Leith pressed her forehead to his cheek. "Can you tell me this is all right?"

"Oh, yesss, it isss very right."

She closed her eyes. "But it is not done. Will your people ever understand? Will the Council?"

"It doesss not matter. If they exile me, I will gladly go to be with you. I have ssserved my people and done my duty to my father'sss memory. I have given them enough." Tenderly, he ran his hand over her belly. "I am ssshamed, but I admit I kept our relationssship a sssecret becaussse I did not know how you felt. I wanted to dissscover what you wanted before I jeopardized my posssition. If I could not have you, then I would have the t.i.tle of Warrior, poor sssubssst.i.tute that it isss."

"It makes sense, J'Qhir. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I have done more to ssshame myssself." He drew in a sharp breath. "Do you remember on Paradissse, how many timesss I ssspoke to you, 'I will build a lair for usss'."

Leith groaned and opened her eyes. "I didn't know what you were asking, J'Qhir. I didn't know the significance of the words."

"I know."

"And if I had, I don't think I would have answered differently. We barely knew one another. Even though we never thought we would be rescued, I don't think either of us ever gave up hope. How could we have made promises to one another that we might regret if we were rescued?"

"I underssstand, Leith. But you mussst underssstand, lovemaking to you wa.s.ss forbidden to me unlesss we were bound. The firssst time I sssaid the wordsss, I only meant we needed ssshelter. I ssspoke them before I realized what I wa.s.ss sssaying."

"Yet you didn't stop asking, using those words." Quickly, she pressed her lips against his cheek, so very glad she could touch him. She was afraid he might start that proper nonsense again and forbid her to touch him.

"Yesss, the wordsss ssseemed right. We were the only two beingsss on the entire planet. We did not know if we would ever leave. I had reacted to you physssically from the moment I met you. By the time we had sssettled in the cave, all I could think of wa.s.ss rhi'ina'a." He paused and looked thoughtful. "I do believe it isss becaussse of your never-ending cycle."

"It has ended now that I'm pregnant."

"Ssss, and ssstill I want you. The theory isss flawed."

"I think you have finally broken free of all the rules that oppress you. If you are told enough times that you can't feel, then you don't feel. If you are pressured into not experiencing pa.s.sion, then you won't experience it. On Paradise, you let down your guard and threw away all the rules and regulations that have always governed how you think and feel and react."

"I think you are correct." He looked at her thoughtfully. "Do you remember the day when you returned to the cave unexpectedly, when I performed-?"

"Yes, I remember," she interrupted quickly, unwilling for him to mention that insane Zi ritual again.

"Do you remember what I a.s.ssked of you?"

"Yes..." Her voice trailed off.

"I sssaid I would build a lair for usss."

"You know, that's really not a question-" she began.

"Sss't. But it requiresss a resssponssse. Do you remember what you sssaid?"

She nodded and traced a path around his tympanum. He brushed her fingers away.

"I cannot think when you do that."

"Good! And I remember what I said. 'Yes, J'Qhir, you do that.' Or something to that effect."

He said nothing more and waited, his amber eyes expectant.

Leith sat up straight in his lap. "Does that mean-"

"Yesss, Leith. a.s.ss far a.s.ss I wa.s.ss concerned we were bound at that moment. We ssspent three consssecutive nightsss together under one roof."

She let her arms fall away from him and drew back. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't know what you were sssaying. How could I bind you when you didn't know the meaning of the wordsss? Yet, it made the sssituation acceptable for me. I knew we would join eventually, and I could not have done ssso under any other conditionsss."

"You made me feel guilty."

"It isss for that I am ssshamed, but I wanted you to realize the gravity of what we did."

"I knew the seriousness of the decision without that. J'Qhir, it was an important step for me also."

He nodded. "Yesss, I came to underssstand that, but by then it wa.s.ss too late to explain and not caussse hard feelingsss. I do beg forgivenesss for the sssubterfuge."

"What if I had said no today?"

"Then I would have returned to Zi."

"You would have become bound to the female the Council chose for you?"

"No, Leith. I am bound to you."

"But what about me?"

"The lawsss of Zi do not apply to off-worldersss."

Leith tried to a.s.similate his logic but failed. "If Zi law doesn't apply to me, then how can we be bound at all?"

"If you accept the lawsss of Zi then they apply to you," J'Qhir explained with the patience of a saint. "By anssswering in Zi and resssponding in the posssitive, you indicated you underssstand and accept the lawsss of Zi."

"I see. You would never have told me that we had become lifemates on Paradise."

