you knew. How could I not love you?” “How did I get so lucky, Dante? You're incredible. You're perfect. You're my every thought of every waking moment.” Her heart felt like it swelled. Giddiness hit her, like a bubble that wanted to burst with happiness. His voice was soft. “I feel the same.” She heard the guys in the background teasing him about only being away from her for an hour and needing to talk to her. She sighed. “I swore I wasn't going to bother you at work. But then I saw the note.” “You're never a bother.” “Dante?”

“Yes?” “I love you, baby.” “I love you back, Kele Paris.” The most lovely little thrills of new love panged through her belly. “I'll see you when you get home.” “Bye, my love.” They disconnected and she took a moment to just breathe. Then she dialed Vesta's house. “Hello?” Bay answered warily. “Hi!” “Oh my God, I was hoping it'd be you.” “I know. Dante left Vesta's number on the fridge.” “Vesta left me Dante's number,” Bay laughed. “But I'd forgotten to ask him if I'd be disturbing or not.” “This is all so new, isn't it? I'm glad we're going through it together.” “Totally! Tomorrow Vesta, Brandon, and Jonas are taking me to our apartment and packing it up. I'll pack up your stuff, too, of course. The apartment is letting me out of the lease because of your death. It feels so weird to say that!” “It's going to feel weirder when someone expresses their condolences and you don't act sad.” Kele laughed. “I know. I thought of that. I'm a horrible actress. I'm going to have to just poke myself in the eye and pretend I've been crying.” Kele laughed. “Do you want to get out of the house?” “Yes! But I don't know where you live.” “We can figure this out. Dante took me around some. Are you anywhere near a park

with a waterfall?” “Yes! I know where that is. It's like five minutes from here.” “We can meet there. If we get hungry, there's a little diner right across the street. It's fun. You only order the specials.” “How do you pay? I mean, I have my purse but I'm not sure if I should use a credit card here. It'll be traceable. I don't know if they want that or not.” “Oh, they just charge it to Dante. They know him. Everyone's very casual and trusting on Gateway. He doesn't have to sign or anything.” “That's so cool. Our lives have changed for the better! Let's meet in a half hour? There's so much more I want to tell you.” “Okay, I can be there in half an hour. It should take me about fifteen minutes to walk from here.” “I'm closer than that. But I still have to dress, I'm wearing Vesta's sweats and shirt while I wash my one outfit.” She laughed. They disconnected, and Kele left early, figuring she could just sit in the park and enjoy the day. She chose to sit opposite the diner, on the park bench facing the waterfall “Good morning, Kele.” The man who strode by reminded her of a tiger. He had reddish gold hair, and beautiful eyes in a light shade of orange. “Good morning,” she agreed. He sat with her on the bench. “My name is Cashel. I work as one of the security guards at Realm.” “Oh! Then you'll probably see me and my friend Bay around there. She's heading over here now. I'll introduce you.” Cashel nodded. “I know you met Amias.”

“I did. He's nice.” “Sometimes we cover shifts for each other. Other times I work in Realm itself.” “Which do you prefer?” “I actually prefer Gateway. The humans in Realm, well, they make me squeamish.” “Why?” “You're not the friendliest of lots.” “I know,” she said. “We're not as open as Stargazers, that's for sure. But we're not all like that. You just need to meet more people.” Footsteps sounded and they looked up as Bay headed over, waving as she approached. “Hi, Bay. This is Cashel.” Cashel stood, and held out his hand to Bay. “So pleased to meet you.” “Same to you, Cashel.” “Cashel patrols the fence between Gateway and Realm, so we'll probably see him whenever we cross.” “Oh, cool.” Bay said. “Vesta took me there yesterday.” “Other times I work in Realm itself, so I'll see you there if not at the fence.” “Well, if so, we'll have to call you for lunch. I won't know anybody at Realm, so I'll probably be eating by myself.” Cashel nodded. “I'll take you around, for sure. Well, ladies, I'll let you get on about your business. If either of you need my number, Dante or Vesta will be able to get it for you.” “Great! Thank you, Cashel,” Bay said. “Have a nice day,” Kele called out. When he'd left, Bay sat on the bench with Kele.

“How do you know him?” Bay asked. “Apparently he knows I'm staying with Vesta.” “I don't, and I caught that, too.” Kele laughed. “People are so friendly on Gateway, it's crazy. I wonder if we'll ever get used to it.” “I hope so. It's wonderful. Remember how we had to lock up every night and pull all the blinds tight? Not here.” “I do remember. Have you met Cassio?” “Yes! She's awesome. I hope we'll all be friends.” “Definitely,” Kele agreed. “She just works so much. They're looking for someone to help her out so she can have a couple days off.” “The technology here is crazy.” “Did Cassio take you down to Quarantine?” “Yes. And I had to ride the teleporter thing.” “I know! Did she ask you if you were pregnant? That freaked me out, but I didn't think to ask her why it mattered.” Kele didn't notice how quiet Bay had gotten. She kept babbling on until it dawned on her she was the only one talking. “Bay? What's wrong?” “Nothing's wrong, really. Something is...shockingly different.” “What's going on, honey?” “You know how excited I was to be with Vesta? How I thought he was so hot?” Kele nodded. “He's perfect for you.” “He's trapped, Kele. Forced into caring for me.” “No! Why would you think that?” “Dante ordered him to take care of me. I was supposed to get an apartment when I chose the job at Realm.”

“But he wanted you to live with him. He put himself out there. We all saw him jump to say you'd be safer living with him.” “Not because he wanted to, Kele. Because I'm pregnant with his child.” Shock slapped Kele numb for a second. “Huh? How could you be pregnant?” “Apparently I'm only a couple days along. When I met Cassio at the teleporter, she asked me if I was pregnant, and of course I said no. Then she scanned me and asked if I was sure. I caught the look on Vesta's face. He was so pale.” “They can catch a pregnancy that early?” “Yes.” “Bay, I don't want you to worry about it.” She smiled slightly. “That's exactly what Vesta said.” “How do you feel about Vesta?” “He's wonderful. Perfect. So laid back and easy going. I feel bad that I jumped him like that and then trapped him.” “Did he say he felt trapped?” “No, but he wouldn't ever say it. That's how perfect he is.” “Look at it this way, Bay. Stargazers are obviously more advanced than we are. Hell, they're around three or four hundred years old. Suppose Vesta knew you were ovulating? What if he decided to trap you?” “He would never. He's not like that.” “He's not going to volunteer for you to live with him when you have a perfectly good apartment paid for by Stargazers available. He wants you around.” “Maybe for the baby's sake.” “Maybe for your sake, silly. You stepped in and swept him off his feet. And now

you've given him a precious gift. Do you know how rare babies are for them? Their race was dying out. It may not be love yet, but he cares deeply for you.” “I want him to love me for me. Not because I'm his baby momma.” She dropped her head into her hands. “God, I feel so immature.” “He will. Just give him a chance. You've decided he's trapped, not him. In the meantime, I'm going to be an aunt!” Bay smiled. “Can we keep this quiet? I wouldn't ask you not to tell Dante, but I'd like Vesta to be able to talk about it on his own.” “Of course.”

Chapter Eight Kele pulled dinner out of the oven just as the front door opened. She raced into the living room before Dante even crossed the threshold. “Guess what?” Without waiting for him to answer, she continued. “Bay's pregnant.” To say Dante's jaw dropped was an understatement. “What?” “Yup.” She scooted him into the kitchen, where she'd set two place settings out at the bar for him and her. “Just a couple days along and she's not even close to the safe zone of twelve weeks, so of course it's a big secret.” “So that's why Vesta insisted on her staying with him.” “I think so. But Bay thinks she's trapped him. That he'll resent her one day.” Kele poured him a glass of wine and then dished up his dinner. Dante snorted. “I doubt that. Has she talked to him?” “Nope. Hopefully they'll get it all worked out tonight.” “Vesta's not trapped.” “I guess with humans, we're just not used to moving this fast. Things don't usually work out when you jump in with two feet.” “But it's not humans you're mating with. We're Stargazers. We already know we mate for life. We're ready to settle and start families.” “It's a whole different way of life for us,” Kele agreed. “How do you feel about Bay being pregnant?” “I'm excited for her. But a little sad, too. We'd always talked about having children one day, even planning to get pregnant around the same time. I definitely didn't think the day would be so soon.” “You know, the good thing about our technology is finding out when you're two days

pregnant, as opposed to a month or two. You can still catch up to your friend.” Kele stilled, her fork up to her mouth. “You'd like a child already?” “I won't deny I'd love a tiny baby girl with your eyes and your hair color.” “But we've only been together a few days.” “We were just talking about this. Stargazers know what they want. Humans seem to think there are mandated waiting periods. But this is your chance to have your child and your best friend's child grow up together, much like you've always planned. Life is short. Grab it.” “It's amazing to think we can plan it so closely.” Wheels began to turn in her head. They continued to eat quietly. “What are you thinking about, beautiful?” “How lucky I am to have found you in the diner that day. My boss, Don, thought he was punishing me by forcing me to work Thursdays because those rowdy truckers come in on Thursdays. Instead, you chose that day to come by.” “It's fate, sweetness. You were meant for me, and I was meant to find you.” “You've lived so much longer than I have. Your experience outweighs mine.” “It really was a different life,” he said. “I hunted alien species. When I found them, I studied them. What their capabilities were, how they harmed others. Then I called other officials if needed. Like Diamond—The Enforcer. Or The Guardian. Or The Defender. Whoever was available to assist at that time.” “So you all worked together? As a team?” “More or less. And that was why we were given the first chance at coming here.” “So who is defending the other planets now?” “Oh, there are lots more where we came from. You see, each family will have a lineage. And each lineage will have one person who is trained for that task. I was chosen

to train as The Hunter, my family's lineage. Sometimes that lineage dies out. Sometimes it's picked up again later in future generations. Or at least it was when our race was flourishing.” Dante put his fork down. “What did you decide about starting a family?” he asked. “I'm okay with whatever you want. I just want you to be happy.” She stood. “I am happy. Let me show you. Follow me and we'll see if it takes.” His beautiful mate looked sultry as she walked toward the bedroom, slowly unbuttoning her blouse. When she got to the bedroom, she flung it away and unsnapped her bra, letting the straps slide down her arms. She looked over her shoulder at him. The outline of her full breast showed, her nipple poking out stiffly. His cock grew so hard, he thought he'd burst. She turned in the doorway, bending at the waist to shimmy out of her skirt. She slowly pushed her underwear down one long leg and then the other. Keeping her eyes locked to his, she lifted her leg to deliberately flash him as she stepped out of the panties. He couldn't help it. He dropped eye contact to focus on her pussy. “You're such a man,” she teased softly. He growled, stepping forward. She held him back with a hand. “Take off your clothes, my love. I'm soaked. Otherwise, I'll rub up against you and get the fabric of your pants all slick.” “Didn't bother me last time,” he muttered. But he complied. He whipped his shirt over his head, standing bare like a male model. He pushed his pants down. His erection was relieved to break free.

