Rynn was insatiable.

Jac hugged the knowledge to herself a few days later as she stood with Jessica watching the warriors as they trained. He’d been gone this morning before she woke, again, but the warmth of the covers next to her said he hadn’t been gone long. He’d slept beside her all night. Like he had every night since they’d arrived.

A smile curved her lips. Well, for the bits they actually slept that was. There hadn’t been much of that going on.

But he came to her. Night after night. He’d been annoyed, but she’d worked in a bar long enough to know that a lot of men couldn’t verbalize their emotions. That never excused violence, but for all his rough words and snarling, Rynn had never hurt her. Would never hurt her.

Warmth spread through her. When he’d come to her that first night, he’d ordered her not to talk to other males… that possessiveness surely meant something? She’d been trying to question Jess on how Latharian males thought, and so far, all the clues pointed to Rynn being ready to claim her as his own.

She bit her lip as she searched among the training warriors, looking for a glimpse of his familiar, broad-shouldered form. In fact, if anything, he should already have tried to claim her. But… nothing yet.

“Heads up,” Jess murmured, smiling across the sands toward where her mate was training with another warrior. A guy called Saal. Apparently Laarn had beaten the living daylights out of him when the two had vied for Jess’ hand, but now they were the best of friends. She cocked an eyebrow as Saal sailed out of the circle and landed in the sand against the wall. Instantly he was on his feet, bellowing a war cry as he charged back into the circle. If that was male bonding for Latharian males, she was glad she was female.

The crowds parted and a couple of warriors walked past them. Next to her, Jess sucked a breath in. “Coaar? What on earth happened to you?”

Jac blinked as the smaller of the two men stopped. The handsome young warrior who had been friendly with her since she’d arrived was barely recognizable. His left eye was swollen shut, his lip split and the skin on the other side of his face was black and blue.

“Oh my god,” she gasped, moving forward instinctively, her hand raised. “Are you okay?”

For all his injuries, Coaar moved like the warrior he was, stepping back out of reach.

“My apologies, ladies,” he murmured, not meeting Jac’s eyes. Her brow furrowed, a suspicion forming in her mind. “I thank you for your concern, but I am fine.”

He made to move past them but Jac moved into his path. “You don’t look fine to me. What happened?”

He finally looked up to meet her gaze and she winced. His right eye was bloodshot as well. “I overreached, my lady, and assumed something I should not have, about something that didn’t belong to me.”

“Wha… what?” she demanded, anger beginning to simmer as she decoded warrior-speak. “Rynn had something to do with this. Didn’t he?”

Coaar blanked his expression but she didn’t miss the instinctive flinch when she mentioned the name. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean, my l-lady…”

His face went pale, his gaze flicking past her. Intrigued, she turned around to find Rynn watching them from over the other side of the room. His face was thunderous, murder in his eyes as he looked at Coaar.

“He did!” she announced in triumph, turning back around but Coaar was gone, beating a hasty retreat across the circles. Fury hit her hard and fast. She’d only spoken to the guy once before the incident in the garden, nothing more. She hadn’t touched him, danced with him… nothing. How dare Rynn beat up on him for that? Sheesh, he might as well whip his dick out and start marking territory if he was that bad. Whipping back around, she spotted Rynn disappearing the other direction and her anger deepened.

“Oh no, sunshine. That’s not fucking happening!” she hissed, starting to go after him, but Jess stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor,” the other woman advised in a low voice. “Directly challenging a warrior is never a good idea, and shadows are a breed apart.”

“Well, what the hell should I do? The only time he deigns to notice my existence is when we’re… And the rest of the time he damn well ignores me. Yet, he beats up on men who even look at me!” she snapped and then sighed. “I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that because he’s being an ass. Why are you grinning at me like that?”

Jess chuckled softly as she pulled Jac over to the shaded spot to the side of the training area. It had low comfortable couches and refreshments, obviously set up so the women could watch the training in comfort.

“So you’ve…?” She waggled her eyebrows, pulling Jac down to sit next to her. “And he’s warning other males off you? I’d say he was close to trying to claim you.”

Jac huffed. “That’s what I thought. Doesn’t look like it though. He runs off rather than talk to me. The only time I see him is when he breaks into my room at night.”

She sighed and looked at the other woman, unable to stop the pleading note in her voice as she asked, “What the hell do I do?”

