“That is exactly my point. I asked you here to help me with the women, not to argue!”
“I’m not arguing with you!” Whelon murmured, intent on net letting Melissa overhear their argument. “I am trying to compromise.”
Chashan rolled his eyes skyward and shook his head. “Fine. I will assign one of the human nurses to her. You better not give me trouble with the others!”
“Where are they? I expected them to be here when I arrived.”
“We had trouble coordinating this afternoon,” Chashan muttered and ran a hand through his hair. “They will be in tomorrow.”
Whelon looked over at Jarek stroking Melissa’s hair, touched by the tenderness the previous war master showed his mate.
“Should I go and get settled in my quarters until then?” Whelon raised his eyebrows. “I assume you secured space for me?”
“We did, of course.” Chashan started walking toward the entrance to the clinic, Whelon by his side. “Why don’t you leave your bag here and we can grab something to eat? I’d like to go over the files with you before the females come in tomorrow. All of them have an extreme possibility of complications due to their enhancements and medical history.”
Whelon nodded with some concern, thinking about the horrible circumstances that had changed the bodies of the other women. He was eager to help in any way possible to ensure the healthy delivery of the dragonlets and the survival of the dams.
Through one of the many windows on the first floor, Whelon spied the long lines of Preor warriors heading into Choosing Station Tau. Even though he was repulsed by what went on during these Choosings, he found himself drifting toward the doorway that would lead to the path to the Choosing station.
“Are you going into the Choosing, Whelon?”
“I have never witnessed a Choosing,” he spoke thoughtfully. “I believe I will take a quick look. I will meet you in the dining hall.”
“Very well. I will get us some food. You won’t be long?”
“No.” Whelon shook his head as he drifted to the door. He was so distracted he barely noticed the others around him as he crossed the concrete walkway to Choosing Station Tau and entered the large building.
As he moved into the main area, a stranger nervousness overtook him. His dragon, always lurking beneath the surface of his skin, practically took control and forced a shift while warming his throat with dragon’s breath. It was almost as if the beast felt threatened by Whelon’s actions, and he had to admit, he felt as if he had reason to be a little anxious. He knew with every scrap of sense in his head that if he had a mate, she wouldn’t be presenting herself to any and all Preor. He also knew he couldn’t leave the Choosing station without fully surrounding himself by the Preor-mate hopefuls. As much as his dragon wished to fly away as fast as his strong wings could take him, it also was desperate to remain.
Drifting through the room, he noticed how the females and Preor warriors seemed scared to approach one another. All the Preor warriors flashed their wings and walked around with their chests puffed out while the women gathered in small groups, pointing and giggling to each other.
If anyone in here was meant to be, the Knowing would be all over this room. Preor would be clamoring and there would be screams of shaa kouva in the air.
He stopped in the middle of the room, turning in a slow circle to observe everything. He drew in long breaths of perfumed air, his dragon rumbling in his chest as he scented his surroundings. Dozens of aromas floated through the space, and if any had been remotely interesting to his beast, he would be experiencing the Knowing already.
You damned old fool, he cursed himself. You convinced yourself not to come and yet here you are. Falling for false hope.
He moved toward the exit, shaking his head to clear it as he left. The cool air from the swiftly falling night emptied his head of fantastical thoughts and he hurried back toward the dining hall to meet up with Chashan.
You need to take your own advice, he told himself crossly. I didn’t come here for a mate. There is nothing for me here.
His dragon growled, low and deep, so strongly that he was surprised to hear the rumble in his human throat. His beast was not appeased, and Whelon knew he would have no peace until he figured out what troubled his other half.
Chapter Five
Far more women were crammed into the small foyer than Sasha expected, the air warm and thick with perfume of every type. Each woman smelled like she had dunked herself in her favorite scent instead of skillfully dabbing her pulse points.
Sasha tried to take a deep breath, but her dress stifled her movements while what little air she inhaled burned her nose. People bumped into her left and right and, even though the space was full, more women were coming in the main doors. And every time new people arrived, the ladies at the front got closer to being squeezed against the entrance to the meeting room.
The warmth of so many bodies crammed together in a small space coupled with the artificial scents rising from the women’s pores made Sasha lightheaded and dizzy. She blinked a few times, hoping to clear her head, but the unsteadiness remained steadfast. A tight band of pain tightened around her temples, throbbing and aching with every heavy beat of her heart. Her vision blurred until all she saw were swaths of color, and she considered leaving the Choosing all together.
Mother will just send you right back in, she thought with defeat. She knew she couldn’t get out of this, no matter what happened.
Unless I run away… Maybe I’ll meet a nice Preor and fly, fly away.
She grinned at herself with that thought. She was still scared to get brainwashed by the aliens, but she was literally crammed between wall and
