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  “That’s good, I guess.” It would be an easier transition than it would be going to formula cold turkey.

  “You make no outings without a male member of the family. Not even by shuttle.”

  “Oh, you like that one, I’m sure,” she accused.

  He didn’t deny it. “The females may or may not be able to help you if you collapse.”

  As much as she hated to admit it, that was true. “Go on then,” Abby conceded.

  “The last thing is more...personal.”

  She groaned. “Let me guess. No sex?”

  “The opposite.”

  Her head spun at that pronouncement. “Massive amounts of sex?” That didn’t sound like something Rayn and Carew would prescribe.

  “In moderation, but one particular thing...” He winced. “This is not how I wanted to do this.”

  Abby tightened her grip on him reflexively. It was disconcerting to see Gabe so uncertain. “Wanted to do what?”

  “They believe binding will help you carry easier, and—”

  “They didn’t tell me that the last time,” she fumed.

  “You didn’t want to tell me the last time. They were working within your comfort zone. Would you honestly have bound yourself to me, if you weren’t sure Michael would survive?”

  Finding the words to refute it was impossible. He was right about that. Abby shook her head in response.

  “So... Are you going to mate with me?”

  “Do you honestly believe I’d refuse? Of course, I’m going to mate with you. Do we have to wait for some reason?”

  “We should probably get a meal in you first.”

  Her mouth watered at the thought of the spiced meat Xxanians and human women pregnant with Xxanian crossbreds ate. “Are you going to feed me properly?”

  Gabe groaned, most likely at the thought of how mouth feeding between mates normally turned to hot sex. “You better believe it.”

  Glossary

  Dominant- Xxanian males with Dominant personalities and larger bodies

  elder- the head of a Xxanian nest—this is always a Dominant male, usually the oldest and wisest Dominant male in a nest, even if younger males are stronger (“The elders” can also refer to all the older members of a nest as a group.)

  first- the first lover a Xxanian female experiences; this male is usually chosen by her seir when the quickening strikes or is decided by fate when a female unexpectedly hits her quickening in close proximity to Xxanian males (Xxanian Dominants will fight for the right to sate a quickening—to the death, if necessary—and the one left standing will be her first.)

  gran-Hauaa- grandmother

  gran-seir- grandfather

  gran-vvaash- granddaughter

  gran-vvaashee- grandson

  gran-vvaasheen- grandchildren

  Grea Elders- ruling class of the Xxan, comprised exclusively of the strongest elders

  grippers- lightweight shoes that allow engineering division military to grip to wet decks and oily machinery

  Hauaa- mother (Unlike other family relationships, Hauaa is always capitalized, no matter whether the person is speaking about or directly addressing the Hauaa.)

  High Xxan- one of the seven forms of Xxanian martial arts; considered the most advanced form, this form is usually only taught to Dominants and is only practiced regularly by Grea Elders

  IAC- Inter Agency Command, a panel of the heads of all military and government offices concerned with alien affairs

  Interstellar War Pact- an interstellar Geneva Convention, covering war and treatment of prisoners (For the record, the Xxan do not practice or recognize it.)

  nest- home of a Xxanian family; typically an armored underground bunker populated with gardens and pools of water

  pregnancy block- a drug to prevent pregnancy, given to both men and women

  quickening- a Xxanian female’s sexual maturation, as experienced in a mating frenzy with her first

  ripen- the process of making a female fertile by way of mating (An unripened female is usually unable to conceive a child, which ensures no offspring for Xxanian females until they are bonded to their mates.)

  Saahaal- a clove-like spice that grows on the Xxanian home world, a sacred part of their religion (They use clove instead on Earth.)

  scaly/scalies- an offensive term for Xxanians

  scaly-lovers- an offensive term for those sympathetic to Xxanians

  seir- father

  Seir-God- the Xxanian deity

  sister-moon- Xxania Hethhh; the Xxanian home world is actually a moon in the Xxanian solar system, and Xxania Hethhh is the twin moon to the home world, sharing an orbit with the home world.)

  s’saahhta- a sickle-shaped weapon carried by Xxanian warriors

  s’sanuea- preparation room; akin to a locker room (Inhabitants of and guests of the nest change clothing in the s’sanuea before entering the nest proper.)

  S’suuhhea- female Xxanian clothing

  S’suumea- male Xxanian clothing- comes in formal and informal styles

  STD block- a drug to prevent STD transmission from person to person; can be administered to both males and females

  Subdominants- Xxan males with beta personalities and smaller bodies; Xxanians identify Dominants and Subdominants by scent

  swamp skin- an offensive term for the Xxan

  tongue-scent- using the tongue to collect more scent information than the nose gives; the Xxan have slightly-roughened tongues with a way array of scent receptors

  Xxan- the collective Xxanian people; also, their language is called Xxan

  Xxan-Dree- one of the seven Xxanian martial arts

  Xxania Hethhh- the Xxanian sister-moon; a twin moon to the Xxanian home world

  Xxania Uuaahth- the Xxanian home world

  Xxanian- adj referring to the Xxan

  Zhigaaah- female sex hormone

  Zhigaaal- male sex hormone

  zhirrakkah- a Xxanian insult, comparing a person to a carrion eater from the Xxanian home world

  zuahhhbeahhh- a spiked weapon used by Xxanian Dominants

  z’haahn- the spiced meat the Xxan and crossbred Xxan eat daily

  About the Author

  Brenna Lyons wears many hats, sometimes all on the same day: former president of EPIC, author of more than 95 published works, office administrator, columnist, special needs teacher, wife, mother...and member in good standing of more than 60 writing advocacy groups. In her first nine years published in novel-length, she's won 3 EPIC e-Book Awards (out of 15 finalists) and finaled for 3 PEARLS (including one Honorable Mention, second to NY Times Bestseller Angela Knight), 2 CAPAS, and a Dream Realm Award. She's also taken Spinetingler's Book of the Year for 2007. Brenna writes milieu-heavy dark fiction, mainly science fiction, fantasy and horror, straight genre, romance and erotic crosses, poetry, articles, and essays. She teaches everything from marketing to choosing an indie publisher, and she's been called "one of the most deviant erotic minds in publishing today" by Fallen Angels. Find out more about Brenna at Youtube or her site http://www.brennalyons.com