Epilogue

Epilogue

Grace

She stood in the kitchen, getting ready to make lunch. But as always, since the first day they went into space, her attention was captured by what was on the monitor. The ship was inching past a small green planet. One not in Earth's solar system. They passed through that within the first few days of travel.

This planet had a moon. She could clearly see the path it took rotating the planet. There were stars spread across the sky, some brighter, others barely a twinkle.

She couldn't believe they'd be landing on Megoth sometime tomorrow. Yesterday Raptor had contacted his brother, letting them know they would be there soon. She'd been able to talk to Makayla. Her friend had cried through most of the conversation.

Grace was so happy she was going to Megoth. She wasn't worried. In fact, she was excited. She was needed. And there was nothing for her on Earth anymore.

Or there wouldn't be.

The surprise trip Raptor took her on was to see her uncles. Her man had received permission from Dahvid's father for both show and tell. Halfway through the visit, Raptor changed his shape and shared Grace's story.

The uncles had never married and were in their late thirties and early forties. They wanted to go to Megoth, too. Raptor said that seemed like a great idea. And explained how Makayla and the other girls had a passion for rescuing human slaves throughout the universe. They were building quite a compound.

The uncles would travel to Megoth in the next month.

And so would her parents. They had to manage that conversation through a video conference call. Turns out, her mom and dad were in Borneo. Now they were on their way back to the US, to the uncles' compound.

They planned to catch a ride on the spaceship. Both her mother and father were retired doctors. They switched their plans from traveling the world to include the universe. They wanted to set up a small practice on Megoth for all the rescued women.

Raptor walked into the kitchen and took the knife out of her hand. "Let me make your sandwich. Are you okay? Need me to answer any more questions?"

Grace sighed and moved closer. She looked up into his eyes. "I'd rather have sex. You told me once or twice that the sex would get better with time. I don't believe you. Prove it." She challenged. Going from melancholy to happy in the space of seconds.

Raptor scooped her into his arms and ran for their bedroom in the new spaceship. She loved the change. Grace leaned toward his neck, putting her nose against his skin, and breathing deeply. He always smelled so good. All cinnamon spice and passionate male. The scent of him made her tingle and want. She looked down at her hands, noticing they were covered in the soft dust that was all over Raptor.

Pressing her mouth and lips to his neck, she realized his body was producing pollen for her. On the spaceship, she was always a little dehydrated... So the pollen was there to take care of anything she needed. She leaned in and licked Raptor's neck, smiling when he growled and stumbled.

She loved this man. Loved her life, and what was to come. And she really didn't need him to prove the sex got better. It did. Every freaking time.

The next morning...

Grace watched the monitor in the bedroom. Noticing they had started to land.

Megoth was just a bit smaller than Earth, with part of the planet covered in sand and heat, and the other in ice. There were a few trees and plenty of windswept mountains and dunes. And lots of red sand.

Grace knew many of the people lived in caves. There were elaborate tunnel systems to keep them underground where it was cooler during the day and still allow them to get from one place to another. They often built buildings as additions to caves, using the sand to make a red brick that blended with the countryside.

She hadn't asked anyone if Makayla and the others lived in caves. Because Grace planned to live on the ship. Baby bumped her leg. As if to remind her, she'd be here, too. The cat loved this ship and the open-beamed ceiling. Baby had never been a fan of sand. So, she figured the animal would stay right here.

They walked to the bridge of the ship, to be with Raptor as they landed. She took her seat and Baby curled up on the pillow at Raptor's feet.

As they entered the planet's atmosphere, Grace sat forward in her chair. She could see what looked like a little village. There was a ship surrounded by gardens, a playground, and dozens of people.

"Look," she pointed. "That's the old Siloth ship that Kayla said they turned into an apartment complex." Then she noted the other ship. The one that looked a lot like theirs.

It had a deck built around half of it so that when the ship was parked, they could step outside and enjoy the fantastic view. There was a sunroom built on one end. Grace could see plants growing there and around the deck. Plus, there was a big fire bowl that would be perfect for roasting marshmallows.

"We could do that!" she said excitedly and turned to Raptor. Pointing at the deck, she bounced in her seat.

"You mean build a deck that would surround this ship? Providing some outdoor space with maybe a little lab and hospital built at the end so you would have room for patients? Maybe a little garden. And I don't know, perhaps a thermal hot spring to soak in after a long day? Because you know the desert can be pretty cold at night."

"Oh, Raptor, that sounds perfect!"

"Grace, honey. Look out the window."

She looked up and saw where they were landing. There was a deck, with all the things Raptor had mentioned. And three women in various stages of pregnancy stood in front of it, with their very alien mates.

Her eyes caught on Makayla. Her friend had long dark hair that was a mass of curls. Her skin was mocha colored. And even though Grace couldn't see her eyes, she knew they were deep brown. The man beside her, Falcon, Raptor's brother—was tall. Muscular, with just a tiny bit of scruff on his face. He had wavy, reddish-brown hair that brushed the top of his shoulders.

Makayla's cousin, Lauren, stood off to the right. She was shorter than the other women. Her hair was dark brown, shoulder-length, and wavy. She had light chocolate skin. The man beside her, the Dragon Prince, was tall and had black coarse hair that was cut short. His skin was pale, and he had several tribal-style tattoos.

Kaitlyn was just to the left of her sister. Her long, straight brown hair was blowing in the wind. Kait's skin was a light cream color. The man standing beside her, the Horde leader, was a massive giant. He had thick, muscle-bound arms that were all tatted up and legs that were the size of redwood tree trunks. His head was covered in dark curls that fell past his shoulders. His skin was tinted red.

While she looked them over, trying to access the women's health from here, Grace realized something. They wouldn't have built the deck for the ship, not just for her. They knew she and Raptor were mated.

"You told your brother that I'm your Keeper?" She turned and studied him.

"Yes. The first night we were together. Before you transformed. You fell asleep and I couldn't stand it. I had to tell someone." He dropped his head, embarrassed.

She rolled her eyes. Grace couldn't be mad. He'd gone centuries without her. But she'd have shared that tidbit with Makayla if she realized the woman's mate already knew. Never mind. The two best friends were back together again. They had lots of secrets to share.

Grace turned to Raptor with a big smile on her face. "Honey, we're home!" she said. Jumping up, she ran for the door.

"Don't open that until I land!" Raptor's laughter warmed her heart.

THE END!