He came at her full force. Her soft warm body cradled his raging cock as he maneuvered her onto the bed. She grasped his erection, but could hardly wrap her hand around the thickness of his sensitive head. She brushed her thumb over the tiny hole, rubbing a drop of wetness into him. He covered her body with his. Now that she'd agreed to have his baby, to grow life within her small frame, he had an urgent need to dominate her. To possess her fully. His swollen dick pressed against the softness of her belly and he guided it lower, into the soft strip of hair. He wanted to groan, it felt so amazing, so warm and soft. He slid it lower so it brushed against her hard little clit. Kele moaned. “That feels so good.” With his hand, he guided his cock up and down her slit, gathering her wet slickness and smearing it between the both of them. “Don't stop,” she said. “Please.” “I couldn't if I tried. You turn me on so much, I'm afraid I'm going to lose it and be too rough.” “You couldn't be,” she said, and wrapped her legs around his hips. It opened her pussy to him, and like a magnet, his cock pushed his way inside. He entered her the barest inch and paused. “This moment,” she gasped. “I love this moment right here. The feeling when you first enter me.” “I'm going to fuck you til you scream my name.” He plunged into her. She cried out with pleasure. “You're so swollen inside,” he muttered. “You cradle my dick.” “Dante, please fuck me.”

He pulled out of her moist pussy and plunged back in. She tossed her head back, closing her eyes. She was so beautiful, her softly curling hair spread all over the bed, her breasts bouncing with his thrusts. “Harder,” she begged. “I want to come so bad.” He fucked her harder, in and out without pause. She was so tight and swollen around him, her sheath clenching his dick as she came closer to climax. For a moment he froze. He thought he'd fight his impending orgasm, but then gave up, and began fucking her in short, violent thrusts. His orgasm spiraled out of control, and he shouted her name as his hot semen shot out. His dick vibrated deliciously within her. Kele bore down on his dick as she screamed. “Ohmigod, baby, that's it!” Her tight pussy milked his cock further. He loved watching her come. He smoothed her hair back as she calmed. “Come here.” He settled her head onto his chest, where she fit perfectly wrapped in his arm. They lay in companionable silence for a minute. “Tomorrow I have to work in the morning. But I'll be done by three,” Dante murmured. “I'll take you out. We'll have a date, just you and me.” “That sounds wonderful,” Kele said, snuggling into him. “I can hardly wait.” She yawned as a wave of exhaustion hit her. “How long before we can find out if I'm pregnant?” He laughed, stroking her hair. “I'll take you to Cassio whenever you want for a scan. We can do it tomorrow after our date. She'll even tell you when you ovulate. We developed all the technology when our species was dying out. Though Vesta could tell you, too. You know how I can hear things from across the room? Vesta can sense things.”

“He can?” she murmured. “That's handy.” He continued to rub her back until she fell asleep. * * * * * She must have been exhausted the next morning, because she never felt him leave. There was a note on the pillow. Last night was incredible! I can hardly wait to hold you in my arms again. I love you so much. Dante. She read and re-read the note, squirmy little tendrils of new love tingling in her belly. When the house phone rang, Kele expected it to be Bay. She wanted to tell her of their plan to get pregnant, too. It could even be close. They'd lived together so long, they were probably on the same cycle. She answered the phone eagerly. “Good morning, Kele. I wondered if you'd like to do lunch,” Loretta purred. Disappointment hit Kele full force. How the hell did Loretta purr no matter who she talked to? Kele rolled her eyes, picking up the habit from Cassio. Immediately, she felt bad. She should be nice. The woman obviously had a crush on Dante that had been nipped in the bud, because he was giving her every bit of his love. She should at least make an effort to have lunch with Loretta once, if only to make her presence as Dante's mate feel real. Loretta would then understand she was Dante's and she wasn't going anywhere. It would shred the last bit of lingering crush she had on him. “Sure,” Kele said hesitantly. “What time?” “How does one o'clock sound? The lunch crowd will be done. There won't be so many lines.” “Sounds great.” “Are you walking over?” For a moment Kele wondered why she would even ask that.

“I imagine so,” she said. “Dante and I walked the last time.” “Awesome! I'm looking forward to us being friends,” Loretta said. Kele felt a pang of regret. Loretta was obviously trying to nice, and by allowing her suspicions to rise, Kele wasn't even giving her a chance. She rose to shower, wondering if she'd walk over to the gate and ask to borrow Amias's vehicle again. Or if she'd just call Dante and ask him what was best. She hated to do that, though. It seemed like he had a lot going on at work. She'd have to ask him if he was normally this busy, or if she was reading too much into it. After her shower, she peeked into the garage to find Dante had left her the car. He must have been picked up by someone else on the team. She wouldn't have to walk or disturb him after all. Bingo, all that planning for nothing. She drove to the same spot where Dante had taken her to meet Amias. Amias cleared a spot in the fence and waved her through. She waved back and drove over to the PTF office, parking in the lot outside. Maybe after lunch she could swing in and kiss Dante before she drove home. She walked across the street to the visitor center. This time, the receptionist wasn't in. However, Loretta was at the front desk. “Kele,” Loretta said warmly. “Thank you for coming. Come on up and see my office. I didn't get to show you last time.” She began to quickly lead Kele down the hallway. “Where is everyone?” Kele asked. The place looked deserted. Loretta shrugged. “Apparently they're all taking a bit of a longer lunch period. No worries, we're pretty lax here. You don't even need to sign in. We're heading right out as soon as I show you my office.” She shooed Kele into her office, closing the door behind them.

A man, standing casually at the window, turned toward Kele. “Oh, this is Jessiah,” Loretta said. “I hope you don't mind if he comes with?” “How do you do?” To Loretta, she said, “Of course not.” Inwardly, she fumed. A Stargazer would never do that. It was so rude to invite someone else without asking her first. And to ask her in front of him. What was she supposed to say? In fact, why was she even along? If Loretta wanted a date with her male friend, they should have gone alone and left her out of it. “Jessiah brought me a little something,” Loretta gushed. “Look!” She held open a pink gift bag so Kele could see what was inside. A small bottle of perfume. “It's fabulous! Smell it,” Loretta said. Kele was sure this was going to be a long afternoon. She reached into the bag and grabbed the bottle. She uncapped it, and took a whiff. Loretta's eyes narrowed. Dots swam before her eyes. “What the hell?” Kele muttered. Loretta and Jessiah both watched her curiously, and then Loretta reached out and plucked the bottle from her hands. Kele took a step forward, stumbled, and everything went still. She crashed frozen on the floor. Her eyes had closed, but she could hear. She could think. But she couldn't move. She seemed to be in a state of paralysis. “Well, that worked fast,” Loretta said. “Amazing stuff,” Jessiah agreed. “Now what?” “Now, you're going to stuff her in that box. We'll put the box on a dolly, you put your uniform back on and we'll wheel her out to my car. She didn't sign in, so no one will be the wiser. If she told Dante she was meeting me for lunch, I'll say she never showed.”

Kele could hear footsteps outside. “Just in time,” Loretta said. “People are starting to come back from lunch.” Kele heard a scraping noise, and then she was lifted in the air. “Well, you're pretty strong,” Loretta said. “I work out,” Jessiah said. He dropped Kele into the box without regard for her body landing on the hard floor beneath the cardboard box. She would have screamed out in pain if she could have moved her mouth. Or her vocal cords. Instead, she had to live with the pain as it pierced through her. She would have panted shallowly through it, but she couldn't even control her breathing. Jessiah placed the lid on the box. Kele was aware of movement as Jessiah and Loretta pushed the dolly. It made her feel slightly dizzy and disoriented in the dark box. When they opened the door to enter the hallway, she heard a woman's voice. “Hi, Loretta. We missed you at lunch. Thanks for covering the front desk for me so I could go.” “No problem, Lise. I was having the repairman help me with a broken chair anyway. Otherwise I wouldn't have been here on my day off.” “Well, I appreciate it!” There was more movement, a slight bump, and then different noises. Outside sounds. Kele heard the click of a car door, and a sliding sound as it opened. The entire box, with her in it, was picked up and moved. The box tipped over on its side. The lid flew off and Kele came rolling out. “Shit,” she heard Loretta mutter. “Close the door before someone sees her.” Kele rolled, she couldn't help it. She had no control over her movements. She banged her forehead against something hard, and everything went black.

