Enemy Overnight (9 page)

After her inexplicable encounter with Shauss, she’d spent hours tossing and turning in her bunk, weighing her options under his silent, watchful eye, knowing there was no way she could escape now. As closely as they all watched her, she probably couldn’t even get close enough to an airlock to space herself, so suicide was out too.

Sometime near morning, she decided it was up to her to make a bargain she could live with. If she had to agree to take Zannen as a second or third mate in order to be awarded to Tiber, so be it. He’d been nothing but kind to her, and if the look in his eye was anything to go by, he was attracted to her. He was far from unattractive himself, and the fact that he was a physician hopefully meant he had taken an oath to do no harm, as Terran doctors did. Even better, he was a psychiatrist, which meant he would have some understanding of her position and perhaps not pull out his dagger and slit her throat when he found out how completely she’d deceived them all. If he was her primary mate, he might actually protect her.

Tiber escorted her to the spot right in front of the table, and though she was covered more completely than yesterday, being the center of so much masculine attention made her feel utterly, glaringly naked. It didn’t help that she was braless
and
commando now, in addition to having no makeup. That was her only complaint about Tiber’s service—when he’d taken her dirty clothes and given her this full-body suit, he’d failed to return her panties. Did she have anything left to call her own?

Minister Cecine turned, focusing on her, and she had the insane urge to grab Tiber’s hand and hold it like a scared little girl. Then again, her palms were clammy and shaking—he was probably better off not touching her.

“Good morning, Miss King,” the minister said, unsmiling. When she acknowledged him with a short nod, he continued. “Before we proceed, let me reiterate that our objective in requiring you to take mates is not to punish you for any misdeeds but to keep you and everyone aboard safe. That being the case, I had intended to grant Tiber’s petition to be your primary mate on the condition you both accept Zannen as second.”

Jasmine’s heart fluttered. There was a really big
but
at the end of that statement and she doubted it meant happy things for her.

“However, I must now formally deny both their petitions on the basis of a preexisting award.”

“What?” Jasmine frowned, looking back and forth between Cecine and Tiber. Tiber didn’t look surprised at all, which made her stomach sink. “What are you talking about? What award?”

“Miss King, Empran recorded Lieutenant Shauss’ unconditional claim the day I awarded you to him.”

She felt herself sway. “Shauss? Are you talking about when he—he—”
Nearly raped me
rang in her head but she couldn’t make herself say it. “Interrogated me?”

He dipped his chin in assent.

“But he’s already got a mate.”

“Garathani law is still evolving,” he explained. “Though it specifies that all males are required to share their mates, until this morning it included no language prohibiting males from mating with two females, which meant we weren’t alerted to the conflict until I tried to award you to Tiber. Lieutenant Shauss has consented to terminate his bond with my daughter in order to finalize his claim on you, and the council has already approved the annulment.”

She looked at Shauss and joy squeezed her chest. He would give up Monica for her.

Then dread squeezed her chest even tighter. Shit, when he found out exactly what he’d given up Monica for, he would be livid.

“Shauss, you can’t,” she said faintly. “You can’t throw away what you have with Monica for one time with me.”

“Perhaps I should clarify, Miss King,” Cecine said. “The award I made was recorded without condition, which means that, although his secondary and tertiary mates must initially observe the one-time claiming requirement, Lieutenant Shauss is under no such constraint. You are bound to him and obliged to acquiesce to his demands for sexual congress until such time as he rescinds his claim—assuming he ever does.”

She gaped at him. “I have to have sex with Shauss?
F
orever
?”

“For the rest of your life, yes—or his, whichever is shorter. If he decides to keep you beyond the initially agreed-upon period, your bond would be converted to a traditional bond and your secondary and tertiary mates would acquire the customary mating privileges.”

“No,” she said. “Shauss, Monica is Garathani. She’s the minister’s daughter, for God’s sake! I’m just a puny human. You can’t possibly want to give her up for me.”

He looked at her impassively. “I have my reasons, which I’ll gladly discuss with you at length after the ceremony.”

“But I’m not worth it—I can never give you children!”

“That’s of no consequence to me.”