Jess grinned, surprising her with a very sly look in her eyes. “Leave it with me. I know just how to bring our reluctant shadow out of his shell.”

Jac was ignoring him.

Rynn’s temper simmered as he walked past her in the corridor and she didn’t so much as spare a glance his way. What the hell did the woman want? He went to her quarters every night, brought her pleasure that left her boneless and pliant in his arms, yet she couldn’t even look at him in daylight.

What was he? He searched for the Terran words, culled from eavesdropping on the human women at court… A booty call. He was nothing more than a booty call to her.

A snarl on his lips, he marched across the sands of the training courts, his fierce expression and reputation ensuring that warriors of all levels scattered before him. Spotting a familiar figure on the other side of the circles, he shot a glare across the sands. Coaar refused to meet his eyes, the youngling scuttling off in the opposite direction. Satisfaction filled Rynn. Good. It meant their little chat in the gardens the other night had had the desired effect. Coaar would no longer look toward what was not his.

And that was the trouble. Jac was not Coaar’s but she wasn’t Rynn’s either.

Ignoring the main training area, Rynn headed for the private circles at the back. Open to the elements like the main training area, the sun beat down on the sands within, the high walls ensuring privacy. The first two circles were occupied, the sounds emanating from within telling the tale of battles hard-fought. Not surprising. Many of the higher-level warriors took youngsters under their wing, and training was brutal.

The third circle was silent, but, as Rynn stepped within he realized it was not empty. His father stood at the opposite side of the circle in front of an inactive training bot, his sling discarded on the bench against the wall as he stretched his arm and shoulder out. He looked up at Rynn’s footsteps and grunted.

“I suppose I’m next to be warned off the lovely Lady Jac?” he queried lightly, his deep voice little more than a rumble in the silence of the circle.

Rynn raised an eyebrow and motioned toward the sands. Xaandril nodded, permission for Rynn to join him training. Rynn inclined his head in thanks, walking across the sands to take position next to his father and start his own stretches.

“Now why would I warn you off of anyone?” he asked carefully. His father might appear to be big and dumb, the emperor’s bulldog, but the reality was far different. Most discounted him off the battlefield, but Xaandril was far more astute and adept at court politics than anyone gave him credit for.

Xaandril arched his eyebrow, giving Rynn a sidelong look.

“Do you think I was born yesterday, youngster?” he demanded, a curve of amusement flirting with the corner of his lips. “Even a half-blind old warrior can see how you feel about the lovely lady. And I’m sure Coaar is anything but half blind. At least… He wasn’t before your little chat the other night. Draanth, Rynn, did you have to half kill the lad?”

Rynn shrugged, a one shouldered movement. “He got what was coming to him. I didn’t actually kill him, now did I?”

Truth be told, the injuries he had inflicted on the younger warrior were a little excessive. No more than he’d have gained in his first serious battle and they certainly wouldn’t cause any permanent disability, but still, shame filtered through his blood at the actions he’d taken. Coaar had just been dazzled by one of the first true females he’d ever seen. What male wouldn’t try and claim one for his own?

“Do you want to fight? Or just stand here and yap?” he snarled at his father, moving to stand in the middle of the circle. Once there, he raised his hand, curling his fingers into a “bring it” motion.

Xaandril chuckled as he took a position opposite Rynn. The two men were of similar height and build, and on a good day evenly matched. Where his father had years of hard battle experience gained in service to the emperor, Rynn had survived on his wits, either undercover or behind enemy lines, since he’d become an adult.

Settling into a guard position, he watched his father carefully. Just because he knew he could take the champion didn’t mean he needed to get cocky. Overconfidence would land him on his ass in the sand and months of piss-taking once word got around.

Nodding, Xaandril moved into place. But rather than settle into a guard position, he just stood there. Head tilted slightly to one side, he studied Rynn in silence. After a few moments, Rynn began to get antsy.

“Is there a problem?” he asked, keeping his voice level. “If you’re not up to it—” He motioned toward his father’s arm.

“It’s not that,” Xaandril replied and then smiled. It was a rare, unguarded smile and something Rynn hadn’t seen since he was a child.

“I’m not good with expressing emotion,” Xaandril admitted, rubbing at his arm lightly. “But I really am proud of you, you know? It’s not often a family can boast both a champion and a shadow amongst their number. You have done our name proud, son.” He coughed suddenly, looking embarrassed. “Just wanted you to know that.”

