Watching Gemma's reaction to my homeworld was an amusing distraction. She stared around, wide-eyed, as though she'd never seen anything like the palace gardens. To be fair, of course, she wouldn't have seen any of these plants before. Whatever she was used to on her home, it would be quite different from this.

If I were on her 'Earth' she'd be amused by me gawking at the plant life, I told myself, following her down the path.

At the castle gates, the welcoming party waited. The sight of them took all the pleasure out of the day, and I felt my smile fade. The Elders had gathered despite my instruction to leave us be when we arrived. I should have known better than to expect them to listen to me, but I'd been foolish enough to hope.

"Welcome back, Protector," the Eldest said, stepping forward with a broad, smug smile. "I see that you have met your mate. Welcome, Gemma Wexler—"

"She is not my mate," I snarled, interrupting him. "I was quite clear, Eldest. She's a guest of the clan, and she'll stay here until the Jester's Last Laugh arrives to take her back to her home."

He looked at me, his disappointment showing. "Corvax, please—"

Again I broke in. "Eldest, you had no right to drag her here—"

"We had every right," he retorted, raising his voice to match mine. "The future of the clan is ours to safeguard."

"And the safety of the clan is mine," I countered. We both stepped forward, glaring at one another and shouting. "Who I mate with is my business, not yours. I will not be dictated to."

"You're being ridiculous—"

A wordless shout cut through our argument, and we both turned, shocked that anyone would dare to interrupt. Gemma stood, red-faced and hands braced on her hips, glaring at the two of us. She looked caught between anger, fear, and amusement.

"Stop shouting," she said. "I've been here for less than a day and I've been attacked, nearly kidnapped, told I'm not welcome, and now you're shouting at each other over me! And the translator can't keep up with you, and I don't know what to do and..."

She trailed off as though realizing that she'd made herself the center of attention. Muttering something that the translator ignored, she took a step back and dropped her hands to her sides. The Eldest and I exchanged looks and he coughed, embarrassed.

"Yes, well," he said, raising a hand as though to comfort her and then dropping it. He looked back at me, and then nodded decisively. "I am sorry. That was an unworthy welcome for you, Gemma Wexler of Earth. You are an honored guest."

"I apologize too," I told her, bowing low. That only seemed to embarrass her more. "The Eldest and I have much to discuss, but there's no need for you to be caught in the middle."

Gemma looked relieved, recapturing some of the look of wonder that she'd had in the garden earlier. I could see that she was being overwhelmed by new experiences, and I could sympathize with that. Arriving on a new world, meeting aliens for the first time, being attacked... it would be a lot for anyone to take in.

I shall have to treat her carefully. Make sure she has time to adjust and calm down.

"Leave us," I told the Council firmly. "There is much to discuss but it can wait. Our new guest is here at your invitation, and you are making her uncomfortable."

The Elders exchanged glances, then nodded unhappily. They could see Gemma's distress as well as I could, and none of them were so unkind that they wanted to cause a guest harm. All but the Eldest started to withdraw slowly.

"Before I go, there is a separate message I must convey," the Eldest said, glancing at Gemma. I motioned for him to get on with it, and he sighed.

"The Perhar embassy has arrived to discuss trade terms," he said, distaste showing. "Their Protector sent Alishan to negotiate with you."

That was awkward timing. But there was nothing for it — our clans' rivalry didn't stop us from needing each other. And I could hardly be disrespectful to the Perhar Protector's sister. I sighed, promising myself I'd make time to see the Perhar as soon as possible.

"Tell her I will see her as soon as I have recovered from my trip," I said. The Eldest nodded and withdrew quietly, leaving me alone with Gemma once again.

"What's that about? Who were those guys? What's a Perhar?" the questions burst forth as soon as we were on our own and I couldn't keep myself from laughing. Gemma scowled.

"You'd have as many questions if you were on Earth," she said.

"Probably," I admitted. "And you'd laugh if I asked them all at once, too."

An unwilling smile broke her scowl and she nodded, acknowledging my point. "Okay, that's fair. I still want answers, though."

I nodded, indicating that she should follow me as I talked. Taking the back stairs I led her upward, going slowly. She looked around as we climbed, taking in the surroundings with wide eyes, and I didn't want to rob her of the chance to see anything.

"My clan is in negotiation with our rivals, the Perhar," I explained. "We have access to the spaceport, they produce a lot of food. Between us we can make a lot of money, but there are complications."

Throwing open a door, I led Gemma out onto the battlements. From here the crumbled ruins of the fertile land to the South were visible, and I pointed them out. Nothing more than tumbled rocks in the sea, now.

"An earthquake destroyed our farmland," I said. "That used to be fields, but when the seawall collapsed, the waves rushed in and took everything. Now we need to buy food to replace the lost production and hire laborers to reclaim the land so that we won't be dependent on imports forever. But..."

