The gods had truly blessed Larem by guiding his footsteps to cross paths with the Paladin. Hunter and Lonzo had both offered him unconditional friendship, a gift he cherished.

“I know.”

Kneeling down at Duke’s side, he held his hand out over the cut that was still bleeding, although more sluggishly than before. Closing his eyes, he shut out the world and withdrew into the center of his mind and softly chanted the words of healing. The power surged as the magic chose to do its work on the first try.

Finally, the last few words faded into the silence as Larem stood back up. His friend reached out to steady him, well aware that the magic took its toll, especially when Larem was already tired to begin with.

He immediately sensed they were no longer alone. Lonzo had returned with reinforcements.

“Devlin.”

A faint hint of a familiar perfume told him that Devlin hadn’t come alone. “Sasha.”

Sighing, he turned to face the pair. “He’s all yours, Devlin. Hunter can fill you in on the details.”

The Paladin leader studied the body slumped against the wall. “Hell, from what Lonzo told me, I expected to be burying the bastard.”

Hunter and Lonzo laughed, but Sasha didn’t look at all amused. In fact, she looked ready to explode. She stepped past Larem as if he weren’t even there to stand over Duke’s body.

When she spotted the blood, her face turned ashen. “For God’s sake, Larem, what did you do? Someone call for a medical team.”

“Belay that order.” Devlin squatted down to check Duke’s injuries. “He’s not badly hurt. Nothing an ice pack and a couple of aspirin won’t cure.”

After using the hem of the man’s own shirt to wipe away some of the blood, Devlin shot Larem a questioning look. He shrugged, not wanting to discuss his reasons for undoing some of the damage he’d caused the guard.

“Lonzo, you and Hunter drag Duke downstairs to first aid. Laurel can check him over when she gets here.”

The two warriors strong-armed Duke up off the floor and wrapped his arms across their broad shoulders. They half-carried, half-dragged the unconscious guard down the hall and out of sight. They weren’t being particularly careful with how they handled him, an unspoken show of support for Larem that he appreciated. When they were gone, Larem picked up Lonzo’s sword and waited for the storm to break. It didn’t take long.

Devlin spread his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. It seemed that they were about to get a demonstration of his famous hot temper. Fine, he could unleash his wrath on Larem if he wanted to, but he’d better watch his mouth around Sasha.

“Okay, which one of you two want to explain to me what the hell happened here?”

Sasha’s mouth was a straight slash as she threw back her shoulders, ready to do battle. Obviously she’d thought she’d be the one demanding answers rather than giving them.

“Your questions can wait, Devlin. Right now, I want to hear what Larem thought he was accomplishing by attacking a guard. I had already told them they were suspended and, pending review, possibly fired.”

This was definitely not the time to be laughing. However, it was pretty damn funny watching a mountain of a man face off against a wisp of a woman and come out on the losing end of a glaring contest.

Right now, Larem would put his money on Sasha, but it would be better for all concerned if he drew their attention back to himself. He addressed his remarks directly to Devlin, hoping it would help him suppress the powerful emotions threatening to resurface as he recalled the events that had led him to this point in time.

“After I finished my bouts down below, I happened to look up and spotted Sasha watching from that window on the far end. When she turned to look at someone standing near her, I noticed her expression go from curious to worried, which led me to think that she was in danger.”

She just had to contradict him. “I was handling it. And I was angry, not scared. You overreacted.”

“I would dispute that, but if you say you were just angry, fine. Human emotions are not always clear to us poor aliens. Hunter and Lonzo accompanied me to offer their support if needed.”

Ignoring how she flinched at the reminder of his heritage, he picked up where he’d left off. “Three of the guards had her cornered and were insulting her. Then Duke pushed her too far, and Sasha kneed the bastard. He shoved her against the wall and was preparing to hit her when we arrived.”

Devlin was nodding. “Sounds like you handled this about right, although I’m also guessing there’s something you’re not telling me.”

Larem reluctantly continued. If he went much further with the explanation, Devlin would figure out there was more to Larem and Sasha’s relationship than either of them wanted him to know. All Larem could do was tread carefully.

“Duke had been spying on Sasha for an anonymous party. Seems he’s not happy with things around here.”

It would be too much to ask that Devlin stop there. But no, the man was like one of those hounds Dr. Isaac had told Larem about, the kind that stuck to a trail no matter what.

“And if Duke was spying on you, Sasha, care to share what he might have seen?”

Then he shot a suspicious look in Larem’s direction when he added, “Or who?”

