Stolen - Nhys Glover Page 0,102

and I had pretty much decided a podmate wasn’t in our future. Maica even preferred it that way.”

“Not for long!” Maica yelled back, very obviously running his hand up and down his podmate’s leg suggestively.

Bronwyn groaned and pulled his hair to make him behave. It didn’t work.

“Then Rhain let us be taken captive by the Lyations so we could meet our podmate. You see, it seemed that, unlike the rest of us, he’d always known our podmate existed on Gaia. And he was willing to risk our lives to get us into a position where we could find her.”

Rhain bowed elegantly and took Bronwyn’s outstretched hand. He stood on tiptoe to kiss it like a medieval knight. He looked sublimely happy, a far cry from the tortured male he’d been after Rian’s death. Or so people had told me.

“And because we had the brilliant and beautiful human woman as our podmate, we were able to escape the Lyation’s baby-farm and bring their activities to the attention of the Confederate government.

“The human women abducted at that time, fifty in all, were brought to Varga to see if any more of them might turn out to be podmates. Maybe our problem wasn’t that there weren’t podmates for us, so much as they were being born onto a planet that was off-limits to us. And in this very space, many of those abductees found their podmates. Even if at least one female fought the idea.”

“Not for long!” yelled a female nearby.

A cheer went up, and Savannah raised her arms and did a happy dance that was way too sexy for children to see. Zevran grinned broadly, his scarred face transformed.

“Young were born and Danans who had been lost were found. Age-old rules concerning the bond were broken, just as age-old beliefs about what it was to be Danan were tested in the worst possible ways. Human women were abused by members of our own kind, and yet those amazing women allowed us to help them heal and become whole. All but the ill-fated Summer have found their pods since then. One of those women became my daughter by marriage. Did I get that right?” Naicin looked to the back of the room for an answer from his podmate.

“Daughter-in-law,” Bronwyn yelled back. “But your term works too!”

The audience laughed good-naturedly.

“And while we dealt with the machinations of a Darkness that was intent on claiming our worlds, Danans got permission to search Gaia for their podmates. It seemed a less intrusive method of matchmaking than abduction.”

Although people tittered at the joke, it was clear the subject was still a sensitive one. So Naicin moved on.

“We gained more podmates, like the lovely Piety, that way. That program is on-going, although, so far, it hasn’t been quite as successful as we would have liked.”

“To say the last eight or nine years have been pivotal in the history of the Danan species would be an understatement. And almost all the positive changes that have occurred have been the direct result of our beloved podmates’ involvement. Humans seeded the galaxy with their genetic code, but it took human women to bring about positive change to the Danan warrior culture. While not underestimating the individual value of female podmates from other species, I think we can all safely say the human women have had the most impact. I, for one, give thanks every day for our Bronwyn.”

A cheer rang out that included my pod. Even the new young joined in the cheering and shouting, although I wasn’t sure if they knew what it was all about.

Bronwyn had gone a delightful shade of red and was squirming to get down. Maica relented and lowered her gently to her feet.

“So, one and all, please find a glass so we can salute the women who have become essential to our species.”

Bodies blurred as glasses filled with something sparkling were distributed. As one, the Danan warriors in the room raised their glasses to their women.

“To our hearts and souls,” Naicin said, raising his glass. “You are much appreciated and loved!”

“Loved!” cried the Danan warriors in one swishing, sensual voice.

I felt tears prick my eyelids. Marissa was blinking back her own tears. My throat was closing up on me and I knew I couldn’t have said a thing right then. Not aloud.

‘Thank you for not forcing us to wait until the accepted age before claiming you,’ Meida said cheekily.

‘Hey, I would have been grey and wrinkly, if I’d waited until you grew up!’ I threw back, thankful that tears didn’t close up my mental throat.

‘You know we adore you, right? We have told you that, haven’t we?’ Rian said, as he and Meida wandered over in our direction.

I cocked my head to the side and gave him an impish grin. ‘I may remember hearing something like that at some point. Probably in the throes of the mating frenzy, which probably doesn’t count. You have to fancy me then.’

Nial bent to nibble the back of my neck. ‘Fancy doesn’t even come close to how we feel about you, and you know it. No Danan could love their podmate more than we love you.’

‘For once my brother makes sense,’ Lain agreed smugly.

My heart overflowed with joy. My life back on Gaia felt like it belonged to someone else. My true life only began when I handed a sweet-faced Danan youth an exotic seedling he hoped I’d allow to grow in my Earth Garden. And though the challenges we’d faced since then—and would likely continue to face in the future because of our hybrid children—were hard, I’d never regret them. Because they had brought me here, to a life I never would have believed was possible for someone like me. Happy didn’t even come close to the way I felt now.

“I love you, too. All of you. But I claim the right to rescind the statement if you don’t pull your weight with the kids. In no time at all we’re going to go from two to five rugrats. That’s four more than I ever wanted, by the way,” I joked, trying to play down the depth of my feelings.

One by one my guys kissed my lips tenderly.

This was the ultimate Happy Ever After, and I wasn’t alone in experiencing it. The Danans had changed the lives of so many women for the better.

“To my Danans!” I cried, holding up my own glass. “Most women are lucky if they find one male in their life to love them completely. I’ve found four!”

Women around the room followed my lead.

“To our Danans!” they cried.

To our Danans!