by Hope Hart
Yari is waiting for me. “Would you like something to eat?”
“Sure. Where’s Nara?”
A shadow passes over her face, and she turns away, reaching for a plate of food, which must have been recently delivered.
“I don’t know what has changed in her mind,” she murmurs. “She has been distant for a while now.”
“Did something happen?”
Yari sighs, taking a seat. After multiple discussions—and plenty of urging on my part—she’s finally agreed to join me for lunch each day, as long as I’m not eating with Dexar.
She pours me some water and sighs again, her expression troubled. “I feel as if I am breaking her confidence by telling you,” she says, and I nod.
“No worries. You don’t need to say anything.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know if she will return to your service. You deserve to know why.”
My curiosity is officially stoked. I take a bite of some kind of root vegetable, discovering that it’s not my favorite. I eat it anyway, my stomach begging for food.
“Is she okay?”
Yari nods. “She has propositioned the qatai.”
I choke, reaching for my cup of water. “She did?”
I think this over, realizing that I shouldn’t be as shocked as I am. Nara is a beautiful woman, the white streak in her dark hair drawing the eye, while her porcelain skin and hazel eyes glow with vitality.
“Yes,” Yari says, her face turning hard, and I raise an eyebrow.
“Why is this such a big deal?”
Yari frowns at me and opens her mouth, then seems to catch herself. “Nara is not for the qatai. She knows this.”
“Why not?”
The day we met, Dexar bragged about all the women he can “tumble” whenever he wants, so why would Nara be any different? I ignore the shard of jealousy that buries itself in my gut at that thought.
Yari waves her hand. “It is too difficult to explain,” she says, and I eye her. Yari has very particular ideas about what is appropriate for Dexar and anyone hanging out with him. And she demonstrates those ideas every time she insists on dolling me up in the best gowns and piling my hair on top of my head before I eat with him.
“The problem isn’t that she propositioned him. The qatai is used to this from females young and old,” she says, smiling as I snort. “The problem is that she dared to raise her voice to him. He made her leave the kradi and think about what she has done, but he will ensure she is punished.”
I scowl at that. I raise my voice to Dexar all the time. If he thinks he can punish Nara, then we’re going to be having a heated discussion.
Maybe I’ll even raise my voice at him. The horror.
“Sounds like he’s being a dick,” I say.
Yari looks scandalized, her mouth dropping open. I could’ve lived without seeing the half-chewed food she displays to me.
She clamps her mouth shut and swallows, changing the subject.
“I think I might take a nap,” I say. I do some of my best thinking in those few moments before and after a midday nap, and I have a lot to consider.
“Would you like to bathe first?”
I nod. “That would be great, thanks.” I’m dusty and sweaty after wandering through the camp.
Yari gets up, moving to one of the guards, and murmurs a few words.
Back in Rakiz’s camp, the servants would haul warm water and dump it into a tub. Here, while they don’t exactly have indoor plumbing like I knew it on Earth, Dexar’s people have found a shortcut. The water is still hauled and heated outside, but then it’s sent into this main kradi through wooden pipes. I’m itching to study how the process works, but the water heating takes place close to the weapons kradi, and that’s off-limits according to my agreement with Dexar.
For now.
Within a few minutes, the bath begins to fill with water. There are no taps, and instead, Yari periodically checks the level of water before finally returning to murmur to another servant now waiting outside, who ends the flow of water from there.
It’s a convoluted system, but it’s the closest thing to running water I’ve seen since I landed on this planet, and sinking into a warm tub of water is enough to make me sigh in pleasure.
Yari no longer hovers while I’m bathing and instead leaves to deal with the food. I’ll likely see her later once I’ve finished napping, and I study my leg hair, reaching for a tepi rock. I run it along my legs, removing most of the fine hair. It doesn’t quite compare to my Venus, but my legs are pretty smooth once I’m done, and I contemplate my feet while I think.
My toenails still have chipped blue nail polish on them, and the sight seems slightly ludicrous here on Agron.
There’s a loud thud from the room next door, as if something heavy has hit the ground, and I frown.
“Yari, is that you?”
Something slams down on my head, pushing me under the water, and I inhale, choking. I push my legs against the foot of the tub for leverage and manage to suck in a breath, but my feet slide as another hand joins the first, this one hitting me in the face and forcing me back under the water.
Panic makes my heart race. I claw at the hands, fighting for my life. Someone’s trying to drown me in a fucking bathtub, and if I can’t get my shit together, they’re going to succeed.
I raise my hand, my nails meeting flesh. The hands loosen slightly, and I take my shot, allowing myself to slide further along the bottom of the bath.
My lungs are begging for air, black dots beginning to appear in front of my eyes. I raise my leg in the air and swing it back, hitting whoever is holding me down.
I’m not going out like this.
I make contact, but it’s not enough.
Then the pressure is suddenly gone, and I manage to sit up, coughing and choking.
My lungs exhale water, and I stare in shock as Yari, who has blood running down her head, pushes Nara away from me.
Nara is almost possessed, and she slams into the other woman, hitting her in the head where she’s already bleeding.
