“Do you wish to see the others?”
She shook her head. “It’s a bit crowded in there. Let’s just go to your room.”
He guided her down the hall, grinning a little when he saw the doors labeled with each Preor’s name in a rabid scrawl. It was a hasty setup, indeed.
The room was very small and plain, with a very ordinary hospital bed as its only furniture.
“It’s like a cheap hotel.” Sasha giggled. “Kinky.”
He smiled at her laughter as he flicked on the TV and then went to investigate the bathroom. To his relief it had a decent shower, and he turned on the hot water, sinking into it gratefully as he washed away the remnants of his travels between buildings and the stinging, salty spray of the ocean’s breeze.
Sasha was quiet while he bathed, and when he emerged fresh and clean, he discovered why. She sat on the edge of the bed, chewing a fingernail while her eyes remained locked on the screen.
A news program covered the day’s events and the laws that were to be passed. A massive international convention was being arranged where they would discuss the powers the Preor would have on their new world with complete disclosure of both parties absolutely necessary.
Preor would have to ask permission before entering areas where they were not approved and setting up impromptu “camps.” Whelon scowled as he realized they were discussing his clinic.
“I can help you set it up again,” Sasha assured him, picking up his thought before he could put it to voice. “Whatever red tape is in the way, I can handle it. We’ll get your clinic open again. You can count on it.”
The details were not fully worked out—that was the purpose of the conference, after all—but the newscaster made it very clear that one of the first actions of the new laws were to be prosecution for anyone who disturbed the peace of the treaty.
The majority of human and Preor wanted to live together in peace and enjoy every aspect of the mutually beneficial arrangement. Anyone who protested against the Preor had every right to do so, but if they disrupted the peace by harassing the Preor or risking danger to any citizen, they would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the new laws.
“It looks like it’s all coming together. Peacefully,” he announced and Sasha smiled up at him.
“Yeah, I want to get into that conference, if I can. I’ve decided it’s going to be my new job—human-Preor relations.”
He chuckled. “It would not hurt for us to run some classes here at the tower. Basic lessons about our history and customs. This way, people won’t get strange ideas about us. They’ll have the truth. No more secrets.”
Sasha stood and headed for the bathroom. Whelon brushed her hand as she went, aching for that simple touch of skin on skin, and after she left, he soon heard the shower start.
The thought of her luscious, naked skin beneath the spray of hot water tempted him, but he let her be. Even if it would have been incredibly satisfying to simply watch her lather her body in soap, he refused to put any added pressure on her to take their relationship to the next level sexually.
The dragon growled deep within him, rumbling its disagreement with his plans and ideals. Until she was claimed, he would have an edge of fear. She could be taken by a desperate male who did not care about the Knowing. She could become afflicted by the Knowing sickness once more. He took deep breaths to calm the beast, gratified when he heard the water cease and Sasha soon appeared, wrapped in a huge white towel.
She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. The white light behind her framed her long, black hair and made her eyes appear a deep, midnight blue. When she came straight to him and clambered onto his lap, he was surprised by her actions, but pleased to be holding her. He put his arms around her, expecting a passionate embrace, but instead, she started crying in deep, gulping jags.
“My love—what’s wrong? Are you injured?”
“No,” she shook her head. “Not physically. It’s just that everything is catching up to me.” Her voice broke on a sob. “I’ve been used every day of my life. The wound is in my soul.” She touched her chest. “In my heart,” she whispered.
He leaned in and kissed her gently, stroking her chin. “Your heart is mine, shaa kouva, and I will not let it be broken.”
She turned her lips up and Whelon met them with his own, sinking into her. They were one now, always, and forever.
Chapter Thirty-One
As Sasha leaned up for Whelon’s kiss, she trembled. His desire deepened and she opened her lips, encouraging him to use his tongue. She moaned and squirmed, getting into position on his lap as he sat on the edge of the bed, their towels falling away to the floor, unnoticed.
She trembled harder when his hands swept around her waist and he suddenly stopped all movement, pausing to look into her eyes. “Are you all right, my love?”
“Yes,” she nodded.
He cupped her cheek gently, holding her gaze. “Tell me.”
When tears pricked at her eyes, Sasha shook her head and looked away. Whelon simply waited for her to answer him—his patience seemingly boundless.
“It’s just… I’ve never done this before,” Sasha admitted.
“You are a virgin?” he asked, disbelief in his tone. His thoughts filtered through to her and even though the idea of men around her drove him to a fury, he thought she was so beautiful and full of life. Surely, she had men around her constantly and wasn’t shy about seeking her own satisfaction.
“Okay,” she looked down and sighed, running her hands up and down his arms. “I’m not a virgin. I’ve had, like, three boyfriends. Maybe four. All