"No." He laid his crest against her forehead and gently rubbed back and forth. "Plea.s.sse tell me about our child."

She told him everything, of the risks involved. "Dr. Mitchel is monitoring me closely. She's as anxious to see this baby born as I am but for different reasons."

"I am in awe of thisss life we have created. Truly, Leith, I had no idea we could procreate or I would never have put you at risssk. If we had not been ressscued...sss't! Even here, with your advanced technology, you are in danger." He pulled away from her. "If thisss child comesss at the expenssse of your life-"

"Shhh." She pressed her hand to his mouth. "Dr. Mitchel doesn't think it will come to that. She doesn't think he will do me any harm."

"He?"

"Well, we don't know. With your hidden equipment, there's no way to tell. J'Qhir, would you mind if your child has hair?"

He ran his fingers through her long locks. "Ssshe will have your hair. Why would I mind?"

"He or she will be a part of us both." She hesitated, then whispered, "There is something I have wanted to tell you for a long time...I love you, J'Qhir."

He thought a moment. "You do not mean lovemaking, do you?""No. Love is the emotion I feel for you. Do the Zi love? Can you love?""We have no word for love. We ressspect and we honor and we have obligation and duty, but we do not love." He paused. "Yet, if love meansss I ache when we are apart and I am filled with joy when you are near and I want you more than anything in the galaxy then yesss, I love you, Leith." Leith sighed happily, pressing her mouth to his. She made a mental note to tell her mother she had indeed been starkissed.

About the Author.

Lanette Curington, who also writes as Lani Aames, was born and raised in west Tennessee and resides there with her husband, two daughters, and a clowder of cats. She is the author of the critically acclaimed futuristic romance, Starkissed, her first release with Samhain Publishing. As Lani Aames, she writes erotic romance and is multi-published in a variety of sub-genres, including Master of Disaster, coming soon from Samhain Publishing. For the latest information, visit her author websites www.lanettecurington.com and www.laniaames.com .

A s.e.xy alien with secrets to hide, an irresistible reporter determined to expose the truth; when resistance succ.u.mbs to temptation, they are forced to pay...

The Price of Discovery.

2006 Jordanna Kay.

On the hunt for a juicy story and a promotion, Erin Price is determined to prove she can move beyond her past mistakes. An eerie Victorian house in the middle of nowhere and a s.e.xy stranger hiding secrets could be her ticket to success. Racing against time and a competing journalist, Erin breaks every rule to be near the stranger. When she discovers the truth, she'l be forced to decide if her career is more important than her heart.

Drakor has nothing but contempt for Earth after his best friend disappeared on the planet during a previous a.s.signment. When his family accepts a critical mission to find a cure for bone crippling disease at home, Drakor is forced to return to the planet he despises. As his birthday nears, Drakor is losing time to find his life mate. Will his encounters with a nosy reporter change his opinion of Earth and is his deep attraction to her proof that his true life-mate is human? When a series of failures force Drakor to take his family and run, will he leave behind the only person he can ever love?

Enjoy this excerpt from The Price of Discovery.

Erin wiped her palms on Drakor's shirt and tested the door at the end of the hall. The room she snuck in earlier. It was unlocked! She slipped inside and quickly closed the door behind her, locking it.

This room too was darkened by the shadows of the moon. If only she could have gone home and gotten her flashlight. Now, she'd have to poke around in the dark. There had to be something in this ma.s.sive bookshelf to her left. She already knew that nothing was on the other side of the room other than a bed. This must have been his parents' bedroom. It seemed creepy to be in here when they only died two days ago. But still she had work to do and she couldn't let anything stand in her way.

She went closer to the screen on the desk. It looked similar to a computer monitor, but much flatter and shinier. Erin reached out to touch it when a sound startled her from behind.

Had someone come in? She locked the door, she was sure of it.

Erin tried to ignore the galloping of her heart and slowly turned to face the dark corner of the room. She could see nothing against that shadowed wall but then a figure stepped forward.

"So this is the real Erin."

Her breath stilled but her heart jumped for an entirely different reason. Drakor.

But how did he get in here? Or was he in here all along? There was no sense in lying like she tried to with Brundor. Drakor knew what she did for a living and why she was here.

She folded her arms under her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, suddenly very aware of her bare legs and his scent on her collar. "And? What of it?"

He took another step forward and Erin had to m.u.f.fle the intake of breath in her dry throat. The glow from the window lit up his bare chest, narrowed waist, and arms, casting shadows along the hard lines of his muscles. He wore a pair of shorts, unb.u.t.toned but zipped, and nothing else.

