unsafe

Liar. If there was anyone, she wasn't safe with it was him. He was still holding her up when they appeared in one of his stainless-steel rooms.

"Any chance you will tell me where he is so we will not have to go through this?" His whisper against her neck sent a thrill through her.

Who? What? Where?

When he didn't get a reply from her, he pulled back so he could look at her.

She didn't even want to know what he saw that caused him to close his eyes and groan.

Yep, she was about to take that step when a sarcastic voice told her to get a room.

Crap on a stick.

Thank God, someone had broken the spell she was under. She could have kissed Hayley until she realized Hayley wasn't the only one in the room.

Jess threw her elbow back with as much force as she could muster. Uncaring of where she caught him.

His quick intake of breath was pleasing to her.

"Future______."

"It is fine, Kar."

As he passed her, he gripped her arm so that when he sat down in his chair, she was at his side again.

Frick, Godrick and a girl she hasn't met yet stood at her back. Frey, Pensley and Alric sat on either side of him.

Hayley, a very irritated Hayley stood to the side tapping her foot. Across from her, another girl she didn't know. Alien, pretty. She didn't look well. She looked like she was barely able to stand.

As if that wasn't enough, all the advisors were in place.

Yep. Was it any wonder she'd forgotten all about Hayley's little experiment? She was blaming that one on kissy face. She gave her arm a small jerk trying to shake him off.

He didn't take the hint.

She looked back at Hayley to see if she could judge how badly it was going.

"Kellum, you have kept us waiting."

"Yes."

No other explanation. Dude was hanging around her too much.

"Human Jessalynn, we wish for you to tell us the location of the human Jace."

"I don't know where he is."

"We saw the recordings. We know you are helping hide him with the human Hayley."

"That is correct. But I don't know where he is."

"I told you that she didn't." Hayley had her arms crossed over her chest. "Give him another day or two and he'll show up on his own."

The girl gave a cry of distress.

"That is impossible." Said the advisor in black.

"Human Jessalynn, we______."

Kellum's voice said he wasn't to be messed with. "She has said she does not know."

"If she would place her hand_______."

"She does not need to. She has said that she does not know. You will believe her unless given reason not to."

"We hoped she would know since the human Hayley is proving most difficult."

"We must take some kind of action for such disregard of someone's suffering.

"I would advise the humans be escorted out of the room while we finish this discussion."

Kell let go of her arm and gave a command with his hand that caused Frick, Godrick and the chick to fall in around her as a door opened.

She turned to her friend as soon as they were in the next room. "Hayley__."

"They can't do anything to me."

"That's not exactly true. If they wanted to, they could. One, they're all bigger than us. Two, I know for a fact Kell could drop us off on top of a mountain and leave us there. Three___."

"Dramatic much?"

"You aren't?"

Lee didn't have to answer. Jess could see that she was at least a little worried.

She stepped away from Frick and Big Bad and closer to her friend. If it came down to it, she was going to have Hayley's back. "Have you checked on Jace?"

"He was fine last night. He'd polished off the whole six pack and wanted more. Ass. It will be doubtful if he holds up much longer."

"And today?"

Lee made a face. "I've been here all day."

"Why not give him up? She looked horrible.

"She could be faking it."

"She is not." Godrick announced.

"This is a fool thing to do." Frick stated.

Lee went on like she hadn't heard. "This is our only chance to know for sure. I need to know for Macie's sakes."

The Prick gave a look of disgust.

"Everyone may reenter."

The mood in the room was tensed.

"We have decided that since you are unconcern for Zawinda then you both need to be with her in her time of need. She has agreed to let her pain be your lesson."

"We are most upset by this turn of events."

"Most upset. We hope you end her suffering as soon as possible. I am most sorry, Zawinda."

"As we all are. I believe this situation needs to receive much thought. Kellum, we will meet back here in an hour. Everyone may adjourn."

As soon as the advisors left the room Kellum stood and went to Zawinda. "May I help you?"

She gave one soft nod.

He swept her into his arms. "Kar, shadow the human Hayley. If she goes to him, I want to know. Godrick, take some men and go back to his last known location. Search all the buildings that are unused. Frick, stake out his living accommodations. If he manages to make it there, I want to know it."

Kell stepped to her side. "Put your hand on my shoulder." Once they were standing in her room, he turned to her. "Where do you want her?"

She wanted to say no, that he couldn't bring her here but after seeing her pain she couldn't.

If by some chance this girl was going to be in pain because of her and Hayley, then it was fair that they be the ones to take care of her.

