Prologue:

Prior History

Unknown to Earth officials, the United Alliance of Planets UAP had maintained a secret military base in the Blue Ridge Mountains, USA, before the Pilgrims arrived on the Mayflower. Earth is near the border in UAP sectors of the Milky Way. Their base is a strategic location for defending the UAP and Earth from the enemy alien Drayids whose empire borders UAP. Earth is near that border.

The Drayids were an ancient insectoid race that preyed on prehistorical humanoids for food. They sent hunting parties to Earth regularly before the UAP set up their base on Earth in the late 1500s. When the Drayids wouldn’t agree to a non-incursion treaty, the UAP vowed to meet them with force if they entered UAP space.

Periodic skirmishes over the centuries were a minor annoyance. To avoid direct clashes, the Drayids employed the Tenzari, a subject race to secretly raid non-spacefaring worlds like Earth for human delicacies and slave labor. This was their way of defying the Alliance.

Due to frequent incursions by the Drayids, the UAP announces their existence to Earth and offers membership in the Alliance. Present-day Earth is panicked that aliens have an underground base here, and no one can agree on what to do. Before the world governments can come together to answer the UAP offer, the Drayids attack Earth.

They use a devastating weapon that cuts a one square mile, 300 ft deep pit. The Drayids employed it in 12 major world cities. Everything within the perimeter was completely obliterated. No one within survived. The incident convinced Earth to join the UAP. However, the hidden Blue Ridge Mountain base remained secret.

Once Earth joined the United Alliance of Planets, they revealed that Earth was not the origin of homo sapiens. Their kind had been sprinkled throughout the universe.

Both alien homo sapiens and Narovian feline humanoids staffed the Blue Ridge Mountain base. Characterized by cat eyes, pointed ears, and blue hair, they resemble humans. Before Earth joined the United Alliance of Planets, feline humanoids were disguises to make them look like homo sapiens when going out into the public on Earth. After their inclusion, the feline humanoids dispensed with disguising themselves as humans.

Feline humanoids carry human genes, and they recognize their soul mates by their pheromones’ scent and can breed with humans. Most Narovian feline humanoids only want to marry fated mates or soul mates called meomee.

Advanced Narovian technology allows them to detect meomee with genetic matching. Enterprising Narovians used this technology to create the Interstellar Matchmaking Service to find meomees for the Narovian feline humanoid race. They even tapped into Earth’s Ancestral DNA records to find human meomees for the feline humanoids.

After the Drayid attack on Earth, human females became eager to find feline humanoid soul mates or meomees and live on other worlds like Narova. They especially liked the prospect of a highly compatible mate who would be devoted to them in a mutually satisfying lifetime relationship.

Chapter One

Abby

I was always a fan of science fiction, but I never imagined that I would one day be living in a world where aliens were a reality. The United Alliance of Planets revealed their existence to us over a year ago. Since then, my life has changed drastically.

The attack on Earth by the Drayids had resulted in the disappearance of my fiancé, Mark Lucas. Although I had intended to break our engagement because I didn’t love him, his loss still devastated me. I felt like my world went completely out of kilter, and I couldn’t get my balance.

But I’m not one to give up easily. I’m a paralegal, and I know the law is a powerful tool for seeking justice, so maybe one day, the Drayids will get theirs.

While trying to figure out how to move ahead with my life, I heard about the Interstellar Matchmaking service. They guaranteed 99.99% compatibility, so I decided to try it. I had gotten engaged in the first place because I wanted a husband to have a family with. It seemed like I had nothing to lose.

I had my DNA profile entered into the database. A few weeks later, I received notification that I had been matched with a Narovian feline humanoid named Zimon Arnav. I was both excited and apprehensive. I had always been fascinated by the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Could I go through with marrying one?

But Zimon was gorgeous. Tall, 6’6”, and powerfully built with soft-looking light blue hair and green feline eyes. The sound of his voice in his slightly accented English did things to my lady parts. I rarely felt such an instant attraction to a man as I did to Zimon. His exotic feline features only serve to enhance his appeal. Oh yes, I needed to meet this male.

Since feline humanoids exuded such powerful pheromones that could start the bonding process almost immediately on exposure, it was left to the non–feline to decide on meeting or not. I wasn’t sure I wanted to risk it, so I called him first. This was a video call, so I brushed my hair and put on some makeup.

Nervously, I set up the call and waited. About a minute later, his face appeared on my phone screen.

“Hello, Zimon. This is Abby Poole. We have been matched by Interstellar Matchmaking. They indicate that we are meomees.”

“Oh yes, Abby! I got the message, and I was hoping that you would contact me. From everything I’ve read in your profile, we are indeed meomees. I hope you will decide that we can meet. I find you very beautiful, and the information in your profile leads me to believe that we are a good match.”

