Kristin Kristin I paced the confines of our quarters, fuming. I had no idea if my irritation could reach my mates through the collar, but I couldn’t make myself care. I was no eight-year-old little princess running around in sparkly shoes needing my big, strong daddies to protect me. For three days, my mates had kept me here, locked away for my own safety while they’d been out there hunting for the missing men and coming away empty handed. Three days! I’d managed to get my hands on one of the ion blasters, but they’d found it—damn the collars for the sense of satisfaction I’d felt at grabbing the stupid thing—and promptly taken it away from me like I was a helpless child, not a trained Federal Agent. I told them about my job, my skills, my experience, but they didn’t care. Earth was a

