Taken (Calliston Series - Book 1) by Erica Conroy Page B

my arms?"
    "No. The mating should be enough of a distraction that they do not know we are alone together," she said.
    "I'm sorry," he said, and he meant it. Viktor knew she did not want to mate, and he might have forced her to do so with someone she hated.
    "Just stay away from Karo," she told him. "Stay away from me."
    Viktor took her seriously and remained in the room until long after she had left—long after he realized they had been in her bedroom.
    * * *
    S'rea did not know what time it was when her father joined her in the library. One of the moons was still visible through the window, so she knew it wasn't yet morning. It was late, and everyone had either left for their own homes or retired to the bedrooms.
    "You cannot sleep?" her father asked after studying her from the doorway. He walked farther into the room and eased back into the seat across from his daughter's.
    "No," she said, and closed the book she hadn't been reading.
    "If you are worried about Ne'a's mate, you should not," he told her. "Sern is not like Karo."
    "I know," she said. "She chose well."
    "Then what is wrong, my daughter?"  
    S'rea looked at her father and said, "Karo made his intentions clear tonight."
    Tarn frowned. "Did you reject him?" he asked.
    S'rea shook her head, and before her father could jump to the wrong conclusion, she said, "The U-man intervened."
    "Did you reject him?"
    "Father!" S'rea growled. "Karo did not take it as a challenge. Thankfully."
    Tarn contemplated that for a moment. "What if the U-man had won, would that be so bad?"  
    "How would that look to the government, your supporters and your enemies?" she asked. "It would be seen as some kind of stunt to gain favor with the king so your negotiations would be signed. No, that would not look good."
    "I do not care how it would look," he said. "S'rea, I only care about you and your sisters and my grandchildren. I want you all to be happy and well mated."
    S'rea snorted.
    "You doubt what I say?"  
    "No, father," she said. "I just want to be left alone to do my own work. I should sleep. I might go to my laboratory this morning."
    "That is a good idea," Tarn said. "Take the U-man with you. He needs to see more of the city."
    Normally, S'rea would have argued this with her father, but it suddenly struck her how old and tired he looked. Their journey, the attacks, the debates and the poisoning had finally caught up with him. He was not the strong male he once was.
    "Yes, father," she said, and then left him, rather surprised, in his library.
    * * *
    Viktor stared out the window of the ground vehicle as they sped toward the research center where S'rea worked. The Lyrissian sat as far away from him as she could. He had thought it strange that, after telling him to stay away from her last night, she told him this morning to come with her. It was no stranger than the conversation he had shared with Tarn while they were alone at breakfast.
    Tarn, for reasons unknown to Viktor, had carefully explained the Lyrissian mating rituals to him. All of the nuances and apparent rules. Viktor assumed it was because he had heard about his incident with Karo and was worried he might get his daughter into further trouble with the Lyrissian.
    It all seemed to hinge on the female and on ways of getting her to submit to the male intent on mating with her. Viktor had diplomatically kept his mouth shut by stuffing it full of raw meat.
    "We are here," S'rea told him as the vehicle stopped.
    Viktor stepped out and took in the sight of the large glass building that shone and sparkled in the sunlight. S'rea led him to the short, squat building behind it. It looked truly pathetic in comparison. Like an iceberg, the bulk of the building was below street level, with S'rea's laboratory almost at the very bottom.
    They passed many Lyrissians on the trip down. S'rea was constantly stopped by other females, who passed on their congratulations regarding her niece's successful mating. Others asked questions that to