BEFORE LISA COULD expound upon the craziness, more barbarians entered the scene. These two didn’t give off the ugly vibe the others had. But their intensity was palpable. Skye shook with the vibration of violence and felt like calling to like, especially when she looked into the gaze of the taller of the two.

“What is all this?” the shorter one asked. Shorter one. Ha. He still topped her by a good foot and a half.

“A very good question,” Hottie the Barbarian answered. He wore authority well, and she had the impression he was of higher rank. She couldn’t be certain, but he felt more…dangerous.

Both men wore standard barbarian gear, and heavens, but those loincloths really did reveal a great deal of sexy man-ass. When Hottie shifted, she couldn’t help noticing his front matched his back in the Holy Hannah department.

Hottie’s lips quirked when he noticed her attention, and she swore under her breath, bemused that she couldn’t seem to control her libido around these people.

His friend pointed at Lisa and grinned. “Maht’s mate.” He laughed at Lisa’s blush. “You have been well-pleasured, female. The look suits you.”

“Zehn.” Hottie sighed. “We’ll figure this out later. You, female—” he motioned to Lisa “—come with us.” Then he crooked a finger at Skye. “You as well. We will settle this matter at home.”

“I don’t think so.” Skye straightened and rested on the balls of her feet, buzzing and ready to go again. “Lisa and I are part of the resort. We’re offworlders,” she emphasized. “We know you guys don’t mingle with those not of your tribe, so we’re heading back to Welcome. Now.”

Lisa continued to sniffle even as she stood on shaky legs. “Skye, I don’t know…”

“Lisa, you are Maht’s female.” Zehn nodded. “He has made an excellent choice. You are most pleasing.”

“Thanks.” There went Lisa, blushing and fawning just because a hot guy told her she looked good.

Skye glared at the pair. “Lisa, we have to go.”

Slowly, the smiles faded. Zehn cocked his head and he studied her. “Xaveht, do you sense something different about them? Especially that one?” He nodded at her.

“About the light-haired one?” Hottie—Xaveht—asked, all but ignoring Lisa now. That should have been a good thing.

Skye knew it wasn’t.

“Yes.” Zehn frowned. He stepped toward Lisa, as if to grab her, and Skye rushed into action. She kicked him back while pushing Lisa behind her.

“Lisa, grab my pack and follow the course-finder back to the resort. Go.”

“But, Maht…”

“Damn it. We’ll sort it all out later. In the safety of the resort. Go.”

The men didn’t give Lisa a second look. Their concentration on Skye made her fuzzy for a moment, awash in tactical energy. Assessing, watching, planning. They felt like a well-oiled machine and acted like one unit as they fanned out to flank her.

“Hell no.” She turned and attacked the weaker of the two—Zehn—first. Once she had him on the ground, she turned to face Xaveht but found him gone. “Shit.” He must have darted after Lisa.

She turned to leave Zehn but ended up running smack into Xaveht’s chest. Where the hell had he come from? His arms wrapped around her like steel bands. As she struggled with Xaveht, she heard him order Zehn to capture Lisa.

Skye fought harder, but no matter how she tried to tap into Xaveht’s moves and escape, she couldn’t break free. Unlike Zehn, Xaveht had a tighter, less manageable energy.

So she used her telepathy to kick him in the balls.

His eyes widened and his hold loosened, but not enough for her to go completely free.

“Female, you surprise me.” The bastard had the nerve to grin at her.

Laughing at her, like the chauvinistic fools back on Earth had. Before she’d kicked their asses.

She tried to head-butt him and threw herself right out of his grasp when he suddenly wasn’t there. Seconds later, as she tried to rise to her feet, he knocked her back to the ground. She struggled, managed to find a few tendrils of his ability to call her own and grappled with him, feeling like a slippery eel he had trouble catching.

“Female, cease.” He sounded annoyed and no longer smiled.

Not that his lack of a grin made him any less appealing.

She hated that she found him more attractive, especially because she couldn’t help noticing how firm he was. Everywhere.