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“I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU allowed a stranger to take me to his room last night.” Nyssa rolled across the mat and pushed to her feet. She tugged the loose-fitting shirt she’d borrowed from Lyna back into place, then took a defensive position facing her friend.
Lyna had already found someone to cover Nyssa’s duties, leaving her with extra time, nothing to do, and a lot of pent-up frustration. Being the wise and observant friend that she was, Lyna had suggested they work out at the hunter training facility. Since the majority of the males had been assigned security details, they had the place to themselves.
“You can hardly call Dawson a stranger, not after he defended you and nearly beat the crap out of Bokar.” Lyna rose from her crouched position. “After all the times you made Libby and me sit through those virtuals and watch you drool over those cowboys, I can’t believe you had a live one and didn’t have sex with him.”
Nyssa couldn’t believe she hadn’t either. “I do not drool.” Maybe in the past, and during some very hot fantasies, there’d been drooling, but she wasn’t going to admit it out loud.
“Sure you don’t.” Lyna quirked her brow, then lunged.
Nyssa blocked the attack and elbowed Lyna in the ribs before they separated.
Lyna rubbed her side and spun around to face her again. “He seemed genuinely concerned and refused to let you out of his sight after you passed out. He promised me he wouldn’t let anything happen to you, especially after I threatened to damage body parts if he did.” She waggled her eyebrows. “You’ve been so tense lately that I thought a night in his bed would do you some good.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I do not think sex is the answer to my problem.” It certainly wasn’t going to stop Renette from trying to manipulate Nyssa’s life.
“Your loss.” Lyna shrugged. “I meant to ask, what was the deal with the growling?”
“What growling? What are you talking about?” Lyna took advantage of Nyssa’s surprise by grabbing her wrist, dropping backward, and using her feet to flip her through the air. Nyssa hit the mat with a groan, the air whooshing from her lungs.
“Don’t you remember?” Lyna panted, then rolled onto her hands and knees.
“No.” Nyssa shook her head. “Some of my memories from last night are still unclear.”
“Fucking Bokar. I knew I should have ripped his balls off when I had the chance.”
“I would have helped,” Nyssa said with renewed anger.
“I know.” Lyna snorted, getting to her feet, then offered Nyssa a hand up. “Anyway... It happened right before you blacked out. You were hanging all over Dawson, and I thought for sure you were going to bite my fingers off when I tried to get you to leave with me.”
“It is true, then.” Up until this moment, she’d been in denial about her recent discovery.
“What’s true?”
“Dawson is my mate,” Nyssa blurted before she could stop herself. She’d shared secrets with Lyna before and knew she could trust her with this one.
“No shit.” Lyna swept a few loose strands off her forehead, bewilderment flitting across her expression. She pinned Nyssa with an annoyed gaze hinting at hurt, then smacked her arm. “Why did you wait so long to tell me? I’m supposed to be your best friend.”
“I would have told you, but I did not believe it. Not until you told me about...you know, my possessive behavior.” After leaving Dawson, Nyssa had taken a shortcut through one of the naturally landscaped areas. Her awareness that he was her mate slammed into her, literally. An overpowering force so great, it sent tremors rippling through her, enough to weaken her knees and drop her in a patch of soft, plush, yellow grass. Minutes passed before the shaking stopped and she could get back on her feet.
“I forgive you, but I’m confused. If you thought he was your mate, why did you lock him in his room? Why didn’t you have sex with him? I thought that was a big part of the whole claiming thing.”
“It is, but at the time, I did not know he was my mate.” Nyssa knew not all Tarrons recognized their mates immediately. Sometimes it required a traumatic occurrence to initiate the primal awareness. She wondered if the drug Bokar had given her had prevented her from realizing Dawson was her mate sooner.
“So, when are you going to tell him?”
Saddened, Nyssa shook her head. “I cannot.”
“Are you kidding me? Why?” Lyna appeared as if she wanted to throttle her.
“The conference will end in a few days, and he will be leaving.”
“And you’d let that stop you. You are the best schemer and planner I know. Look what you did for Libby and Erak.”
Nyssa smiled at the memory of persuading her friends to help bring the destined mates together. Every time she was around the couple and saw how happy they were, she swelled with pride that her scheme had been successful.