Rynn stood in place, stunned. Of all the things his father could have said, that was the last thing he’d been expecting and caught him completely off guard. And as such, his reply was equally unguarded, a plea from the child he had been rather than the man he’d become.

“You are? You don’t see me as… less?”

“What?” Xaandril barked a laugh, frowning in confusion. “Less? For what reason?”

Rynn didn’t drop his gaze. “Because of my mot… because of my birth?”

“Because you were oonat-born? Draanth no!” Xaandril strode forward, grabbing Rynn by the upper arms so he could look directly into his face. “You were and always have been my pride and joy. My son,” he added with a little shake of Rynn’s upper arms. “I am as proud of you as I was of your sister. Always have been, always will be. You both hold a special place in my heart.”

“But why did you send me away?” He couldn’t help the question, driven by the lost little boy who’d sat on the beach and cried when his father had flown away.

Xaandril’s expression set, pain in the backs of his eyes fleetingly. “The Ovverta came back, threatened the entire sector. I got you as far away as I could. I needed you safe while I dealt with them. I couldn’t lose you as well. It would have broken me. I love you, son.”

Tears prickled the backs of Rynn’s eyes as the older warrior, his father, wrapped him up in a bear hug. Closing his eyes, he savored the contact, a sense of peace rolling through him. All these years he’d thought Xaandril had been ashamed of him. And now he discovered the opposite. His father did love him.

Finally, after long moments, he pulled back and smiled. “I love you too… Dad.”

It felt good to say those words. After years of thinking he was an after-thought Xaandril was ashamed of, it was a balm to his wounded soul. But now he didn’t know what to say, just looking at his father as the silence stretched out. “So… you wanna train?” he asked.

“Well…” Xaandril drawled. “We could, but I’m sure there’s somewhere else you’d much rather be…”

Rynn grinned fondly. “What the draanth are you talking about now, old man?”

Xaandril’s grin was broad, a white flash of teeth in the suntanned expanse of his face. “Well, I had heard that there was to be a choosing today.”

Rynn froze, watching his father carefully as a chill wandered down his spine. A choosing was when a female chose her mate from among the eligible warriors. But the only females at court these days where the human women. Of those, there were only a handful in residence at any one time. And of those only two were currently unmated.

He’d seen how his father looked at the marine woman, Kenna, and if he was here, not at the ceremony… Then Kenna wasn’t doing the choosing. There was no way Xaandril would allow Kenna to choose anybody but him.

Which meant…

Rynn’s weapons hit the sands. “Jac’s choosing a mate?”

Xaandril nodded. “From what I gather, she had her eye on a male but he wasn’t interested… Certainly not interested enough to consolidate his claim. So the emperor has arranged a choosing for her.”

“Fuck.”

Time stood still for Rynn as his heart gave one painful lurch. Jac was choosing a mate. A mate that wasn’t him… Because he was a fucking idiot. He’d convinced himself—for whatever stupid reasons that didn’t matter anymore—it wouldn’t work between them. But the knowledge that she was choosing somebody else, that he would never lie with her next to him again, never awaken to her beautiful face in the morning…

His jaw set.

Not. Fucking. Happening.

He didn’t care that he wasn’t good enough for her.

Jac was his. Always had been. Always would be.

End of story.

Snatching his weapons up from the sands, Rynn set off at a run, his father’s chuckle and the man himself following him as he ran through the corridors of the palace praying with every step that he wouldn’t be too late.

Praying that he would arrive before the woman he loved picked another man.

“My lords, ladies and fellow warriors. Thank you all for joining me today at this auspicious event. You might be wondering why I have called you all here today, but I assure you, you will be glad you came.”

Daaynal, warrior emperor of the Lathar, stood on the dais in front of his throne to address the members of the court that had assembled in the main hall. By his side, dressed in as much finery as Jessica and Kenna could pile on her, was Jac.

Who was quaking in her boots. Well, she would be, if she wore any. Instead, she had on delicate strappy sandals with heels so high she wasn’t sure she’d make the return journey down the dais steps without breaking her neck.

“I won’t keep you in suspense,” Daaynal continued, smiling down at her. “The Lady Jacqueline, from Earth, has decided to choose a mate from among the eligible males at court.”

