Picking his way through the overgrown vines, Dart made his way to her near the stepwell and sat down with an exaggerated sigh.

"So, why here of all places?" he asked testily, swiping at the dirt on his pristine navy-blue space suit. "We could have met at a nice cozy bar somewhere instead of on a dead planet that forced you to put up an atmospheric shield just so we don't sleep to death."

With her arms stretched behind her holding her back propped up, Ember let her head lean back between her shoulder blades and stared up at the two suns. Being outside again felt beautiful. The warmth to her skin, the freedom of it all felt so good. When she made it back to the Plover her system read that she had been in that experimental prison for five days.

Five days. It only took five days for her whole existence to change.

Using a good portion of her fuel, Ember pushed her ship past the recommended safety of jumps through space as she fled that ship. Just remembering the angry yellow eyes of that yellow striped yautja and the others surrounding her made the hairs on her arms stand on end. They all seemed so perplexed and angry with her. She couldn't stay there she couldn't risk being captured and trapped again. Although even as she thought it she regretted her decision. In her moment of fear induced flight she ran from the only one she wanted to be with. Furrowing her brow, her mouth set into a scowl as she rebelled against the guilty thoughts. Why should she be angry with herself? She should be angry with that big red idiot for breaking his promise to her. He said he would come get her, not send two other yautjas.

Sensing Dart's eyes on her she turned her head and opened her eyes. With one eyebrow lifted in a speculative point, he stared at her.

"What?" she asked, knowing full well what he was waiting for. Leaning forward she clapped the dust off her hands and swished her feet around in the cold water.

"Are you going to tell me what's up or not? You called me crying, and to point out I haven't heard you cry since the orphanage. You said you messed up and you needed to talk. So here I am with a case of Coolsidemoons and a nice muscular shoulder for you to lean on baby-girl." He wiggled one shoulder suggestively with a smirk.

Laughing she put her elbows on her knees and stared out into the water. "Well it's a pretty long story…"

Looking over to him to see if he was listening, Ember smiled as she watched him lay down with his arms crossed behind his head, ready to listen.

"Regale me darlin."

And so, she did. She told him every detail about the experimental facility up until the breakout. Ember only left out one detail, a detail she nearly missed herself as she ran out of the lab, but that detail was personal.

Sitting up with a jerk, Dart turned to her and gave her a look she had never seen before. Sometimes she forgot that Dart was actually a quite notorious criminal in most of the known galaxies. Growing up with him, her mental image of him would always be of the smiling kid who helped her break into the head mistress's office at the orphanage or the joking bar-fly of every seedy space port in the Cyclon galaxy. But the hard look on his handsome face now was not one she imagined seeing.

"Fuck Ember," he cursed as he scooted closer to her wrapping one long arm around her shoulder bringing her close to lean into his chest. "Fuck I had no idea…goddammit that pisses me off." Looking down at her he gave her an angry glare. "Didn't I tell you not to go chasing after that thing!"

With a groan she rolled her eyes as he gave her a firm shake as he vented.

"I told you back at the bar, to just let that hunter go. But no, you never listen to me, I swear to god you could have been killed or…"

"Stop," she cried shoving at him. He stopped talking but he didn't budge from his spot. "I don't want to be lectured I want to be consoled! And how dare you tell me `I told you so' right now!"

Letting her go he held up his hands in apology. "Fine, fine, I am sorry. Come here let me comfort you," he cooed with exaggeration, pulling her unnecessarily tight to his chest. Ember couldn't stop the smile that broke through her defenses. Leaning his head on top of her head he spoke. "So, if you're this upset that you left why did you leave?"

"That is a good question, my mate."

They both heard the dark tone and froze. Turning to look over their shoulders they watched the distorted light come in to focus. At eye level with his knees they both looked up to see Red's burning orange eyes.

"Aw fuck," Dart groaned.

Her words were still stuck in her throat when Red leaned forward and grabbed Dart by the back of his neck yanking him up and off the ground. Red's other fist connected with Dart's face so fast Ember could barely process the blur of movement. Blood sprayed from Dart's nose and Ember screamed jumping to her feet.

"Red stop!"

Red ignored her.

"That was cheap," Dart rasped as he grabbed for his gun on his waist.

Pulling his arm back, Red threw Dart's body with almighty force. Soaring out and beyond the atmospheric bubble, Dart landed with a sickening thud in a grouping of bushes.

"Oh my god," running up the stairs of the stepwell Ember tried to run after him but the large hand on her upper arm swung her back around.

Facing the angry yautja, Ember began hitting his chest. "How dare you throw my friend!" she screamed as Red caught both of her fists with pathetic ease.

"You run from me when I told you to stay put. You run across five galaxies and I find you in the arms of that male!" Red roared picking her up by the waist and holding her directly in front of his face.