Jasmine wrung her clammy hands. Oh God, oh God—this couldn’t be happening. “Shauss, please don’t do this. I’d rather have Tiber. Really.”

“Minister, if you please.” Tiber’s voice was strong and everyone froze. “I wish to challenge Lieutenant Shauss for the right to claim Miss King.”

Shauss’ jaw hardened to stone at the hope on Jasmine’s face.

“Perfect,” he said coldly. “I’ve been looking for a way to get you off my back. Killing you ought to do the trick.”

Jasmine immediately stepped between them, putting her arms out as if to protect Tiber. “Shauss, no!”

“That would be unwise, Doctor.” Kellen rose from his seat, no doubt preparing for violence to erupt—which it very well could, Shauss realized, if Tiber didn’t back the fuck off
his
female.

“Commander, she doesn’t wish to be mated to him,” Tiber replied implacably.

“She doesn’t wish to see you die, either, I suspect.”

Shauss seized Jasmine’s upper arm. “
Empran, privacy field.”

When they were enveloped in a solid white flare bubble, he looked down at the female trying to wrench out of his hold.

“Tell him to withdraw the challenge, Jasmine,” he said in as mild a tone as he could manage. “Tiber knows I’m a trained assassin and any challenge between us would almost certainly end in his death. Are you willing to let him pay such a price after what we shared last night?”

“Last night was a mistake!”

“No, last night was finally some truth between us.” She jerked in his hold again, but he persisted. “I have nothing but the best of intentions in claiming you. I would give my life to protect you.”

“Oh really? And who’s going to protect me from you?” she demanded, trying to pry his fingers off her arm.

“You have my word that no harm will come to you while you belong to me.” He leaned down and brushed his nose over her temple. She smelled lovely. Placing his lips against the shell of her ear, he breathed, “And you do belong to me, Jasmine King. You can’t deny that.”

When she didn’t reply, he slid his hand behind the delicate stalk of her neck and tilted her head back until it rested in his palm. He would like nothing more that to free her rich brown hair from its elastic band—the ponytail made her look oddly innocent and there was nothing innocent about what he wanted to do to her.

He scraped his teeth over her earlobe and felt her shudder.

“You scare me to death,” she finally whispered.

He raised his head.

“I know, and part of me wishes I could change that.” Watching her closely, he added, “On the other hand, a certain amount of fear can be a good thing between a dominant male and a submissive female.”

Her reaction was immediate and unmistakable—flags of color rose in her cheeks as her pupils expanded and her breathing grew rough. “I am not submissive!” she cried. “When are you going to get it through your thick head that I am not now, nor will I ever be, anyone’s puppet? I have a brain, damn it, and I can think for myself.”

“I never said you couldn’t. But when it comes to this…” He rubbed his thumb gently over the pulse in her throat and she swallowed, looking at him with such despair and longing, Shauss felt his own throat tighten. If he let her go now, before they’d explored whatever might exist between them, they would both regret it for the rest of their lives.

“Perhaps we can arrive at a compromise,” he proposed.

After a heartbeat, she asked, “What kind of compromise?”

“I am prepared to surrender my unconditional award before the council if you, in turn, will agree to give yourself to me without reservation until it’s safe for you to return to Earth.”

She chewed her lip for a long moment. “You won’t hurt Tiber?”

“Not if he withdraws the challenge.”

“And you’ll let me go home when this is all over?”

“If that’s truly what you want.”

“It is,” she said with finality. “I’m going home as soon as the commander gives the okay.”

“That’s a chance I’m willing to take.” He captured her lips and sank into her with his tongue, delighting in the sweet, fruity taste of her. As he’d hoped, she leaned into him with a moan, and he took full advantage. Sliding his hands down around her waist, he lifted her higher and trapped her against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck as they kissed and he shuddered at the feel of her fingers combing through his hair. It wasn’t the delicacy of her touch so much as the awareness of her desire for him that set his blood on fire.

He was going to fuck her. Over and over and over, by Peserin’s sword, he was going to fuck Jasmine King until she couldn’t even remember another male, much less desire one.