"The room closest to the stairs is empty."

She went to her aunt's room and took one of her gowns. "Leave us." She ordered when she returned.

He slipped out quietly and eased the door closed behind him.

"Zawinda, I'm going to help you get comfortable."

Again, she just gave a nod.

"Tell me what hurts."

She opened her eyes. They were a purplish blue. "He does."

"And that causes you pain?"

"His pain hurts me more than my own."

Once she was changed, Jess quickly went to the restroom and ran some cold water over a wash rag. When she got back, she held it to the burning mark on Zawinda's arm. It looked like a half of a heart and two dots.

"Dez, you must have something that will help this burning on her arm."

"There is not. My past records show that nothing put on it will help the pain. She is not feeling the pain on her arm, she is feeling the pain on his."

"If I was with him, would we be able to help her by helping him?"

"We are unsure. There are very few experiences like these. Mates never stray from their mates. On one occasion the mate had gotten lost and hurt in our jungle area. He was a researcher, his wrist band damaged in his fall. It took us days to find him. I was only able to put her experiences of it down in our records. Nothing done to her, helped. On the third day, her pain and her lost was so great that she was able to use it to find her way to him. She had to be carried since he had broken his leg. Even though her own body remained intact her mind and her body could not grasp that. Since he remained unconscious for most of the three days, I was unable to get his experiences down on record."

Jess kept the wash rag cold, but the mark just grew hotter and hotter. At one point, it burned her when she touched it.

Kellum appeared out of thin air. Some cream came next. He put a little on her fingers.

She latched onto the cream before it could disappear.

"I must get back."

She nodded and he was gone.

The cream that did magic on her own fingers did nothing for Zawinda.

As hours passed, her concern on the mark became less. The girl had bigger problems. Her eyes became vacant. She moaned for her mate repeatedly.

The burn on her arm, she couldn't be faking but could she be faking all the rest of it? If so, she was a very good actress.

When it was time for Hayley to sit with the sick girl, Jess was emotionally drained.

She was standing on her balcony when she felt him behind her. "If I knew where he was, I would tell you."

"I know."

"You are making this too much of a habit, popping up wherever I go. It's late, Kell. Go home."

"I cannot. You are upset and it is my fault."

Surprised, she turned. "How is it your fault?"

"I should have been able to keep all this from touching you."

Jess studied him. "I may not know where he is, but this was as much me as it was Hayley. You should be mad at me not worried about me. Zawinda is hurting because of me."

"I am not angry with you, Jessalynn. I do not even think it is possible for me to be angry with you."

She snorted and turned her back on him. "Bet I make you eat those words. Numerus times."

She didn't turn back to him even once he was close enough that she could feel his heat. It was hard not to turn and tell him how her people offer comfort to each other. It would be nice to be in the shelter of his arms. Too nice. So, she stayed like she was.

"Why would anyone want to be mated if this is what comes of it? She's wanting and needing someone who doesn't even care for her. That's not for me. No, thank you."

"This only happens if they are parted. As long as they can see the other, feel the other, then they are stronger because they are no longer one, they are two."

"Again, with the no, thank you."

"Jessalynn, why do you think I knew you hurt your fingers? We might not be mated yet, but the bond is there."

"No. I told you once, Kellum and I'll tell you again. I can't give you what you want."

"For now, all I want is to offer you comfort. Tell me how to do that."

Hold me. The words wanted to jump out of her mouth, but she refused to let them. Jump on your little spaceship and fly far away. That's what she should tell him. "Let's talk about something else. How about them Dodgers?"

"This morning______."

"We definitely aren't talking about that. Ever."

"If that is your wish but I must advise you that it would be very problematic for you to be in such an intimate position with another ever again. Those images will be mild compared to what I will want to do to him. My advisors would be most unhappy with me. Was it Brady Shaw you were kissing?"

Jess nearly choked. "No."

"Just as well. It is best if I do not know who it was. He would be most unsafe."

She looked to see if he was serious. He was. "You are a peaceful race, remember?"

"That was before you. Before this morning. My advisors will just have to deal with it."

"You know Dez is recording everything you say, right?"

A strong, gentle hand cupped her cheek. He kissed her forehead.

It might be the way one kissed their grandmothers, but it did crazy things to her stomach.

"This with Zawinda will be over soon."

"And the rest of it?"

He smiled a little. "You mean me?"

"Yes. My life wasn't nearly so complicated before I met you. I plan to get back to that as soon as possible."

"My life was less complicated as well, but there is no going back."

"We'll see about that."