Chapter Nine When Kele woke up, she was shivering. Her muscles ached from being held tense against the cold. She was on cold metal, the innards of a gutted out minivan. It was dark out, and she couldn't move. Wait a minute. She could move. Her eyelids were functioning. She tested her jaw. It moved. Her shoulder twitched. She tried to look around. Ties bound her ankles. That was what was wrong. She had been tied up. “She stinks like an alien,” a man muttered. “Shut the fuck up,” a woman snapped. Loretta. It was Loretta and Jessiah. Slowly Kele's fuzzy memories came back. “You're an alien lover, too.” “I was working there for over a year,” Loretta said. “Do you know what I went through to get enough clearance just to work at Realm? And this little slut walks in and takes all I've worked for? Not going to happen. We'll get rid of her, and I'll be there to comfort Dante. It's dark now. The only thing left to figure out now is do we kill her and claim she ran? Or kill her and just leave her body missing? Or let them find her stupid body so he can move on quicker by seeing she's gone?” “It seems safest to just kill her and get rid of the body. Never point them to it. But— ” “But what?” “There's something about her. Don't you call me crazy.” He warned. “But I ate at this truck diner in Oklahoma. Some waitress was killed. The body went missing from the morgue. It was all over the news. I know I only saw this girl once, but now, while she's unconscious, I swear she could be her twin. They showed the picture of the dead

girl, you know?” Loretta Davidson was quiet for a minute. “They're aliens. Who knows what they could do? What was the waitress's name?” “It was a weird name. Kelly but spelled weird.” Loretta's eyes sharpened. “Spelled K-e-l-e?” “Yeah! That was it.” “Well, well, well. Guess who showed up out of the blue, stealing my alien, with a weird spelled name? Gimme your phone. Let me Google those news reports.” “Don't you watch the news?” “I spend most of my day working at Realm. They don't let us bring in personal electronic devices, like our phones.” Kele wanted to groan, but she didn't want them to know she was listening. They'd tied it together. While Loretta may not have her last name, her picture would obviously be on the news report about the murder and the stealing of her body from the morgue. There was no way to deny her resurrection now. “Well?” the man asked. “What'd you find out?” “I'll be damned,” Loretta said. “It's really her. She was dead, her body went missing from the morgue, and then she turned up in the realm at Gateway as Dante's mate. Those aliens can bring people back from the dead.” Her voice sounded worried. “How can we even kill her if they can resurrect her? She'll rat us out.” “You are damned,” the man with her agreed. “And I'm tired of playing the stupid one, human.” Kele heard a gurgling sound and looked up from the back of the van. A pointed tentacle thing was leaving Loretta's throat and vanishing back into the man next to her. Loretta never even had time to scream.

* * * * * “Where is she?” Dante growled. “No one has seen her leave Gateway,” Vesta said. “Your car was located at the central parking lot of Realm, right behind the PTF office. She didn't sign in anywhere. Amias saw her come through the gates between twelve-thirty and one.” “She is not within our grounds. I would feel it if she were,” Dante insisted. “So are you saying someone sneaked her out? An inside job?” Jonas asked. “It has to be.” “So that means one of the humans,” Diamond said. “Wait,” Jack said, for once serious. “So do you mean from the Realm? A human that works for us?” “It's definitely not a Stargazer inside Gateway,” Diamond said. “Our kind would never betray one of their own. Especially Dante and his mate.” “Who has she had contact with?” Jonas asked. “No one,” Dante growled. “That's what's so frustrating. Everyone loves Kele, but she's spent all of her time with me. With us.” “Then which humans aren't present in the Realm today?” Jack asked. All five heads turned toward him. “What?” Jonas asked. “There should be a report of all humans not scheduled at Realm. You can bet it's one of them,” Jack said. Diamond spoke. “That's the smartest thing you've ever said. I can't believe we didn't think of it.” Jack nodded. “It has to be someone who shouldn't be at work today. They didn't need to sign in, so they'd have a plausible excuse. Yet they did. It could be something as

simple as stopping by to retrieve something they'd left in their desk on their day off.” Jonas was already on the phone, barking orders. “Send me a list of every human employee in the Realm who is not scheduled at work today. Immediately! I don't care if they're sick, on vacation or a day off. If they're employed by us and not in the Realm, send me their name. Now, cross-reference a separate list of everyone who signed into the front gate to enter Realm.” His phone dinged loudly when the lists came through. “Okay, Dante. Just look at this list and see if any names are particularly familiar.” Dante scrolled quickly through the list of names. “Are you kidding? What will this prove?” “Everyone has to sign the register to come through the gates. It proves that someone isn't at work today, but had to come in for some odd reason. They signed the register to come into the gates, but were not supposed to. It narrows our list to people who may be innocent, but had at least one suspicious activity.” “Loretta Davidson,” Dante snapped. “She'd met Kele. Talked Kele into going to the visitor center. Kele was concerned that she was interested in me later.” “She is,” Vesta agreed. “Kele had every reason to think that. Loretta seems obsessed with you whenever you walk into a room.” “That's it,” Jonas said. “Let me get her address, a list of all her relatives and their addresses. Team, get ready. We're heading to the outside.” The nondescript SUV pulled up to Loretta's home address. They sneaked into the back alley and quickly picked the lock in the back door. Silent as the night, they entered one by one. Each team member worked stealthily, heading from room to room. “The house is cleared,” Jonas squawked through the earpiece. “She's not here. Jack,

take the car farther away so she's not forewarned when she does get home. We'll decide who waits here for her. And which team members will go where next.” Jack slipped quietly out of the house. “The rest of us will find a hiding place to wait out Loretta,” Dante said. “I'll take the pantry,” called out Jonas. “I've got the mudroom off the garage,” said Vesta. “Front closet,” Diamond said. “There are no traces of Kele,” Dante said. “If Loretta has her, she hasn't brought her into her home.” “Yet,” Diamond called out from where he peered between the living room curtains. “Here comes a minivan. Loretta drives one.” Back into military mode, the men slipped into their previously arranged hiding places. * * * * * “I know you're awake,” Jessiah's voice reverberated through the van. “I heard your breathing quicken. And the drug should be wearing off anyway.” “What do you want with me?” Kele said. “It's not what I want with you,” he said, looking over his shoulder casually. And why shouldn't he be casual, when she was trussed up like a turkey? “It's what I want with The Hunter. You're just bait, little one.” There was a godawful clicking noise coming from somewhere in the front seat where he sat. But from where she lay, she couldn't figure out what it was. The van took a sharp turn. Loretta's body fell between the van seats and rolled around on the floor, stopping when the van straightened. The body rolled dangerously close to her, Loretta's face stopping inches from hers. Her eyes were open and they

stared straight through her. Her mouth hung open, too. Kele could see her thickened tongue. Blood was smeared all over the back of the van, wetting Loretta's hair into a thickened mat. Bile burned in the back of her throat, and Kele thought she'd be sick. “I'm sure Loretta won't mind if we borrow her house,” the man in the driver's seat said. “Do you, Loretta?” He waited a moment, as if Loretta was about to speak. “I didn't think so.” The crazy man began to whistle. “So, Kele. We can contact Dante and have him come get you.” Jessiah laughed, a deep guttural sound she'd never heard. Apparently he no longer cared about appearing human. “He'll think it's poor Loretta. A helpless female. He won't even come armed. He's lost his skills since coming to this godforsaken planet. Once I kill the bastard, you'll be my consolation prize. You'll replace the mate I lost. But I'll make sure Dante watches me take you before he dies. That will be a sufficient revenge against the bastard.” “Where's your mate?” she whispered. “Ask Dante where she is.” Kele knew enough to stay quiet. Loretta had a garage door opener in her car, which he used. When the garage door rose, he pulled the van into the garage. He turned off the engine, and waited until the garage door lowered before stepping out of the van. Coming around to the passenger side, he opened the sliding side door. He grabbed a handful of Loretta's hair and hoisted the body out, dumping Loretta onto the garage floor. Then he reached down and grabbed Kele, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The door leading into the house was unlocked. He made his way into the house and hurled her onto a loveseat in the living room. Kele shrieked when her rib cracked on the armrest.

The man grinned. “You'd better get used to pain. You're going to have a life of it when I kill The Hunter and take you for my own. You'll breed me an army of sons before I use your body to feed them. Now, call him.” He picked up a cordless phone from a desk and threw it at her. It hit her in the face, smacking loudly against her cheekbone. Pain radiated across her face, and her eyes stung as they watered. Plus her ear was ringing, her cheekbone throbbed, and she could almost see it swelling into her line of vision. But she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of crying. Kele stared at him. “You have my hands bound.” The man sighed. He walked around to the loveseat, grabbed the phone, and punched a dial tone. Kele rattled off the number. He entered it, and clicked the phone onto speaker. He laid the phone next to her while they both listened to it ring. “Tell him Loretta has you and she wants to give you back. She's scared and helpless. She discovered you can't die. He'll come unarmed.” Dante's voicemail picked up. Kele waited for the beep and repeated the instructions. “Dante, I—I'm at Loretta's. She kidnapped me but got scared when she realized I can't die. She wants to give me back. She's very sorry. Please come get me.” Kele looked up at the man, who reached out to end the call. “I love you,” she whispered, before he pressed the button. “Touching,” he sneered. “I never got to tell my wife that before the bastard took her life. Did you know your mate is a murderer?” “I know my mate hunts alien life forms who bully the peaceful beings,” she said. “Bully? Pfft, it's a dog-eat-dog world. He had no business sticking his nose in.” Kele refrained from pointing out the logic of that sentence would mean Dante

couldn't be a murderer if it was a dog-eat-dog world. Apparently the truth would be twisted to suit whatever he wanted anyway. “Now what?” she asked. “We wait for him to show or for her phone to ring. In the meantime, I have Loretta's cell phone.” He punched a few buttons, like he was sending a text. “What are you doing?” “More like what I did. I just sent a message to her government notifying them of your resurrection. So either way, you and The Hunter are screwed. Even if he somehow manages to not get himself killed, he won't be able to live peacefully here with the paranoia that ensues.” “How do you think you can get away?” Kele said. The alien laughed again, the deep guttural laugh that sent chills down her spine. “I have a body in the garage. I'll skin her and wear her out of here. They'll never know.” A long, sharp blade protruded from his inner elbow. It must have been the piece he'd killed Loretta with. But instead of heading to the garage, he walked over to the front window and peered out the drapes. “I should have grabbed her body from the garage,” he muttered. “Oh, well. I'll wear her cold.” Kele fought the bile that had risen in her throat. * * * * * Dante was in full hunter mode. Yet this time, emotions were involved. He wanted to jump out and rip Jessiah to pieces. He'd almost lost it when Jessiah threw Kele onto the loveseat and she shrieked in pain. It took Jonas's hand on his shoulder to keep him quiet. Jonas had already been in the kitchen when Dante eased from the pantry and stood with him.

