Satia and Stix walked to the front of a restaurant whose name she couldn't pronounce, and he held open the door for her. She stepped into the nicest place she'd been since coming to Earth. It was like being back at the castle with one of the king's annual fine feasts. White china lined the tables. Men dressed in fancy black suits smiled and poured wine and champagne. She plucked on her silk blouse as she regarded the women wearing elegant dresses, and for the first time in a long time she felt ashamed.

"May I help you?" asked a man with a broad smile standing behind a podium.

"Uh, yes," said Stix. "We'd like a table."

"Of course, sir. Do you have a reservation?"

Stix glanced at Satia and then back at the man. "I didn't know we needed one."

The man continued to smile. "I'm sorry, but we are booked for the next four months. If you don't have a reservation, I'm afraid we cannot fit you in."

"But there are two empty tables right over there."

"Yes, they are awaiting the people who booked them months ago. They should be arriving presently. I am sorry. But if you'd like to make a reservation-"

"That's all right." Satia took Stix's hand. "Thank you." She pulled him out of the restaurant and onto the street.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I've never eaten here before."

She chuckled. "Then why did you want to come?"

"I..." Embarrassment flooded his face. "I guess I wanted to impress you."

"Well eating at a restaurant where the portions aren't enough to feed a sparrow but probably cost enough to fund a small army, is not a good way to impress me. If you want to impress me take me somewhere that I can eat like I want without fear of being judged for it."

He grinned from ear to ear. "I know just the place."

"Oh my gosh, are they serious with all this food?" asked Satia.

"It's called an all you can eat buffet."

"Are you sure?"

Stix laughed. "I'm sure. I usually come by myself." He picked up a plate and handed it to her. "I've never brought a girl before because I've never thought I'd get my money's worth."

Satia eyed all the dishes. She'd never had Chinese food before, and everything smelled new and enticing. "Trust me. I won't let you down."

She and Stix walked through the buffet. He pointed out over a dozen dishes for her to try. She piled a little of each on her plate until she was afraid it might overflow.

"Don't worry," he said. "You can go back and have as much as you want."

They walked to a table and sat. Satia stared at her plate unable to decide what to start with.

"Here." He handed her a small paper package.

She opened it to find two sticks inside. "What are these?"

"They're called chopsticks. You eat with them?"

"You're joking with me. I've used utensils here before."

"No, seriously. It's what they use to eat with in China. Here." He placed one stick between his thumb and first finger and then set the second one on top. Then he used them to pick up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth.

All around them people used chopsticks.

"Okay," she said. "I believe you. How hard can it be?"

She placed the sticks as he had and tried to use them but they twisted sideways, and the food fell off.

"Here, let me help you." His large hands wrapped around hers as he placed the chopsticks in the right position. "Now use this one to move, and this one stays stable."

Satia tried it, again the food fell. "This is silly. I could stab the food easier than to use these things."

"It takes a little practice, but you get used to it."

"Unfortunately, I'm too hungry today to learn. Should I use my fingers?"

Stix unrolled his napkin and handed her a fork.

"Thank you. Though I must admit, I feel rather... stupid for not being able to use them when everyone else is."

"Yes, well I'm pretty sure this isn't everyone else's first time eating Asian food. Eat."

Satia stared at the fork, feeling foolish.

"Let me join you." He unrolled her napkin and took her fork, then winked at her making her saber purr in delight.

"You said you'd never brought a girl here before. Have you dated a lot of women?" Satia stabbed a piece of chicken and popped it into her mouth.

"A fair amount I guess. What about you?"

She shrugged. "I didn't have time for anyone back on Aurora. I had barely come of age when we went on the run."

"Because of a rival clan?"

She nodded and a pit grew in her stomach. She refused to allow memories to ruin their date.

"Can you teach me boxing?"

Stix chuckled. "Why do you want to learn boxing?"

She shrugged. "I used to train a lot back on Aurora. I haven't in a while. Watching you and Deacon reminded me of how much I used to like it."

Stix stared at her for a moment. "What happened when you guys ran from the castle?"

Satia dropped her gaze to her plate and tried a different dish. "Well, the queen was killed as were most of the guard. Affina's father ran, taking as many of us with him as he was able. We spent about a year roaming from place to place selling the little we had to eat and eventually to obtain an orb to come through. But we were attacked, and only Affina made it through."

"And you came with a group about a month later, right?"

Satia nodded. Her heartbeat quickened and she stuffed another piece of food in her mouth, allowing its sweetness to linger on her tongue.

"So you were a servant, but Raze was a slave, right?"

Satia nodded her head as she took a sip of her soda. "His father tried to take over the clan. Razor's mother and father died for that treason and Razor was given a choice. Join his parents, or work as a slave and eventually earn his place in the clan. Little did any of us know the truth. If we had-" She stopped as Mandrake's face flashed into view. The memory of him and his men attacking in the grove. Killing without remorse. The other two women had fallen, but Affina had taught Satia to fight. She'd managed to kill three of their men before they'd captured her and tried to-

"Are you all right?" Stix laid his hand on Satia's leg and she jumped out of her chair.

"I'm sorry." He scooted away from her. "I'm sorry."

"I... I..." She couldn't breathe.

"Hey." Stix jumped to his feet. "Are you okay?"

The other customers stared and she fought to keep her composure. She didn't want to embarrass Stix or herself. Slowly she retook her seat.

"I apologize. It's been a long time since I've let anyone outside of my clan touch me."

"I didn't mean to."

"It's fine. I'm still trying to get over some things apparently."

