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alien world, in an alien empire, so far from her home, she nodded.
    “Once in a lifetime, you meet someone who gives more than they take and who leaves you better than you were before you met. When you meet that person, you can either appreciate their transition through your life, or you can invite them to join you permanently and hope that you make them better as well.”
    She was frozen in place, fascinated.
    “What I am saying is that you make me better, make me want to be better. When we leave, I want you with me. Will you marry me?” She blurted out, “Am I pregnant?” He grinned, “Not according to your medical history. You have a suppressing shot.” Her inner censor seemed to have been burned out. “Why? Why not a nice Nyal woman?”
    “Every woman to pass my path has done so with an agenda. You didn’t have an agenda. You simply wanted a piece of home. I can understand and respect that better than you can imagine. You are one of a kind in this system, and I am one of a kind as well. I think we could join together to be something greater than our two parts.”
    “Will you be a Guardian forever?” She touched his face, and he held her hand to his skin.
    “I have three more years left in service. One more tour around the Deyfell system. So, will you marry me?” He smiled, and she realized that she was dodging the question.
    She hesitated again and he reached behind him, bringing up one of the purple flowers she loved so much. “Caalos Renix. Starburn. I will marry you.” He kissed her palm and then her wrist, nipping sharply. She inhaled, but he quickly bit his own wrist, pressing their wounds together.
    “One blood, one life, one being. Hydra Graham, I marry you.”
    “Caalos Renix, Starburn, I marry you.” The formal offering and request was done, their blood was mixed. If he were noble, she would have had to suffer through the mating mask when she ovulated, but since that was a year away, it was out of mind. Hydra leaned down and kissed her husband.
    He grasped her waist and returned her kiss.
    They had exchanged no genetic scans, no histories, nothing. He knew she was right for him, and god help her, she knew he was right for her.
    * * * *
    Warp looked up at the couple on the cliff. “Do you think he is going to bring her down any time soon?”
    Tangle looked at the arrangement that Hydra had created from his flowers. “I think he wants a little more alone time with his new bride.”
    “Bride? I knew it would be soon, but now?”
    Breaker laughed and poured glasses of fruit juice, setting them on a tray. “We could be blown to hell tomorrow. You really think he wants to leave Hydra dealing with being his most recent slut if he dies?”
    Warp watched Tangle wince. “Point taken.” Warp nodded. “I will be doing dinner, and we can only hope that we don’t get a call tonight.” He paused and looked back at the cliff. “Never mind. It is legal. They just consummated it on the cliff top.”
    His vision was not something that was in his dossier, but it was known amongst his peers.
    Being able to see Starburn standing with his feet apart, supporting them both as he moved Hydra against him was equal parts arousing and disturbing.
    Tangle went to the com unit and started pressing buttons.
    Warp asked, “What are you doing?”
    “Registering them with the Imperium. If anything happens to Starburn, I am sure he would want her provided for.”
    Breaker nodded. “Good thinking. We are fairly heavily insured after all.”
    Warp smiled and kept his gaze away from the couple on the cliff. They deserved a little privacy.
    There was little enough to be had in the bubble of the Guardians.
    He got to his feet and started dinner. The way those two were going at it, they would be hungry.

Chapter Eight
    A quick dip in an icy stream took the sweat off, and when Starburn stood under the cascade, the water warmed rapidly. “Nice trick, Caalos.” He moved toward her, aroused once again. “I love it when you