He could hear the despair in Kele's voice when she'd reached his voicemail instead of connecting directly. He knew what she felt. She didn't think she was going to get out of this alive and had wanted to talk to him one last time. He curled his fists. He could take Jessiah. He had a team of five with him, plus Jack was incognito outside. They had Jessiah surrounded. But he wanted to move very carefully to avoid any more harm to Kele. Right now, from the living room closet, Diamond was in position to reach her. But Dante couldn't contact him without Jessiah overhearing. He couldn't sneak in without Jessiah rushing to Kele and snapping her neck like Dante had snapped Jessiah's wife's, so many years ago. His fists were still clenched with helpless frustration. Jonas tapped his shoulder. He gave him the hand signal for “rush.” It was their best option. They'd rush Jessiah, and he'd have to turn around, which would waste precious seconds. They'd split up as soon as they cleared the kitchen doorway and then Diamond would rush also, since he'd have heard the noise. Hopefully, since he was closest to Kele, he'd protect her in the split second it took for Jessiah to decide who to reach. It was risky, but an option. And further, it needed no communication other than the hand signal for rush. Everyone on the team understood that when a rush plan was maneuvered, you split up to opposite ends. Jonas held out one finger. One. He held out two fingers. Two. Three fingers.

Go! They burst into the living room in what felt like slow motion. Dante bounded left, and Jonas to the right. Jessiah turned abruptly. A couple of different expressions rolled across his face when he realized they'd been in the house the entire time. He charged toward Kele. A split second later, Diamond burst from the front closet and picked her up. Dante reached Jessiah and hit him square in the face. In a blur, Dante let loose a series of punches. Jonas went to reach for Jessiah when a blade burst from the alien's inner arm. Jessiah swung outward. Jonas jumped back from the blade just as Dante kicked it, snapping it in half. Jessiah collapsed, not breathing. “What the hell?” Jonas said, panting. “Little trick I learned with that species. They die when they lose a blade,” Dante said. “Damn convenient.” Diamond laid Kele back on the sofa and carefully began to untie her. She moaned softly. “Her rib is broken,” Diamond said. “Looks like her cheekbone may be also. There's a knot on her forehead. That's not good.” Dante rushed to her, sweeping the bloodied bangs carefully from her brow. “You were here? The whole time?” she asked. “Shh,” he said, kissing her gently. “Yes, we were here.” “Loretta only got scared because she found out I'm the missing human,” Kele said. “She figured she couldn't kill me because I was already brought back to life once.” “Not true,” Dante said. “You can die just like anyone. It's to our advantage that she

didn't know that and panicked instead.” “He must've thought the same,” she said, averting her eyes from the dead body on the floor. It was beginning to smoke, small tendrils of visible gasses rising. “He killed her right in the van. He knew who I was and that I was mated to you. To the Hunter, he said. Loretta didn't know he was an alien.” Dante nodded. “I destroyed his wife a long time ago. If you thought he was evil, he was nothing compared to her. He fled. I had no idea he was half Caycerrian and half Stargazer. He wasn't raised on our planet. I hadn't seen him for a very long time. I'm surprised he was able to make his way to Earth.” “What's happening to him?” Kele asked. The body was still steaming, with portions dropping off. Dante didn't bother to turn around. “He wasn't properly acclimated to Earth. His body is turning to ash.” “Did he know he wasn't acclimated?” she asked. She had stopped babbling, now she was just curious. But her voice sounded curiously monotonous. Her breathing was shallow. “He did. He just didn't plan on dying. Kele, are you feeling pain? Or are you numb?” “I'm kind of numb if I don't move.” “Take her to Cassio to get checked out,” Jonas urged. “We'll finish up here. I'll do the reports.” Dante nodded. “Kele, let me feel your rib,” he said. She cringed and cried out when his fingers probed gently. He looked up at Vesta. Vesta nodded, and then raised his hands to hover around her head. Kele immediately slept. Very gently, Dante picked her up. Diamond tapped his earpiece. “Cassio. Take them.”

Chapter Ten Dante materialized in Center, cradling Kele in his arms. “Bring her over here,” Cassio instructed, leading him to a pod. “Did he poison her at all?” “No,” Dante said. “He was interested in breeding her.” “Well, thank heavens for small blessings,” she muttered. Carefully she cut away Kele's clothing. Then she slowly ran a hand scanner down Kele's body. “Broken rib. Broken cheekbone. Concussion. Remnants of a human drug in her system, enhanced by another drug—I'm assuming to make it quicker-acting. The second drug is not anything from this planet. And—oh.” “What?!” “Must be something in the water,” Cassio muttered. “She's about twenty-four hours pregnant. Congratulations, Daddy.” Dante took a deep breath. “Will the pregnancy be viable with her injuries?” Cassio nodded. “I don't see why not. If not, she'll never notice the miscarriage at this point. I'll leave it up to you if you decide to tell her.” “What are the chances?” “The pregnancy is so early, it should be fine, Dante. Don't worry. Let me repair her cheek and rib. The concussion. The bruises and soreness, plus the drugs, will need to work their way out of her body on their own.” Dante nodded. “Do what you can.” * * * * * Kele slept through the night. When she awoke the next day, she was sore as hell. But at least well rested. “I had Cassiopeia look you over while you slept,” Dante said.

“Slept?” He shrugged. “A forced sleep, induced by Vesta. You needed rest, my love.” “I've had plenty of that. They drugged me, remember? But good lord, I'm so sore.” “Cassio left these pain pills. Only take hers. They're safe.” Kele raised her eyebrows at the word safe. “Apparently, our hard efforts paid off,” Dante said. “We're pregnant.” “What? How far along?” “Only a day. We can still lose it from the trauma, but Cassio doesn't think so.” “I'm not taking the pain pills.” “These are fine. They won't cause any issues to our baby. There's no need for you to suffer, sweetness.” Kele felt her belly. “I can't believe it. There's someone inside here.” “Thank you,” Dante said simply. He rested his head on her belly. Kele reached out to stroke his hair. “Thank you for rescuing me,” she said softly. He raised his head. “You'll need to eat before those pills. I'll fix you some scrambled eggs.” Before he could, there was pounding at the front door. Warily, he looked at Kele. “Stay here,” he instructed. She struggled to sit up as soon as he left the room. It was harder than she thought it would be. She had bandaging around her ribs, which held her immobile. Yet she wanted to scoot close enough down the bed to see out the door and down the hallway. Jonas stood at the front door. The rest of the team stood behind him. “Dante, you need to come with us,” Jonas said. “Why?”

Jonas sighed. “The President has ordered it. Everyone is concerned with Kele's death and resurrection. You'll need to keep away from her until she can be interviewed about the circumstances.” “I am not leaving her unprotected,” Dante growled. “Not after this.” “Dante, it's us. We'll take care of her. I promise. I know this is shitty, but this has to be done between our people. Look, you choose which one of us you want to escort you into custody. And the rest of us will stay and look after Kele like one of our own. I promise no harm will come to her.” “Dante!” Kele yelled from the bedroom, panic etched into her voice. Jonas lowered his voice to a whisper. “She needs to heal anyway. Don't make this harder on her. Please come peacefully.” “Explain it to her,” Dante said under his breath. “I can't leave her if I see her lying helpless in that bed. Jack, take me in. The rest of you, I'm counting on you.” “Dante!” she screamed again from the bedroom. “Tell her I love her,” he said. He turned and left with Jack. One-by-one, the men piled into the room. Kele lay in the middle of the king-sized bed, face pale. “Where is he?” she said. Her eyes were huge. “He's fine,” Diamond said. “But he had to go visit the humans. It was unavoidable. We got this, Kele. Don't worry.” “You guys need to go with him.” “We cannot,” Diamond admitted. “He made us promise to protect you.” “He made us promise more than that,” Brandon said. “We have to care for you, too.” “You don't look like nurses,” Kele whispered. Jonas squinted. “No. But Brandon cooks. I can hand out your medicine. Vesta can

guard the perimeter. And Diamond”—all eyes cut to the large warrior—“Diamond can spy.” Diamond looked faintly surprised. “What do you mean?” “Cut the crap,” Jonas said. “Everyone in this room knows you have technology down at Center that humans aren't completely aware of. Get to it. Dante needs us.” “Dante made us promise to watch his mate,” Diamond said. “And Kele, along with us, can't rest without knowing what's going on. Dante thinks we're all here. The government thinks we're all here. The only people who will know any different is you and Cassio. We all know she won't tell a soul.” “It's a good plan,” Kele said. “Where's Bay?” Vesta answered. “She's being held by government officials. She's safe. They're just rerouting her identity, making it legal for her to live here.” “Diamond, please get to it,” Kele said. Diamond nodded once. “I'll call Cassiopeia.” He opened his cell and pressed a button to dial. Then he immediately placed it on speakerphone. She picked up immediately. “Diamond? Why are you calling my secure line?” “Hey, baby girl,” he said softly. “I need a complete wash.” There was silence for a long time. His phone clicked off. He placed it back in his pocket. And then Diamond's form shimmered briefly, before disappearing completely. Diamond manifested before Cassiopeia. She'd flung off her glasses, leaving them on the desk. “What's going on?” she snapped, barely waiting for him to fully form. “You used the wash protocol.” “Short version? They've jailed Dante. The team wants me to spy on the human government for the upper edge. Kele is worried too, and Dante made us promise to care

for her.” Cassio flinched. “Poor girl. Wish someone would have thought to bring her here. Let me have your phone.” He pulled it from his pocket, and she scanned it under a small flashlight. “All traces of your phone call to me have been deleted,” she murmured. “There's one of the communicators from your planet in the invisible safe. Go retrieve that while I access the files on washing you.” Diamond was aware of where the safe was kept. He and Dante had implemented the safety protocols. He retrieved the small button and placed it into his ear. “Got it,” Cassio called out. “I've entered the codes. Step into the teleporter and I'll send you to the Courthouse. The teleporter will temporarily rearrange your fingerprints to have the top security for the courthouse and the jail, without detection, since normally a record is kept of who logs in. Use the communicator if you need to contact me.” “Thank you.” Her face softened. “No problem. Take care of Dante.” Diamond stepped into the teleporter. A purple light flashed and he stepped back out. “I forget how amazing that technology is.” Cassio spoke without making eye contact. She couldn't really. She no longer knew where he was. He was completely invisible. Diamond leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Send me to court.” He stepped back into the beam while Cassio turned and hit a series of buttons. The world flashed around him, and all objects around him faded and interlay with new images from the courthouse. He took a step and the old objects from Center disappeared as the courthouse images hardened into reality. It was an odd feeling, because Diamond knew the objects didn't disappear and reappear. He did.

