He turned his head, his beautiful eyes looking really sad as their gazes locked. “She will kill you, my Shanna, and I can’t stand to bury you. I would bow to her, set aside my pride to save you from death. You matter more to me than the shame I would feel to show her submission in front of my people.”

Shaking her head, Shanna moved right up to him, her hand going to his chest, again wishing she could touch his skin instead of the leather shirt of his uniform as she stared up at him.

“I don’t want you to make a deal with her, all right? I’m not as weak as you think I am and I have anger on my side on this. Haven’t you ever heard that the good guys always win in the end?”

He frowned, his hand curling around her hip, as he stared down at her. “Is this yet another one of your Earth sayings?”

“Yes. It means I’m going to kick the shit out of that bitch so stop trying to make deals with the devil. That would be her, it’s a bad word, it means she’s not a nice person and I have far too much to gain if I win so have a little faith in me.” Voices interrupted as Ssshal and about fifteen other men crowded into the kitchen.

Shanna turned her head to see more Zorn men, some of them Vartas she’d met with Berrr, letting her know that all of his guests had come back to Berrr’s house. One of them, the oldest Zorn she’d ever seen, the one who had arrived with Vinlotti and Ssshal, stepped away from the group to frown at Berrr as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“What is happening here in your home, Hyvin Berrr?” Taking a deep breath, Berrr held the gaze of the older man. “My human house helper has issued a challenge to Bratha Alluwn that I have accepted to fight my bound.

We are going to go before a judge right now to get permission and find witnesses for them to fight, Vartas Yatgo.”

The old man’s gaze jerked to Shanna. “Do you understand this law and the rules of a challenge? You are a weaker species and you will have a very difficult time surviving a fight with a Zorn woman.”

“I understand,” Shanna said softly, staring back at the old man.

Vartas Yatgo stared hard at Shanna, studying her for long seconds before his attention returned to Berrr. “You know I am a judge in the East Forest. I give permission for the challenge and the witnesses are here.” The old man waved his hand at all the other Zorn men in the kitchen. “There are over ten of them to witness the fairness of the challenge and verify the winner for the people of Zorn.” He paused.

“You have a nice garden in the back of your home with bright lighting so let the fight be held there.”

Berrr growled, looking anything but pleased. “Now? Here at my home?” The older man gave a sharp nod, his eyes narrowing as he glared at Alluwn. “It is long past time that someone challenged your bound for that honor.” His gaze turned to Shanna. “I hope you know what you are doing, woman from Earth, for I do not wish to see you die today.”

Alluwn snarled. “You can’t possibly be serious, Vartas Yatgo. She’s a human and I am Bratha Alluwn, bound to Hyvin Berrr. I will not be insulted this way by being challenged.”

The older man snarled, showing teeth, glaring at Alluwn. “I am a judge and I have spoken. If you wish to forfeit your place speak so now to avoid fighting the Earth woman and I will decree her winner.”

“Never,” Alluwn yelled, her angry dark glare going to Shanna. “To the death, human. I am going to kill you and I will enjoy Berrr grieving over your broken body.” Shanna swallowed hard, knowing the woman really wanted her dead. “You can try,” she got out.

Alluwn snorted as she spun, storming for another door across the kitchen. “I am hungry,” she almost growled the words. “Let us do this now so it ends quickly and I can enjoy my meal while I watch the great Hyvin suffer the loss of one he holds close to him.”

The hand gripping Shanna’s hip tightened, making her look up to gaze into Berrr’s beautiful eyes. He looked worried, angry and sad. Shanna patted his chest. “Let’s go and get this over with.”

The men were already following Alluwn and a few of the house helpers must have overheard because Shanna saw some of them rushing after the men from other parts of the house. Berrr stared down at Shanna and then cupped her face with his free hand, staring deeply into her eyes as he almost went nose to nose with her.

“Do not die, my Shanna. Fight hard and expect her to go for your face and eyes.” He paused. “She will be fast so you must be faster. She tends to hit with her right arm, swinging out with it as if it were a club. I taught her to fight when I first bound to her.”

“Thanks for the warning.” Terrified but knowing there was no other choice, Shanna stepped back, forcing Berrr to release her. “Let’s go.” Berrr snarled and spun away, giving her his back when he started to walk, leaving Shanna to follow closely behind him. She experienced a little terror and dread with every step through his big house toward the backyard. She was going to fight the big, mean Zorn woman who had offered Shanna up to a bunch of men as if she were a whore. That thought pissed her right off and as she kept walking so did her resolve to kick the shit out of the bitch who took such pleasure at the idea of hurting Berrr by using Shanna to do it. Berrr was Shanna’s man and the idea of another woman hurting him fueled her from anger to flat-out rage.

The garden was beautiful with an assortment of purple and red flowers. There was a large grassy area that the witnesses encircled, letting Shanna know exactly where the fight would take place. The entire area was well-lit by streetlight-sized poles in the backyard. It was bright enough to almost be daylight so she wouldn’t have a problem seeing her opponent. She took deep breaths, mentally trying to prepare herself as if it were just a typical kickboxing match just as she’d done many times over the years while training and keeping in shape. Most of her instructors had been men much larger than she. She purposely trained with men because they were tougher opponents.

Her attention focused on Alluwn stretching out her large frame on the grass, obviously preparing for the fight, and Shanna swallowed hard. Nope, that woman was bigger than the men Shanna used to spar with. This fight wasn’t a game, an exercise or a training session. This was going to be brutal and the Zorn woman had stated she wanted to kill Shanna. She shifted her gaze to Berrr who stood apart from the men about ten feet from her. He looked back at her and she saw his hands fisted tightly at his sides. He looked furious again and worried. So was she but she wasn’t going to admit it. She forced a smile at him.