He let his hands slide down to her thighs and pulled them up until they bracketed his waist.
“
Empran, cancel privacy field.”

“It looks to me like she wants him,” Hastion’s voice rang out.

Jasmine jerked her lips away from Shauss’ and shoved at his shoulders, fire blazing in her cheeks. When he let her slide to the floor, she felt the stiff rod of his cock and the fire blazed even hotter.

“You jerk,” she muttered, wiping the back of her hand over her mouth and trying to look anywhere but at the huge tent in the front of his uniform.

Shauss didn’t bother wiping the shiny evidence of their kiss from his lips. “Why don’t you tell them about our agreement, Jasmine?”

Although his tone was pleasant, his eyes darted to Tiber, reinforcing the
or he dies
message. Damn it, why couldn’t it have been Zannen who challenged Shauss? She’d step back and watch him die with a smile on her face.

Jasmine stared at him for a minute before turning to Tiber. “I appreciate your trying to protect me, Tiber, I really do, but I want you to withdraw your challenge. Shauss has agreed to let me go home when it’s safe if I…” She licked suddenly dry lips. “If I give myself to him without reservation until then.”

“Is this true, Lieutenant?” the minister asked.

“Yes, Minister.”

Tiber frowned. “Jasmine, are you certain?”

She took a shuddering breath. “Yes.”

“He frightens you.”

“That may be, but I don’t want you to be hurt or killed because my head’s a wreck.”

“I can take care of myself.” He sounded offended.

“I’m sure you can,” she assured him softly, “but please drop the challenge. For all our sakes.”

He hesitated before nodding at Cecine. “I withdraw my challenge.”

“I’m pleased to hear it,” Cecine replied. “Lieutenant, have you selected your secondary and tertiary mates?”

“Second will be Ensign Hastion.”

Zannen snorted. “Because he did such a fine job of containing her yesterday.”

If the bastard had had any hair, Hastion’s look would have scorched it right off. “She won’t catch me unawares again.”

“And tertiary?” the minister prompted.

Jasmine held her breath, praying
Please not Zannen, please anyone but Zannen!

When Shauss looked at her and said Tiber’s name, she nearly fainted with relief.

“I told you I would protect you,” he murmured.

Cecine stood. “Council members, please cast your vote on formalizing the conditional bond between Jasmine King, Lieutenant Shauss, Ensign Hastion and Dr. Tiber.”

Although no one said a word, the minister said, “A unanimous vote in favor. Empran, announce the amended award.” Then he focused on Jasmine. “Miss King, your medical records indicate that you are no longer a virgin, and Empran’s research leads us to believe you’ve had sexual contact with at least four different Terran males. Is this correct?”

Cheeks burning, she nodded stiffly. What business was it of theirs how many men she’d slept with, anyway?

“Since you’re not one of the candidates, and therefore have not undergone a compatibility evaluation, I’m ordering an examination prior to claiming. Presumably you’ll be able to take your mates without difficulty, but we would be remiss in letting them have you without ascertaining your fitness to mate.”

“But—”

“My daughter will perform the examination.”

Jasmine closed her mouth and nodded. Exactly what she’d been about to ask for.
Please, Monica, have my spray ready!

“Now one last technicality to attend to is the matter of protected claiming periods. As a result of Pret’s attack on my daughter, the general council has amended the law regarding initial claiming of a female. As before, primary males have one Garathani day, or twenty-four point four Terran hours, to finalize their claims before claim protection is forfeit. Secondary males now have two days and tertiary have three. This gives smaller Terran females the opportunity to recover from any discomfort claiming may cause before being subjected to further claiming.”

“Minister, I respectfully request
juranin
status.” Zannen’s announcement provoked gasps and murmurs of conversation.

“The hell you do,” Shauss growled. “She’s not Garathani.”

“Even so, I am within my rights both as a family member and a rival for mating privileges.”

Jasmine’s eyes widened. What in the world were they talking about? And whose family was he a member of?

“But
jurana
is archaic!”

Zannen went nose to nose with Shauss. “So is the declaration ritual, little brother. That didn’t stop Commander Kellen from performing it last week.”