He hopped one of the rotating metal bars that was set up to count guests who came into the courthouse. No one noticed as he stepped into the elevator with another person riding down. When the elevator doors opened unnecessarily, the man looked confused, not able to see anyone stepping off. Diamond made his way to the jail. He pressed his fingerprints onto the door chamber and slipped inside undetected. The two guards inside were talking. “He's secure?” the older one asked. “Yes.” “You searched him?” “Of course.” “They're aliens,” the older one said. “We can't completely trust them. Who knows what advanced technology they can hide.” “I know. I was in the training class, too. How long's he in for?” “'Til that judge decides.” The older officer shrugged. “I'm glad she's one of us. She arrived today.” Diamond slipped away. He'd gotten the info he needed. But he couldn't resist taking a peek at his friend. He headed through the hallways, looking into the various cells until he saw Dante. Dante sat on a bed, looking bored out of his mind. Diamond wished he could send him a signal, but he knew better. He turned and headed back out of the jail. This time he rode the elevator up to the courthouse. Court was no longer in session, so he headed straight to the judge's private chambers. His fingerprint allowed him to slip inside. The sound of a shower running, along with a feminine voice humming came from the back of the apartment. He searched around on

the desk. Flowery handwriting scrolled prettily across several pieces of paper. The writing was clear. Stockholm syndrome? Is she bullied/intimidated? How does he treat her? What does she know about her death? Can she be trusted? If so, he can be released into home arrest until trial. If not, separate them. Plan of action: Interview Ms. Frey. Main priority: find out about the resurrection. Dangers...can it be attempted on others? Also, can Frey's resurrection be covered up? That's what the humans were worried about. They didn't want her death exposed. That was easy enough. Loretta had been killed by Jessiah. And Jessiah had been killed by Dante. No one else would know. He touched his communicator and whispered Jonas. The call clicked immediately. Jonas picked up his cell phone. “What did you find out?” Diamond relayed the notes he'd just read. “I understand,” Jonas said. “Get back as soon as you can.” “No problem. I'm undetectable. I'll get back there and have Cassio undo it once I'm inside. Don't be surprised. Don't shoot first and ask questions later. You sure I got everything you need?” Jonas paused while he thought. “What's the judge's name? We'll run a check over her background.” “I'll find out.” Diamond clicked off the communicator just as the water stopped. He heard a soft humming of a female voice now. The shower door opened and closed. Quickly he looked over the desk again, but didn't see the judge's name anywhere on the notes. Softly, he opened a drawer to look for a pre-printed pad of paper with a name on it.

Nothing. No checkbook. No purse sprawled anywhere in the room. A female stepped out of the bathroom. She sang softly under her breath. But Diamond didn't even listen to the singing. He stared at the soft female form. A pink towel was wrapped around her, tucked underneath her arms. It ended at her upper thighs, exposing long, lean legs. Her hair was loose, long and black, and flowed down her back. Her phone rang. Quickly, Diamond clicked on his communicator at the same time she hurried to her desk and answered the phone. Her conversation picked up as easily as if he'd called her himself. “Judge Ruge.” “Felicia, this is Damien.” Bingo. He'd gotten her name. The judge's demeanor changed. She hardened, became a professional, different from the soft singing woman she had been a few moments before. “Sir.” “Are arrangements in place for our arrival?” “Of course.” “What time is the hearing scheduled?” “I haven't confirmed a time with Ms. Frey, since she's been injured. I'd like to bring her in around three. The trial itself is set for next week, Friday at three.” “Confirmed.” The line clicked off without any further exchange. Diamond narrowed his eyes. It was a strange communication. Obviously the phone call was from someone superior to her. Who else had priority over the assigned judge?

At least he had her name. That was the important part. However, he couldn't slip out until she turned her back, otherwise she'd notice the door open and close. Sighing, the woman looked over her own notes on the desk. She was so close, Diamond could reach out and touch her. He could smell her shampoo, a light fragrance of apples. Felicia gathered up her notes and placed the small bundle in a slot under her desk. A noise hummed as the papers shredded. She opened a file and quickly read through it. The picture on the inside cover was of Kele. When she'd turned over every paper in the file, those too went into the shredder. Then the judge rose and softly padded back to the bathroom. There was a soft thud as the pink towel dropped. For a second, Diamond was tempted to look back. But as soon as the thought hit, he slipped back into his time-honored role of The Enforcer and turned his back to the bathroom. Her hair dryer flipped on, the noise loud and distracting. Diamond took the opportunity to softly open and slip out of the outer door of her private chambers. He made his way out of the building and then pressed the communicator. “Cassiopeia,” he softly whispered. The call connected automatically. “Hey, big guy, whatcha need?” Her voice sounded in his ear clear as a bell. “Can you get me back to Dante's?” he asked softly. “I'm in front of the courthouse.” “Coming right up.” She clicked off. Objects faded and shifted once more, blurring two scenes together. Diamond took a step and the old image of the courthouse faded, while the new image of Dante's house solidified into reality. He pressed his fingerprint to Dante's front door, and it opened.

He made his way to the master bedroom, where everyone was still gathered, though this time they sat on chairs they'd carried over from the kitchen. Jack was back and had plopped right on the bed itself. A tray was in front of Kele and she'd nearly finished eating a plate of scrambled eggs. He pressed the communicator. “Cassiopeia,” he said, louder this time. The heads in the bedroom all turned toward his voice, but they still couldn't see him. Cassio picked up on the other end of the call. “Yes?” “Release me.” His form re-appeared. “Shit, that's cool,” Brandon said. “What'd you find?” Jonas asked. “How's Dante?” Kele asked at the same time. Diamond smiled. “Dante's fine. He's sitting in jail, but he's fine. Very comfortable. I couldn't talk to him, because Stargazers—as part of our treaty—allowed the government access to a drug which renders us unable to lie. We didn't need him under the influence and letting them know we were spying on them. But you don't need to worry.” He turned his attention to Jonas. “The judge had notes on her desk. She'd written Stockholm syndrome, can Kele be trusted, and whether or not to release Dante. The release depends on the relationship between him and Kele. The primary objective is whether or not others can be resurrected. Naturally, the resurrection is the key part of this. The guards at the jail said Dante would be held until the judge decides. I'm guessing she's using the interview of Kele to base her final decision. At least we know it's her decision and not someone higher up, though she is conferring with someone else.” “Did you get her name?”

“Ruge. Felicia.” “Well I'll be damned. Felicia Ruge. I know her from some undercover work I did a few years ago,” Jonas said. “And that's in our favor. Kele, your answers could sway the judge's opinion for us.”

Chapter Eleven “The military officer who is appointed judge between matters of Stargazer and human is a very fair and intelligent woman. Both species would have had to agree on her. Felicia Ruge has the final decision, however, she does have to follow protocol with the other members on the disciplinary board.” Jonas was gentle, as if she was an invalid who shouldn't be riled for medical reasons. “And we suspect there are spies in place, government officials who still don't fully trust us. That's what we've been uncovering this week. It's why Dante wasn't able to spend as much time with you during your first week here.” He nodded at Vesta. “Same with Bay.” “It doesn't sound very fair if they locked up Dante,” Kele said. “The humans are afraid, Kele. We have never been able to resurrect someone, and now it's apparent Stargazers can. The government will want to keep this covered up, of course. They just have to cover all angles.” “Dante did nothing wrong.” “I know that, and you know that. But humans need to protect humans. It's the basic fear in us to assert our own power against a more powerful being. They'll want to interview you,” Jonas said. “See what happened. Make sure you're not being held against your will.” “I'm not. He would never.” “They think it's a case of Stockholm syndrome, according to the notes.” He turned to speak to the two Stargazers. “Stockholm is a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and have positive feelings toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending and identifying with the captors. Basically, the victim covers for her kidnapper.” He turned back to Kele. “As if you were so grateful for being resurrected, you'll stay with your kidnapper out of gratitude unless you're separated

from him long enough to know your own mind. And who knows how long that could be?” “That's ridiculous! Dante will never stand for us being separated.” “I know.” Jonas shrugged. “Loretta caused a lot of trouble for all of us. We still don't know how she hooked up with Jessiah, but that text to the government he sent from her cell caused a lot of ruckus. The entire team is being watched more closely. Now they know we killed the truckers and left them there. Of course we explained it by saying we needed to keep our identities secret because of the prejudice surrounding aliens. Thankfully, when our team was assembled, we came with immunity. But now the human side of the council wants to come up with rules and regulations when we head outside the gates.” “Is the council made up of equal parts alien and human?” “Yes, but normally Dante is on board. He's been suspended pending investigation, so we're one man short.” “Ugh, all of this over me?” “We made our choice when he wanted you and we supported him.” He shrugged. “We're big boys. Dante's taking one for the team. It's what we do. It's what makes us so successful.” “You should contact the judge instead of waiting for her to call,” Diamond said. Jonas nodded. “I'll see if I can get the hearing scheduled immediately. The sooner we can get it over with, the less time Dante spends in jail.” Kele nodded. “So let's go over our plan, and instead of drugging you with more pain pills, I'm going to have Vesta knock you out. While you sleep, I'll call Judge Ruge and see what time we can get in tomorrow.”

Kele looked over at Vesta. He grinned, wriggling his fingers at her. She sighed. * * * * * “Kele.” A hand nudged her shoulder. Kele opened her eyes to Diamond. “Your meeting with Judge Ruge is in an hour and a half. Brandon's made your lunch if you'd like to jump in the shower.” She nodded. Today was the day. She showered quickly, still slightly sore but feeling so much better after all the healing sleep she'd had. An immediate pang of regret surged through her. How much sleep could Dante have had, in the jail overnight? She ate quickly, as if she could make time go faster by arriving at her appointed time earlier. When she walked into the living room, only Jonas was sitting on the sofa waiting. “All the other guys have headed out to get seats in the courthouse,” he explained. “A car's waiting outside.” They both had to sign in when they arrived at the courthouse. Security surrounded them to take them down a long hallway. “It's casual,” Jonas whispered. “Your interview. Don't worry. Like I said, Felicia's fair.” He held open the door for her. Kele nodded and entered the large room. The conference table was dominated by human males, though a few Stargazers sat in. The judge was the lone woman seated at the end of the table. A large window was the primary focus on one side of the room, and Kele knew it was a one-way mirror. That was probably why the rest of the team wanted to hurry for seats. They were right there, in the next room, watching. It made her feel safer.

