That’s the goal, anyhow. If they were even the slightest bit suspicious that I have a brain and know how to read, we’d be screwed. They’d come after us.

But . . . the screens stay empty. When I do scans of ships in the area, there’s nothing. And I think of all the times my owner, Nasit, made me clap my hands like a pet monkey so I could have a treat, and I start to wonder if we’re safe after all.

Our pod zooms away, heading into deep space and the path I’ve set toward the Cassa system and its second planet. We’re at 91 percent power, but it should be enough to take the two of us where we want to go since we’ve removed the power-hungry stasis chambers that normally fill the pod.

Vlad has said nothing this entire time. He’s been quiet, letting me work without interruption, offering a bit of support when necessary, and stroking my back as if to silently reassure me that I’ve got this. I wish he’d say something, anything, to let me know that he’s not regretting his choice to come with me. The pod is cramped, and we share the one seat near the control system. If I put a hand out, I can touch the supplies. If I put my other hand out, I’ll be able to place it on the other chair that unfolds into a bunk.

This is our home for the next four months, and it’s going to be really, really awkward if he’s mad at me.

I finally push away from the control panels and get to my feet, pretending to stretch. “I think we’re okay for now. I’ll keep checking to see if we’re being followed, just to be on the safe side, of course.”

Vlad spins around in the chair, his gaze following me. “And?”

“And what?” I make an awkward thumbs-up, trying to decipher what he’s asking. “Good job, me?”

He scowls, getting to his feet. He looms over me in the tight pod, but he doesn’t touch me. He’s close enough that I can feel his body heat, but he somehow manages to maintain his distance. “And . . . what was it you were going to tell me?”

His jaw is clenched and he looks grouchy. Angry, somehow. At me? Confessing love seems kind of stupid at the moment, so I smile and play it off. “It doesn’t matter now—”

“Just say it,” Vlad snarls, all sharp teeth. “You hated it, didn’t you? Hated my touch? That’s what you were going to say?”

My jaw drops. “What? No!”

“Speak the truth. I disgust you. These disgust you.” He gestures at his fangs.

“Vlad—”

He shakes his head, raising a hand. “Save it. I don’t want to hear it after all.”

“—you’re an idiot,” I finish.

That gets his attention. He blinks at me in surprise.

“I was going to tell you that I loved you, and that I know it’s only been a week, but I’m happy with you. Obsessed with you. And I’m glad we’re together. And it seems inappropriate, but there it all is.” I gesture weakly at him. “You can tell me I’m crazy for being in love after a week, and I’ll get it. That’s not normal, right?”

He just blinks down at me again, those long lashes framing his beautiful red eyes.

“Go on. Tell me I’m abnormal. I know it. It’s fine.”

A hint of a smile curves his mouth. “I thought you were going to tell me that you didn’t want me to touch you again.”

“Actually, I’m rather obsessed with you touching me. Every day, I’m practically beside myself, hoping that you’ll touch me.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

“Oh, good. I thought I was the weird one.”

“You’re obsessed with ‘weird’ and ‘normal’ suddenly. Dana, what about any of this is normal?” He cups my chin, stroking my lower lip. “I think we should give up on normal. In fact, at this point, we should write our own rules.”

“You know what? That sounds like a great idea.” I slip my hands to his waist. “Rule number one. We kiss. A lot.”

“Agreed.” Vlad leans in and brushes his lips over mine, the caress sweet and gentle. There’s a hint of fang against my lower lip, but the feel of it fills me with a tight, needy anticipation. “I know what rule number two is, too.”

“Oh?” I lift my face, hoping he’ll kiss me again.

“Me telling you that I love you, too. After each time we kiss.”

I like the sound of that.

Epilogue

Vlad

Four Months Later

It feels strange to step out of the tiny pod that’s been our home for months now and onto the open docks of Cassa II. It’s full dark currently, the skies above littered with stars and swirling nebula. There’s a ring around the moon that can be seen clearly from here, and the moonlight is bright enough that Dana should be able to see well enough with her bad human eyes. A cold breeze ruffles my now-long hair, and I pull my hood over my face, shocked at the scent in the night air. It smells like . . . water. Ice water.

And everything is so open.

I look to Dana, moving instinctively closer to my mate to protect her. All of this openness makes me uneasy. “Are you all right?”

She just tilts her head back and breathes in deep, the tip of her nose bright pink with cold. The expensive vase is cradled in her arms, wrapped in a blanket. “Never been better. You okay?”

I nod.

“Great, then follow me.” Dana takes my hand in hers, and, our cold fingers entwined, we head toward a large male approaching with a datapad in hand. He’s wearing a dock uniform, a light strapped to his helmet. He’s no alien race I’ve ever seen before, but the look on his face isn’t unfriendly. He’s the one we’ve been talking to for a week now, arranging the bribes so we can get a homesteading stake here on Cassa II. Dana’s been wrangling everything from afar, and her expression is confident as she strides forward. I’ve got the bag of credits and valuables slung over my shoulder; just in case things go wrong, they’ll have to fight me to get them.

“Dana and Vlad?” the male asks.

“That’s us,” Dana replies. “You Vargis?”

He nods and glances around, then holds a pair of hard electronic chips, each the size of one of Dana’s freckles, out to us. “These are your implants. They’ll have your identities and your request for a land stake to the north of here, just as we agreed.” The man pauses. “It’s cold here, and this far north, it’s dark a lot more than it’s sunny.”

“We like the dark,” Dana says firmly.

“Good,” Vargis says. “Insert those at the tip of your forefinger, and let’s get you checked in. You brought the funds?”

I gesture at the sack over my shoulder. Dana holds up the vase, letting the blanket fall away.

The man’s eyes glitter with greed, and something tells me we aren’t the first—and won’t be the last—to work the same sort of deal. “Then let’s get you settled.”

Dana just looks up at me, her eyes shining. “Welcome home, Vlad.”

Home. I think for a moment, and then lean down and rub my nose against my mate’s cold one. “I’ve been home since the moment I met you.”

She mouths, I love you, and I kiss her because those are the rules.

Acknowledgments

A big thank-you to Maria Gomez for including me on this project and not flinching when I said I could write a space vampire. Another big thank-you to Lindsey Faber for the fantastic notes, and the rest of the Amazon Publishing team. I find this all hugely exciting.

Another quick thank-you to Holly Root, who is awesome and sauce rolled into one, and my daily writing crew—Lea, Ella, and Kati—who never tell me my ideas are weird (even when they’re about space vampires).

One last thank-you to the readers who continue to devour my strange, cheery little stories. I love you all and you make dreams come true. You can’t see it, but I’m making a heart with my hands right now.

Other titles by Ruby Dixon

With Berkley/Ace (Penguin Random House)

Royal Artifactual Guild

Bull Moon Rising

By the Horns

Ice Planet Barbarians (Special Print Edition)

Ice Planet Barbarians

Barbarian Alien

Barbarian Lover