Ember had to swallow at the sudden lump of nervousness in her throat. Staring face to face with the angry yautja she watched as his mandibles flexed in and out in a way she had never seen before. He was really angry with her.

"Technically you were the one that broke your promise," she murmured, letting her gaze dance around him nervously, anything to avoid looking at the two burning coals he called eyes. "You said you would come get me, but two weird hunters showed up. And then another hunter, a black and gold one, tried to grab me and the others started…"

Setting her down to her feet, Red kept ahold of her shoulders. "And this makes you run to him," pointing to the direction where he threw Dart beyond the atmospheric field.

Ember took a deep breath and forced herself not to cower to the beast's threatening tone.

"Dart is my friend, I grew up with him at the orphanage. Of course, I am going to run to my friend when I find out I'm pregnant and just survived imprisonment by psychotic android's."

Red stiffened. Giving him a level stare, Ember couldn't deny she took great pleasure in the hint of uncertainty in his eyes.

"You knew?"

Crossing her arms, she stepped backward from him and stared at the gleaming water in the stepwell. The sun sparkled off the blue water beautifully.

"Yes, I was wondering what you were looking so hard at in the lab I took a glance at it as I ran out from those two weird hunters you sent to look after me."

Stepping forward to close the gap she placed in between them, Red let out a gruff huff of air. "Those two weird yautja were my brother and cousin."

Twisting her lips, she gave him a disgusted look. "Even the asshole with the white eyes?" She certainly hoped he was lying.

"That is Tyrnn, my cousin."

"I hate him."

Making some indiscernible noise, he pulled her shoulder towards him crowding her body against his big warm chest. "He is your family now."

Family. The word made her chest constrict. Looking back through the atmospheric shield she squinted and saw Dart's hand sticking out from the bushes. Worried she stepped forward again to try and check on him.

Red's warning growl and hands tightening around her shoulders stopped her.

Snapping back around to him, she shoved at him and pointed to Dart's unconscious body. "You just threw my family like a sack of beans out into that killer forest!"

"He is fine. The human is simply asleep from the toxins."

"He could be hurt, we should…"

"You are evading the subject! I do not care about that human's life I only want you. I want you to look at me and only me. I want you to acknowledge our child growing inside of you. And I want to know why you ran from me!"

Taken aback, Ember tried to recall a time Red had ever spoken that many words at once and so fast. The only time she could remember was the time in the lab in the dark when she could only see the orange glow of his eyes. She scowled at him. Why was it he only ever talked a lot when he was angry with her?

Shaking away from his light grip on her shoulder she stepped back and looked at the sky, avoiding his gaze. "I ran because…I ran because I am scared. I am scared of being pregnant. I was scared of all those hunters staring at me like I was a rare zoo animal."

Giving off a growling sigh, she heard him shift among the fallen brush on the ground. "They only stared at you that way because I told them you were with child so to ensure that when they encountered you they would be careful."

"Careful? I am not even in the stage to worry about being handled with care…at least I don't think."

He said nothing to that and stepped around her to circle her slowly. "You have yet to answer my concern my mate, why did you run here to this planet? Why did you run from me?"

Annoyed at him she flung the truth at him. "Because I don't want you to just want me because I am pregnant. I want you to want me because you love me."

Clenching his fists, he stopped circling her and stood still. "I thought we have discussed this."

"I know but…" Looking at him in that moment Ember felt so utterly human. The annoyance in his eyes about the renewal of this same topic was clear. Circular logic did not exist in a yautja mind only efficiency and action. His mind probably had no clue how to deal with her fixation, her need to be loved by him. It scared her honestly. Knowing that they may never see eye to eye on something so basic and important for her, Ember let her shoulders deflate and she opened her mouth to apologize.

"You want to know if you are my weakness," he began, cutting her off before she could begin. "Has it not already been evident, my little bird." Grabbing her by the shoulders he bent forward until his mandibles scraped gently on the side of her cheek. Ember felt as if her knees would go weak then and there at that sweet gesture. "My thoughts are filled with you when I should be focused. I'm physically pained at the thought of harm to you. It feels as if I have somehow allowed my vital organs to walk outside my body unaccounted for and unprotected. And now with our child inside of you the feeling has doubled. So yes, my little bird, you are my weakness you are a living marker as to where to strike to kill me. If this is the definition of love, then I indeed love you."

Tears fell from her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck and felt him lift her up. Kissing the side of his face she could feel him lower her to the ground.

Shocked, she leaned back and gave him a wide-eyed look. "You don't intend to…"

"I do my mate," he answered simply.

"But poor Dart is…"

Laying her down in the grass Ember felt a thrill of anticipation run through her as she watched him bracket her head with his two heavy arms on either side of her head against the ground.

"If I hear you speak his name again my mate I will walk over there and put my blade to his throat," his dark threat vibrated her body as he nuzzled her breasts through her suit.