Kele was surprised at how young and attractive the judge was. She had dark hair, tied back into a low bun, and soft gray eyes. “Ms. Frey, please have a seat. Can I get you anything? A water? Tea?” The woman asked. “No, I'm fine.” “My name is Judge Felicia Ruge. I will be the one to primarily question you about the circumstances surrounding your death.” Kele nodded. “I understand you wish to continue living on Gateway?” “Yes. With Dante. It's my home and he's my mate. We would have gotten married also, except on paper I'm dead.” Felicia nodded. “Ms. Frey, you knew Dante for how long before you came here?” “Just for the day,” Kele admitted. “And yet you wish to stay?” “Yes. I love him.” “Are you so sure it's love after but one day together?” “It was love at first sight. My human brain just wasn't trained to accept it. We believe we need to wait a certain amount of time to make sure things work out. Stargazers are different from us, perhaps because they've had longer lives. They know exactly what they want, and they have no human rules established like a wait period. Dante knew he loved me immediately. He knew he wanted to save me and asked my permission before my last breath.” The judge leaned in. “Naturally, we wish to know how it was possible for Dante to raise you from the dead.”

“I don't remember, of course. Being dead.” Kele hoped her voice wasn't sarcastic. “Please tell us from the beginning. What you do remember, and what you've been told later to fill in the gaps.” Kele nodded. “The Stargazers had been at one of the tables at the diner I worked at. I remember they were very well mannered and polite. A couple of the guys teased Dante for being interested in me. I flirted a bit back, but not much because I had a table of rowdy drunks demanding my attention. If they hadn't been there, things might have been different.” She paused, expecting more questions. “Go on,” the judge urged. “The news was on the television.” Kele remembered suddenly. “The drunk truck drivers were upset and complaining about the aliens being allowed to live here. None of us knew Dante, Diamond, and Vesta were aliens. They were typical racist things and vulgar comments. When the diner closed that night, I headed out to my car. The drunks surrounded me. One had a knife. I was terrified. Then, Dante and his friends stepped out of their car and yelled for the drunks to let go of me. They had waited. I didn't realize it, but Dante had been listening to the drunks, who'd planned to detain me and rape me. Instead, the older man who was holding me stabbed me. I saw Dante and his friends take down the drunks, but the one holding me pulled the knife out of my side and twisted it back in to do as much damage as he could. It was a serrated blade. By the time Dante got to me, I knew it was too late. I mentioned something about wishing I had more time so we could have explored a relationship between the two of us. He asked my permission. It was the last thing I remembered until I woke.” “And what happened when you woke?” “I was lying on a table in an...exam room. People were standing around me. I

wasn't sure what had happened, and then I remembered being stabbed. I looked down to find the wound, to see if I had been dreaming. It wasn't there. Instead there was this.” Kele stood and lifted the bottom of her blouse, showing the crest on her side. “Dante now has one to match. On his palm. He told me he'd cut his palm that night and mingled our blood.” “And then?” “Then I kind of panicked, because I realized there was a toe tag on me. And that I was naked with a drape pulled over me. It dawned on me that I had been a dead body, just like you imagine bodies in a morgue. Next thing I knew, I was out again. When I woke up the next time, I was in Dante's house. Our house now, of course.” “Did he explain to you what happened at that point?” “A little bit. I was hungry, so he took me to a diner and explained things then. What life was like in Gateway. What it meant to be mated.” “And did you agree to be mated?” “I didn't realize what mated meant at the time of course. Humans are used to marriage. But I love Dante. He is my mate. I want nothing else but life with him.” “Do you wish to return to the outside world?” “Never.” “Kele, does he scare or intimidate you in any way? Stargazers are much larger than we are.” “Of course not!” “Are you sure?” Kele leaned forward. “You don't realize that I'm a Stargazer descendant. By insulting Stargazers, it also insults me. I may have been raised fully human, but it's still my race you're talking about.”

The military officer leaned back. “It is surely not our intention to insult, Ms. Frey. We merely wish to cover all angles and make sure you are all right. And for as much as you're Stargazer, you are also human. One of us, and we need to protect you.” Apparently Felicia wasn't going to fall for the race card. “You wish to cover up my resurrection. Look, I get it. It's a big deal. Imagine if people found out Stargazers could raise the dead! You'd have a world of zombies walking around. But it doesn't quite work that way.” “How does it work then?” “Dante couldn't do everything on his own. Diamond couldn't do everything on his own. Vesta couldn't. It took all three of them to combine their powers to raise me. Even then, they couldn't do it on another human or a Stargazer. They can only do it on a human with Stargazer DNA. A descendant like me.” “We don't know how many descendants are out there.” “There could be one. Or there could be hundreds. But what are the chances that all three Stargazers with the same powers as those three would be together when the descendant dies? And that the descendant would give her permission for resurrection? Trust me, it wasn't easy. It was just a chance chain of events. It would be hard to recreate. You won't have a world of zombies walking around trying to take over the Earth.” Felicia nodded. “So it's possible, but highly unlikely, that it would happen again.” “I would definitely lean toward the highly unlikely. You have three Stargazers with those exact gifts together on the same team. But we never know who is a descendant. And there's the permission aspect. It's just too unlikely.” “I see. Well, thank you very much for your information, Ms. Frey.” She looked around the table. “If there are no other questions?”

There was a slight shaking of heads. Felicia turned back to Kele. “Then you are free to return.” “And Dante?” The officer inclined her head. “I will send notification that he is to be released immediately to house arrest, pending his trial. Come, I'll walk you out.” She opened the door that Felicia had come through, turned left, and opened another door, where Kele assumed everyone who watched through the one-way glass sat. As soon as she opened the second door, Diamond stood immediately, his gaze focused. Judge Ruge studied him. More slowly, Vesta, sitting next to him, stood. The judge barely looked his way. The rest of the men followed, rising. Jonas and his human men stood at attention. “At ease,” the military judge said, finally tearing her stare from Diamond. “Please release Dante from confinement until his hearing date. He may return to his...mate.” She nodded at Kele. “Thank you,” Kele said, holding out her hand. Judge Ruge shook it, and gave her a small smile. “Good luck.” Again, the military judge scanned Diamond from beneath her lashes. With a last nod, she turned and left. Diamond silently watched Judge Ruge walk away, even when the other men began high-fiving each other. “How do you rate?” Kele asked softly. He tore his gaze away from the retreating figure. “What was her name?” he growled. “That was her. Felicia Ruge.”

“She looks different with her hair up and dressed in black robes,” he muttered. Jonas, unaware of their exchange, took Kele's arm. “Come, my dear. Let's get you home, where I'm sure Dante won't be far behind.” They waited in the living room for Dante to arrive. Finally, there was a scraping on the outside porch before the front door swung open. Dante entered, escorted by several Stargazers and human military men. Kele jumped up. She ran to him. He wrapped his arms around her, warm and strong. “I missed you,” he said softly, into her ear. “I missed you, too. So very much. Are you okay?” She pressed kisses to his jaw, his lips, his shoulder. Everywhere she could reach. “Yes,” he said. “I'm housebound until the trial.” Jonas laughed. “That's not much punishment with your mate here. I'd say we did a good job.” Jack high-fived Vesta. “Yeah! Let's party!” “As long as you”—he pulled Kele up with his hands on her bottom—“stay on my lap the entire time.” “No problem,” she said, kissing him soundly and wrapping her legs tightly around him. “There's beer and wine in here,” Jonas called from the kitchen. “Diamond's missing out.” “He's coming. He wanted to stop by Center first,” someone yelled. “Kele,” Brandon called from the kitchen. “You made a cake?” “Help yourself,” she yelled back. Dante carried Kele to the sofa. The rest of the gang followed later, carrying plates of food and drinks. They passed plates to Dante and Kele.

When Vesta sat, Kele asked, “I take it Bay's still detained?” He nodded. “They're letting her go tonight, though. I'll leave here and go pick her up.” Kele wanted to ask about her pregnancy, but she wasn't sure if Vesta had announced the details yet. She figured she'd wait until he shared the news. When the room quieted a little, Kele took the opportunity to test everyone else's opinions. “Has Diamond ever been interested in a female?” Kele asked. “Nope,” Brandon said. “Not Cassio.” Dante grinned. “I have a new person in mind,” Kele confided. Surprisingly, all the men quieted. “Are you gonna tell us?” Jack asked, munching on chips. “The judge.” There was silence for a minute, and then loud guffaws. “That's crazy.” “Are you kidding?” “Did you look at her? Butter wouldn't melt in her mouth and you want to pair her with a beast like Diamond?” “Sweet, you should probably step out of the matchmaking department. First you suggest Cassiopeia, and then the judge?” Dante shook his head. “It's going from bad to worse.” Kele looked around stunned. “Do you all not see it?” A loud chorus of no's followed. Wow. How could she be so off?