Yari goes down, and Nara turns as I roll out of the tub, landing on my knees as I continue to cough.
“You crazy bitch,” I gasp, but Nara’s eyes are blank as she moves toward me.
“You can’t have him!” she screams. “I’m the chosen one! Me!”
What the hell is she talking about?
Rowax is suddenly there, and Nara fights like a demon as she’s dragged away. The huge warrior probably has a hundred pounds of pure muscle on Nara, but she lunges at me, again and again until I hear something crack.
“Don’t hurt her,” I snap at Rowax, and he gives me a look.
He pulls Nara away, and then I’m crawling to Yari, who groans as I reach her.
“I need a healer!” I scream, still coughing. And then I flinch back as a huge form fills the doorway. Dexar’s face is chilling, the fury in his eyes terrifying as he stares at me for one fraught moment. He reaches for a towel, striding forward and wrapping it around me, and I realize I’m still naked and shivering as I stare at him.
“Healers!” he roars, and Tavis appears, Elliz by his side.
“I’m fine,” I say as she steps forward. I point to Yari, and Elliz drops to her knees. Another healer enters, and I flinch. I can still hear Nara screaming as she’s dragged away.
My lips are numb as I stare at Dexar. “Why?”
He shakes his head, lifting me into his arms as he gets to his feet. “Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“I inhaled some water. I’ll be fine.”
Dexar turns to the other healer, whose name I haven’t caught. “Follow us.”
He carries me out of the bathroom and into my bedroom, using the passageway between our rooms. Once we’re in his dining room, he seems to relax slightly, and my eyes widen as he walks through room after room until we finally reach his bedroom. He places me on the bed and gestures for the healer.
“My name is Shoni,” she says. “How do you feel?”
I’m no longer coughing, but I’m shaking like a leaf. “Cold,” I say honestly. “But I’m fine.”
Dexar’s pacing the room like a caged tiger, and he curses, grabbing a large fur and wrapping it around my shoulders. I burrow deep into it, still attempting to process what just happened.
“Nara just tried to kill me.”
Shoni reaches into a large leather bag, which I didn’t notice she was carrying.
“You have a scratch on your cheek,” she says quietly. “May I treat it?”
I nod, and she slathers come kind of floral-scented salve onto it. It burns for a moment and then goes numb.
Shoni turns to Dexar. “She will be fine. Look out for any sudden difficulty breathing or any change of color. If her skin begins to turn blue, call us immediately.”
Dexar nods. “I want you to stay in Alexis’s rooms just in case.”
“Of course, qatai.”
I stare at the wall, still stunned. Dexar kneels in front of me, and I raise an eyebrow, jolted from my shock.
“Tell me what happened,” he says.
“I heard something. A thud. I’m guessing that’s when Nara hit Yari in the head. She must’ve gone down like a bag of bricks.”
Fury burns in my belly. Yari is a grandmother. Nara could have killed her. “What the fuck was she thinking?” I ask.
Dexar shrugs. “Keep talking.”
I scowl at him, my teeth beginning to chatter as my pulse races. “I didn’t see it coming,” I murmur. “One moment I was thinking about nail polish, and the next I was under the water. Why would she want to hurt me?”
A muscle twitches in Dexar’s jaw, and he gets to his feet.
“She said she was the chosen one,” I blurt out. “What was she talking about?”
“The ramblings of the insane don’t concern me,” he says, and I stare at him.
He’s lying like a rug. From the look of retribution in his eyes, he knows exactly what she was talking about.
“What will happen to Nara now?” I ask.
“That is not your concern.”
“Of course it is.”
He tilts his head, and I realize he’s genuinely confused. “The punishment for attacking someone under the qatai’s protection is death.”
I jump to my feet, the thick fur falling from my shoulders as I clutch the thin towel to me.
“You can’t kill her,” I snap.
Dexar growls, striding forward, and my mouth drops open as he buries his hand in my tangled, damp hair.
“I can do whatever I like,” he says silkily. “You would do well to remember that.”
There’s no sign of the Dexar I occasionally laugh with right now. No sign of the man who teases me, making outlandish comments while he scans my body with heated eyes.
“Okay,” I say. “Take it down a notch.”
He simply stares at me. “You could have been killed.”
“I wasn’t,” I soothe. I probably need to give this guy a break. He’s the biggest control freak I’ve ever met. No wonder he’s struggling with an attack so close to his own rooms. I don’t think he’d truly consider having Nara killed, but there’s no doubt that he’s on the edge right now.
I reach up, and it’s like my hand has a mind of its own. I run my fingers over his furrowed brow, attempting to smooth the lines. When that doesn’t work, I push my fingers against the corner of his mouth, lifting them in an attempt to cajole a smile from him.
His expression turns calculating, and then his eyes flare as my finger brushes his lower lip.
Before I can blink, his mouth slams down on mine. My mouth drops open in surprise, and he pulls me close, his hard body pressed against mine.
Uh-oh.
His tongue thrusts into my mouth—caressing, taunting—until I open wider, desperate to taste him back. His arm clutches me to him, his hand sliding over my butt as he hauls me even closer. My nipples tighten in anticipation, and I gasp into his mouth.