A murmur of surprise and awe washed through the hall and all eyes turned toward them. For a moment, Jac seriously considered trying to hide behind Daaynal’s large form. This was such a bad idea. Rynn wasn’t going to show. She just knew it.

“Don’t look so scared. They won’t bite. I promise,” Daaynal whispered, extending an arm to help her down the steps of the dais. She slid a glance sideways. The tall emperor dwarfed her and, to be honest, scared the daylights out of her. In leathers and half his hair caught up in honor braids, there was no mistaking him for what he was—a very dangerous man. From the stories she’d been hearing from Kenna and Jess, he had a hell of a reputation.

But she’d seen him with his great-niece earlier. The big, growly man had disappeared completely, replaced by a teddy bear enthralled by the tiny baby. It had been a total ovary exploding moment…

Her hand stole down to her stomach. She’d been queasy herself recently and the image of a bouncing baby with Rynn’s blue eyes and her dark hair filled her mind. Abruptly, she snatched her hand away. No. Not happening. There was no way she and Rynn would have been able to… Probably a dodgy alien spring roll or something. Who knew what was in those things? Had to be something that would upset her delicate, Terran constitution.

She turned her attention to the warriors assembled as Daaynal led her around the room. Showing her off as much as letting her look her fill of the men on offer.

Were she looking, she’d have been in hog-heaven… every last one of them was tall, well built and handsome. Like she’d tumbled through time and landed in ancient Greece amongst the gods themselves. Perhaps the gods had somehow been Latharian? From the images she’d seen, female Lathar had been just as tall as the men, slender and ethereally beautiful. It wasn’t a stretch to see them as goddesses.

Her mood took a nosedive. No wonder Rynn didn’t want her. She was a sloppy second, only good enough for trysts in the dark, not public knowledge.

“Look around,” Daaynal urged her, his deep voice kind. “If he doesn’t come, and he’d be a draanthing idiot if he doesn’t, any of these men would be honored to call you theirs.”

She flicked a startled glance up into the big emperor’s face. “You knew?

Jess had sworn to her that their plan to flush Rynn out and make him declare himself would remain just between them. Well, between them and Kenna. And Kenna had the hots for…

She groaned. “Kenna told Xaandril. Who told you.”

Daaynal winked. “There are two things warriors love more than anything else in life. Combat… and gossip. Of course I knew. I’d have figured it out even if I hadn’t been told. You two only have eyes for each other. But… we have to sell this.”

She did as she was told, trying to muster some enthusiasm for the event. If Rynn didn’t turn up and claim her, Jess had said she didn’t actually have to pick a mate. Apparently, she could pick a few and allow them to court her. What happened after that she didn’t want to think about.

Warriors crowded the center of the hall, all with eager faces under the masks of bravado and civility. Jess had told her claiming ceremonies were a big thing for them and she’d realized that for herself earlier in the day.

The older warriors seemed to have come to an agreement, taking a step back to the walls of the hall to allow the younger ones to parade before her. Like some kind of reverse beauty pageant. Most of these warriors—men, she corrected herself—would never have had a chance to meet a female of their own kind, much less have a relationship with one. They were all too young.

A lump formed in her throat as the reality of their situation hit her. The link to humanity, to Earth, really was that important to them. The loneliness in their faces struck her… along with the hope. Some were too scared to even look at her. The defeat on their faces was almost too much to bear.

“This is cruel,” she whispered to Daaynal as they reached the end of the hall and he turned her. Her skirts swished against the floor, making the little girl deep inside want to smile because she was dressed like a princess. “It’s unfair to them.”

“Why do you think I want a treaty with your leaders?” Daaynal patted her hand where it lay on his arm. “You have women. We need women. But they have to want to be here. If we continue in our old ways, we breed a generation of discontent warriors. I do not want that.”

Jac nodded. Wise words she hadn’t expected from the warrior emperor. Perhaps there was hope for an alliance between their races if the alien emperor was so intent on peace. “Perhaps some kind of program can be set up… to bring women from Earth here as potential mates.”

Daaynal looked at her with interest. “Do you think human females would sign up to such a program?”

“Hell yeah!” she snorted. “Take a look around. Get this lot to take their jackets off and make a video, send it down to Earth… you’ll have them queueing up out the damn door.”

“A mate matching service…” Daaynal blinked down at her and then smiled. “Lady Jac, you are a genius.”

“Get your fucking hands off her.”