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  He took that option away from her by removing the folded clothing, and he winked as he left the room with his medical kit and the clothes.

  Lilia got up and looked around the room, fishing the hart medallion from the shreds of her clothing and setting it on a table near the bed. She wanted to whistle, but her instinct was to call the Liako, and she had no idea how that would go over.

  It took ten minutes before there was another knock on the door, and once again, she peeked through the slightly open door before she opened it all the way. The servant smiled and held out a brightly coloured pack of folded fabric. “For you, Miss Zel.”

  “Thank you.”

  The young woman nodded and left Lilia holding the pack.

  Lilia closed the door and set the pack on her bed. When she opened it, it was a long floor-length tunic in royal blue, covered with silver embroidery. A wide sash was designed to give her a waist, so she wrapped the sash around and around until it covered her from below her breasts to the top of her hips.

  Being a member of the Zel family meant that she had been trained in Wralik fashion, and this clothing was definitely traditional.

  She went to the small dressing table and found a hairbrush. She combed her white locks out and braided the front into a coronet that would keep the rest in check.

  When she was dressed, she got to her feet and checked her reflection in a nearby mirror. The knock on the door had perfect timing.

  She was about to turn to answer the door when it swung open.

  “You know, I didn’t think you would make it that long. You cost me quite a bit of money.”

  The younger Almoss was staring at her, and he stepped into her room and locked the door behind him.

  Lilia knew what that meant, and she reached behind her to grip the hairbrush.

  “It is not your money. You are draining your family accounts.”

  He snorted and swaggered toward her. His green-grey skin was darkened with emotion, and he appeared to be working himself up to something.

  “There is always more money. Is that why you let him capture you? Did Xeric promise you money if you would open your thighs for him?” He leaned in and leered. “I guarantee I can double his offer.”

  When he grabbed her arm, he pulled at wounded skin. She hissed and pain guided her.

  Two things happened at the same time. She struck him in the throat with the hairbrush and the door exploded.

  Lemko dropped to the ground a moment before Xeric hauled him back and slammed him into the wall.

  Lilia took a seat at the dressing table again and checked to make sure that she hadn’t reopened her wound. The area was red, but not bleeding.

  Xeric didn’t ask her what had happened; he merely grabbed his brother and hauled him out of the room.

  Since there was now nothing to bar her way, Lilia followed him.

  There was really nothing else for her to do.

  Chapter Six

  The Almosses looked a little startled to have Xeric hauling Lemko by the back of his neck. Lilia stayed back in the shadows and watched.

  “I am calling the peacekeepers. Lemko assaulted Lilia Zel under our roof.” Xeric growled.

  Madame Almoss looked shocked. “You can’t be serious. Why would he want that alien? She is so pale and pasty.”

  Lilia winced. Ouch.

  “She has his handprint on her arm, over a recently healed wound. There is no way she invited that touch; it would have been agony.”

  Lemko sneered. “That is what she likes.”

  Xeric looked down. “Why were you in her quarters?”

  “I was greeting our guest, and she threw herself at me.”

  Madame Almoss frowned. “Lemko, what is wrong with your voice?”

  Xeric coughed a laugh. “She was so hot for him, she defended herself with a hairbrush to his throat. He was on the ground when I came in.”

  Xeric’s father cleared his throat. “Darling, I am fairly sure that Xeric knows what he saw. You know that Lemko has a tendency to leap first.”

  Madame scowled. “She must have enticed him.”

  Lilia stepped forward. “Not through a closed door I didn’t. By Wralik standards, your treatment of me as a representative of the Zel family is sadly lacking. If it were not for Xeric’s care of my wounds, I would be calling the peacekeepers myself.”

  Madame Almoss flinched. “Miss Zel, I did not know you were there.”

  Xeric muttered, “I did.”

  “I realise that, but do you also realise that Lemko was trying to bribe me into his bed before he tried force? It might explain the financial issues that you are facing. If that is the only way he can get laid, it must be expensive to have him as a son.”

  Madame’s skin darkened to a charcoal grey. “I apologize for the insult to you under our roof. You will be safe here for the next three days.”

  She chuckled. “I doubt it. I have no door and the look in his eyes is indicating that he will deal with me when I am alone. If he is here, I am not safe.”

  Lemko grovelled, “Mother, please. I promise to mend my ways.”

  His father put his arm around Madame Almoss. “While the matriarch has the final say, until you pay for your transgressions under our roof, you are no longer my son.”

  Xeric nodded. “Keep an eye on him while I call the peacekeepers.”

  Lemko was grovelling at his mother’s feet, begging for leniency. Madame Almoss’s lips tightened. “Miss Zel, show me your arm.”

  That was easy. Lilia lifted her sleeve and the darkening mark was readily visible.

  Lemko’s eyes hardened, and he got to his feet, lunging for Lilia. This time, she didn’t pull her punches.

  She struck hard and fast at the pressure points she had taken the trouble to learn when she first arrived. He was paralyzed and twitching on the floor in a flurry of strikes.

  Madame Almoss blinked, and her husband smiled slowly. “Miss Zel, you seem to be able to defend yourself.”