Exasperated, Lyna slapped her hands on her hips. “Are you telling me you’re not going to do anything to snag your own mate?”
“It is not the same. My people are born with the instincts to recognize their destined match. It is part of our animalistic nature.” No matter how much Nyssa rubbed, she couldn’t ease the tension from her shoulders. “Dawson is human. He will not have the same reaction as one of our males, nor will he know that I am meant for him.”
“So, tell him. Make him understand.”
Nyssa wished it were that simple. “You know human males well. How do you think he will react if I tell him he is destined to be with me forever?”
Lyna pursed her lips, pondering the question before answering. “He’d probably think you were crazy and find the first ship off the planet.”
“Exactly, which is why I will not tell him. I refuse to do to him what my mother has been doing to me.”
“Oh, Nyssa. I’m so sorry.” Lyna gave her a hug. “What can I do to help?”
“Nothing. And you will not speak of this to Erak.” Nyssa knew she wasn’t the only one who had a tendency to go against other’s wishes and make things happen.
“But he might be able to persuade Dawson to claim you.”
“Persuade” was not in her brother’s vocabulary, and they both knew it. “That is what I am afraid of. I do not want a male to choose me because he was forced.” She desperately clutched Lyna’s arm. “Promise me you will not speak of this with him.”
“Fine, I won’t say a word to Erak, but I still think it’s a mistake not to tell Dawson,” Lyna said, shooting a worried look past Nyssa’s shoulder. “Oh, hell. Speaking of your brother, he’s here, and frowning would be an understatement.”
He knows about Bokar. She cringed, swept with the urge to escape. Nyssa had been so preoccupied with what she’d discovered about Dawson, she’d forgotten to contact Erak. She quickly noted the distance to the female changing room and wondered if she could make it before Erak reached them.
“Double hell. Dathan and Kel are with him, and they don’t look happy either.” Lyna followed the direction of Nyssa’s gaze and must have guessed what she’d been thinking. “Don’t bother. You know he’ll only come after you.”
“Why do I get the feeling I am so screwed?” Nyssa finally turned to watch her brother and two of his closest friends, all wearing serious expressions, approach them. Of the three, Kel was the one with the easygoing, calm personality. If he wasn’t smiling, then things were bad. The queasiness she’d experienced earlier was no match for the wave pounding against the inside of her stomach now. She braced, preparing for the lecture she knew Erak was going to give her.
“Probably because you are.” Lyna straightened her shoulders and took a step closer, her way of showing Nyssa her support.
“Would you like to tell me what happened last night?” Erak shouted from halfway across the room. “Why did I have to hear from someone else that you were still having issues with Bokar?” The escalating problem with Bokar had started months ago, shortly before Erak had taken Libby as his mate. Bokar was not the first persistent male she’d had to deal with, so she refused Erak’s offer to speak with him.
“Why are you upset?” She argued with her brother all the time and couldn’t remember ever seeing him this angry. “It is no longer a problem. Bokar has been detained.” Nyssa swept her hand across her sweaty brow, thankful Erak hadn’t mentioned anything about Dawson. Maybe Torin hadn’t said anything to him after all.
“You are wrong.” Erak flexed his fists. “His father requested his release several hours ago, and Ryos had no choice but to grant it.”
“How is that possible? He drugged her.” Lyna raised her voice, her tone sharpened with disbelief. “At the very least, he should have to spend a few weeks locked up.”
“Bokar’s family does not have enough status to obtain a release order,” Nyssa said.
“No, but they apparently know someone who does,” Kel interjected.
“Give me a name.” Nyssa wanted to know who would condone what Bokar had done. “I will confront them myself with a complaint.”
“I was not provided with the information.” Erak swiped his hand roughly through his hair.
“You did not inform our parents, did you?” Their father had the kind of power needed to overturn the order, but Nyssa didn’t want to involve them. If Renette learned about Bokar’s attempt to claim her, it would bolster her efforts to find her a mate. Not out of concern for her daughter, but out of fear that Bokar might actually succeed and lower their status by association.
“No. I assumed you would not want them to know,” Erak said.
“Thank you.” They might not agree on most things, but when it came to handling their parents, they rarely disagreed.
“Do not thank me yet.” Exasperation shown in the heavy breath he exhaled. “Until I am convinced that the sheraaat is no longer a threat, you will be working closely with the security team. All your escort duties have been reassigned. Your first assignment will be attending the dignitary meal this evening.”
