never felt jealousy before in his life. The new and foreign emotion seized him with a fierce longing to prove that he was her mate, and no other.
"Emissary!" she gulped, drawing her body into the corner of the seat. Jenn was shaking. "Like a punching battle? You wouldn't do that, would you? What kind of aliens are you, anyway?"
"The kind of aliens that don't let other men touch their sindares!"
"Why do you keep calling me that?"
Kai gave a growl from deep in his throat. "It is the way of things."
"Maybe out there, but not here. People can and do have histories. Are you telling me you've never had lovers, Emissary? Should I hunt them down as well?"
He hated Jenn using his title instead of his name, and he didn't like her angry look. But her words had the desired effect, starting a calm flow of logic in his lust-driven brain.
What was the matter with him?
Is this what it meant to have a sindare? Would all his responses be outrageously exaggerated? Is this what other Anquesh felt when they met their sindares for the first time? It was a kind of madness.
Jenn was right. The thought of her with another man woke the battle urge in him, coiling in his gut, making him ready to strike. Of course he had lovers. But now Kai realized none of them had been important to him.
Jenn was important to him.
To make things worse, even though they shared a kiss that had shifted Kai's world, the look on her face suggested that she hated him. Jenn did not feel the same way toward him that he felt about her. Was she his sindare after all?
The thought crushed him. It brought him down fast and hard from his sexual high, like he was landing from a high-altitude jump without a parachute. The memory of Jenn's impending danger reasserted itself in his mind. If Jenn became his wife, her life was at risk. Kai could not allow harm to come to her, especially through his selfish actions.
He would not be able to marry her. Being with her now was futile.
"We are in an impossible situation," he said formally, falling back on his military training, the one constant in his life. "I respect your wishes in this matter. When the time comes for the marriage ceremony, I will not resist. You may defeat me in battle and honor will be satisfied."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Her voice rose to an ear-splitting pitch that hurt Kai's ears.
"It should be simple enough." Kai was angry at himself. To keep his rage under control, he bottled up his emotion. As a result, his voice came out cold and dismissive. "Since you will never be my wife, I will allow you to defeat me."
Chapter Ten
J enn stared at Kai . In an instant, he could switch from fervent passion to glacial coldness. She did not completely understand the alien or what was happening, but she knew one thing.
She was pissed.
Jenn was mad at TerraMates and the United Earth Alliance from keeping critical information from her. She was angry with Kai for toying with her feelings. Most of all, Jenn was furious with herself for allowing him to touch her intimately. He must think she was a slut or worse. That was why his attitude had changed.
"You'll have to explain everything to me."
"There is nothing further to explain." Kai's voice was hard, and his eyes looked off into the distance. "I told you. Should the time come, I will allow you to defeat me."
"I'm not going to fight you."
"I understand." Kai nodded his head. "If I immediately surrendered, you would be dishonored. You are correct. I should not treat a member of a worthy warrior race like they are unworthy. Very well, then. I will do my best to defeat you." Kai gave Jenn a wink.
"What?" she screeched.
"Does that not satisfy your honor?" Confusion spread across his face.
"I didn't have a problem with honor until you started talking about it. What is wrong with you people?"
Kai began speaking a string of words in Anquesh. Jenn assumed he was swearing.
"I do not know how to satisfy you then," he said frostily. "Take us back to the
"Emissary!" she gulped, drawing her body into the corner of the seat. Jenn was shaking. "Like a punching battle? You wouldn't do that, would you? What kind of aliens are you, anyway?"
"The kind of aliens that don't let other men touch their sindares!"
"Why do you keep calling me that?"
Kai gave a growl from deep in his throat. "It is the way of things."
"Maybe out there, but not here. People can and do have histories. Are you telling me you've never had lovers, Emissary? Should I hunt them down as well?"
He hated Jenn using his title instead of his name, and he didn't like her angry look. But her words had the desired effect, starting a calm flow of logic in his lust-driven brain.
What was the matter with him?
Is this what it meant to have a sindare? Would all his responses be outrageously exaggerated? Is this what other Anquesh felt when they met their sindares for the first time? It was a kind of madness.
Jenn was right. The thought of her with another man woke the battle urge in him, coiling in his gut, making him ready to strike. Of course he had lovers. But now Kai realized none of them had been important to him.
Jenn was important to him.
To make things worse, even though they shared a kiss that had shifted Kai's world, the look on her face suggested that she hated him. Jenn did not feel the same way toward him that he felt about her. Was she his sindare after all?
The thought crushed him. It brought him down fast and hard from his sexual high, like he was landing from a high-altitude jump without a parachute. The memory of Jenn's impending danger reasserted itself in his mind. If Jenn became his wife, her life was at risk. Kai could not allow harm to come to her, especially through his selfish actions.
He would not be able to marry her. Being with her now was futile.
"We are in an impossible situation," he said formally, falling back on his military training, the one constant in his life. "I respect your wishes in this matter. When the time comes for the marriage ceremony, I will not resist. You may defeat me in battle and honor will be satisfied."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Her voice rose to an ear-splitting pitch that hurt Kai's ears.
"It should be simple enough." Kai was angry at himself. To keep his rage under control, he bottled up his emotion. As a result, his voice came out cold and dismissive. "Since you will never be my wife, I will allow you to defeat me."
Chapter Ten
J enn stared at Kai . In an instant, he could switch from fervent passion to glacial coldness. She did not completely understand the alien or what was happening, but she knew one thing.
She was pissed.
Jenn was mad at TerraMates and the United Earth Alliance from keeping critical information from her. She was angry with Kai for toying with her feelings. Most of all, Jenn was furious with herself for allowing him to touch her intimately. He must think she was a slut or worse. That was why his attitude had changed.
"You'll have to explain everything to me."
"There is nothing further to explain." Kai's voice was hard, and his eyes looked off into the distance. "I told you. Should the time come, I will allow you to defeat me."
"I'm not going to fight you."
"I understand." Kai nodded his head. "If I immediately surrendered, you would be dishonored. You are correct. I should not treat a member of a worthy warrior race like they are unworthy. Very well, then. I will do my best to defeat you." Kai gave Jenn a wink.
"What?" she screeched.
"Does that not satisfy your honor?" Confusion spread across his face.
"I didn't have a problem with honor until you started talking about it. What is wrong with you people?"
Kai began speaking a string of words in Anquesh. Jenn assumed he was swearing.
"I do not know how to satisfy you then," he said frostily. "Take us back to the
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