Drakor leaned one hand against the shelves near her. "I never imagined you would use my sisters to get what you want."

Erin tilted her head, trying to not be tempted by the allure of his body.

He moved closer still and Erin backed up until her b.u.t.t hit the edge of the desk. Drakor put an arm on either side of her head, blocking an escape.

Erin stared up at him, wanting to run from him but knowing she could not. Not when he was this close. Not when shivers coursed through her body in the antic.i.p.ation of his next move. She licked her lips but couldn't control the deep yearning crashing through her blood. He held her spellbound, intoxicated by his raw s.e.xuality.

Drakor leaned toward her face, stopping just inches from her lips. "You and I are playing this game, but only one of us can win."

Why couldn't she respond to him with some witty comment? One glance into those mysterious eyes made her heart skip a beat. His heady, masculine presence enveloped her so completely that all logical thought emptied from her brain.

Erin muttered something unintelligible and lifted her chin a little. d.a.m.n it, why didn't he kiss her?

A hot hand clamped down on her thigh and Erin gasped. Her pulse rocketed. She could see one corner of his lips curl as he slid a knee between her legs. "What do you hope to find, Erin?"

She tried to answer but her mouth was too dry to even swallow. If only he would kiss her...

Dreams bring pa.s.sion, pa.s.sion births l.u.s.t, l.u.s.t feeds violence. Violence brings chaos. Chaos stands against The Order.

Tears of Myhu 2007 Clarie Michaels What if the truth is locked inside your dreams? For years Officer Elite Daniel Barrows has fought for his place in The Order, overcoming the bigotry of being born a tribal. His adoptive father rescued him during a devastating raid, but Daniel cannot forget his childhood and the beautiful, enchanting friend who long ago lost her life. Now in charge of tribal raids for The Order, Daniel's success is jeopardized when he comes face to face with a mysterious woman. Nya turns his structured world upside down. His draw to her defies all logic, all reason, and goes against everything he was raised to believe. With Nya's life in danger, Daniel must choose between duty and what he feels to be right. With that choice, he will discover who he is and find his destiny. Warning, this t.i.tle contains the following: explicit s.e.x, graphic language. Enjoy this excerpt from Tears of Myhu.

Daniel heard a strange sound, a soft whistling just at the edge of hearing. At first, he thought the wind blew through a small crack of window s.p.a.ce. He did his best to ignore it, find sleep again. Yet, he could not ignore the persistent sound.

His eyes fluttered open. It was late. His father must have left. Cala slept next to him. Daniel rose from their bed and made his way to the bathroom.

"Cool water, forty degrees Fahrenheit."

"Warning, Daniel Barrows," an automated voice replied. "Such extreme temperature may cause bodily discomfort. Shall I continue?"

"Yes, please."

"Very well. Water, forty degrees Fahrenheit, to commence in three, two, one..."

Water flowed from a spout in the hand sink. He gathered the icy substance in his palms and lifted it to his face, wincing as the frigid liquid numbed his skin. He repeated the process, trying to will away the lethargic side effects of Entaxia. Daniel bent to scoop up one more handful and caught sight of the inside of his wrist.

"Stop water," he whispered.

The faucet ceased its downpour.

Daniel grabbed the towel by the sink and wiped off his face. He dried his hands and sat on the wide rim of the bathtub, still staring down at his wrist.

He did everything he could to hide the marking there. It had been his greatest shame for years, a mark he could never rid himself of. Most of the time he wore a thick band around his wrist. He had removed the band to gain access to the gathering last night. If he needed to prove to anyone what he was, the mark would be all that was required.

A tribal mark, a brand, one given to him as a child. Each tribe had their own markings, a way to identify themselves in the encampments. As far as he knew, his tribe was wiped out. The only two left after the raid were himself and Hido'ni. It was what he'd known to be true. Until today.

Slowly, he rubbed his thumb across the brand. A part of him still disbelieved. It could not be possible, but somehow it was. The girl's brand had been identical to his.

Searching his fragmented memories, he recalled his time in the camps. Daniel tried to recollect a child version of the mysterious girl, yet came up empty-handed. There had been many children in his tribe. All were killed, before his very eyes. Their faces were a blur to him. The only person he remembered with perfect clarity was Emi'le. The tribal girl he'd tried to capture must have been around, but he could not recall meeting her. Judging by the look on her face when she discovered his brand, she had been just as shocked as he was.

The whole thing made his head spin. Why was this happening now? Why, when everything was falling into place?