“What’s that stuff?” Skye glanced at the box and bag, then realization dawned and she gaped at the Katarr before shaking her head. “Oh, no. No. You are not staying at my place. Uh-uh, no way.”

  “Of course I am, unless you prefer to stay aboard the ship?” Patience, he silently counseled.

  “I’m not staying here! Look, getting all cozy isn’t going to make a difference. This mediator person’s got to see this thing isn’t going to work with you and me. Besides, my place is tiny.”

  “I’m certain we’ll manage.” Less space meant a quicker adjustment to his presence, Jesr thought, watching her frown. At least she wasn’t behaving hysterically.

  “Do you just pick and chose what you want to hear? Let me make this perfectly clear: I do not want to be your sesslin. I want you to go away. You know, a healer can get rid of this claim mark thing just like that.” Skye snapped her fingers in his face.

  “I’d just have to replace it,” the Katarr replied, shrugging one broad shoulder. “If you can find a healer willing to even do such a thing.”

  “Are you kidding me?” she blinked at him. “It’s a wound. They heal those.”

  “It’s a claiming mark, and they won’t break the law by removing those. Shall we go, sesslin?”

  “Stop calling me that!” Skye glared while crossing her arms. “Fine. Whatever. I want to go home.”

  “Of course,” Jesr agreed, resisting the impulse to remind her he hadn’t actually chosen her either. They were both having to make the best of a bad situation; though for him, it could be worse.

  Much, much worse.

  The Katarr inwardly shuddered at the thought, eying the woman with the beginnings of desperation. Shoring up his resolve to coax her into accepting the facts, Jesr squared his shoulders in grim determination.

  Failure to win her over wasn’t an option.

  ***

  “So, you’re obviously not going to fit on the couch.” Skye tapped a finger against her bottom lip while Jesr gazed around her apartment. Noting he was looking, she told him, “I told you it was tiny. The Yutecs gave it to us when we first got here. The married couples and families were first up for homes being built, so all of us unmarried types are still using it.”

  “Tiny, but very comfortable,” he remarked. There were only two rooms, one of which was a bathing chamber no larger than the hygiene closet on board his ship. The larger room was rectangular; the sleeping platform lay opposite the entrance.

  A curtain of bead strands hung from the ceiling before it, providing a semblance of privacy. There was a window over the platform, which was set atop clothing storage. A pile of jewel toned pillows lay against the wall.

  The Katarr turned his attention to the other furnishings. Along one wall lay the food processing unit and a small table with two chairs. The other, there was the door to the bathing chamber, a two person lounger and a shelving unit.

  The walls were covered by small circles with webbed centers; stepping closer and setting his burdens on the floor at the end of the lounger, Jesr asked, “What are these?”

  “Dreamcatchers. I make them.” Skye brushed past him, only to come to a halt in front of the beaded curtain in about three steps. Turning around, she told him, “You are seriously too big to be in here. Geeze, how tall are you?”

  “By Terran measurement, six feet six inches,” he replied, tracing a finger along the delicate wire webbing of one of the circles. “Dreamcatchers. Do they serve a purpose, or are they merely a decorative item?”

  “They’re supposed to trap bad dreams and let good ones through. It’s an Indian thing, a legend kind of deal, I guess.” Skye dropped her eyes to study the woven matting strip that ran from the door to the sleeping platform, uncomfortably aware of Jesr’s head turning in her direction.

  The Katarr regarded her silently for a moment then scanned the room again. There were at least a hundred of the dreamcatchers adorning the walls; his ears lowered a touch. “You suffer from nightmares, sesslin?”

  “Stop calling me that. Yeah, what of it?” Her tone was belligerent, but she refused to look up.

  “Do they help?” he asked, compassion welling within him. “How old were you when the Drac invasion began?”

  “Ten” was her curt reply before she changed the subject, ignoring his first question. “You can have the bed. I’ll fit on the couch better.”

  “We will share the bed,” the Katarr laid down the law, his ears flattening. “You are my sesslin.”