  Lilia rubbed her fingers. “Madame Zel insisted that I learn as my obvious differences would make me a target in certain circles. She hired a trainer for me, and I learned.”

  Xeric returned and looked at his brother, who was still straining to breathe. “Why didn’t you do that to me?”

  She sighed and ticked it off on her fingers. “First, I was falling out of a tree; second, I was tired; and third, I was tied up. Fourth, we had an agreement.”

  He grinned. “We do indeed.”

  Madame Almoss came forward and extended her hands. “Welcome to our home, Miss Zel. May we start over?”

  She nodded. “We can. I am pleased to be here, Madame Almoss.” She took the woman’s hands in hers and clasped them briefly before doing the same to Xeric’s father.

  “Call me Yeena; this is my husband, Xarit.”

  “I am glad to be here, Yeena, Xarit. Xeric has promised me the opportunity to work with your business, and I am eager to get started.”

  Yeena blinked. “Aren’t you tired?”

  “I am exhausted, but I am awake now, and it is best to start when you want to and rest when you need to.” Lilia smiled.

  Xeric smiled. “I will take her to the office, and she can begin there.”

  Lilia looked down at Lemko. “Shouldn’t we tie him up?”

  Xarit nodded. “I will manage it. He will leave with the peacekeepers and no one will intercede this time.”

  The subtext was that someone had helped cover up Lemko’s bad behaviour before. Yeena looked embarrassed, and Lilia pegged her as the culprit. A mother wanted to protect her youngest, even when he was approaching his thirtieth year.

  Xeric nodded and gestured for her to walk ahead of him out of the family sitting room. She did and he followed so close she could feel his body heat.

  “I am sorry that my brother tried to assault you.” His words were whispered, but his deep voice carried them through the hall.

  “I am sorry
that I had to defend myself. I really don’t like doing it.”

  He placed his hand on her waist and steered her through the halls to an elaborately arched doorway where the office of the family company was waiting for her. With a sense of anticipation, she slid behind the terminal and started pulling up the data that she wanted on the large screens. Since it was a family terminal, she got right into the finances and found what she had dreaded. Lemko was indeed draining the company dry. On the plus side, there was still a profit to be had, but if they didn’t turn the financial habits around immediately, there wouldn’t be for long.

  A tray of snacks appeared at her side during her investigation, and she nibbled as she went.

  When she had a solid picture of the Almosses’ finances, she stopped and yawned. It was time for bed.

  She got to her feet, and Xeric rose from his crouching position near the doorway. Surprised, she asked, “Have you been there the whole time?”

  “We have already seen that you are not safe here, so I am going to be at your side for the next three days.”

  She quirked her lips. “That isn’t going to be very practical.”

  “Leave the practicality to me. I have had the servants prepare my room. It has a locking door.” He smiled.

  Lilia sighed. “Fine. Do you want a briefing today?”

  He offered her his arm. “If you like. You will have to repeat it tomorrow for my parents.”

  She nodded. “Right. I have to ask. Are you just here for a while or are you staying?”

  Xeric grinned. “We have unfettered access to the forest for ten years. I am staying for the next decade.”

  Lilia smiled. “I am sure if you start a family that it and Briel’s little one will get along just fine, being neighbours and all.”

  She tried to rein in her tongue. It tended to run away with her when she was tired.

  “Do you want children?”

  She shook her head. “No. I am too broken to deal with someone who depends on me like that.”

  As they walked the halls, she asked him. “What is it like to join a group of the purples?”

  He paused for a moment before he said, “It was the first time I felt like I was not an accident of birth. It felt right. While I kept in touch and visited my family, the forest and the rangers were home.”

  “I feel like that when I am working on organizing. I feel like I am where I am supposed to be. Nothing else matters.”

  They were in the family wing, and he guided her to a bedroom easily three times the size of hers. She untied the sash and carefully folded it as she removed it.

  He bustled about, placing a sleeping gown on the bed, and then, he removed himself to the bathroom.

  Lilia removed her tunic and folded it carefully. It was her only clothing option during daylight hours, so she wanted to make sure it stayed looking fresh.

  She slipped the gauzy sleeping gown over her head a moment before Xeric returned wearing a set of shorts and nothing else.

  “So, this is your version of keeping me safe?” She raised her brows as she folded the sheets back. She slid inside and sighed as her body unclenched. All the tension she had been using to hold herself upright suddenly gave way.

  She was pretty sure she was out before Xeric had answered her question.

  She felt something nuzzling at her cheek and opened her eyes. Her field of vision was filled with purple skin and dark hair.

  Xeric leaned back and then moved in, brushing his lips across hers. Once, twice and the third time, she leaned up to meet him.

  The kiss was soft and exploring. He gave her a chance to say no at every increase in intimacy.

  The sun was bright outside the window and saying no was not in her plans. He was kind, he was protective and he was hot.

  His light touch roamed over her back and hip, dancing across her thigh before stroking in between.

  Her sleeping gown was pulled slowly up and out of the way until his fingers were sliding against her sex, parting her and rubbing across her clit. She gasped against his lips and held him tightly.

