"I'm Molly," she said, keeping her voice soft despite the excitement lancing through her. A woman and her two children. This was wonderful! "We killed the Vargosh, so it's safe to come out."

"I'm Megan. You killed them?" the woman asked. As she stepped into the light—spilling in from the passage—Molly saw her tear-stained cheeks. Fresh tears created new paths on her dirty face.

"Well, not me. Anzar and his males." She gestured to Anzar who hovered, looking a little shocked. Molly's gaze flew to Megan, and she bit her inner cheek, fighting the wave of burning agony cinching her chest. Did he want to mate Megan? The possibility was there, and she didn't know if there was a chemical reaction when mates met for the first time. It would explain why she hadn't met hers yet. She was being foolish. Amy and Grax had bonded, just like that. Stepping back, she gestured to Megan to come outside. Two little faces peaked around her legs and with a smile, Molly waved at them.

"You're on Elkarra, and there's no way off the planet, but it's a lovely world, safe for children with no Vargosh anywhere," she said.

"Did you save the others?" Megan asked, dipping to pick up the littlest child before gathering the older child's hand.

"The others?" Molly echoed.

"Yes, in the next cell." She shuffled into the passage with the children.

Molly hurried to open door number three and repeated her greeting.

"Emma? It's okay. It's a rescue," Megan said.

A head popped out of the cell, then women of all shapes and sizes crowded the passage.

"This is Molly and Anzar. She says they killed the Vargosh." Cheers erupted and Molly tucked herself against Anzar, feeling a little overwhelmed.

"When we heard your voice telling us this amazing story about crash-landing and finding these warriors, it was too unbelievable to be true. I'm Emma," a dirty blonde rippled her fingers in a wave. "I won't shake your hand. We haven't bathed for weeks."

"How's the water on Jasmine, MARC?" Molly asked, knowing he was eavesdropping.

"It is sufficient," he said, but used his male voice.

"My ship has smaller quarters, each with their own shower. But I must warn you, it will be your last heated shower since we cannot leave Elkarra."

"But we can live, right?" a shorter woman peered around Emma.

"Yes, but there is a catch," Molly said, thinking of Tazo, Mesu, and the other wonderful males she had met.

"A catch?" a tall brunette asked, her tone of voice harsh.

"Layla," Megan said, a pleading look in her eyes.

"Women are scarce, so you'll have to succumb to a strapping warrior like Anzar."

"Succumb?" Layla arched a brow as she folded her arms across her chest. "I'm forced to rut for survival?"

Anzar grumbled, and Molly cupped his cheek. "She doesn't understand, Anzar." She faced the concerned women, using her brightest smile. "Look at him! He's gorgeous, strong, and downright sexy. If you don't choose one as soon as you see them, then you'll have to take part in a race where the first one to catch you claims you. I'd take the choice out of fate's hand and claim the nicest, strongest one."

"Is he yours?" Emma gestured to Anzar.

Molly's breath caught. She couldn't say she was single, not when they were fighting the idea of it. And she couldn't claim Anzar if his mate was among the women.

"Yes," Anzar said.

Hopefully not revealing her jumbled emotions, she shot a look at him, a mixture of gratitude and concern warring in her gut, churning up nausea. Lying like this would cost him, couldn't he see that? Yet, relief flowed over her like liquid sunlight. She sighed, the decision having been made for her.

"My friend Amy has hers too." Molly raised Anzar's wrist to her lips. "Amy?"

"Your timing is terrible," the breathless voice came through the band. "Grax has just...oh!" A throaty moan echoed off the passage walls. "Let me know when the Vargosh...arrive." And the communication ended.

Molly had sent Amy and Grax back to the village as soon as Amy had packed her room. Molly hadn't told her about the Vargosh, choosing to send her away, instead. She doubted they had left their tent since they had returned to the village, and a niggling thought suggested Molly have MARC sterilize the pod. With the combined weight of the women's stares on her face, she forced herself to focus.