  “If you don’t stop calling me that, you’re going to wake up minus your tail,” Skye threatened, finally looking up. “My name’s Skye. Either use it or don’t talk to me at all, bub.”

  The stare off lasted for exactly two minutes before Jesr decided he would concede to her demand in the interest of continued civility. He was also quite attached to his tail and she did seem extremely serious about removing it. “Very well, Skye. But we will share the sleeping platform.”

  “It’s not big enough for both of us.”

  “My bunk is only slightly larger, and we were quite comfortable in it.” Another stare off ensued; the Katarr refused to back down on the matter.

  “No sex. You sleep with some pants on,” she snapped, finally blinking.

  “As you wish,” he agreed, feeling confident she’d change her mind.

  “When are you going after the bad guy?” Skye asked.

  “Now. Come with me, and I’ll attempt to retrace my steps to see if any useful information results.”

  “Why do I have to go?”

  “It is Katarr custom. When not at home, we never travel anywhere alone, once we’ve a mate,” he replied, preparing for another battle of wills.

  “I’m not your, oh for God’s sake! Fine!” Skye hastily agreed while slapping at his tail as it snaked towards her. “I’ll come with, stop being grabby!”

  Satisfied, Jesr let his tail drop. “Come, Skye.”

  “Not a pet,” she grimly warned, skirting by him as she headed for the door. Grinning, the Katarr turned and followed her out.

  Re-tracing his steps helped bring about the return of some of his memories of the night before. Ears at half mast and eyes slightly narrowed, Jesr contemplated the alleyway as he went through the sequence of events that had ended with his mind forced to one path.

  A path which had led him to his unwilling sesslin. He glanced at her, but she was staring at the slender border of flowers edging the back of the building. Did she like flowers? He wondered then realized it was something else that had caught her attention when she knelt and pushed some of the plants aside.

  “Hey, look at this. I bet the bad guy dropped it,” she said, peering at something. Curious, Jesr took the two steps to crouch by her side. “It’s a spray tube.”

  Collecting the small cylinder with only his claws, the Katarr carefully kept it at arms’ length for safety. “I’ll have the residue tested.”

  “Pretty careless of Mr. Bad Guy, but lucky for us, huh?” Skye grinned as they both stood up.

  “You have sharp eyes,” Jesr praised her, studying the subtle marks that had led her to the discovery. They both looked up; Skye pointed to a faint mark above them, on the edge of the building. “Yes, I see it. My assailant’s evidently quite comfortable with roof tops as a means of travelling.”

  “So we’re looking for a Siamet, huh?” she asked, dusting her hands off. Catching his questioning look, she planted them on her hips. “Come on.”

  “Why do you believe it’s a Siamet?” The Katarr privately agreed with her conclusion, but wanted to learn how she’d come to it.

  “He managed to either sneak up on you, or was so still you didn’t see or hear him. There are only three species supposed to be capable of surprising a Katarr: another Katarr, a Siamet or a T’Shiv.” Skye shrugged at his surprised expression. “The Yutecs have a good library. I read a lot. Now, T’Shivs don’t leave their home system much, plus they’re supposed to be pretty straight shooters. So it has to be a Siamet.”

  “Not another Katarr?”

  “No, you guys don’t ever fight with each other,” she replied. “That Creed thing of yours.”

  “You’ve read the Creed?” Jesr blinked at her.

  “Nope. Deirnan’s Abridged Guide to Alien Species of the Drackennishan Empire.” Skye grinned. “I’m hungry. We haven’t eaten and it’s almost dinner time.”

  “I wish to leave this with a healer so that it can be analyzed, and then we’ll find an establishment,” the Katarr agreed, amused. “Come, Skye.”

  “Not a pet,” she reminded him with a faint frown.

  “It’s merely a habit of speech.”

  After a second, she shrugged. “Okay, I guess.”

  Six

  The Katarr learned that two glasses of wine was enough to loosen his sesslin’s tongue. Casual questioning over their meal revealed useful information; enough to give him some confidence in his ability to attain success.

