1. Stella

Chapter 1

Stella

T he tall, satanic-looking female opens the exit door and smiles down at me.

After the way I shrieked and almost fainted in her presence, I suppose she can hardly wait to get rid of the odd human.

What else was I supposed to do when confronted by a group of beings who look like creatures from my darkest nightmares?

My body reformed on this distant transporter disk, on an entirely different planet. The moment my vision cleared I saw the nearby Hyrrokin staff members and did something I'd never done in my entire life—screamed so loud I hurt my own ears and then grew lightheaded and swayed on my feet at the sight of this new-to-me species.

I'm still so embarrassed.

"Wait here." She points with a sharp, silver claw. Despite her gruesome features, this Hyrrokin female is surprisingly kind. A flash of white fang causes a sickening wave of fear again to blossom in the pit of my stomach. I do my best to ignore the terror I've constantly felt in her presence and listen to her gentle words. "We messaged Rake Flagstone about your arrival and your bound is on his way, arriving directly from his ranch."

"Ranch?"

"Yes. Rake Flagstone is the owner of the third section of the Flagstone Fire Ranch. It will take him some time to arrive because of the distance, but not too long. Have a nice day. If there's anything you need while you wait, open this door again and let us know. We'd be happy to help."

I quietly thank the female for her epic kindness during my freak out on the transporter disk. "I'm so embarrassed about how I reacted when I first saw all of you. I'm so sorry, but I couldn't seem to help myself."

A puff of white smoke escapes from her nostrils. "Do not worry, human. Our appearance can be terrifying for other species, and we are trained to deal with newcomers. Welcome to the planet Tarvos. All of us in this outpost are excited that you've chosen to move here and mate with one of our males. We are looking forward to getting to know you better in the future." She flashes a cheerful wave and then closes the door to return to her work.

Through the windows I can see the other Hyrrokin staff whispering and pointing at me. They asked my name and the reason for my trip. I handed them the chip with my info and they were surprised to learn who was picking me up.

Hopefully this guy I was forced to marry in absentia realizes he's getting a human.

I exhale, trying to settle my nervous stomach. I'm alone and pregnant and life has been crazy lately so it's good to slow down for a moment.

My wheeled suitcase bumps behind as I pull it further onto the platform.

The perfumed air of this world smells wonderful. Blue skies arch overhead, and an impossibly tall, green mountain range spikes in the distance. This small town is located on the edge of their wildlands.

A few Hyrrokin stroll down the streets, going about their business. Some of them drive vehicles that look very much like the ones on New Earth, but only larger, to fit their more powerful bodies and the height of their horns.

I'm in the town of Fire Creek on the planet Tarvos, populated by the Hyrrokin species who look terrifying but are in fact nothing but nice.

At least there's that.

They might all have large, crooked noses, red skin, black horns that burst out from their foreheads and barbed tails. But so far, I can confirm that amongst the small group I've met, their outside does not match the inside.

A passing Hyrrokin female, who looks particularly alarming, gives me a welcoming wave as she goes by in her vehicle and I force myself to wave pleasantly in response.

Nice. Nice.

The weather today is spectacular, so at least I'm not left standing in the rain and cold. I inhale a deep breath of clean air. There's a comfortable bench nearby and they handed me water and some sort of meat stick to nibble on as I wait, which was very nice of them.

But as I sit down and look around at this foreign setting, I can't help but wonder yet again: how is this even happening to me?

I've arrived on the other side of the four sectors, married in absentia to some stranger who isn't even human named Rake Flagstone? I'm on a planet I'd never heard of until today, holding a single suitcase, standing on a platform, waiting for my new alien husband to arrive.

This is bizzarro.

I bite my lip as I wait because there's one serious problem with this whole marriage in absentia situation.

After a best forgotten one-night stand gone wrong, I'm three months pregnant and obviously this baby won't be his.

Jeez. I cross my legs.

This has got to be the weirdest moment of my life.

Also, I did not choose to come here. I was forced onto the transporter disk and told I was leaving with a heavy dose of good riddance.

Awful. That was obviously a moment I will never forget.

I take a drink and nibble on the meat stick, which is very yummy. Then I glance around again, trying to guess the time of day. If this were a normal workday, I'd be back on New Earth finishing a math lesson and readying my young students for recess.

Because I was a teacher.

I was respected and cherished by the parents at my school who knew I adored their children as much as they did. I won Teacher of the Year last year for the entire county. And now I've been fired and there's probably a substitute trying to muddle through the day without lesson plans? That sickening feeling returns to the pit of my stomach. The principal must be freaking out and working hard to hire a replacement mid-year, which is going to be a mess.

I sniff at the warmth behind my eyes and the clog at the back of my throat. I miss my classroom, my students and my coworkers and feel terrible knowing those kids are going to lose out on instruction because of what happened. I started the school year with the expectation of being there until the end of the year, not leaving suddenly with chaos in my wake.

I wipe at my tears, take another bite of food and gulp down more water.