“Stop right there, Devlin.” Larem stepped between Sasha and the Paladin. “It’s enough for you to know that Lonzo and I offered to give her a ride back after the barbecue Saturday night. When Lonzo got your call to report in, he dropped the two of us off outside her hotel. While we were standing on the sidewalk, Duke shot at us with a paint ball, although we didn’t know it was him at the time. I’m also sure that he followed me as I walked home.”

“And what time was that?”

Sasha’s cheeks turned pink, answering Devlin’s real question even as she tried to deflect it. “How is that pertinent? I’d suggest you concentrate on finding out what Duke was up to.”

“Fine, we’ll play it your way.” Devlin poked his finger toward Larem. “You and I will talk later. For now, go home and lie low. I know where to find you if I need you.”

Then he walked off, leaving Larem alone with Sasha, perhaps not the best of ideas. As tired as he was, the last thing he wanted right now was another confrontation, especially with her.

As soon as Devlin was out of sight, Sasha turned her attention to Larem. But before she could say a word, he held up a hand to forestall her.

“Sasha, can we not do this now? Hunter and Lonzo are waiting for me.”

She was already shaking her head as she mimicked Devlin’s earlier stance, arms crossed, feet firmly planted. “Tough. They can wait.”

If she wanted to do this now, fine. He crossed to the window and yelled down, “Lonzo! Hunter! Go on without me. I’ll catch up with you later.”

Then he set down both swords and leaned his back against the wall, his arms crossed just like hers.

“So what do you want to talk about?” he asked, careful not to laugh when she stomped her foot in frustration.

She flung her hands out to the sides. “Darn it, Larem, don’t be a fool. I know you better than that. What were you thinking, confronting three guards like that?”

After seeing him fight, did she really think he couldn’t handle three humans by himself? He pushed away from the wall and glared at her. “I was never in any danger. On his best day, not one of those guards could outfight a Kalith warrior.”

She rolled her eyes. “You think I don’t know that? But what if they’d pulled a gun? No matter how fast you are with that sword, you can’t outsmart a bullet.”

That she was worried about his safety pleased him. “So then what’s the problem? Those men were clearly out of line.”

“It’s enough that they’ll be suspended and maybe even fired, but you had to resort to violence. Don’t you think that was a bit extreme?”

No, he didn’t. It was bad enough what they’d said about Hunter, but Duke’s behavior toward Sasha was unforgivable. “Duke had to be punished for what he said about you, about us. I am a Blademate to a Sworn Guardian, Sasha. It is my life’s purpose to protect those I care about. I would not be worthy of the title if I were to let scum like Duke insult the woman I—”

Whoa, going too far with that. “If I hadn’t challenged him, Hunter or Lonzo would have. It was my duty and my honor to do so. Duke should count his blessings that he still breathes. And if you think Devlin or Trahern would’ve handled the situation any differently had their females been involved, you don’t know them very well.”

Sasha was so out of her depth right now. This man had already killed once to protect her and almost did so again. How was she supposed to deal with something like that? Part of her wanted nothing to do with a man capable of such violence, but she also felt grateful. That he was equally capable of amazing tenderness and passion only served to confuse her even more.

She made the only choice that made sense. “I can’t do this.”

“Then don’t. We’ve already made that decision. If Duke hadn’t stuck his nose in our business, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation, especially if you’d stayed away from here in the first place. I don’t remember anyone inviting you to join today’s festivities.”

Larem leaned in closer, crowding her physically now as well as emotionally. She could’ve told him not to bother. After spending her whole life surrounded by dominant men, she’d learned to stand her ground or be trampled in the process.

Drawing on all the authority she could muster, she let him have it. “I’m in charge around here, or hadn’t you noticed? I have every right to observe anything that goes on, even if it’s a bunch of boneheaded men playing games.”

Larem laughed, but it had nothing to do with humor. “You may pay the bills, Sasha, but that’s not the same as running the place. Devlin is the one whose word is law. Without his support, you would get nowhere with all the changes you seem so hot on making. And those games you refer to help ensure your Paladins have the necessary skills to survive.”

His words slammed into her. “This conversation is going nowhere. You go hang out with your friends. I’ll go do my job. It’s been nice.” She started to walk away but didn’t get far.

“I’ll show you nice.”

One powerful arm lifted her up off her feet while Larem’s free hand drew her leg up around his waist. Somehow, her other one needed no encouragement from him to follow suit. Her skirt rode high around her thighs, leaving only the thin silk of her panties between her and Larem’s trousers. The full contact with his body burned straight through her, making her all too aware of the emptiness inside her. An emptiness that only this man could fill.

She tangled her fingers in the black and silver silk of his hair and planted her mouth on his, demanding entry and offering no quarter.