Nodding she mentally made a note to drag poor Dart back to his ship, after they were done of course.

Arching her back as Red unzipped and peeled down her suit she smiled up at him. She loved this hunter.

#

"Oh my God you live in pyramids!?" Ember squealed next to him.

Stepping out of the hangar Akur watched Ember run giddily along the railings, viewing down below to the city. It took a week to get to his home planet Ojibwe. During that time on his ship, Akur took the opportunity to learn every inch of his mate's body. Although he would never admit it he would miss that brief time alone on the ship floating through the beautiful nothingness of space listening to the sounds of her cries of release. Now that he was back home with his mate, he would have to be on guard. Even now as they walked down the stairs to the city he could see other hunter's curious stares regarding his mate.

He didn't like it.

At the first landing down the stairs, two familiar figures stood waiting, Koga and Tyrnn.

"Uggg this one again," Ember complained loudly enough for Tyrnn to hear. Ignoring Tyrnn's angry growl in response, she turned back to him and gave him a serious stare. "Can we not get rid of him somehow?"

Akur didn't get a chance to answer.

Folding his arms over his chest Tyrnn gave Ember a narrowed look. "Get used to me, I live across from you."

Akur ignored her shocked look seeking confirmation at his cousin's words.

"I also live next to you, mate of Akur," Koga added helpfully.

"Oh," Looking up to his brother Koga, as if she just realized he was there she gave Koga a large smile. "Ok then well that's cool, I like you and you can call me Ember by the way. But I hate that one." She pointed to Tyrnn with her thumb over her shoulder.

Tyrnn's eyes shined bright with anger even in the sunlight as they finally made it down all the steps and walked the perimeter of the city towards their home near the river.

Deciding to intervene between the two, Akur looked down at his mate and did his best not to laugh at the mischief in her eyes. She was already very good at riling Tyrnn up and enjoying doing so.

"Tyrnn and Koga are family, they will look out for you and the child whenever I am not around." It was true, there would be some occasions where he could not be with his mate and Akur needed to know she was safe.

"I thought you said it wouldn't be dangerous living here?" There was a soft wary innocence to her voice that made him want to take her in his arms.

They both ignored Tyrnn's snort.

"I have no fears that others in our clan will hurt you and I have no enemies here…"

"What about the black and gold hunter?" She added quickly.

"He is not an enemy."

"He is an idiot," Koga supplied. "But even he is not foolish enough to hurt you in any way."

"Only because I am the hope of your clan, right?" she gave them all a gloating smirk as she rubbed her still flat stomach with pride.

Tyrnn was the first to react. "You are no hope human. We have the information from the lab and the android technician told us the name of the doctor who is responsible for this breakthrough. Even as we speak hunters are being sent out to find this doctor and bring her back here to oversee the results of her work. There will be more women, you are not special."

Not even reacting to his tirade, Ember turned to Akur and pointed back to Tyrnn dismissively. "You call that family? I would have more support from a steak knife and a rusty spoon."

Koga did not try to contain his deep laugh as they walked up to the entrance of their home. Akur let out his own laugh as he watched Tyrnn angrily punch in the letters for steak knife on his arm unit to find the meaning.

Opening the door, they walked into the common area of the pyramid. Ember's wonderous gasp pleased him as she stared at the water fall coming down the middle of the sky light and falling into a deep well in the middle. Small trees and various plants surrounded the well forming a small courtyard. On each of the four sides of the pyramid was a door each leading to their own units. Each unit was four stories, with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, two large living spaces and a kitchen area.

Running in and out of their unit and back to the common area Akur and his brother watched her dizzying excitement while Tyrnn sat moodily on the lip of the well.

"Oh my God…I…I can't believe it…I mean I had no idea…"

"Why is this cause for this much excitement human?" Tyrnn growled as he stared at her. "What did you think we lived in?"

Ignoring him completely, she looked to Akur and Koga and thought about it. "I guess I thought you either just lived on spaceships or lived underground."

Akur knew she was thinking "like crabs" and he made mental note to punish her later for that thought.

"If anyone is the savage here human it is you," jumping up from his seat Tyrnn stalked over to his mate and stood imposingly in front of her.

Akur could see the light of a new challenge ignite in his mate's eyes as he watched the younger hunter bluster before the tiny human. Koga shared a knowing look with him as they watched the interaction.

"It was yautja who taught your planet of apes everything you know. We were…"

Not to be intimidated, Ember closed the distance between them and jabbed her finger into his chest with every syllable. "First of all, if anyone in here is the savage it's you and your shit-ass personality. And second of all the only thing yautja have over humans is cool technology and frankly I personally think I have got you beat even there."

Tyrnn's snarl was cut short when they heard the main outside door open. Walking in with just one guard Rakkah stopped and looked from Akur to the two standing near the waterfall.

