“Examine me?” I asked, my eyes widening further. I could hear the rush of blood in my ears and I began to pant. “There’s… there’s no need. As you said, I’m just… small.”
He took a step closer, kept his hand out. “I disagree. I take care of what’s mine.”
Patiently, he waited, then sighed.
“I understand an Earth prison was your alternative. I am pleased with your choice, for out of all the possible mates in the Interplanetary Treaty, your subconscious needs were best matched to our way of life. It seems we are to give each other exactly what we both need.”
He paused and I let those words sink in. Would he give me what I needed? How could he, when what I needed was to go home, testify, and get my old life back?
He reached forward and ran his knuckles down my cheek. “Your past is unimportant, gara. You are mine now, and you must obey me in all things.” His voice dropped lower and his tone said that he would not be denied.
I frowned, not pleased with his words, but the tender touch had me off-kilter.
I took his hand because I had no choice. It was so big, my palm engulfed by his. The touch was warm, the clasp gentle, but I doubted he’d let me tug away. I couldn’t get past the men if I wished to run, and if I did evade them, I still didn’t even know where I was. The only way to return to Earth was through the transporter, and they wouldn’t take me to a transport outpost, nor did I know how to operate one. I was well and truly stuck with him. At least until I was called back to testify. The prosecutor said that it could take months, however. Months with this man on a strange planet? I gulped.
He helped me to my feet and I swayed, the chain dangling from my breasts shifting as well. I stood on what felt like a sheet of thin gray flooring. It did not cover the entire space, for sand ringed it all the way to the walls. Sand? Were we in the desert? Was that why it was warm, why their skin was so nicely tanned? The sight of my bare feet next to three sets of boots looked odd.
The walls were opaque. Lights on stands around the room cast a soft glow.
I put my free hand up to stop the motion. He steadied me as I tilted my head back, way back, to meet his gaze. “What… what are you going to do with me?”
His dark eyes searched my face, then moved lower down my body. I flushed, knowing he—and the others—could see everything.
“You are the first we have seen from Earth and I must have a closer look.” The doctor’s gaze roved over my body just as Tark’s had, but he made me feel… exposed and dirty. I knew that look. Lecherous men, it seemed, were not limited to Earth.
I moved to stand slightly behind Tark, using him as a shield. His scent lifted from his shirt and it was intoxicating. Clean, sharp and with a hint of something mysterious. Whatever it was, I liked it. Was it because we’d been matched?
“I do not need to be examined and you most certainly won’t have a closer look. I am well, or they would not have sent me. I am also not a science experiment. I am a mate.” I tipped my chin up and firmed my voice, but I was at the mercy of these men. I had no idea if the term mate held any sort of status on Trion, but surely no man would allow another to examine his mate for enjoyment alone.
I didn’t look up, but I could see that Tark glanced from me to the two men before me.
“You allow her to speak to me in such a way?” Bron asked Tark, his expression venomous toward me.
Tark’s other hand clenched into a fist. “Shall I allow you to examine my mate with a cock stand in your pants?”
The man shifted himself and had the decency to look embarrassed.
Tark lifted his hand in a dismissive wave and I felt more than heard a growl deep in his chest. “Goran, take him out of here. I will check my mate on my own.”
Goran nodded and grabbed the doctor’s arm, tugging him away. With one last narrowed glance over his shoulder, Bron was led out of the tent through a flap on the far wall. I briefly saw the shapes of other tents, but the view was quickly blocked once again.
Now alone with me, Tark turned to look down on me, a towering warrior hungry for his bride. I couldn’t believe this man was my mate. While I’d dreamed of finding someone special, it was quite different to know in advance that he was the one. There was no dating, no courtship to discover common interests and compatibility. It was actually very unnerving. Add to that, I was on a new planet halfway across the galaxy!
I could hear things through the thin walls: voices, odd mechanical noises, unusual sounds that had to come from animals. Perhaps horses? What kind of animals did they have on Trion?
“What Bron said is true. You are not to speak to him in such a way.”
My eyes widened. “He wasn’t acting as a doctor should,” I countered.
He took a moment, as if considering. “You are new here and therefore I will take that into account regarding your punishment.”
“Punish—”
He raised a hand and cut me off. “Impertinence is not allowed.”
I frowned. “He was the one who was impertinent.”
Tark rolled his shoulders back and appeared to have grown an inch. “Who is being impertinent now?”