It was very, very hard not to reach out and take Ke’lar’s hand in hers; not to seek refuge in his warm strength.
Ke’lar didn’t have to tell her which building was the clanhall. The setup here was much like the Betari’s had been. A central fountain and courtyard, the imposing multi-storied structure of the clanhall, the smaller buildings and homes that had been built out over millennia as the g’hir population grew.
The buildings here were well maintained but many of these too must be empty; there were so very many warriors and no women.
As Summer climbed the steps to the clanhall she blinked at seeing a woman waiting there—a familiar one.
A human one . . .
“Jenna,” she breathed.
“Summer?” Jenna chocolate brown eyes were wide, her g’hir clothing as girly as you could get. “Oh my God, I can’t believe it. . . Is it really you?”
Before Summer could answer, Jenna was racing down the clanhall stairs, catching her in an embrace.
“I can’t believe you’re here! I can’t believe it’s really you!” Jenna exclaimed. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah,” Summer said, hugging her back. “Are you? Are you all right?”
Her childhood friend gave a smile but it was a strained one. “I’m fine.”
Her brown eyes darted about, taking in Summer’s and Ke’lar’s clothing, the clanbrothers watching.
“Come on, let’s—hey, how ’bout we go to the kitchens?” She tugged at Summer’s hand to draw her along. “I’ve got them making some sweet tea. I swear, girl, it tastes just like it does back home!”
“Iced tea?” Summer stared, resisting her pull. “You vanish without a trace—everyone in Brittle Bridge thinks you’re dead—then I find you on an alien planet and the first thing you want to do is skip off for some iced tea? What do you think this is, Jenna McNally—an extraterrestrial garden party?”
“Sister, your welcoming custom must wait,” Ke’lar said to Jenna, his brow furrowed. “Where is my father? And Ra’kur? I must speak to them immediately.”
Just then another warrior, taller but bearing a strong resemblance to Ke’lar, emerged from the clanhall’s vast entryway. Jenna’s glance darted fearfully that way and Summer realized this must be Ra’kur, the alien who had kidnapped her friend all those months ago.
“Ra’kur!” Ke’lar called in relief, warmth and trust in his voice at his brother’s approach. “This is Summer, of the Betari enclosure. She is in urgent need of our help.”
Ra’kur glanced between them, shock flickering across his features. “Brother—”
“Why would she have need of help from you?” Ar’ar demanded as he stepped from the shadows of the Erah clanhall into the sunlight, his fangs showing. “When her own mate is here.”
Fifteen
Ar’ar’s amber eyes were molten as they fixed on her and Summer recoiled as Mirak too emerged from the Erah clanhall to stand beside his son. Ke’lar moved to stand protectively before her even as Jenna’s grip tightened on Summer’s hand, holding her fast, keeping her from fleeing.
“Congratulations, Ra’kur, son of the Erah,” Mirak said coldly to Ke’lar’s elder brother. “I was completely fooled. You had me convinced you had no idea as to her whereabouts.”
“I did not,” Ra’kur growled. “I told you the truth when I said I had no word of her, nor sight of her.”
“And yet,” Ar’ar pointed out sharply, “here my mate stands, on the very steps of your clanhall, in the company of your own brother!”
“Ra’kur did not deceive you,” Ke’lar snapped. “I had no comm unit with me during my foresting, no way to contact my clan. He had no knowledge of this.”
Ar’ar’s fangs were fully bared. “And I am to accept your word? Trust one who would steal my mate, prey upon a female vulnerable and separated from her clan?”
“I have not stolen her!” Ke’lar insisted. “She crossed to Erah territory of her own accord.”
“Before or after we met at the border between our lands, Ke’lar, son of the Erah?” Ar’ar demanded.
Ke’lar’s lip curled. “You mean when you said you had crossed into our land in search of a ‘fugitive clanbrother’?”
Ar’ar’s gold eyes narrowed. “Would you alert an enemy that your mate was nearby, lost and defenseless?”
“Lost? Maybe.” Summer squared her shoulders and shook off Jenna’s hold to face Ar’ar. “Defenseless? Fucking never.”
“Summer,” Jenna began urgently. “Please, just let—”
“She has asked for the sanctuary of our clanhall,” Ke’lar broke in. “I have granted it.”
“Why would she be in need of sanctuary here?” Ar’ar’s gaze went to Summer and for an instant she could have sworn she had wounded him. “For what reason?”
“She has asked for sanctuary,” Ke’lar repeated, lifting his chin. “I have granted it.”