Chapter Twelve Vesta and Bay knocked on Dante's door the next morning. Dante answered. “Come on in.” Kele came from the back of the house, approaching quickly. She hugged Bay, bringing them over to the sofa to sit. “Hey! I've missed you. Vesta told me you were detained by the government,” Kele said. Bay chose a seat next to Vesta. He slipped his arm around her shoulders. Bay grimaced. “Yeah. It was hell. I'm home again. Dante, I'm sorry, but I was so exhausted I just couldn't drag myself out to your welcome home party.” “Don't worry about it, Bay,” Dante said. “Our PTF parties are pretty casual. It's usually just the team raiding the kitchen for snacks.” He grinned. “And I'm pretty tired with the pregnancy.” “I'm happy for you both. You couldn't do better than Vesta,” Dante said. “Thank you. I still can't believe I snagged the hottie. I can't believe how quickly a pregnancy can be determined, either,” Bay said. “Do you remember when we would swear we'd get pregnant together so our first born could grow up together?” Kele asked. Bay nodded, her eyes huge as the excitement caught on. “I'm pregnant, too. It was confirmed by Cassio.” “What?” Bay asked, grinning. “We'll be able to go through it together?” “Congratulations,” Vesta rumbled. “We're not totally safe,” Dante warned. “Kele has been through an ordeal with the kidnapping. Cassio thinks the pregnancy should be fine because it's so new.” Bay nodded. “Fingers crossed. It would be wonderful to have our babies grow up

together. Just like we always talked about!” “What about the trial?” Vesta asked. Dante shrugged, as if he were unconcerned. “The worst that can happen is they can convict me. They would choose to lock me up as the first Stargazer imprisoned. Or banish me from Earth.” “They wouldn't dare! I thought the team had immunity?” Bay asked. “We do. This would be a cause for them to renegotiate the terms of the PTF. We can't have that. But we suspect that's why all this has played out. Someone in the government is feeling pressure.” “Politics!” Bay snapped. Vesta rubbed her lower back. “Don't fret. Everything will be fine.” “It will,” Dante said. “There's no need for you or Kele to worry.” “What happens in the meantime? Isn't the trial a week away?” Bay asked. Dante nodded. “We go about work as usual.” He grimaced. “We'll have to use my house instead of the office. Unless we conference me in. We'll need to possibly recruit another member for the team, just in case I am deported.” “What happens if everything is fine and you stay?” Kele asked. Dante shrugged. “We need new team members anyway. We're expanding so we can still use the manpower, whether I go or stay.” “In the meantime, I'm thinking about training to cover Cassio for a day off here and there. Would you be interested in being a backup for her, too?” Bay asked Kele. “That's a great idea! I can't believe that poor woman never gets time off.” Bay nodded. “We'll at least be able to monitor the people in Quarantine, and take messages for her. Call her if any emergencies arise. She's teaching me how to beam people around so if need be, I could beam her in if there's an emergency.”

“That's supposed to be a secret,” Dante said. Vesta rolled his eyes. “Some secret. Human Jonas suggested Cassio beam Diamond around to spy when you were locked up.” Dante grinned. “Jonas is smart. That's why he's on our team.” Bay gasped. Her face paled, and she mumbled, “Excuse me.” She fled the room, slamming the door to the bathroom. “Is she all right?” Kele asked Vesta. He looked grim. “Morning sickness.” “Oh, no! Do you have crackers? Tea? I have some you can take if not.” He nodded. “We're stocked up. She's been having it ever since she was held up during Dante's lock-up.” “Let us get out of your hair so you can take care of your mate,” Dante said. He gripped Kele's hand, pulling her to her feet. “Let's get to the bedroom, sweet.” Vesta nodded. “When she feels better, we'll see ourselves out?” “Don't worry about it. Take all the time you need.” * * * * * The house was quiet when Vesta and Bay left. “Are you okay?” Dante asked. “I am.” Kele smiled. “I just feel bad for Bay having morning sickness. What a bummer.” “You may get it, too,” Dante said. “Yes, I know. So far so good, though. Knock on wood!” “I'll care for you.” Dante's voice was earnest. “I don't want you to worry.” Kele smiled. “I haven't been through it before, so I'm not sure what to expect.” “Just remember it passes. Morning sickness isn't forever.”

Kele turned to Dante. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Do you know the first thing I noticed about you in the diner?” “Surely not my eyes?” Kele smiled. He was gorgeous with and without sunglasses. “How sexy you are.” “Mrs. Paris, are you trying to seduce me?” “Definitely.” His eyes sparkled. “I'll be gentle.” His voice had deepened to a rumble. Kele nodded. “I need you. I love you. I always have, and I always will.” Dante lowered his head. His lips covered hers. His tongue stroked against hers while his hands roamed her back, stroking lower until he cupped her buttocks. He gently squeezed. Kele slipped her hands underneath his shirt, feeling his warm skin. “I'm so glad I found you,” he said. He strung kisses down the side of her neck. Then he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. He placed her on the bed. He gripped her waistband and tugged her pants down over her hips. He pushed her blouse up to expose her belly. “I can't wait to meet you, my son,” he said, stringing kisses along her belly. “Are you so sure he'll be a boy?” “Yes.” She grinned. The grin fell away when he covered her mound and blew hot breath through her panties. “Ohhh,” she moaned. He peeled the panties off her. Bending her legs at the knees, he pushed them wide apart and delved into her pussy.

His mouth was hot and wet. He licked up and down her slit, leaving heat in his wake. She squirmed beneath his touch. “Don’t stop,” she whispered. He looked upward, his eyes focused steadily on her, never wavering. “I won’t,” he promised. He sucked fiercely, like her taste was delicious. Her breathing had deepened, the rise and fall of her chest quickening. “Take off your blouse,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I want to see them.” She whipped the blouse off and unsnapped her bra from the front attachment, allowing her breasts to fall out of the cups. The bra straps were still around her shoulders. Dante sucked her pussy as he reached up and fingered her nipples. Her hand reached down and pulled his head closer to her, as if she were afraid he'd stop. “I'm so close,” she said. “Come for me, sweet,” he muttered between kisses. “I want your pussy to be soaking wet when I stick my cock in you.” She exploded, the orgasm racking through her body, leaving her panting. She fisted his hair, pushing him away from her quivering cunt. “Your turn,” Kele announced. “Come up here. Flat on your back,” she said. Her fingers trembled as she unsnapped his jeans. He helped her finish undressing him. Very slowly, she inched down his body. She nibbled the tender skin of his abs, stretched taut over tight muscles. She licked farther down his body until she arrived at the huge erection between his legs.

She licked all along his cock. Then she opened her mouth over the large, mushroom-shaped head. The tiniest bit of sweet pre-cum was settled on the tip. The flavor burst onto her tongue. She closed her lips over the ridge of his cock, exploring the tiny triangle slightly below it with the tip of her tongue. He was delicious. Salty and sweet. She licked up the underside of his shaft and then engulfed the entire cock with her mouth. She wet it thoroughly, then sucked at the tip. It twitched in her mouth. Dante groaned. “This is so sexy, baby. To do what I want, when I want to. You have no idea,” she said. She bent her head back to him. She kissed along the length, tenderly sucking at the tip then engulfing it back into her mouth. He made the most tantalizing moans of pleasure, especially when she wrapped her hand around the base and pumped up and down while she took the top half in. The head was huge, and her mouth tired easily. Still, he let her do as she wished. She began to tenderly lick his balls. She crawled up his body. He stared into her eyes, as she impaled herself on him. His cock sank deep into her. Instant heat flooded through her. She clenched the walls of her wet pussy around him, wanting to keep him tight inside her, forever. He felt so good deep inside her, hot and hard and wonderful. Slowly she rotated her hips, dancing her body onto the huge head of his cock. She cupped her breasts, pinching her nipples. “That’s so sexy,” he whispered, his voice deep and turned-on. “Spread your lips so I can see inside.”

She obliged, pushing the swollen skin aside so he could see the deep pink within her. His cock hardened even more. She could feel it. She pressed herself down onto him, knowing there was an insatiable need to be filled, to reach the finish line. She rocked on him, twisting her hands over her breasts. “Come for me, sweet. Feel my cock in you. Tighten around it until you explode.” He reached out and squeezed her nipples. She gasped, clenching her sheath around him. Suddenly Dante bucked, flipping her over onto her back with their bodies still connected. He looked down into her eyes. Reaching out, he grasped the iron rungs of the bed. His biceps flexed as he gripped, pulling himself upward to thrust into her body. He fucked her hard, pounding into her body. His testicles slapped against her wet flesh with a sucking sound. She felt him deep within her, sparking a flood of liquid heat. Another climax ripped through Kele. The orgasm blossomed out from deep within her as it spread throughout her body and exploded. He collapsed onto her, his forearms taking his weight, as she rubbed his back. “I love you,” she said. “I love you. Thank you for my child,” he said simply. * * * * * A week seemed like forever when an upcoming trial was anticipated. It was a madhouse inside the courtroom. Hushed whispers droned like the steady hum of buzzing insects. Kele waited impatiently, her feet tapping on the floor. Dante, on the other hand,

was calm and collected. Next to Kele sat Diamond. Beyond him were Vesta and Bay. The entire team was in the first row. “Relax, sweet,” Dante whispered. “Everything will be fine. You'll see.” “I can't help but worry. I thought we'd live happily ever after. Instead I was kidnapped, and you got into legal trouble. It's been one thing after another.” “In spite of all that, we have a baby growing safe and sound in his mother. It'll be all right, love. Trust me. There's nothing they can do to me.” Kele inhaled. “They can lock you up, Dante.” His beautiful lavender eyes stared right into hers, as if he had a message he wished to convey. “Can they really, Kele? Can they keep me away from you?” He lifted her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “I'd never allow that happen.” The bailiff approached Dante. “Are you ready?” he asked. Dante kissed Kele briefly and then rose. “Don't worry,” he whispered. From Dante's left side, Jonas clasped his arm briefly. Dante followed the bailiff to the front of the courtroom where he sat at a table alone. Then Jonas scooted in next to Kele. She was surrounded—and protected—by task force members. Judge Felicia Ruge entered the courtroom. Everyone rose. She began to speak as soon as they were seated again. “The case of Dante Paris and Kele Frey-Paris is now in order. As you all are aware, charges claim Kele is being held against her will, especially since the outside world thinks she is deceased. We find her alive and well, living here in Gateway.” There was a hush as the judge shuffled papers. “I don't see where there's any cause for alarm.” Felicia's voice rang out. “The Stargazers each have different abilities. The situation was unique in that not every

person can be raised from death. Certainly, I don't feel Kele stays on Gateway for any purpose other that she loves and wishes to remain with Dante. They have mated and are happy together. “In fact, the military court realizes Dante could easily leave our planet, and take Kele with him. She'd be perfectly willing to go. Therefore, there is no issue here to resolve. Court is—” “Wait.” All the heads in the room turned toward the voice. A man dressed in a military uniform entered from the back of the room. “I have a letter approved by the council to be read.” “Go ahead,” the judge said. “We have reason to believe the Protection Task Force is simply murderers hiding behind immunity. There is evidence that supports this is the second murder related to the PTF.” Judge Ruge was calm. “And the letter is from?” “The Purebred Humanity.” “Go on.” “We have formed to open eyes regarding the Stargazer aliens. While they would have us believe they are advanced beings, we believe our government has been taken in by false promises.” “Is that all of it?” Judge Ruge asked. The military officer shook his head and continued reading. “There were five truckers killed in Oklahoma by the PTF. And now, Loretta Davidson, the human woman who supposedly kidnapped Kele Frey. However, she was murdered long before Kele was supposedly rescued from her. The autopsy will show you she has alien