  The width of his hand opened her thighs, and he slipped two fingers into her after teasing her for a moment. He thrust into her slowly as he continued to kiss her wildly.

  She twisted against his hand, and he pressed rhythmically on her clit until she gasped and twitched against him, letting her breath out on a low groan against his lips.

  When she stilled, he removed his hand and slid her sleep shirt down over her hips once again.

  “Good morning, Lilia.”

  His crystal eyes were gently amused.

  She licked her swollen lips and blinked. “Um, good morning, Xeric.”

  He winked and ran his hand down her back. “I believe that we should get to the business at hand.”

  She wished that he was talking about continuing the tangle of limbs, but she knew that he was referring to the actual business. With a sigh, she rolled to the edge of the bed and flipped the bedding back before grabbing the long tunic and stalking to the bathroom.

  The rush of energy that accompanied her orgasm worked on her better than any cup of coffee from home ever could. A shower would have to calm her down. If Xeric didn’t want to spend a day in bed with her, that was his loss. She would do the job she had agreed to do and go back to the Zels to face whatever the result of her failure was.

  She was prepared to live with her mistakes.

  The inventory was simple and straightforward. She let Xeric look it over and make notes, because she had no idea what went into making perfume that was spread across the galaxy, but so exclusive that one family could create the product.

  She focused on totalling the expenditures that Lemko had accrued that had nothing to do with the business. A tally of truly horrific proportions was coming to light under her hand. Lilia worked out a few options for marketing and a plan for getting the finances under control.

  “Mother has requested that you join the family for dinner this evening.” Xeric mentioned it in an offhand way.

  “Lovely. When?” She kept her focus on the monitor. It went black, and she looked around, finding Xeric standing next to her.

  “What was that about?”

  “It is time for dinner. You can frolic with the numbers later, though I would love to show you the lab.”

  She sighed and looked at him for a moment in silence before she stood and put her hand in the one he extended to her.

  The walk down the hall had them passing a number of servants who moved with a spring in their step. It was a marked difference from the day before.

  Lilia had to ask. “What is it with the chirpy mood here?”

  Xeric chuckled. “Apparently, Lemko liked to involve himself with all women he felt were vulnerable. They are pressing charges, and it has been a transformative day in the Almoss household.”

  Lilia let out a slow breath. “That would explain it.”

  He squeezed her hand. “It would indeed.”

  They joined Yeena and Xarit in a lovely dining room, and at their request, Lilia gave them a briefing on the financial situation and watched as course after course was brought in.

  Each plate that Lilia was served was aesthetic perfection. Beauty after beauty. The elder Almosses did not fare as well and Xeric didn’t seem to care.

  When a double-sized dessert was put in front of her, Lilia stopped her dissertation on Lemko’s annual spending on whores and bribing unwilling women and burst into laughter.

  The minuscule portions of sweet on the plates of the other three spoke volumes.

  “I don’t know if I can eat all of this, but I will try.”

  The female servant winked and left the room.

  “That was Ahla. She is the mother of one of the girls who apparently suffered Lemko’s attentions.” Yeena’s voice wavered. “How did I not know?”

  Lilia looked at her. “You didn’t want to know, and he played to that. It is a common behaviour.
You are his mother. Your instincts were always to protect him; unfortunately, he took advantage of that reflex.”

  There was a pause in conversation, and Lilia took pity on them. “Well, what did you think when Xeric came out purple?”

  The entire room perked up, and Xeric looked embarrassed.

  Yeena told her tales about how proud they were, how the rangers came to the hospital and gave them a list of requirements for his schooling as well as appointments to check on his development.

  Lilia smiled. “How was he as a baby?”

  Yeena leaned back and sighed. “Active. Every moment we weren’t watching him, he was out in the gardens, sniffing and tasting the plants and making friends with the forest creatures.”

  Xeric looked a little embarrassed, but he shrugged. “It seemed like the thing I needed to do at the time.”

  Lilia looked at him. “You remember that?”

  Xarit chuckled. “His kind are born with minds wide awake. It is why their education is so important.”

  Lilia nodded. “I can see that.”

  Yeena cocked her head. “What of your people?”

  “You mean the Zels?”

  “No, those on your world that raised you.”

  Lilia paused. “My early days are better off ignored. I was not a wanted child, but when I was a teenager, a woman took me in and taught me to shape my will to attainable goals and pursue them. I learned that the past could not be undone, but it was the future that mattered. I was taught to focus on a goal and achieve it and then move to the next. I hopped into my life that way and that is what brought me here.”

  Yeena struggled with that concept, but Xarit chipped in. “It is a good thing that you did make it this far. What is your next goal?”

  Lilia prodded at the mountain of dessert. “That depends on the Zels. If I resume my duties as assistant, I will continue to slowly build their business, to make it impervious to decline by virtue of careful diversification.”

  Yeena leaned forward. “Is that possible?”

  She shrugged. “Sure. There is always another use for a product or another market. You need to know about them, to research them, and when one outlet fades, you have to wake up to your options and bring them to life.”