  The information also sparked both his natural compassion and a new admiration for Terrans. Much like Katarrs, they were a species driven to survive no matter what odds lay against them. Jesr felt much easier with his inadvertent choice of one as a mate.

  Skye’s relaxed mood continued as they walked back to her apartment; she hummed quietly, her hand wrapped around his arm. Jesr briefly considered a seduction attempt, but a jaw cracking yawn she was barely able to muffle changed his mind.

  “I have to get up for work in the morning,” she informed him before collecting a nightgown and disappearing into the bathing chamber. Making the decision not to push at all, Jesr stripped down to his pants while awaiting his turn.

  By the time he’d finished his nightly hygiene ritual, the Katarr found his sesslin sound asleep. Taking great care not to wake her, he crawled onto the bed and arranged her securely against him. She mumbled and snuggled closer; Jesr chuffed quietly.

  She’d mumbled ‘Brownies’.

  ***

  After a couple of hours of pointed glares and not so subtle remarks, Jesr decided Skye was safe enough for him to make a quick trip to his ship to check for any communications. The Katarr was realizing he would have to learn new ways of dealing with his human sesslin; she wasn’t happy with his constant presence at her shoulder.

  Skye breathed a sigh of relief as his tail flicked out of sight around the barn’s entrance. Maybe everyone will quit staring at me now, she silently hoped while preparing another hypo. She’d been assigned to inject each dairy cow with their monthly inoculations against a flea-like pest.

  “Ask me, she got what she deserved.” The opinion was delivered just loud enough to make sure she heard it, Skye realized as she recognized the spiteful voice of Michelle, Jeff’s girlfriend.

  “That’s mean.”

  “Oh, please. All she’s done since we left Earth is try to steal Jeff away from me. Deke was with them too, you know.”

  “They were just hanging out.”

  “Yeah, sure they were, Tiff. If I were you, I’d be glad that cat guy came along. No telling what she might have done.” Michelle snorted. “That’s what she gets for acting like a slut.”

  Very carefully, Skye set the hypo down and turned around to face Michelle. “I am not a slut.”

  “Hello? You screwed an alien.” Michelle sneered at her. “Slut.”

  “Why don’t you shut your mouth before I shut it for you?” Skye suggested, anger rising to cover the hurt caused by the willowy brunette’s remarks.

  “All the guys know you’re an easy lay, Skye. Deal with it.”

  “I’ll deal with it, all right.” Skye lunged for her.

  ***

  Jesr blinked as he returned to find all the workers in a bunch outside the barn; hearing some of them calling his sesslin’s name, the Katarr hastily forced his way through the ring of observers. Just in time to watch as the two women rolled to a stop and Skye, who’d ended on the bottom, let fly with a fist that knocked the other woman from her.

  Moving quickly, he caught her up with his tail, lifting her free of the ground before she could spring onto the other’s sprawled body. She yelled at him, “Lemme go! I’m not finished!”

  Shaking his head, he informed her, “I believe you are. She’s unconscious.”

  Reddened marks indicated the near future appearance of bruises and a trickle of blood escaped from a split in her bottom lip as she scowled furiously at him.

  “What the hell’s going on here?” Harmon demanded, the small crowd parting to allow him through. A babble of voices answered him as he took a quick look before kneeling beside Michelle, who was beginning to come around.

  Jesr didn’t understand any of it, since they’d reverted to English. Lowering Skye to the ground, he kept hold of her to prevent a second bout as she and the fallen woman exchanged a heated series of words. She strained towards her, fingers trying to loosen the grip of his tail.

  “Enough!” Harmon snapped, hanging onto Michelle. Both women subsided, glaring at each other. Exasperated, he looked at the Katarr. “Where were you in all this?”

  “I made him leave for a little bit. He was getting on my nerves.” Skye’s tone was sullen.

  “I see.” Harmon studied her resentful expression then sighed. “Let’s get you two to the healer before your faces swell.”

