Primen Carzon folded his arms and leaned back in his seat, his eyes fixed on the trembling women on the stage. Waves of tension radiated from him, but his rigid posture suggested that he tried not to let it show. Farran let out a sigh behind me and grumbled under his breath. His chances of finding a suitable mate had been low enough thanks to Carzon's last-minute tip of the odds in my favor. With two of the three girls in tears, he didn't have a prayer.

All three humans had hollow cheeks and weak postures, both signs that they had missed too many meals of late. Even the Primen seemed shocked by the state of his stock, judging by the moment his eyes widened as the spotlights switched on.

The redhead wrapped her arms around herself in a vain attempt to still her shaking shoulders. Her splotched face and full cheeks made her look younger than her years. Carzon's attendants had dressed her in a cheesy dance costume. Its ill fit only highlighted the fact that she was too small and too skinny to bear healthy Xiban children.

The blonde was older and of a sturdier build. Her tears were more difficult to spot from our seats, thanks to her sunkissed skin. But what cover her complexion gave was lost to the streaks of kohl that ran from her eyes. I tried to picture either of them beneath me in my bed. Impossible.

It wasn't their fear that was the problem. In their position, fear proved they had intelligence. But to show it so openly could only mean that the emotion had overtaken their better judgment. However clever the humans might have been, no creature could learn when fear had poisoned their brains.

Farran snapped his fingers and waved to Carzon's wine servant. The moment she came near, he snatched a bowl from the tray with such force the entire thing nearly toppled. Harran took one for himself but opted to show his frustration by drinking down as much of the stuff as he could. I understood their frustrations. I shared them. Each of us needed a mate who could not only satisfy our urges but learn our ways.

“Apologies, my friends," Carzon said as he forced a smile to his lips. "I assure you, this is highly unusual for my establishment."

The words had a suitable air of humility, but I could hear the rage lurking just beneath the surface. His favor passing without incident relied on Farran at least having something to show for their time. If word got out that he’d held a showing with such poor odds of success, his reputation might never recover. Someone in his staff had failed him badly.

I didn't envy whoever had let the human women wither under their care. Few failures reflected as badly on a servant as mismanagement of their kai'ben's affairs. The words of forgiveness Ingendia had spoken to me in the transport wouldn't be so well received by Primen Carzon.

"By the spirits, for your sake, I hope so," Farran spat in between gulps of wine. "I paid good money for this sitting. You call this premium stock?"

I looked at the third human. The thick line of kohl around her amber eyes hadn't moved. Light oils had been brushed through her fat curls, giving them a luscious sheen. But her eyes. They were more striking than any part of her. Unlike any I'd seen before. Rich pale gold, the color of desert sands.

Her shoulders straightened as her gaze locked on the other two. She reached out and recoiled in horror as her hand hit the barrier of her cage. My heart pounded as she turned her furious gaze toward the audience. My blood surged as she opened her mouth to speak, but she hesitated, clamping her lips shut as if she thought better of the idea.

Her silence disappointed me for reasons I could not justify. One of the servants came near me, proffering a bowl of wine with her eyes cast down. I waved her away. The beauty in the gold dress wasn't like the other two. She was made of tougher stuff than either of them.

I needed her. "I know which one I want. “

Farran and Harran turned to me, their faces perfect masks of horror. I didn't bother to spare either of them a glance. Their futures would remain in limbo for the night. But mine might yet be secured.

Even the Primen couldn't contain his shock. "Vin Xarran, I'm afraid I cannot in good conscience let a bidding round take place tonight."

I looked back to the stage, to the woman I knew in my gut was my mate. The humans didn't see in the dark as well as Xiban, but she stared in our direction anyway. She straightened her spine, lowering her shoulders and refusing to look away.

A vision of her tangled in my sheets flashed before my eyes. Yes.

"I've made a decision," I said again and gestured to the stage. "I want that one."

The Primen watched me in silence, his fingers twisting the bowl of wine back and forth. My insistence after his initial refusal ceded ground, usually a fatal flaw in negotiations. I couldn't afford to worry about the loss of face. Not this time. If that human left the room, someone might steal her from me.

Carzon drained his bowl and set it aside. The human barely slid her tray beneath the bowl before it crashed to the floor. "If it were up to me, you would have her, my friend, but I have to treat my customers equally. You understand."

Farran snorted from his seat behind Carzon's back. "I'm glad to see you remember a merchant's duty, Carzon."

This time, I cast the withering glare that silenced him. The young warrior had too free a tongue for a warrior and too little brains for a merchant. No Xiban woman with any sense would stand at his side. If fate had any kindness at all, he would find a brilliant spitfire among the humans, one who would learn our ways and push her mate to greater heights.

Only one human like that stood on the stage before us. Wine flowed instead of blood, and the company was more pleasing to look at, but this was a battle if ever I saw one.

A smart warrior pressed every advantage he had in war. I had wealth and status. Both Farran and Harran had one, and the other wouldn't be enough to win the day. But my last advantage, the favor of the Primen—that was a weapon powerful enough to rout any enemy. I only had to wield it properly.

My thoughts turned as I looked over both men. Their family fortunes were as much in crisis as mine. Stagnation doomed Harran's line. Farran's own foolishness put his line at risk. Was my stubbornness purer than their flaws?

"Then in the spirit of fairness, I have a suggestion." I climbed to my feet, rising to my full height. Even if the other two had been standing, I would have stood several inches above them. From their seats, I towered over them. "Instead of the first pick, I will buy her as if it were a private sale. These kind warriors came with me in the spirit of friendship."

Farran grabbed the last bowl from the tray. The one I left behind. "Doesn't sound fair to me."

I continued as if he hadn't opened his mouth. Damned fool didn't realize I was trying to help him. "And when they saw the lovely women presented to me, they chose to arrange their own sitting."

Carzon raised an eyebrow. "A private purchase is far more expensive than a sitting."

"A two-person sitting is more than a three-person sitting. I'm sure my friends would be willing to absorb the extra expense in exchange for locking in your earliest session. Tonight, perhaps?"

A smile appeared on Carzon’s lips. If I didn't know better, I would almost say the Primen was impressed. Almost. "If your friends find this arrangement sufficient, then I see nothing wrong with it. I'll even pull their selections personally."

I glanced over Carzon's shoulder at the other two. Harran wiped his mouth and nodded. The gesture of gratitude was small, but it was the only one he could afford to make in this company. Farran wasn’t as charitable. He waved a dismissive hand as if I hadn’t just handed a chance to breed to him on a silver platter.

“Then it’s settled,” Carzon said, clapping his hands together.

I turned back to the stage to look at the human again. My human. She had resorted to sinking her teeth into her lip to keep the tears of fear at bay, but the strength lingered in her eyes. She would bend, yes. As far as she had to in order to stay alive. But she would never break.

She was perfect.