cut into the sides. And his eyes were so dark she couldn’t discern the pupils from the irises.
The last man looked like an ordinary human or Lasaran. He was tall like the rest—that seemed to be the norm out here in space—with a slender but muscular build, short dark hair, and a strong jaw covered with stubble.
Janwar shook his head as Taelon approached him. “It’s been a long time. Everyone thought you dead, my friend.”
Taelon gripped the rebel’s arm and drew him into a man hug. “I thought so myself a time or two.”
When they parted, Janwar’s gaze strayed over Taelon’s shoulder and lit upon Lisa. His smile slipped away. “That’s not your sister.” He met Taelon’s gaze, his face grim. “Was my intel wrong? Did the Earthlings kill her?”
Taelon shook his head. “Amiriska is alive and well and bonded to an Earthling. She opted not to return with us.”
Janwar’s eyebrows flew up. “In truth?”
“In truth.” Taelon motioned Lisa forward and rested a hand on her lower back. “I, too, bonded with an Earthling. This is Lisa and our daughter, Abby.”
Janwar studied her. “A lifemate and an heir. I see you’ve quite a story to tell.” He rested a hand on his chest over his heart and bowed deeply. “Princess Lisa, it is an honor to meet you.”
The others followed suit.
“Thank you.” She offered them a tentative smile and a half bow as they rose. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”
Taelon whispered in an aside, “You aren’t supposed to bow back.”
Sighing, she murmured back, “I know. But it seems rude not to. This whole royalty thing is just too weird.”
Janwar laughed.
The other men’s lips twitched.
And she could’ve sworn she glimpsed fangs on the cat man.
Janwar relaxed. “I believe I’m going to like you, Princess.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Please, call me Lisa. On Earth, princess is sort of a pet name some adults give little girls.”
He grinned and shook his head. “As you wish, but whatever are you going to do once you reach Lasara?”
“I have no idea,” she admitted.
“Well, you’ve some time to figure it out. If you’ll follow me, I will show you to your quarters.”
“Thank you.”
Taelon kept a possessive hand on her back as they followed Janwar across a cavernous bay. Ari’k and the royal guard fell in behind them with Janwar’s crew bringing up the rear. “How did you find us?”
Janwar nodded toward the cat man. “Srok’a had a vision, said we needed to get here fast. Didn’t know why until we arrived and received word that the Kandovar had been destroyed in the qhov’rum. We’ve been looking for you ever since.”
“Do my parents know?”
“That Gathendiens attacked and destroyed your ship? Yes. They’re both furious and terrified.”
“Do they know I’m alive?”
“No. You can inform them yourself, but only using our most heavily encrypted comms. Word has it Gathendiens are searching for the survivors.”
Lisa’s stomach sank as she thought of Eliana, her fellow Earth women, the Lasaran crew members, and the Yona soldiers who had been so kind to her. “Are there other survivors?”
“You’re the only ones we’ve encountered personally. But every member of the Aldebarian Alliance has sent ships out searching. A few escape pods have been recovered with survivors intact. The rest of the pods, however, are scattered over many vast sectors of space, most of which see little traffic because there are so few advanced nations with whom to trade out here.”
Taelon frowned. “Are the Gathendiens out to kill or capture the survivors they find?”
“Unknown.”
“Do my parents know why they attacked us? Did the Gathendiens resume warring with Lasara while I was gone?”
“No. That’s the puzzle.” Janwar placed his palm on a small reader by a wide door, then typed in a code. The door slid up. “The Gathendiens have kept their distance in your absence. They’ve been lurking closer to Earth than to their usual haunts. No one can guess their reasons for attacking.”
Abby grew restless and began to squirm.
Lisa patted her back. “Could they have targeted the Kandovar because Taelon was on board? Would they gain anything from killing a Lasaran prince?”
Srok’a snorted. “The only thing that would gain them is a full-scale assault by the might of the Lasaran fleet. They barely survived the last one. I see no logical reason they would risk another.”
Taelon’s lips tightened. “And yet they have.”
Janwar nodded. “As I said, it’s a puzzle.”
Abby’s restlessness progressed to fussing.
“Shhh,” Lisa crooned. “It’s okay, baby.”
Abby only fussed more, her little face reddening and scrunching up as she squirmed and kicked