Eight days trapped inside the dorm without seeing or hearing from Lokos was awful, but I gladly would have traded in my freedom-until-nightfall for it if it meant the tension between us would be gone.

I hadn’t intended to hurt his feelings by saying the things I said about him as my guide and my not belonging to him, but I’d been so embarrassed by the scene he was making that I just wanted it to stop. Then again, I wasn’t even sure I had hurt his feelings. Maybe I’d just bruised his ego. Or maybe I’d crossed some A’li-uud line I didn’t know existed. No matter what it was, the result was the same: another six days had passed since the incident at the market, and, though Lokos had come to the dormitory several times for “living on Albaterra” lessons, he refused to look me in the eye.

The first time he showed up at the door, I was so stunned to see him I almost didn’t let him in. He gruffly said, “We need somewhere quiet to talk,” and I assumed he wanted to discuss the argument. I led him to my room, which Donna had vacated hours before to take the gawky glasses-wearing guy who’d walked in on Lokos and me to the dance competition some of the soldiers were performing on the Ward’s west side.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized the moment he closed the door behind him. He turned to face me, but there was no emotion on his face. “I shouldn’t have been so rude.”

Part of me was expecting him to apologize too. Another part of me anticipated a gracious acceptance of my regret. A small but very inwardly vocal piece of my mind was hoping against hope he would punish me for my behavior by bending me over the bed and taking me for all I was worth. I’d never been a nymphomaniac like Donna, but something about Lokos brought it out in me, and even our fight had me salivating for his touch.

He had done none of it. Crossing the room brusquely, he sat on the sturdy wooden chair at the desk and shuffled it around to face me.

“We need to discuss the laws of the colony,” he said reticently. “And the laws of Albaterra.”

I immediately assumed that I had, indeed, crossed a line in his culture by snapping at him the way I had and waited for a lecture, but it didn’t come. Instead, he launched into a lesson about crimes, their various degrees and suitable punishments, and the tiered system of justice officials. Much of it was similar to Earth, or at least to America. Murder was a capital crime, the most grievous of offenses, and a murder charge was always brought before the Council of Elders. Assault and other transgressions causing harm to another were a distant second and most times handled by the Elder who ruled the kingdom in which the crime was committed. I heard a peculiar one, a crime against the Grand Circle which was essentially any act of disrespect toward nature and its bounty, but I began to tune him out. I was rapidly numbing as it dawned on me that, not only did he not forgive me, but he had no intention to make amends.

He left that day without exchanging many words with me outside of his lesson. After asking if I had any questions, he left with a cursory goodbye, and I was alone again.

The second visit was almost identical to the first, the only difference being the topic of his lecture. This time, it was about the Grand Circle. He’d touched upon it when discussing it in the context of a crime, but I hadn’t properly grasped its weight to the A’li-uud people. Even through his frosty wall of emotionless monotony, I could see the Grand Circle was a source of reverence to him. It was like the human version of God, Mother Nature, and fate rolled into one. The Grand Circle was the essence of life. It lived within all and amongst all, keeping the cosmos in balance and ensuring the cycle continued wholly and purely. He spoke of honoring hunted wildlife after a kill, recycling the fallen leaves from aged plants to nourish the seedlings of new sprouts, and repaying the planet by living naturally and sustainably. Most A’li-uud superstitions were in some way related to the Grand Circle, be it due to an imbalance or wrongdoing that hitched the cycle. It was like their religion, but it was much deeper than that. They weren’t functioning on blind faith; they were dignifying what they had.

Finally, when he arrived for the third time, I couldn’t take the cold indifference anymore. He hadn’t even shut the door to the bedroom before I started in on him.

“Look, I said I was sorry,” I said hotly. “Which, by the way, would have been nice to hear from you too. I don’t know what else you want from me.”

He looked at me without a scrap of feeling. “I want nothing from you.”

“Really? Because it sure seems like you’re holding a grudge.”

“I do not hold grudges.” He walked past me to the chair and sat, but I wasn’t through.

“Then, why haven’t you talked to me about anything but this mentor stuff since the market?” I demanded, spinning on my heel to face him. “Why are you treating me like a stranger?”

He met my furious gaze with a frigid one of his own and said, “I am your guide. My job is to teach you the ways of Albaterra and help you with anything you need to be comfortable here.”

“I’d be a lot more comfortable if you’d stop being passive-aggressive,” I lashed.

“I do not intend to be passive-aggressive,” he replied tonelessly. “I intend only to do my job so you can live your life happily.”

The sheer lack of emotion was beginning to infuriate me, and I could feel my temper rising. “So, I imagined it all then?” I cried, unable to keep the anger and hurt out of my voice. “The chemistry and the…attraction? I know we never said it out loud, but I’m pretty sure there was something starting between us that seemed to go to hell when the whole thing happened at the market!”

Finally, there was a glint of response. His eyes narrowed, and I saw the same sultry shadow drift across his face I’d seen when he lingered over me on the couch. The divots on the edges of his lips deepened as he said, “You did not imagine it. But you made your point, and your desires, very clear. I wish only to respect that.”

“I just wanted to be allowed to live!” I exclaimed, relief shooting through me. “I was going crazy in here!”

“I did not want anything to harm you. The threat that nearly took your life is still very real and very near.”

“Just because I almost died doesn’t mean I need to be treated like a helpless little girl,” I said softly. “And, believe me, I’m very grateful to you for saving my life. But what’s the point of saving my life if you won’t let me live because you’re afraid I’ll get hurt?”

He stared at me for a beat, and then, in one swipe, he threw the chair to the side. His body was on top of mine in a flash, pressing me back onto the bed and enveloping me in his thick, woodsy scent. Our mouths crushed together in a long-awaited kiss, and, as his flavor flooded my tongue, I let go. I released all of the pent-up frustration, irritation, and worry I’d been feeling for days and simply bathed myself in his taste, his hot and savory and heady taste. My lips rolled against his, suckling and caressing, as our slick tongues wrestled for control. He was so warm. His skin felt almost feverish against mine as if he ran a few degrees warmer. I closed my hand around the back of his head and pulled him closer.

His groin ground into my hip. He was already solid and thick, ready for me, and the growl that spurred from the back of his throat into my mouth sounded like a command. I didn’t hesitate. I reached down to his waistband and shimmied my hand between his skin and the fabric. My fingers curled around his girth, my palm almost flattening against his impressive diameter, and he groaned against my lips. His teeth darted forward to nibble the tip of my tongue, and I rewarded him with a smooth stroke along his length.

A stream of clacks poured from his mouth. They had unnerved me before, but now, with his face contorted in pleasure and our bodies molded against one another, they were nothing short of erotic. Even though I couldn’t understand what he was saying, I was certain he was releasing a string of expletives as his nerves took control. Relishing my power, I stroked again. This time, it ignited his inner beast, and I was shoved upward on the bed as he greedily thrust the hem of my shirt up to my neck.

“All right, little human,” he gnarred, clamping his teeth over the edge of my left bra cup and tugging it down until my breast sprang free. “Let me show you how helpless you can be.”