The Tracker's Quest: (Forced To Serve #6) by Donna McDonald Page A

long as there is no one to observe us, we will conduct ourselves as we please. I do not want you to think I wish to have a subservient mate—or at least not when it comes to meals and daily living chores. I wish to spend my time with an equal, which I have found in you. Now stop arguing with me.”
    “Say please ,” Seta ordered, mocking him for the times he had demanded the same from her.
    Ji’s mouth twitched. The sweet challenge of her rebellion crawled through him. “Do you wish to have a matching love bite on the other side of your neck?”
    Seta huffed out a frustrated breath. “See? I knew your humility was false.”
    Ji grinned and shrugged. “I’ve always had a problem with humility. It feels so unnatural. Perhaps you will help me grow that particular character trait in our time together.”
    “This conversation is a waste of energy. I am going to visit the cleansing area. Our canton uses a recycled liquid for that purpose, but since we also drink it, the liquid is highly valued. When it is your turn to cleanse yourself, do not spill it on the surrounding floor if you can prevent doing so. Make sure it stays within the space so it goes into the recycler. The penalty for waste is incarceration for several weeks.”
    “Advice noted. Thank you for educating me. Now please —hurry to your cleansing before I am tempted to give you a true reason to perform that task.”
    Seta growled again at his insinuation she would bond with him willingly and swore in her old language, the one she had set aside. Then it occurred to her that his harassment might have a different purpose. “You mock me to torment me, don’t you?”
    Ji grinned and shrugged again. “Only sometimes,” he replied.
    Gritting her teeth to keep from issuing another useless threat, Seta turned on her heel and headed to the cleansing area.
    Hearing the Siren humming over their meal preparations promptly made her want to go back to him. The reaction annoyed her more than it should have.
    She grabbed the edges of the nearest cabinet and ordered herself to stay where she was.
    ***
     
    After they had eaten, Seta cleaned up the remnants of their meal while Ji took his turn in the cleansing area. When he reappeared, she smelled a new spicy scent on him, no doubt from one of the many amenities provided in the suite. The enhancement scent mixed well with the smell she associated with Ji’s presence. It also intrigued her enough to want to get closer to him. Desire bloomed inside her like a living thing with a mind of its own.
    Fortunately, Arghane knocked on their door before Ji had a chance to discover her arousal. It was bad enough she had been obedient and left the love bite uncovered. Not because Ji had told her to do so, but because Zorinda had made no effort whatsoever to heal the bruised flesh.
    The wrist burns from being tied up during Meen’s raid on the Guardian had healed in a matter of hours. Ji’s matching marks had lingered on him for days even though he’d sought help from Medical. Obviously the powerful creature inside her had decided Ji’s advice was sound about letting the mark be an outward symbol. After the way Arghane had glared and promptly ignored her after noticing the bite, she had reluctantly come around to agreeing with both of them.
    Arghane also hadn’t commented on her legs being covered by footless stockings. She had worn them for modesty under a short skirt, which she had chosen because it allowed the most freedom of movement. She was wearing her weapon vest over a shirt which was nearly transparent, but it was the only kind she had found among the beautiful clothes in the closet. She tried not to hate it, but the shirt made her look as open to bonding as one of the Siren certified escorts on the ship.
    Her uniform vest proved doubly useful when Arghane arrived at their door bearing their weapons. He returned hers with a hard stare containing a warning she chose to ignore. His disapproval didn’t matter to her. All