NATALIE A knight in shining loincloth That’s what I’m looking for. I’ve been lusting after the Xarc’n hunters since they landed on Earth, offering to help us fight the alien bugs. These seven feet tall, musclebound warriors are horned, clawed, and fanged—the ultimate protectors. And Rajiv’k is the perfect specimen. Just one problem: I can’t fall in love. Nope! Not after the crappy relationships I’ve had. I refuse to deal with a broken heart during the bugpocalypse. No way! So I keep things transactional, his protection for my companionship. What can go wrong, right? RAJIV’K Hunters are supposed to revel in the physical act of fighting and killing the scourge. But not me. I kill them, they multiply, I kill them, they multiply. What’s the point? Why spend my life saving worlds I didn’t care about? Then, she comes along. Little human Natalie fires up my need to claim and protect. And suddenly, I have a reason to fight. Natalie is mine. She just doesn’t know it yet.