Seeing him made me feel like I wanted to wrap myself around him. I knew that if we met face to face, I could not resist that urge. There would be no going back after the first minute in the same room with him. I already felt like I needed to see him and be with him. The attraction was that strong without exposure to his pheromones.

“Yes, Zimon. I can’t help feeling that I must meet you in person. It just feels right. I do have to ask. Since I am not feline, will your family accept me as your mate?”

“That should not be a problem because my mother is half-human. As you know, the population of Narova includes both humans and felines. There are many mixed-racial couples. They do not discriminate against mixed couples. Our culture frowns on  discrimination against any race except maybe the Drayids, but they are our enemies.”

I knew as he spoke I had already decided I wanted this male to be mine.  Zimon was thrilled when I agreed to meet him because we both knew that meant I would accept him as my mate.  We set up a time to meet at the Interstellar Matchmaking Center. Still, we continued talking after that for almost two hours. That seemed to solidify my belief that he was the right male for me.

Two days later, when I was supposed to meet Zimon, my world turned upside down again. I was abducted from my driveway as I went out to my car. I struggled and fought, but the kidnapper was too strong for me. He dragged me into his van and drove off.

I recognized one of my abductors. He was Dalton Lane, a man I’d seen sometime in the past. But I couldn’t remember where.

I was stunned by the cruelty of his actions when I heard he planned to sell me to the alien slavers. They would resell me to the highest bidder to use me for their purposes. I took that to mean a sex object.

They took me to a remote location, blindfolded and bound, and thrown into a cramped, dark room. I had no idea where I was or what would happen to me. Fear and anxiety consumed me. I was helpless and alone.

But I refused to give up hope. Somehow, I had to find a way to fight back and escape. I tried to think of every possible scenario and strategy, but my mind was clouded by fear and confusion.

Hours turned into days, and I lost track of time. My captors fed and gave me water but never spoke to me. I was left alone with my thoughts and fears. There were other cells with other women, but we were isolated from each other until they moved us all into one big room.

Finally, I heard a loud noise and felt the room shaking. It took me a few moments to realize I was on an alien spaceship. My heart raced, and my mind went into overdrive. How could I hope to escape from a spaceship? Where were they taking me? And most importantly, would I ever see my family and friends again?

I was terrified and overwhelmed, but I fought to control my fear. I had to stay strong and focused if I wanted to survive.

As the spaceship soared through the galaxy, I tried to stay alert and aware of my surroundings. I observed the aliens as much as possible, trying to gather information. They were tall and stocky, with elongated limbs and fingers. Their skin was pale green and scaly, and their eyes were large and black. They spoke an alien language, and I couldn’t understand a word.

They didn’t want us to understand, or someone would have come forth with a translator.

Days turned into weeks, and I lost all sense of time and space. I was in a constant state of fear and anxiety, never knowing what was going to happen next. But through it all, I dared hope for rescue.

Chapter Two

Zimon

I am Lieutenant Zimon Arnav.  I am a Narovian feline humanoid serving the United Alliance of Planets stationed on Earth for the last 10 years.  I work out of the Blue Ridge Mountains Secret Alliance star base.  After serving the Alliance for 15 years, I’m preparing for discharge and planning to return to my homeworld, Narova.

In preparation for my return to my home planet, I applied to the Interstellar Matchmaking service to find my meomee, my soulmate.  I hoped to locate her on Earth so she could return with me, but it’s been a year now, and I still have not heard anything.  I have some time left before returning to Narova; I just hope it will be enough.

When the call finally came, and they sent me a video greeting from meomee, I was elated.  Of course, she is beautiful as she is my soulmate.  I could feel my heart beat a little faster, my chest tightening, and other body parts were alerted.  I longed to go to her immediately, but that is not protocol for feline humanoids.

She will be physically compelled to mate with me once exposed to my pheromones.  This means her body will desire me while her heart and mind may not.  Then she would be bound to me for life when she might not want to be.  As much as I want to meet her, that is the last thing I want to do to another being.

I replayed the video several times just to look at Abbie Poole. She is 28, with long brown hair and green eyes, and works as a paralegal in a small law firm.  Her world was turned upside down when the Drayid attack on Earth took her fiancé Mark Lucas.

Even though I know there is a good reason I must wait for her to decide to contact me, it’s a little frustrating.  Fortunately, I only had to wait a couple days, and it was a face-to-face video call.

Although I don’t remember word for word everything we said, I just know that talking to her was exhilarating.  That she would be my meomee felt right from the very beginning.  Even though I was aroused just by seeing her, I wanted to know everything about her.  She seemed like the serious type of woman who thought things through to make decisions.  And from her profile, she is also very intelligent.