But…it's true that I was also a well-known, rebellious agent for change within the community. I've always meant well, working hard for justice and equality but…I suppose my sometimes over the top actions over the years finally came back to bite me in the butt.

I've always been this way.

Back in high school and college I volunteered my time with local organizations and worked on voter registration campaigns. If there was a march for women's rights or a cause for children and families I could champion, I was there, ready to chain myself to the front doors of town hall if necessary.

My mother wanted me to calm down. She said I was the type who'd eventually take things too far and I'd be happier if I mellowed out, focused on my own life and no one else's.

But I get antsy at the thought of women and children suffering from blatant unfairness or outright criminality. How can I live my life while others suffer?

I need to be the change I want to see in the world.

If not me, then who?

Despite my inner rebelliousness, once I left university and started my teaching career, I kept these two parts of my life strictly divided. I never brought any of my outside activities into my instruction, never hinted for a moment to any of the students, staff or parents about my stance on issues within the community. I taught the adopted curriculum and only introduced books to students that were straight from the school's library.

I worked my ass off and volunteered extra hours tutoring.

Except…

Well, I did join the county women's organization. And maybe I started the local chapter. And yes, maybe during every single summer vacation I might've started a sit-in, a march or a write-in campaign. What else was I to do when I discovered this community was a patriarchal theocracy that oppressed women and children? I didn't think it was right that they could decide who you could marry or that birth control was illegal.

Unacceptable.

I take another bite of the tasty meat stick.

I was born and raised in a large city on New Earth but was enticed to take a teaching job on a farming community. Why did I stay in such a job, after I discovered the laws and culture were not a good fit for me?

I actually liked living there. There are so many people who are wonderful and kind and I really wanted to help the children have a better future. Maybe I saw it as a place that needed someone like me, an agent of change.

It drives me crazy, but there are still lots of communities out in the middle of nowhere, where women are treated as second-class citizens. They force girls into marriage way too young and refuse to allow women any positions of power within the community. Some even deny women an education and don't allow them out of the house, and they're able to do this with impunity because they live so remotely, no one knows.

Where I'd lived and worked was not the worst offender by any means, but they needed a lot of updating. I was hoping to make a difference in the laws, fighting for women to have the freedom to make their own decisions about their lives and their bodies. And instead, I got swept up in those very same antiquated laws and here I am, on an entirely different world.

I always remained respectful and professional because I wanted to make sure the town council would listen to me and that would only happen if I didn't go too far. Plus, I needed to keep my high-paying job, which included a free apartment.

Despite my best intentions, though, everyone was disgruntled with my last stunt.

A group of us walked into town hall during lunch hour for a stealth demonstration, which was supposed to include a flood of pamphlets on a few desks.

How was I to know when I tripped while inside the mayor's office, that I'd accidentally splash permanent red paint all over his desk? I didn't even know I'd brought red paint in my bag. I'm still confused how that even happened. I offered to clean it up, but apparently I'd ruined so much furniture and flooring, the office had to be remodeled.

Oops.

Although this didn't bother me as much as it should considering I knew the mayor was stealing from the town.

The people on the school board and town council, who'd always hated me with a fiery passion, saw an opportunity to get rid of me. "See? I told you hiring her was a mistake. She's been nothing but trouble. A young woman like this can't remain in a position where she has influence over our children."

They'd also hated the fact that I remained single, despite their attempts to pair me up with many of their sons. They thought a "fat girl" like me should be honored to have the ability to date and marry some of the most eligible young men in town.

Ridiculous.

I was immediately jailed for the "red paint incident" and the school board voted to fire me from my teaching position. City funds were used for my rapid transporter trip off planet. The local law enforcement, and the townsfolk who were watching in the transporter station, including the mayor, giggled and chuckled before they hit send. They'd literally tried to find what they thought would be the worst placement and send me there.

Jeez, they could've just fired me, it would've been cheaper.

And then of course, to make matters worse, after I was arrested, the town elders discovered I was pregnant.

The school librarian, who'd always hated me more than anyone else because she was disgruntled over my rejection of her asshole son as a potential suitor, was eagle-eyed and noticed that I'd started throwing up and that my stomach was thicker.

They forced me to take a pregnancy test. And that was the exact moment I learned I was three months pregnant.

I was stunned.

They asked who the father was and I did not answer. I mean, I couldn't find him either. He'd already long ago left the planet and rejoined his unit. It was supposed to be one night of fun with no consequences. Also, it was none of their business.

Between the red paint incident and the pregnancy out of wedlock, I was persona non grata. They'd tried to get me to marry within their community, which I'd rejected and instead had sex with some stranger? They were horrified. It was also against the law to be pregnant out of wedlock in our town—one of the laws I'd been working to overturn.

They decided the best thing for me, considering I was pregnant, was to get married. The town council found a mail-order bride agency and sent me to this planet because they think it's hilarious that I'm going to be married to a man that looks like Satan.

I take another deep breath, trying to calm down. If I continue to freak out, they win. If I'm scared of this situation they boxed me into, they win. If I don't make the best of this, they win.

And they will not win.