Epilogue 1 Alex

" C ome on. Let's see what you've got, Varnak." His white brow quirks as I hold out a hand and wave it at him.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that, little kora. I'm going to make you eat those words." His growl makes me laugh out loud and then I duck and dodge when he grabs me and tries to pull me into him.

I feint and then slam an elbow into his ribs and he grunts, his grip loosening.

I duck under his arms and grip his side, leaning into him and shifting my weight so that he flips right over me and lands on his back with a grunt.

I fall on top of him and he wraps his arms around me and then rolls until he's on top of me, caging me in. His hands go to my wrists and he holds onto me just tight enough that I can't get away.

He leans down and his nose skims my ear as he chuckles, "I think I've got you right where I want you, kora. You might as well give in."

My body heats to about a million degrees and every part of me melts into a puddle of goo. But I'll be damned if I'm going to give in. And he should know that better than anyone.

With a quick intake of breath, I jerk my hips up, bouncing him just enough to move my knee and push at him until I can wrap my legs around his middle and then another big buck and he growls as I move out from under him and roll away.

He points a finger at me and growls. "Payback is a bitch, kora!"

I throw my head back and laugh. He's absolutely fascinated by Earth sayings and spouts them all the time, cracking me up when he says them wrong.

"Well, well. You've got one right, koree. Good job."

His smug smirk has me chuckling again. "I can do more than that right, my kora. Come closer and I'll prove it to you."

I dance away from him on the balls of my feet, my steps so light it's almost magical. I love this damn holodeck. Keeps me from getting hurt when we get a little carried away. He's a big guy and he's careful but I'm not sometimes.

"Come and get me, Varnak. You wanna play? Come and get me." I whirl around and run, fading into the jungle landscape that's a strange combination of blue and green foliage. It's lush and tropical and sweat pools on my back as I flee.

I can hear his light steps behind me. For a big guy he moves as light as a feather. I can barely hear him and I have to listen hard most of the time.

He doesn't talk and I know from now on he won't. He's focused on the game and the prize…me.

I grin and just as I turn a corner, something tackles me and takes me to the ground, knocking the air out of my lungs.

"Got you now!" I groan and he grasps my wrists and snaps something on them that holds me taut. I can see through them but I know there's something there.

"What the hell, Varnak?" I grumble and pull at my wrists. "I don't think I agreed to role play tonight. And why the hell couldn't you wear the handcuffs?"

He chuckles heavily and then leaps lightly to his feet, his thigh muscles quivering. My belly turns over and heat pools deep inside me, my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth.

He reaches down and grabs me, holding me high, like some damn sacrifice to his manhood.

Then he throws me over his broad, tanned shoulder.

"Oof!" I close my eyes and grit my teeth. "What the hell are you doing?"

But he says nothing and all of sudden the holodeck changes and the night sky pulses around us with starlight. A gorgeous aurora of gold and green and pink paints the sky and under his feet a soft carpet of green dances on the softest of breezes.

"What is this?"

He parts the leaves and in front of us is a small, square piece of cloth. A woven bag sits on it and he sits me down carefully, opening the bag and starting to pull out a variety of delicious-looking foods.

He finally sits across from me and fiddles with something on my wrists and all of sudden I'm free and staring around at the food spread out around us.

It looks so familiar and yet so damn alien.

He leans back and smirks. "Do you like it, my kora?"

I nod my head but stare at him like he's gone insane.

"I thought that you might like this tradition of which I've read up a great deal. A picnic."

"I've heard of a picnic. How did you hear of them?"

I talked to Lacey and she told me that you like them. Do you not like them?"

"I do. But what are we eating?" It looks familiar."

"Well, over here we have a roast parvet. Which is like a chicken?" I nod my head, snickering under my breath when I should ask him why the meat is green. I sure as hell hope the cook had better cooking skills than I do because I would worry about my cooking green meat.

"And over here we have the traditional potato salad made with runa root."

I nod my head without my face changing at all because it's purple. The potatoes are purple.

Every time he tells me something, I struggle to hold in the smile on my face. "This is so nice, Varnak. But what's the occasion?"

"Do I need an occasion to do something nice for my mate?"

I lean back, grinning and eyeing him up and down like he's a piece of meat. My piece of Grade A stud.

"I think it would help in this instance."

"Okay, here's what I was thinking." He shifts nervously. "I know that you wanted to wait to have small ones but I'd like to at least start trying."

I lift my brows. "How long do you think it will take?"

"Who knows? But I've read a little bit about human females of a certain age and it seems like it might take longer."

I hold up a hand and glare at him. "Did you just call me old, Varnak? Because if you did, I'd like to remind you I just kicked your ass!"

He snorts. "Of course I didn't. But I just want to discuss small ones. I never thought I'd want them but all of a sudden it seems important. Our worlds are opening up and it would be amazing to have someone to teach about our different traditions and stories. How our planets have survived and all that vrecking stuff."

I smirk. "That's all terribly interesting. But I don't want to start trying to have small ones."

His head drops and he sighs. Like a little boy who's just lost his puppy or his favorite toy.

"Alright, my kora. If this is what you want."

I sigh and reach out to pull myself over to sit on his lap, my arms wrapping around his broad shoulders, hugging him tight as I whisper in his ear, "I'm already pregnant, koree. I was waiting for the right time to tell you."

His face lights up, his sea-blue gaze laser-sharp in his happiness. "I'm going to have a small one?"

"We," I growl. "And considering I think I have to do all the work that you didn't do already, I think you should take me out and find me a real chicken that isn't blue. I can't eat that. It's making me nauseous."

Varnak smirks. "I will search this galaxy for exactly what you want, my kora. I love you, mate."

I snuggle into his arms and sigh. "I love you too, you crazy man."

I'm home even in the middle of the stars and galaxies around us because of this male. No matter where we are, I will always be home with him. And I can always trust that he'll have my back and that he will never treat me like I can't have his back too.

We're a team. I had to be kidnapped and end up in space to find the man who could treat me like I was a woman who could fight by his side and he'd never talk down to me like I didn't matter.

I have the best of both worlds or the best of all of the galaxies. I have a man who loves me and wants me like a woman, but he also fights with me and alongside me and trusts me to have his six. I have it all.

It's almost worth being kidnapped. I chuckle and breathe into his warm skin as he cradles me close.

Almost.