Nyssa had days when escorting one arrogant dignitary could be extremely trying. The idea of being trapped in a room full of them—which included Renette—for an entire evening was daunting. “And if I refuse?” Would Dawson be there as well? Her rational side hoped he wouldn’t; otherwise, she’d be finding ways to avoid him. The other part of her, the part that hated being away from her mate, wanted to be near him again, longed to see him again.
“You do not have a choice,” Erak growled.
“Does Ryos know what you are doing?” Desperate, Nyssa grasped for a way to go over his head. She’d known the commander since she was a child and thought for sure he would understand and support her.
“Yes, it was his idea,” Erak crossed his arms, beaming with satisfaction.
“You cannot be serious.” Nyssa wanted to smack him across the head, and usually did when they were younger. She should have known he would seek Ryos’s approval before approaching her.
“He cares about you too.” Erak glanced at Dathan and Kel. “We all do.” His gaze softened, and he cupped her cheeks. “Bokar drugged you. Do you have any idea what he could have done to you? Forced you to do?”
Nyssa nodded, immensely aware of what would have happened to her if Bokar had gotten her out of the bar.
Erak pulled away from her, shooting a sidelong glance to his left. “Since Kel neglected to protect you, he will also be attending. Maybe this time, he will do a better job.”
“It was not Kel’s fault,” Nyssa huffed. Animosity poured from the glare she narrowed at Erak. “You cannot punish him for what happened.”
Kel placed a hand on her shoulder. “Nyssa, it is all right.”
“No.” She shrugged away from his touch. “It is not your responsibility to protect me. I am old enough and capable of taking care of myself.”
“If that is true, then it will not be a problem for you to help the team with securing the officials.” Dathan cut a sharp glance in Lyna’s direction. “You can assist her with the duties since you will be going with her.”
“What did I do?” Lyna whined. “Why do I have to attend?”
“It is for your own protection.”
“More like your way of punishing me,” Lyna argued.
“I am not trying to punish you.” Dathan groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Our males are extremely prideful, and you injured Bokar’s pride when you attacked his groin. He will see it as an insult and may want to retaliate by seeking revenge. If you are both in attendance, we will not have to worry about either of you attracting unnecessary attention.”
“You know what Bokar did to Nyssa was wrong. He’s lucky that’s all I did.” Dathan had a knack for infuriating Lyna, and she appeared as if she’d like to physically demonstrate her point on him.
“I understand your anger, but you are still going.” Dathan returned her glare with one of his own.
“You can’t make—”
“As your supervisor, I can. I am ordering you to be there. You do not have to wear uniforms, but dress appropriately and do not embarrass me or my team.” Dathan gave her his back, then headed for the door, with Erak following close behind him.
“Arrogant, self-righteous, pain in the...” Lyna muttered.
Surprisingly, Kel stayed behind, remaining silent until Erak and Dathan disappeared from the room. “Damn it, Nyssa. I have not been back for an entire day and you have already gotten us into trouble.”
At least he wasn’t blaming everything on her, though Nyssa still didn’t see how any of this was her fault. Bokar refused to listen to her on the numerous occasions she’d informed him that she wasn’t interested in his claim. Nyssa did, however, feel responsible for the way her brother had treated Kel. “Erak had no right to punish you.”
“What punishment?” Kel’s frown transformed into a mischievous grin. “I want to go. Do you know how many gorgeous females will be there?”
I should have known. Nyssa shook her head. Leave it to Kel to find a way to turn a disaster into an advantage. Tarron males had healthy sexual appetites, some more than others. Kel wasn’t a shallow individual, and Nyssa sometimes worried about his need to have sex with any beautiful female that crossed his path.
He didn’t believe in relationships and refused to discuss the reasons why with anyone, not even Erak. Nyssa couldn’t determine if Kel’s desires were driven by his nature, or if he used them to avoid anything intimate. As far as she knew, he hadn’t met his mate and secretly hoped she was around when he did.
Kel angled his way between them, draping an arm on each of their shoulders. “Am I taking you shopping, or do you already have appropriate gowns to wear?”
Lyna tipped her head forward and grinned at Nyssa. “Shopping. Definitely shopping.”
