Betty and Barsork walked for a long time as they talked and she felt more and more comfortable with each passing moment. She felt awake and alive in a way she had never been before, and she was viewing the world with new eyes and a new mind.

Barsork too, seemed different to her. He appeared more at ease and relaxed. On Earth he had seemed almost hesitant in his actions, but here he seemed fluid and graceful in a very confident way that made her feel safe.

“Come let me show you a hollo scanner,” Barsork said softly.

They walked a short distance away and came to a place with a wide opening that looked almost like a cliff. “Don’t worry,” Barsork said. “I assure you it’s perfectly safe.”

To prove his point, Barsork walked forward seemingly on nothing but air. He reached for Betty’s hand and she cautiously took it and stepped out into nothingness. It was a strange sensation to feel as if she were walking on solid ground and yet to look down and see absolutely nothing beneath her.

After several more feet, they came to a small patch of what appeared to be grass and a small pole came up from the ground. On the top of the pole was a glass stand with a small black dot in the center, flat and no bigger than a pea.

Barsork put his finger on the black dot and it came off on the tip of his finger. He reached slowly behind Betty’s ear and placed the dot on her neck just behind her earlobe.

“What do you want to see?” he asked.

Betty thought about it and the only image that came to mind was that she wanted to see home. As soon as the thought formed, Betty was whisked into a world unlike anything she had ever known before.

It wasn’t just like she was seeing pictures of Earth, but like she was Earth. Everything all around her became the ocean at sunset, the feel of a spring breeze, the crispness of a winter snow. Each thought that came into her mind suddenly appeared in front of her with more clarity than if she were actually there.

She saw her hometown, and her campus and even into her dorm room where once again Jenny and her boyfriend were having wild sex.

“How is this possible?” she whispered into the expanse.

She felt Barsork’s hands upon her waist. “Don’t worry about the how, and focus instead on your thoughts. Bring them into order and think about one thing. The thing you want more than anything in the world, don’t just think about the image, but think about the feelings, the emotions, the actions.”

As Barsork talked, an image began to form in her mind, and the image was of him. She pictured the way his hands felt when they caressed her face. She felt her heart beat quicken as she looked at his strong muscles and shifting blue skin.

Suddenly, she was pulled away from the scene with a jolt as Barsork pulled the black dot from her ear. Beside him stood another of the Azu-Ban people, this one taller and with a smoother skin that held a somewhat pink hue.

“This is Ven,” Barsork said quickly. “He a very good friend, and the leader of the perimeter fighters. We’ve been discovered.”

Betty looked around feeling suddenly very exposed. “What do you mean we’ve been discovered?”

Barsork shook his head with frustration. “It would seem my brother is more dedicated than I gave him credit for. He has a force of hunters trying to get through the perimeter as we speak.”

Ven put his hand on Betty’s back gently and led her back the way they had come. “Do not worry, we have hidden people from the hunters before and we will do so again, although Barsork will owe me a great debt for this.”

Betty could barely keep up with what was happening as she was led further and further away. After only a few short minutes, she was handed off to another Azu-ban who put her into the back of a strange looking vehicle.

“What’s the cost this time, Ven.” Barsork asked as he himself jumped into the back of the vehicle with Betty.

The vehicle pulled off at an alarming rate, but Betty could still hear Ven’s response echo through the distance, “Shut down the auction house.”

Barsork winced before closing the flap on the back of the vehicle.

“Barsork, where are we going? You promised you would take me back to Earth.”

He shook his head and said something she could not understand. “Betty, I promise I will get you back to Earth, but we cannot leave while there are hunters after us. You are unfamiliar with the ways of our galaxy, but do not underestimate the hunters. They will not stop until they acquire their target, and right now that target is us.”

Betty shuddered. “I thought Wolfban was safe, that these hunters weren’t allowed here.”

* * *

Barsork

Barsork came forward and sat cross legged in front of her and gently took her hands in his. “Betty, please try to stay calm. I will keep you safe, as will the others on this planet. I assure you that the perimeter teams are very good, and even the hunters dare not enter here without direct authority.

“However as long as they suspect we are here, they can wait for us and pounce as soon as we try to leave. We will go into hiding for a short period of time, long enough for the hunters to be convinced we are not here. Trust me, this is the way things must be done.

“I had hoped my ruse would work, but I should have known that Carzon would exhaust every option. We will go deep into the sensorless region for several days, and Ven will send word once everything is in the clear. I have already given instructions for Ven to secure us passage on a ship that will get us to Earth. It will be ready when the hunters have left for another system.”

* * *

Betty

Betty took several deep breaths hearing the calming tone in Barsork’s voice. “I’m scared, Barsork,” she admitted quietly.