They sat in silence for several minutes. The anxiety wafted off Stix in huge clouds. Her saber paced back and forth, tail swishing. This was about the time she would usually get out and run.

"Satia."

She looked up.

"I don't want to pry or cause you unease. I can tell something happened to you. Someone hurt you, and I'm sorry for that."

"No, I'm sorry," she said. "I thought I was better. That I could do this on my own without my clan but I guess I was wrong. Maybe I should return to the lodge."

"Is that what you want?" he asked.

"No. But I can't seem to move past the fear and anxiety. It hits me in waves that I cannot control."

"I won't ask you to tell me what happened. But I want you to know that I'm here if you need someone to talk to. My younger sister had something terrible happen to her. It caused her to have anxiety and panic attacks as well."

"What happened?" she asked.

Sadness crept into Stix's face. "She uh... started self-medicating. It got bad. My parents had to hospitalize her to keep her from hurting herself again."

Satia swallowed hard and reached for his hand without thinking.

He stared at her hand for a long minute. "What I can tell you is this. If you want to be here. If you want to make it on your own. I will help you any way I can. But if what you need is to go back until things are better-"

"I want to stay," she blurted. "I have to stay. Being there in the mountains with the men from my clan was a comfort, but it was a Band-Aid over a wound that needed to be scrubbed out and sutured up. Going back won't fix what's wrong with me. It'll be me hiding from the world. That's no way to live."

Stix squeezed her hand. "There's nothing wrong with you, Satia. You had something terrible happen, but you can use it to become stronger with the right support."

She should tell him. She wanted to tell him. To tell someone. She'd never spoken of it. Never told anyone of her hurt, her scars.

"The other clan caught up with us about a year after we ran from the castle. Mandrake, their leader, killed Affina's father as well as all the other women and men except three men and myself. We never did find out why they kept the three of us alive."

"And Aurora time is slower so if you didn't come through for about a month that means you were a prisoner for more than half a year."

She nodded but refused to meet his eye.

"Satia, look at me."

She lifted her eyes as he searched her face. "Don't look at me like that. I don't want your pity. I don't want anyone's pity. It's why I moved here, away from my pack. I was so tired of them treating me like a fragile piece of china that needed to be protected from the world and all the bad things in it. I came here because I'm strong and I want to show everyone I am not broken by what happened to me."

"You are strong. I'm sorry if I made you feel like you aren't."

"I refuse to be afraid anymore. I won't let those men ruin my chance at a life and happiness. Every moment I spend thinking about them is a moment longer that I let them keep me captive."

"I agree."

Satia ate several more bites in silence, letting the anger flow through her. She'd never told anyone how she really felt. She'd never even talked to anyone about what had happened to her. Not that she'd had anyone to talk to before.

"Promise me something. If you ever find yourself becoming overwhelmed by the memories or afraid of anything, you talk to me. Don't bottle it up. Don't push it down. Whatever it is, you can tell me."

She smiled. "Thank you. I've not had a friend to talk to before. Somehow, though we've only known each other a couple of days, I feel like I've always known you."

"I feel the same."

A rush of warmth raced through her. She wanted to tell him what she felt for him, but she'd shared enough for one day. She'd rather have him as a friend, if telling him she thought he might be her mate, would have any chance of scaring him away.

"Let's eat. We have an entire second half of the buffet to try out."

Satia nodded and dug into her food. She pretended not to notice that Stix hadn't started eating again. Instead, he sat staring at her.

* * *

Stix battled with his ursa for the rest of the meal. He wanted to hold Satia and tell her she was safe and he'd never let anyone harm her again. And yet, at the same time he wanted to go to Aurora and rip apart the men who had hurt her.

After an hour and a half of eating they sat half comatose in their booth.

"I have never eaten that much in my life," she said. "I think I might burst."

"I've never seen a woman eat that much before. I can honestly say this was a win for me and we got our money's worth."

Satia glanced around. "Do you think they'll kick us out soon for overeating?"

He laughed. "No, but I think maybe we should work some of this food off."

She nodded. "You might have to roll me out the door."

"Carrying you on my back is an option."

"I might vomit on you."

He tossed up his hands and chuckled. "No piggyback ride, got it."

A sweet smile played across her face. She had a beautiful face already, but it was made all the more attractive when she smiled.

"Do you have anywhere you'd like to go?" he asked.

She thought for a moment. "I saw a commercial back in Oregon for a shopping mall. I've never been to one before. I thought maybe I might buy a few more items of clothing. Especially if you are going to teach me boxing. I have no clothes to exercise in. I usually just strip down to run alone in the woods."

Stix swallowed hard at the thought of running along side her in the woods near his parent's house. Naked and raw. He wondered what she looked like in saber form. Her muscles strong and lean, her body taut and predatory.

"Are you okay?"

He swallowed hard and adjusted his pants where they'd grown too tight. "Yeah, I was uh... thinking that would probably be a good idea. You boxing naked is bound to draw a bit of attention at the gym."

She laughed and covered her mouth with her hand. It had never been this easy with a woman before. He'd never met one so open and honest with so little guile. No pretense. One that was happy being who she was in her own skin. He wondered if this had been Gerri's plan all along. Had she really known from the few minutes they'd spent together precisely what he wanted in a mate?

"So, should we go?"

His ursa pushed against his ribcage wanting to be let out and wanting to rub up against her and mark her and make her his.

His phone buzzed. The number that pulled up was familiar, but he couldn't place it, so he rejected the call. If they needed him, they'd leave a message.

"Let's get out of here."