Chapter 1
Fatima
“You’re my mate!” Drelic exclaimed as we stood under the light of the full moon. Dameron had tried to give me to him as a reward when I was being held hostage with the rest of the women. Beatrice and Talia had stood in his way, which kept me safe a little longer.
That safety ended when fighting broke out between our dekes and theirs. Drelic took that opportunity to grab me and run into the woods. I tried to fight him off, but his grip was ironclad. I thought we might spend the next few hours like this, him running and me squirming against him. So, I was surprised when he suddenly stopped and set me down. It wasn’t until I looked down at the ground, readying myself to run, that I saw my skin had taken on a light purple glow. Drelic was glowing too. What he said was true. He was my mate, and I apparently was his.
I’d wanted this. I’d wanted a luminescence mate like the other women. I’d seen how their mates took care of them, how they tended to their every need, and looked at them as if they were thecenter of their world. I yearned for that. I craved someone who was biologically wired to love me.
As the eldest of four children, I’d become somewhat of a third parent in my family. I was responsible for my sibling’s wellbeing alongside my own. I’d learned how to keep my siblings in line by taking control of every situation I found myself in. Those skills had benefited me as a child, but as an adult, it was difficult to let go of that control even though my siblings were old enough to take care of things on their own.
I also struggled in my other relationships, too. My track record of boyfriends was not great. It was the same story over and over again. Things would start off fine. I’d remind myself we were both adults, and that he didn’t need me to bring order to his life. But slowly I’d take on more and more responsibilities for him until he accused me of mothering him.
I would fight back and say if he’d do more on his own, then I wouldn’t need to take care of so many things, but that was only partially true. I’d get angry that he allowed me to take on more responsibility instead of stepping up to take care of his own shit. I needed someone who would push back against me, to tell me they’d handle it and actually do so, but they never did.
Then we crashed here. I watched as Tarak anticipated many of Gabby’s needs. He paid attention. His eyes were always on her. These guys weren’t used to humans or are social cues, but they were quick learners. Gabby couldn’t even let out a deep sigh without Tarak furrowing his brows and wondering what might be bothering her.
These guys might be aliens, but I was convinced that the real difference between them and human men was luminescence. That biological connection was the key.
Now I had that. I was glowing for...Drelic. This was good, right? This is what I wanted. I’d dreamt of having a mate, and now I had one. Despite the impossibility of it, I’d always picturedZander as my mate. I knew he couldn’t glow for me. He had a luminescence mate who had died. He’d never glow for anyone again. I knew that, and yet I stood here feeling disappointed that it wasn’t him that I glowed for.
“We should head to one of the hunter caves,” Drelic interrupted my thoughts. “There should be one nearby.”
Right. I’d nearly forgotten that with luminescence came a night filled with incessant arousal. Heat suddenly pooled in my core like a storm, and my sex throbbed.
I’d had a handful of sexual partners back on Earth. Some had been better than others, but none of them made me feel as aroused as I did right now. I didn’t even need Drelic to turn me on, luminescence was doing that all on its own.
“This way,” Drelic waved me forward and started to run in a slow jog. He was considerably taller than me, so I had to run at full speed so I could to keep up with him. Usually I’d be annoyed by this, but the cool night air felt refreshing against my overly hot skin, and the burning in my lungs served as a distraction from my racing thoughts.
I had a mate. I could hardly believe it. We were going to have sex tonight and most likely make a baby. That’s what had happened to everyone else. I was far more excited about the prospect of being a mom than being Drelic’s mate. I’d always dreamed of having one kiddo. Just one. I imagined us having the time of our lives together. I could give all my love and attention to just one child. It would be everything I’d wanted as a kid. My mate would take care of me, and together we’d take care of our baby and watch them grow.
I hoped my feelings for Drelic would grow over time.They would, I assured myself. They had to. We glowed for each other. This was fate and that was that.
“There’s one,” Drelic pointed to a rock face up ahead. I followed him up the hill to the cave and waited while he made sure no animals were hiding inside.
“It’s clear,” he assured me and held out his hand...his glowing hand. It was a sign that this was meant to be. Things would be fine.
I took a deep breath and placed my hand in his. Then he led me inside.
“Um,” he began as he ran his fingers through his hair in a nervous gesture. I looked down at his crotch and saw that he was equally as aroused as me.
“I’m Drelic.” He introduced himself.
“I’m Fatima,” I replied in what I would call my professional business voice. It was slightly higher than my normal tone and carried with it a softer cadence than my natural voice.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he smiled. His expression was earnest and filled with unbridled excitement. He just stood there staring at me for an awkwardly long moment. So long, in fact, I felt the need to break the tension by doing what I do best, giving instructions and taking control.
“Maybe we should start a fire,” I suggested.
“Right,” Drelic immediately got to work gathering the already chopped wood from the corner and placing it in the pre-made fire pit.
Once that was done, he struck two pieces of flint together and started a fire.
“I’ll, uh, just roll out the blankets for us,” he mentioned as casually as he could as he reached into his pack.
It was clear he didn’t know how to broach the subject of us being complete strangers about to fuck each other. I guess I would have to do that too.
“Drelic,” I gently placed my hand on his shoulder and he froze.