DNA in her wound and her body composition shows her death to be at least eight hours earlier. “We believe the PTF is run by the aliens and the humans on the team cover up their crimes. Maybe the humans are even under their control.” “Who allowed you to bring this letter into the court room?” Judge Ruge asked. The military officer shrugged. “The council instructed I bring it.” Felicia Ruge's eyes were sharp. “I see.” She strummed her fingernails on the wooden desk. Kele's palms dampened. Next to her, Jonas rubbed her leg comfortingly. Diamond wrapped his arm around her shoulders. It was sweet, the men trying to protect her. She was still a nervous wreck but understood they tried. “What's going on?” she whispered under her breath. “Remember what I discovered?” Diamond whispered. Kele nodded. The judge was set up as some sort of spy, taking instruction from a higher source. But she didn't seem to be anti-alien. If anything, she strove to be unbiased. “I think someone on the inside is trying to force her to change her decision,” Diamond said. Finally the judge spoke. “Who is the highest ranking human official on the task force?” Next to Kele, Jonas stood. “I am, your honor.” “Please state your full name for the record.” “Master Sergeant Jonas Clarence Williams.” “Did your team kill Loretta Davidson?” “No, your honor. We did not.”

“I understand you found her body in the garage?” “Yes. We'd assumed she committed suicide. We wrote the report stating that. However, Kele was badly beaten, and we were more focused on her care.” “I understand Kele was unconscious?” Kele opened her mouth, but a squeeze from Diamond kept her quiet. “Yes, your honor. Her breathing was ragged. We knew she had possible broken ribs. She'd been beaten and drugged.” “Thank you, sir. Please have a seat. Dante Paris, please rise.” Dante stood. “Is it possible Loretta was killed instead of committing suicide?” “I imagine so.” “Does Kele remember anything?” “No, she'd been drugged since meeting Loretta in her office for lunch. She never woke through the beatings, for which we are grateful.” “So it would be possible that Loretta was killed in her own garage and someone else beat Kele?” “It is possible. But not by a member of our team. We all arrived together and found Loretta dead.” “No one else was around?” “No, ma'am. If alien DNA was left on Loretta's wound, the test results were not made available to us. I can't imagine it's Stargazer.” The judge opened a file. “It's not determined. The letter stated it was Stargazer, however the test results were indeterminable. In which case, it's possible the murder was made to look like a Stargazer task force member did it.” Again, Judge Felicia Ruge strummed her fingernails on the wood of the desk. “Did you kill the truckers in the

diner where Kele worked?” “We did. It was unavoidable. The toxicology reports will show the alcohol levels of all involved.” “I have taken into consideration the letter read to the court. However, this court of law bases its findings on proof. The letter suggested guilt based on two separate incidents. The test results on the murder of Loretta Davidson were inconclusive at pointing a finger to a Stargazer. Even if the sample did prove Stargazer, the entire team has written into the report they arrived together and at the same time. The letter also suggests murder for the Oklahoma incident. However, toxicology reports do prove the alcohol levels were well above the legal limit. There are also fingerprints on the weapons involved, belonging to the truckers. That incident is separate from this trial, no matter what the letter tries to point out. Also at the time of this trial, the entire team of the Protection Task Force is still under immunity laws. I have considered the alternate evidence brought into this court, but I am back to my original decision. There is no issue to resolve here. Court is adjourned.” The judge rapped her gavel on the surface of the podium. Cheers erupted. * * * * * The judge escaped the courtroom via the back entrance, which led to her private chambers. She closed the door soundly on the clapping. Inside, a tall and handsome African-American human waited, along with several secret service agents. However, Judge Ruge wasn't surprised. Carefully, she removed her outer robe, hanging it in the closet behind her desk. “It was a wise decision,” the man said.

“Thank you, Mr. President.” “And you are positive there is no cause for concern?” “None at all. I haven't come across one Stargazer who has a personal agenda. They adhere to the rules of the treaty and are a peaceful people.” “You mentioned they killed the person who kidnapped Ms. Frey.” “Strictly necessity, sir. Like police officers, they will kill for the greater good. To protect and serve. They do not abuse power. In this case it was a renegade alien, and we certainly don't want it out that one managed to arrive undetected.” “...for which we are grateful. But was it not an abuse of power to raise Ms. Frey from death? To kill the men from the diner who attacked her?” “You're aware of the evidence read in the courtroom. The answer is no. Not at all. The circumstances were unusual. The drunk truckers abused the situation, not the Protection Task Force. They simply wished to avoid conflict with the already paranoid humans looking for an excuse to blame Stargazers for arriving.” The President nodded. “I trust you, Felicia. Keep me informed. Do me a favor and see if you can distract the Stargazers so we can slip away undetected.” She nodded. “I'll see if I can request a tour of Gateway. Please tell your wife and daughters I said hello.” * * * * * When Felicia Ruge stepped out of the secondary meeting room and into the waiting area, the Stargazer couple Dante and Kele waited, along with several of their friends. She'd seen the supporters, of course. It was hard to miss Stargazers. They were tall and extremely well-defined, muscled to the extreme. And their eyes were something to behold. Slightly larger, with unusually bright colors. The man she'd noticed at Kele's questioning hearing stood. For the first time, Felicia

realized just how tall the attractive Stargazer stood. She was five-feet-eight, he stood at least six-feet-four. His biceps were easily the size of her thighs. And the way the man stared at her. Straight into her eyes, like he expected her to read his mind. His eyes were the color of a clear cut brilliant sapphire. And when he smiled, dimples showed in the cuts of his lean cheeks. His hair was long and tied back with, of all things, a piece of leather. She could imagine him as an ancient warrior dressed in a loincloth—and nothing else. The thought made her shiver. He was unlike any of the polished professionals she knew, was unlike anything she'd ever be attracted to. And yet... “Judge Ruge? We wanted to say thank you,” Dante said. Distractedly, she turned her head to Dante Paris. Secret Service Intelligence had informed her he was well known in space as The Hunter. A policeman of sorts, he'd hunted out aggressive alien life forms who attacked weaker peaceful species. She wondered where Earthlings fell in those two categories. With her job, she'd seen both ends of the spectrum. “No need. I'm glad you'll be happy together.” She took in the couple who had pledged their lives to each other. Kele stood with her body facing Dante, clutching onto his muscled arm. Felicia knew she'd made a good decision. The two were obviously in love. Dante held his hand out to her. “If there's anything I can do for you, please let me know. Stargazers appreciate your fairness.” Felicia tried not to be distracted by the nearness of his comrade. The wild beast with the black hair and striking blue eyes. Her heart raced. She needed to distract the Stargazers. “I wouldn't mind a tour of Gateway,” she

said hesitantly. It wouldn't be hard to distract Kele and Dante. They could hardly keep their hands off each other. She just needed to disperse the rest of them from the courthouse so the President could slip away. “But it can certainly wait if you're all busy. There's no rush.” “I can do it.” Diamond's voice rumbled. All three turned at his voice. No one had expected that. “That's a good idea.” Dante said to Diamond. “This is my partner, Diamond Colorado. If it's acceptable to you, he would be more than capable of giving you a full tour.” Diamond acknowledged her with a tilt of his head. “I would be honored,” Judge Ruge said. “Thank you, Diamond. My name is Felicia.” A crack of a smile tilted Diamond's full lips. “Please. This way.” He held his arm out for her. After a brief hesitation, she took it. Diamond guided her from the room. “Told you.” Kele whispered to Dante. “Did you see the way she looked at him?” “How?” “Like she wanted to eat him.” “The same way I look at you?” Dante growled, pulling her close and kissing her neck. He cupped her belly, where life slowly grew. “Exactly! I think this is it,” Kele said excitedly, as she covered his hand with hers, pressing the heat of his palm into her belly. “Dammit, we should have taken him to Cassio for an update in her program so he can impress the judge with his fine manners. Diamond's found a woman!” “Hmm,” Dante said. “Hopefully, this one'll live.”

“Dante!” Kele laughed. “Not funny.” “I know,” he said, lowering his lips to hers. “I just better keep my cell phone close in case he needs me to come freeze her cell deteriorization.” “Baby, you better keep that phone turned off for the next couple hours.” Kele wrapped her arms around his neck. The Enforcer Book 2 in the Stargazer Series. Diamond's team, the Protection Task Force, is called upon when an American judge is kidnapped. It's important she's found, as humans carrying sympathy to the Stargazer cause are rare and hard to come by. Especially concerning those in power. But can he contain his violence when he realizes the kidnapped judge is his? Judge Felicia Ruge is connected to the US government. An informant. An important job, because she relays facts without tainting the government against the Stargazer aliens who landed on Earth not long ago. However, if one alien can taint her, it's Diamond Colorado. The man looks more primitive warrior than human. His code name—Enforcer. The Hunter Book 1, Stargazer Series ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The Hunter Copyright January 2016 Rena Marks License Notes: This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced, resold, or given away to other people, or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for

respecting the hard work of this author. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems- except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews- without permission in writing from the author. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously. About the Author Rena Marks spends her days fantasizing. Lucky for her, she’s decided to pen those dreams. Her first love is romance, her second paranormal. Blend the two and you get sensual, erotic stories with a hint of magic! Your Review Matters! Dear Reader, We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. If you enjoyed this book, please be kind and leave a review on the actual website where you purchased it. A lot of readers don't realize clicking the star rating at the end of this book doesn't count toward an actual review. Therefore, a written review on the website of purchase is greatly

appreciated! Also by Rena Marks Born Again Boy Toy, Plaything, Man Candy Demonic Passions, Demonic Pleasures, Demonic Power Shared By Wolves, Bound By Wolves Enticing Fate Forgotten Kisses, Remembered Kisses, Whispered Kisses Kiss Me Before I Die, Kiss Me When I Wake Stargazer Series—The Hunter, The Enforcer, The Guardian, The Protector