"See, nothing to worry about. Now, I'd like to take the time to learn your names, but we need to scuttle this ship, or in this case, blow it up." Molly gestured to the doorway, urging them to leave. "I need to check the remaining cells, then MARC will launch this ship into outer space. And no, we cannot navigate it without a live Vargosh. Their DNA activates the engines' power source." Molly opened the remaining doors and found a creature's corpse in one. It looked as if they had fired upon it from all sides, slaughtering as it stood bound. She shuddered, gripping her airgun, tempted to find a Vargosh corpse and shoot the shit out of it. Argh, she hated the Vargosh!

"The readings indicate that they killed it hours ago," MARC said.

She nodded and checked the last room, releasing a breath at finding it empty.

"Anywhere else, MARC?" she asked, trailing behind the last woman.

Anzar followed her, quieter than usual and less demonstrative. He didn't even grab her hand like he usually did. Sadness prickled her eyes and she blinked to hold back the tears.

"That's it. There's no documentation on anything worthwhile in their deep storage," MARC said, once again using a woman's voice.

"Good, once we disembark, do your thing." She darted out into the fading sunlight to find the women huddled together. Across from them, standing in stunned silence were the Elkarran males.

Molly strode toward them, and as she approached, they dropped to a knee. She laugh and shook her head. "Not this time. You have a mate to choose," she told them in Elkarran. Facing the women, she smiled. "They don't know how to kiss, so be gentle with them. Now, in my ship, you will find a shower and food. What's mine is yours. When we're done, we'll travel to their village. All I ask is that you show them respect. They are honorable and better males you will not find." She chuckled, feeling as if she was a pimp or a brothel mistress.

The Vargosh ship's thrusters powered up, then it lifted off the ground, spun 180 degrees before blasting off into the sky, a clear arc to its path. A white mushroom cloud caught the sunlight and glowed for a few seconds. The auto-destruct sequence had worked. Relief flooded her, slumping her shoulders.

"Thank you, MARC," she said, knowing he would hear her via Anzar's comm band.

Mesu broke away from the males and silenced the murmuring women. He paused in front of Megan, staring at her, and the two children clinging to her. She stilled, and with a small smile offered him a trembling hand. Mesu laced his fingers through hers and tugged her toward the Jasmine.

"One down, twenty more to go," Molly said to Anzar, flashing him a hopeful smile. Layla stepped out next, surprising all considering her recent negativity. With forceful strides, she closed the distance between her and Soran.

He jerked, ran his gaze over Layla before casting a look at Molly.

Anzar looped an arm around her waist, pulling her tight against his side.

Soran nodded then dazzled poor Layla with his smile.

The dam burst and both sides merged, but a few women hesitated. Tazo hadn't moved, assessing the remaining six women.

"What's the matter, Tazo?" Molly asked.

"I can't choose. They're so beautiful," he said. "I am not worthy of such a gift."

"And what's wrong with Tazo?" Molly asked the women.

"The Vargosh ran tests on me, they said that I can't have children," a woman said, breaking into sobs. "I assume that's why they need women. Tazo shouldn't choose me." She was a pretty blonde, small yet curvaceous.

Molly nodded in understanding, glancing at the other women to hear their fears and doubts. But their eyes widened as Tazo jogged toward them. He paused in front of the blonde, cupping her cheek with a gentleness unexpected for a male with his bulk. He brushed her tears with the pad of his thumb, before sliding his fingers down her arm to grasp her hand.

"We can be unworthy of each other, together," he said.

Molly bit her lip, fighting the influx of tears at his sweet words. "Your males are worthy, Anzar," she whispered.

He tilted her face with a finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his black gaze. "This upsets you?"

"No, I'm proud to know them, to have met them...you," she said, pressing her hand against his chest, thrilling at the steady rhythm of his heart.

"And us?" Emma gestured to the remaining women.

"A shower and food, as promised," Molly said, not looking at them. "Then a trip to Soran's village to meet other males. You cannot survive without one."

"Settle the females. I will await you in your room," Anzar said, removing his band to snap it on her wrist. With a quick kiss, he abandoned her with those silly butterflies consuming her chest again.

Sighing, Molly faced the women. As she escorted them to a barracks, she asked for their names and how they found themselves at the Vargosh's mercy, hoping it would distract her from the looming 'discussion' with Anzar.