The third man was a bear of a guy, literally, and Shanna had to not stare at the hairiest man she’d ever seen in her life. The guy just wore shorts, no shoes, no shirt, and thick, matted black hair covered where skin should be from shoulders down to the top of his feet. When he spoke it made Shanna startle, literally jumping a bit.

“Hyvin Berrr,” the man boomed loudly. “Good to see you, my old friend.”

“Ssshal, always good to see you.” Berrr didn’t sound happy about it at all. “I am glad you could make it to our meeting.”

The other man growled low. “We have had a lot of wild activity in our dwellings lately and something needs to be done about it.” The man paused. “What is this?” Berrr’s entire body went rigid against Shanna’s. “She’s a human from Earth.” The other man growled again. Shanna glanced up at him and regretted it instantly, glancing into a pair of eyes that were terrifying, black and looked downright evil to her, a sight she could compare to glimpsing into two big orbs of nothingness.

“I’ll take her. Earth woman, take me to my room, strip down and then I will mount you.”

Shock and horror washed through Shanna, causing her to gasp and step back, literally putting Berrr between her and the hairy guy.

“Not her. Pick another house helper,” Berrr snarled.

“You don’t honor me as a guest in your home? Did your bound die, Hyvin Berrr?

She is a house helper, is she not?”

“She’s human and different from a house helper. She is not an offering to my guests.”

Ssshal snarled. “You insult me this way? How dare you!”

“Ssshal,” a deep voice growled, “I am sure Hyvin means no insult. Look at the puny off-world alien who is not sturdy enough to satisfy our warrior lusts.” The new voice barked out a laugh. “We would break that little woman before the pleasure even began.”

Peering around Berrr, Shanna took in the last of the four men with a glance. He was a blond male with his hair cut to his shoulders with dark eyes, almost black, but not evil-looking. He never glanced back at Shanna as he kept his full attention on the man he gripped.

“Zapal, it is good to see you and you are correct, humans are not sturdy like our Zorn women.” Berrr was really tense, his body moved back, touching Shanna to keep her behind him as his hand gripped her hip to keep her in place. “I offer you my house helpers but the human is not available due to her frail health.” A deep growl tore from Ssshal. “So you do not mount her? What is her purpose then? Why is she in your home under your protection, Hyvin? To not mount a woman is not natural.”

Taking a deep breath, Berrr softly growled. “She is human and they are a species that only takes one male into their bed, a careful male, and I am that male.”

“I will be careful then. Send her to my room for mounting. I will try not to break her but I am curious.”

Berrr snarled, releasing Shanna. “I said she is not available due to her frail health.

Be a good guest in my home and do not test me.”

Zapal, the blond, took over, gripping the hairier man and pulling him away. “We are honored to be your guests, Hyvin Berrr, and you have provided us with excellent house helpers with beauty as always. Look at the selection, Ssshal. Take your pick of these fine Zorn women to find your pleasure with.” Shanna watched the men pick two females from the remaining house helpers and walk away with them. Pity hit Shanna for the unhappy-looking brunette Zorn woman who was gripped by the hairy guy who was an asshole and a brute. Shanna was sympathetic for what lay in store for that woman if his conversational skills were any indication of him as a lover. Berrr watched them go and then turned, staring down at Shanna.

“I am sending you to one of my son’s homes while there are guests here. Five more arrive within hours and I don’t believe you will be safe, my Shanna. I will send you to Rever’s home since you met him last night. Rever is very loyal to his bound so he will have no desire to touch you while you are safely under his protection.”

“But—” Shock rolled through her. He’s sending me away?

Berrr suddenly grabbed her, yanking her against his body to stare down at her intensely. “I couldn’t give you bound status so you are in the terms of the law a house helper and therefore while I can protect you against males harming you, I can’t protect you against invited guests in my home from touching you as long as they do you no harm. Do you understand me?”

“It would harm me if one of those assholes tried to rape me and it would be against my will. I have the right to say no to them touching me, don’t I?” He took a deep breath, his hands rubbing her hips he gripped. “It is not that simple and I apologize. You must think we are a very brutal world with insulting laws to women but as a house helper those men are entitled to touch you as my honored guests.

I was hoping there wouldn’t be an issue but Ssshal is definitely not going to let this go. I won’t have you at risk, my Shanna, so I must send you to safety. Please trust me on this.”

She didn’t want to leave Berrr. She had met Rever and he seemed nice enough, she knew Berrr wouldn’t send her there unless she was safe, but after realizing she was in love with Berrr she didn’t want to be away from him. Shanna nodded though, agreeing to go.

“I’m going to miss you.” A horrible thought struck her. “Just because I’m not here doesn’t mean you’re going to touch other women, does it?” She glared up at him.

“Because if you do don’t bother coming to pick me up when those guys leave.” Frowning, Berrr softly growled at her. “I know monogamy and I gave you my vow of it. That vow is in place if you are in my bed, at my side or not. Do you doubt my word?”

This was a man who’d bound to a woman who hated him, knowing that’s why she was doing it, just to punish him, yet he’d done it to keep his word to the bitch. “I trust your word, Berrr. I know its rock solid.”

His features relaxed into a smile. “Rock solid? I understand the definition. I take it this is another Earth saying?”

“Yes.” She lifted her hands up, rubbing his chest, wishing she were touching skin rather than his leather shirt. “I’m going to really miss you.” She bit her lip and grinned.