Epilogue

"Okay, let's have you stretch your arms up," I said to the little girl, Tira. "All the way up to the sky."

Tira did as I instructed. "Good?" she asked with a smile that was full of uneven baby teeth. Her dark red skin was healthy and her breathing was normal.

I ran my scanner over her chest and around her ribs. The clinic had two exam rooms and could hold twenty in its infirmary. It was built into a tree, like all the other structures here. The walls were a tawny wood and it had a strong power source from a vistran crystal that had been installed just for the clinic. It was a great place to work. Breezes came through the windows and people popped in to chat or ask me questions. It was a far cry from the sterile, impersonal facilities I was used to on Earth, and I loved it.

I'd come to a level of peace with the traditional Mitran healers. After analyzing their techniques and treatments, I learned they had true medical merit, and I respected them. Still, the humans preferred seeing me, and the healers sent those with more complex health issues.

"Stay still just a moment longer," I told little Tira. "You're doing so well."

I finished the scan and let her put her arms down. The data began to run through the display, giving me the results.

"Well?" asked her anxious mother, Rina. "How is she?"

"Her lungs are clear. Her heart is perfect," I said. "She's responded well to the treatment." I put down the scanner and turned toward the little family.

Bakar, Tira's father, visibly sagged in relief. "Thank Skrah for that."

"Tira can engage in all typical activities. There are no restrictions for her," I said. "Your daughter is healthy."

Rina's eyes filled, but her smile was brilliant. "Thank you, Dr. Mecon. We are so grateful."

"It's my pleasure," I told them, handing a small wooden cat to Tira, who snatched it gleefully. "I'm happy that Tira's condition was treatable. Sometimes these diseases can be tough, but your daughter is young and she responded so well to treatment."

The family left and I finished straightening up the exam room. After being here for six months, I knew everyone in the Thrail, and there were a lot of people here. But I especially knew the children, who were a beautiful mix of their human mothers and Mitran fathers. Overall, they were healthy and happy, and so far, none had health problems that were untreatable.

"Who am I seeing next?" I asked Brie, a nurse who was eager to work with me, now that there was a clinic and equipment.

"Misty Doalis, who is due to give birth next week," Brie replied. "But not for an hour. You have a break."

"In that case…" I grinned and shucked my white coat. "I'm grabbing lunch with Dakkan. See you in an hour."

Brie gave me a knowing look. "Don't forget to eat."

"Duh. That's what I'm doing," I said with a wicked grin and headed for the door.

The Thrail was an incredible network of footpaths that connected through the trees, high above the ground. They were sturdy, not the swinging rope bridges that had been my first thought when I'd heard of Thrail Sakra. These didn't budge, even when the large Mitran warriors strode across them. I made my way through them to my home.

The warlord's home and hall was a huge, old structure built into the oldest and most massive of the songa trees. It had four levels and was a lovely place to live. Since Dakkan lived there, I loved it even more.

I opened the door to find my mate sitting at his desk, frowning over a list of upcoming trade proposals. He looked up and smiled at me. "Thank Skrah you're here," he said, getting up. "I was losing my mind staring at these numbers."

"Always happy to distract you from your duties," I said, going into his arms. "Was it very important?"

"Yes, but not pressing." His mouth found mine. "How is your day going, my love?"

"Everyone is healthy, so my day is wonderful." I looked up at him and licked my upper lip. "I have fifty minutes before my next appointment."

"Ah." He cupped my ass and squeezed. "How will we pass the time?"

"Hmm." I melted into his embrace. "Take me upstairs."

"Gladly." He swept me into his arms and strode up the staircase to our bedchamber. Our clothes were gone in moments. Hands were everywhere. Our bodies were familiar to us, now, and we moved together with a natural excitement. With each day that passed since we'd returned to the Thrail, I loved him more. Desired him more. Liked him more. He was an excellent leader and a good person. I was proud to stand beside him.

"Pal-Dakkan?" called a voice up the stairs.

Dakkan cursed under his breath. "Not now, Corik," he bellowed from the bed. "I'm occupied."

"Very well, Warlord," Corik responded. "Just letting you know that Lukan's grals are running lose in the main landing."

Dakkan cursed louder. "Are they causing trouble?"

"No, but you asked me to—"

"Forget what I said," he interrupted. "I'll deal with it later."

I laughed. "Everyone loves Lukan's grals. They are Thrail celebrities. The children probably begged him to let them loose so they could play with them."

Dakkan grunted. "I suppose having animals in the Thrail is another thing I must adjust to."

"I heard that there's a cat—they're animals from Earth we keep as pets—in a different Thrail. Some of the women are asking for them."

He buried his face between my breasts. "One beast at a time. The grals are enough to contend with."

"You're the beast I want right now," I said, holding his horns as he laved attention on my greedy flesh.

"Then you shall have me." He slid inside me in one swift thrust. "Ah, Sabine," he moaned as he rocked, sending my pulse racing and turning my breathing shallow. "You're sure this is safe?"

I smiled and matched his rhythm with my body, taking as much pleasure as I gave him. "Oh yes. The baby is not affected. Numerous studies have been done that prove—"

He cut me off with a hard kiss. "Not the time for details. Just making sure." His words were stilted, uttered roughly. "I don't want our daughter to be traumatized because we can't control ourselves."

I gasped as pleasure built and throbbed. "She's fine. Now shut up and fuck me."

He growled against my skin and complied, pushing me over the edge to heaven itself. We were one. And as I clutched him to me, I could see only joy ahead of us for the rest of our days.

Hi readers! I hope you enjoyed Dakkan and Simone's story! Please consider leaving a review. This is the third in the Mitran Warlord Protectors series, and it's connected to the Craving the Heveian series.

Next in the Mitran Warrior Protector series is:

SIROC'S RUNAWAY

I might be a killing machine.

I just don't know it, yet.

Siroc

My mountain domain operates as smoothly as the sleek machines that mine for ore in the caves, but when a human female is found in the snow, every alarm bell rings—literally. It's Jane, a volunteer of the human-Mitran breeding program, who had disappeared six months earlier, but not willingly. It's clear she was abducted and surgically "enhanced" with implants to improve her senses and strength, and she has no recollection of what happened to her. The mystery of unlocking those memories is nearly as intriguing as the female herself, until acts of sabotage make me question whether Jane is hiding a secret that could destroy thousands of lives under my protection.

Jane

I am rebuilding my life after waking up in a Mitran warlord's infirmary with abilities I shouldn't have and scars to go with them. But I have no memory of my past. The alien warlord, Siroc, is always nearby. Always watching. Gaps in my memory coincide with "accidents" and strange transmissions. As we grow closer, I desperately want to know—what if something inside of me will kill everyone I care about, including the warlord who has my heart?