I tremble against him, and our kiss turns tender, his lips gentle, his mouth tantalizing, teasing. I assumed he was unaffected, that I was just another one of the females he might like to tumble, but I can feel him pressed against me, hard as stone. His huge body shudders, and he buries his hand further in my hair.
What am I doing?
I reach up my hands, flattening them against his chest. He growls in displeasure, slowly pulling away, his eyes so dark they appear almost black as he looks down at me.
This is a mistake. When I took that red flower from Elliz in the healers’ kradi, I imagined that I could maybe have a quick roll in the furs with Dexar.
Now I know better.
People leave. They break your heart, and you’re never the same again. This time, I’ll be the one leaving, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Dexar moves on to another woman before I can even get back to our ship. The last thing I need in my life is more heartache.
“What are you thinking?” Dexar’s voice is rough. He pushes some of my hair behind my ear, and I lean back, needing space. His arms tighten for a moment, and then he lets me go.
I’m immediately cold again.
“I’m thinking that this is a bad idea.”
“Why?”
“I was attacked in your territory. You’re feeling pissy and like you’ve got something to prove. Testosterone is probably coursing through your body, urging you to fuck. I suggest you find someone else to scratch your itch.”
Dexar’s expression is terrible. “I never took you for a coward.”
“Name calling. Real mature.”
He stares at me for a long moment, and then his eyes lighten with sardonic amusement. “You’re scared. That’s fine. I will wait for as long as it takes.”
I grind my teeth. “You’ll be waiting forever.”
“Oh no, Lexi. Eventually, you will become tired of pushing me away,” he purrs, and my thighs clench at the way he says the shortened version of my name. “But you may believe whatever you wish.”
Alexis
I must doze off because it’s not until something moves beneath my head that I open my eyes.
The last thing I remember is Dexar ordering me to rest and the feel of the soft fur beneath my back as I lay down on his bed.
I lift my head, finding him staring at the ceiling. His arm is wrapped around me, and I blush as I realize I’m still naked. He’s wearing pants, but his arm tightens warningly as I attempt to move away.
I narrow my eyes at him as he glances at me.
“I thought you were letting me sleep in your bed alone,” I say.
“I was. I changed my mind.”
I roll my eyes, once again suppressing a smile. With any other man, the arrogant crap that Dexar says would drive me crazy. And half the time, it does. The other half, I find myself weirdly charmed by the sheer imperiousness that drips from his words and the baffled surprise in his eyes when I call him on his bullshit.
“How long did I sleep?”
My head lifts again at his shrug. “Five or six hours.”
“Wow.” It turns out that narrowly avoiding death by bathtub sure takes it out of a girl. “Is Yari okay?”
“Her head has been treated, and she will stay in the healers’ kradi for observation, but she will be fine.”
The muscles in the back of my neck relax as I sigh in relief. “I should go back to my room.”
“No.”
I tense. “I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt because of your control-freakish ways, but you’re pushing it.”
He glances down at me. “Tell me about what you learned today.”
“Are you serious? We’re just going to ignore everything that’s happened?”
He nods, and I scowl at him.
“First, tell me you haven’t had Nara killed.”
“Do you doubt my word?” The question is icy.
“No. But I need to hear it anyway.”
“The traitor is fine.
She is being kept alive for her trial.”
Hopefully, Dexar will have cooled off by then.
“I have a favor to ask you,” I say.
Dexar grins down at me. “Perhaps I will grant you this favor in exchange for one from you.”
I grind my teeth. “Can’t you do anything without a bargain?”
He sighs. “Tell me what you have learned, and I will consider your favor.”
Fine. “I talked to Elliz today.” I blush as I remember our discussion and the bright-red flower I’ve tucked away in the large trunk that serves as my closet.
“What did you learn?”
“Not much. Yet. But it’s not crazy to imagine that something on this planet has changed enough to have an impact on the number of female births. Even on Earth, the environment has been proven to go hand in hand with the ability to conceive and the sex of the babies conceived.”
I can’t help myself, and I stroke one finger along his chest. He tenses, and I remove my finger. No use tempting either of us.
I clear my throat. “I remember reading about a study they did in Japan that linked warmer temperatures and a lower ratio of male babies born. It turns out that for humans, conceptions of males are more vulnerable to external stress factors.”
I push myself up slightly so I can look at Dexar without craning my neck. He’s studying me like I’ve grown another head, and I smile.
“Guys just can’t handle stress the way women can.” I wink at him.
“You believe this could be what’s happening here?”
I shake my head. “I don’t believe anything at this point. All I know is that nine months after a disaster like an earthquake or a nuclear meltdown, the proportion of male babies tends to decline for humans. This is just an example, and it’s not really relevant here—you guys have been dealing with the change in birth ratio consistently, and it’s not like you’ve had a natural disaster every decade, right?”
He shakes his head. “I understand what you’re saying though. You believe there may be an environmental reason for our decrease in females.”
“I do, yeah. Let me know if you think of anything that’s changed around here over the past few decades. Any differences in your water source, the food you’re eating, or anything that made life come to a standstill.”