"It's convenient you are already discussing what I came to…"

As soon as her eyes landed on their leader Akur could feel every cell in his body warn him of her reaction. Immediately, he remembered her words to him when he was standing in the ventilation system of that palace on his hunt. " I remember him clearly. Like you, he didn't wear the full body netting like other Yautjas do and his skin was a light tan with dark brown…"

"Its you!" she screamed, before rushing past Tyrnn and launching herself against the leader.

Possessiveness ignited hot and bright through Akur as he watched her arms wrap around the exposed waist of their clan leader. Iko, his guard, stood by Rakkah's side shocked and confused obviously unsure what to do as he looked at their clan's only pregnant female and their leader who stood stiffly, enduring the human hug.

Walking heavily over to them, Akur pulled at his mate's shoulders and hauled her back against his chest and looked down at her in silent warning. As expected she ignored him and smiled back at Rakkah.

"Do you remember me? You saved me on Faulk9 years back, you were…"

Nodding, Rakkah cut off her rambling. "You are the human child who followed me through the forest?"

Practically jumping up and down beneath his hold, Akur tightened his grip around her to keep her from launching herself back onto Rakkah.

"Yes! Oh my God I can't believe it. I can't believe you are here."

It took nearly fifteen minutes for Ember to calm down and finally listen to Rakkah's reason for visiting. Once everyone was gone, Akur finally had his mate to himself again. Sitting in their bedroom she watched him perched from the edge of their bed as he sat down a plate of various fruits for her. Crawling across the cool black leather mattress to where he sat, Akur gave her a content growl of approval as she cuddled up to him, resting her head on his chest.

"I'm excited to start work tomorrow in the main palace," she toyed with one his dreads.

Rakkah had informed them that he wanted Ember to work in their labs redesigning their cloaking technology as well as their scanning technology. Running his claws through her long soft hair he thought of what she had told him before about her dreams of designing armor while exploring space.

"You will not be able to travel the galaxies as you had dreamed," he warned. He didn't want her to be disappointed but she also had to be aware they could not risk her safety by letting her have complete freedom of space.

"I know that," she turned her head and placed a kiss at his chest.

Akur had to reign in his focus to keep from reacting to her stimulating gestures.

"Its not exactly how I dreamt it but its pretty darn close," she continued. "Besides I will have you there…you will be here on planet with me, right?"

The worry in her eyes shined bright in the low light of their bedroom and Akur wondered not for the first time how he would have ever mated a yautja. Yautja women were strong, equally strong as men—if not stronger in some cases. They were not raised to be soft and inviting like Ember, nor would one ever worry for him like Ember. A yautja female would see it has the ultimate weakness in her counterpart if she had to worry about her mate. Gently, he turned her over until their positions were reversed. Hovering above her flat stomach he stared at the flesh and imagined it swollen with his child. When he first read the data on the screen in the lab, Akur wasn't sure he was reading it correctly. Over and over again, he reread the information. A positive result yielding pregnancy. His woman, his Ember pregnant with his child. It was the knowledge of that fact that gave him the extra strength he needed to fight off the waves of guards. When he heard his brethren breach the ship he felt relief like he had never felt it before, his clan would keep her safe if not for the fact that she was his chosen mate but for the fact that she was pregnant with yautja seed.

"Yes, my mate I will be here," he reassured her as he ran the palm of his hand up and down her stomach. "I have been tasked with heading the operation to find the doctor who discovered the technique for propagation and finding out more information about that lab we were held in."

"Good," she sighed, pulling him upwards to her face.

Knowing what she wanted he opened his mouth for her and tasted her tongue. His loins grew heavy at the prospect of seeding his mate again.

"I love you," she whispered as he pulled off her clothes.

Licking her neck, he said what he truly felt. "And I love you as well my mate."

Fin

A/N

There is an exclusive chapter that will be email only. Go to my Tumbler and find the last chapter and click on the email sign up form. If you already done that for the last story then you are good you will get it automatically when released.

Also check out my real story A..M..A..Z..O..N

His Smile:

Roman Mashir was the man that stepped out of shadowed corners wearing a smile. Cruelty and laughter were synonymous in his world. Roman was the devil who caught your gaze and grinned back at you in your nightmares.

Fear was what he liked to see, expected even—bright eyed infatuation was not.

Rahina Chopra was persistent, annoying, naïve, and beyond foolish. While she danced happily in moonlight he was the devil who aimed his sights and pulled triggers.

She had no business fluttering carelessly into his world, he had made too many enemies, laughed in the face of one too many dying men to be allowed the luxury of her beauty.

But she recklessly fell in love with the madman, despite everyone's warning-despite his warnings.

So, she stepped closer. Further into the psychopath's hands sliding around her throat and closed her eyes to his grip fastening tightly close. Rahina didn't want Roman's status, his power, or his wealth the only thing she wanted was—his smile.