Morian Reykill watched as her oldest son drew the small woman protectively to his side. She had arrived early, hoping to observe each of the women who had been brought to their planet. Morian had to admit she was intrigued after hearing rumors that her oldest son had true-mated with a species different from any other known to their kind.
She was impressed with the other women. Each one had her unique characteristics. Morian had fallen in love with little Cara, enjoyed the wit and intelligence of Trisha and Ariel, but she was concerned about the one called Carmen. She could sense a deep sadness in that one.
But it was the one called Abby that she was most interested in meeting. It would take a strong woman to deal with her oldest. Now, she studied the delicate features of the girl who had
