Summer’s hands clenched. “You call kidnapping me, keeping me prisoner, not mistreating me?”
“Prisoner?” His bright eyes were alert. “How were you held prisoner?”
“How about not letting me go back to Earth?” she cried. “I wasn’t even allowed to leave the enclosure!”
He turned away, focused on gathering and repacking the medical supplies back into their case.
“Ar’ar would not wish to risk one so precious. Keeping you safely at the Betari enclosure would be prudent,” he said evenly. “You are a great temptation to unmated males. Likely even those within his own clan have coveted you for themselves but they at least are held sway under enclosure loyalty and clan directive. And there have been assaults on human women by the Purists—”
“Purists?” Summer stared. “Who the hell are the Purists?”
He met her gaze, surprised. “Did the Betari never speak of them to you?” At her headshake, he frowned. “The Purists are g’hir who have united in their disapproval of this new breeding with humans. They seek to end all such matings and purge our world of the human influence and offspring.”
“No,” she breathed. “Nobody said anything to me about that at all.”
Why am I so offended by that anyway?
The g’hir were huge, hulking, fanged alien beasts with rippled foreheads. The very idea of reproducing with Ar’ar was repugnant, but that some of their people should feel the same way about humans, the same way about her—
“Likely the Betari did not wish to worry you with talk of them.” He sealed the case and stood, holding it between his hands. “Their enclosure is well protected, you were safe there, in your home clanhall. I am actually surprised you were able to escape.”
“You can hardly call it my home and say I escaped from it in the same breath.” Her fingers clenched in the soft fur of the covers. “So that’s it, huh? You aren’t going to do anything about this? You’re just going to patch me up and send me right back to Ar’ar?”
“There is nothing to be done,” he growled sharply. “Not without breaking g’hir law. Not without causing a blood-soaked rift between two clans who have been at peace since the Scourge. Ar’ar captured you. You are his now.”
Summer felt her nostrils flare. “I’m not anybody’s but mine! And I want to return to Earth!”
“Then tell Ar’ar you wish to go home!” Ke’lar’s snarled. “Tell him of your decision to abjure a g’hir mate and return to your homeworld.”
“I have told him! I’ve told anybody who would fucking listen!”
He gave an impatient huff and his voice fell to a grumble as he began packing the foodstuffs within the shelter. “You have only a moon’s cycle of time with Ar’ar before your Day of Choosing. On that day announce that you wish to return to your own world. Your memory will be wiped of our world, of us. He must let you return then.”
“No, he won’t! Who do you think relays that ‘choosing’ crap to people outside the enclosure? A Council member! And guess who the Betari’s clanfather is? Council member Mirak! He’s already told me that it doesn’t matter what I say, he’s going to go out there and tell everyone I chose Ar’ar!”
That stopped him cold, his face shocked. “He cannot. It would break the All Mother’s sacred decree. It would be an offense to the Goddess and violate Hir law. Even Mirak would not dare!”
“Oh, really? Have you met the son of a bitch?”
She could see from his expression that not only had he met the Betari clanfather, he was sifting through what the man was capable of, what he might do to ensure the continuation of his own bloodline . . .
Summer folded her arms. “Yeah, probably starting to see the reason for the whole ‘escape’ thing, now, huh?”
“I cannot deny that they lied to me as to what they sought,” he allowed. “I still cannot fathom why they would not admit they sought the mate of Ar’ar . . .”
“Maybe because they’re a bunch of kidnapping, lying sleezebags.”
He studied her for a moment then gave a reluctant nod. “Very well. You have persuaded me.”
Summer blinked. “You mean you’ll—”
“I will take you to the Erah clanhall,” he interrupted. “There you may make your decision known to our clanfather. He will see to it your choice is heard by the Ruling Council. You need only wait until the moon’s cycle ends and then you will be returned to your world.”
Summer’s hands clenched into fists. Jesus, what does it take to get through to this guy?
“I shouldn’t have to wait at all! It’s my choice—my life—and I don’t have another—what, three weeks?—for this bullshit! I have to be back in Brittle Bridge in seven days!”
“Brittle Bridge?”
She waved her hand impatiently. “It’s the town—territory—where I come from.”
“Why?” he asked, frowning. “Why seven days? What demands you return within that time?”
Summer pressed her lips together and a heaviness seemed to settle over him.