  ***

  The Terran leader studied the interaction between the Katarr and Skye while the healer tended to Michelle. Harmon hadn’t expected to end up as the leader of their group, and the fact he was a farmer had played a large part in his being chosen by the others.

  Skye, bless her heart, was a disruptive influence and his biggest headache. By the time they’d arrived, the younger people had paired off, leaving her odd man out. He’d hoped that one of the older bachelors might interest her and prove to be a settling influence, but that hadn’t happened.

  The middle aged farmer knew very well what would have happened if the Katarr’s appearance hadn’t disrupted things; he’d have had a mess on his hands with Michelle and Tiffany screaming bloody murder over the hi-jinks the other three young people would’ve ended up getting into.

  The fact Skye had ended up in the Katarr’s bed proved she was adventurous, or lonely, enough to have taken both the boys on.

  Now, after having stayed up late the night before to do some research, Harmon had some sympathy for the Katarr’s plight as well. Even though he hadn’t meant to claim Skye as his mate, he’d done so. By his people’s laws, Jesr was now permanently locked into the relationship. Katarrs didn’t have anything at all resembling divorce. The warrior wouldn’t be able to just go home and find himself another mate; Skye was it until one of them passed away.

  Reluctantly, Harmon steeled himself to do what was necessary. He’d been shielding the girl from the consequences of her actions for too long; it was time for her to grow up and learn to take responsibility for them herself.

  “Jesr, I need to speak with Skye privately. Would you mind giving us about an hour?” He asked the Katarr, who gave him a long, thoughtful look before agreeing. “Thank you. Come on, Skye, I’ll walk you home.”

  Skye was prepared for another lecture; she’d received many in the three years since they’d come to their new home. She never really planned to cause trouble; it just seemed that she always was in the middle of any trouble that did pop up. She wasn’t expecting what Harmon did have to say to her once they arrived in her apartment.

  Seven

  Staring at him in shock, she asked, “Are you kidding me? You’re kicking me out?”

  “I’m sorry, but yes. I think it’s best for all concerned.” Harmon kept his face impassive with an effort, hoping he was making the right decision. He forced himself to continue. “Let’s face it, honey, you’ve never really fit in here. The other night, well, you made a decision, maybe not the one you thought you were making, but you did. Now you’re just going to have to face the consequences of your actions.”

  “I don’t believe this! You’re kicking me out? But, but…I don’t want to be married to him! Please, Harmon, I promise I won’t…”

  “Skye, I have to consider everyone’s well-being, not just yours. The plain fact is that you’re a problem. Not a day goes by that I don’t get a complaint from someone about something you’ve said or done.” Harmon hid the flinch caused by the look of betrayed hurt appearing on her face. “I can’t keep smoothing your way forever, honey.”

  “Fine. If that’s the way you want it, fine.” She looked away from him. “Anything else?”

  Feeling horrible, Harmon nodded. “Yes. If you’re no longer a member of our settlement, then you need to vacate this apartment. Pack up your things, Skye.”

  ***

  A faint knocking noise pulled Jesr’s attention from the computer search he’d initiated. Puzzled, he rose to walk to the hatchway and ordered it open. A very unhappy, dejected looking Skye stood there, a few bundles at her feet, including his bag and the box of gifts he intended to begin giving to her.

  Without looking up, she told him, “I got kicked out. I brought your stuff to you.”

  “He banished you?” the Katarr was astonished; that was the last thing he’d expected the Terran leader to do.

  “Yeah. So, um…” she shrugged, still studying her boots. “Can I stay with you? I, uh, don’t really have anywhere else to go.”

  “Of course.” Jesr bent to begin collecting the bundles, using both arms and his tail to do so. A mix of relief and anger filled him; if she had nowhere else to belong, she would likely become reconciled to the idea of being his sesslin. However, she was hurt by being forced out of the Terran community; catching a glimpse of her tear stained face, the Katarr silently cursed the Terran leader and the Siamet who was at the root of the situation.

 

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