He immediately pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. Together they leaned against the side of the vehicle, her in his strong arms. She felt his lips upon her head and could feel the bulging ripples of muscle in his arms as they held her tight.

“I would die before letting anything happen to you, Betty. I love you.”

Betty felt her eyes fill with tears at the unexpected sentiment but felt too overwhelmed to respond. She simply allowed herself to be held by him and comforted by his strength and his presence.

After a short time had passed, the vehicle came to a stop and Barsork went to the back throwing open the tarp. Two very tall women came to the back with translucent skin, and no clothes. To say that their bodies were revealing was an understatement.

“Come now, we have secured your location,” the two women said in unison.

Barsork helped Betty from the vehicle and continued to hold her hand. “They are Huinvar. It means people of the flesh. They believe that the flesh is near to holiness and so do not wear clothing. Only those who have been disgraced wear clothes.”

Betty instinctively looked down at her own cloths wondering what the women would think of her. As if reading her mind one of the women spoke.

“Do not worry, human. We understand that other cultures do not share our beliefs and we do not expect them to follow our customs. Now please come forward and see if the dwelling is to your liking. You will be here for several days. We have provided all your needs, but you will be unable to communicate outside.”

Betty looked around trying to find the location she was speaking of and felt foolish. Barsork gently took her hand and then walked directly into the side of a mountain pulling her behind him. The door was invisible just as the floor earlier had been, only this time there was no substance. Once inside, Betty drew in a sharp breath. It was like walking into paradise.

“This is where you send refugees? On my planet refugees are lucky to be given food and medical care.” The two women looked at each other and smiled. “Wolfban is a planet to help renew those who are lost or have no place to belong. To be in fear of your life is difficult enough without the worries of finding food, shelter, and peaceful comfort. We try to make the lives of refugees better, not worse.”

Betty smiled and bowed her head slightly feeling like it was the right thing to do. The two women bowed their heads as well and then turned to Barsork.

“We have been told to give you a message from Ven. The others are on the last brim should you choose to see them while you are here, but he has asked that you be respectful and understanding.”

Barsork nodded. “Tell Ven he has my word as a second son of Xicret, and that he will have his payment in full on my death.”

Betty watched as in a strangely formal manner Barsork crossed his arms to his chest with fist to each shoulder and then bowed at the waist touching his head to the floor.

Both women reached out a long slender finger and touched his fists. Barsork stood to his feet and the women bowed their heads slightly. “We will give Ven your promise, son of Xicret. May your pledge bring you honor!”

Betty watched the two women depart and waited for Barsork to turn to her. His face had a look of sadness she had never seen before. “What just happened?” she asked tentatively.

Barsork looked her in the eyes, his color shifting to a very deep blue. “I have promised to destroy the auction house and all those who participate in it, or die trying. It is the cost set for your protection.”

Betty reached her hand to his chest and felt the slight tremble under his skin. “Your brother runs the auction house.”

Barsork didn’t answer and that in itself was answer enough. “You would risk your own life, and kill your own brother, just for me?” she asked softly.

Barsork pulled her to his chest once more, his strong arms wrapping around her. “You are my life now, Betty. Wherever you decide to go, I have promised to keep you safe and so I shall. Come lay down with me and I will share a story with you.”

Without hesitation, Betty lay down on the large soft mattress and waited for Barsork to take his place beside her. He held her tightly to him as his soft voice began to whisper soothingly in her ear.

“Long years ago, the Xicret race was very different than it is today. Once we were a land of honor and virtue. We used our might and our strength to protect those weaker than ourselves.

“During that time, our commitments to our loved ones were the highest of vows. When a man gave his heart to another, he did so with a connection that could never be severed. A literal bonding that held him to his mate even after death.

“After the Transfer period, the bonding became less and less through the generations and now it is almost unheard of, but occasionally a man will bond with his mate though it has not happened for over a hundred years.”

“What was the Transfer period?” Betty asked softly.

Barsork kissed her forehead gently. “You will be surprised to learn that a long time ago a group of humans were brought to our planet, or returned as some say. Many on Xicret believe that humans were actually Xicret's who had gone to Earth and evolved, only to later return home.

“No one, of course, can say for sure, but the end result was that a group of humans did come to Xicret, and our peoples mingled and made babies, and after several generations, became one people. This is the time in our history called the Transfer period. A time when two species joined to become one.”

Betty snuggled up even closer to Barsork feeling safe and warm and comfortable. “Keep going,” she said softly urging him to continue his story.

Betty lay listening to the sounds of his deep rich voice in her ear, and feeling the strength of his protective arms around her and before long she felt herself dozing off to sleep.

Just as the last remnants of fog closed around her, taking her into peaceful sleep, she heard Barsork whisper into her ear, “I have bonded to you, my Betty, and I am yours even after death.”