"But the Perhar figure this is their chance to gouge you for all they can," Gemma said. I nodded, glad that she grasped the situation quickly.

"Indeed. They want control of the skystalk and aren't picky about how they get it." Looking down at the ruins was depressing. I'd never be able to forget that day, the chaos and confusion and death that the quake had brought. And the raids that had followed, while our guards were too busy dealing with rescue operations to man the defenses. Too many lives had been lost, including those closest to me.

Turning away, I pushed down the memories. This wasn't the time for them. Leading Gemma along the battlements, I continued. "If they get their wish, all of Crosos will be in their control. Between our skystalk and their food production, our two clans would have the ability to squeeze everyone else into submission. That's why their Protector has sent his sister to negotiate — I'm supposed to take her as my mate and unite us."

"Oh." The note of pain in Gemma's voice made me turn back to see her looking up at me, eyes narrowing. "That's why you don't want me? Because of her?"

"No!" The hot emotion of my denial surprised me. Why do I care if that hurts her? She's not going to be here long. But I did care, and that confused and angered me. Fighting to regain my calm, I tried to explain. "No, Gemma, that's not it at all. Alishan Perhar is the last female I'd choose to share my life with, and if I were foolish enough to accept her offer I wouldn't expect to live long. She and her brother are a well-matched pair, cunning and dangerous."

Gemma's lips twitched in a little smile at that. "So, you're saying I'm not bottom of the list? That's something, I guess."

I chuckled at that, but it hurt a little too. Of course you aren't, I wanted to say. This is for your own good, and for the safety of my clan. If it was safe to choose her—

But it wasn't. It couldn't be, so there was no point thinking about it. Gemma didn't deserve the danger or the pain that I would bring into her life. Perhaps I could convince her of that, and soothe her hurt feelings.

"These are the defenses," I said. Gemma frowned at the abrupt change of topic but went along with it, looking at the phase cannon I indicated. It pointed out to sea, ready and alert for trouble. "And down there is what we defend. The port."

I pointed, and Gemma had to lean over the battlements to look down. Seeing the port far below us, she gasped. I didn't blame her, it was an impressive sight, and somewhat incongruous with the rest of the island.

"Ships come from all across Crosos," I said, a little pride showing in my voice. "Every clan that wants to trade with aliens comes through here, shipping their goods up and down the skystalk. More wealth passes through that port than any other single place on the planet."

"The ships are so big," she said, her voice full of wonder. Peering closer, she frowned. "Are they... armored? They look tough."

"They are," I said. "Between the sea monsters out there in the deep oceans and the pirates, our ships need all the protection they can get. Anything smaller than those ships wouldn't make it across the sea. Even here we have to be careful. Lookouts in the towers keep an eye out for pirate raids, and we have to be ready at all times."

"Because of pirates, or monsters?" She sounded confused by the idea, looking at the cannon beside me and then out over the clear seas.

"Both," I told her. "Not often, we're too well protected for the pirates to take. But the deep seas are dangerous, and the people who travel them have to be dangerous too. Any island that shows weakness will be plundered mercilessly. That's why our leaders are Protectors — my role is to stand between my clan and harm, and if there is a threat I will die facing it."

Gemma paled slightly at that, and I saw it sink in. Good. She has to know why I can't risk her life.

"This is a dog-eat-dog world, huh?" she asked. I frowned at the idiom.

"I don't know what a 'dog' is," I admitted. "But I think I take your meaning, and yes. Yes, it is. There are a thousand dangers here that you don't know, between the pirates and the other clans and the monsters of the ocean, and few allies to hold onto. You are not safe here, Gemma Wexler, and my clan Elders should not have brought you here."

She stood still, looking out to sea, and for a moment I thought I'd reached her. That she'd see the wisdom of returning home, and that I could forget about her. Except that I knew, no matter how hard I tried, I would never forget about Gemma. The best I'd be able to do was put her out of my mind for a time.

But when she turned back to me, her eyes sparkled and her cheeks had regained their color.

"It sounds to me as though you need more friends, then, not less," she said, defiantly. "If I'm willing to take a chance, why aren't you?"

So much for that. I suppressed a frustrated growl and shook my head. Gemma just didn't understand the dangers she was sailing into, and I shouldn't be annoyed at that. They were, after all, new to her.

But I wasn't going to let her blunder into a sea serpent's mouth just because I couldn't convince her. I would protect her from herself, no matter what. I promised myself that. And right now, that meant getting away from the temptation of her.

"Let me show you to your room," I said, turning back to the stairs. "I must see to my unexpected guests, but the servants will bring you anything you need."

Gemma followed me reluctantly, looking back over her shoulder at the island beyond the castle walls. The wistful look on her face made me want to show her everything, and I had to force myself to focus on my duty.

I kept my face impassive, balling my hands into fists and digging my claws into my palms. Staying away from her for nearly ninety days was not going to be easy, not when we would be under the same roof.