Page 12 of Sevan

Lorelei drew back from Christian. He looked down at Lorelei with wide eyes. “It happened again, didn’t it?”

Sevan wanted to know what the man was talking about but held his tongue.

Nina touched Christian’s arm. “How much can you remember?”

“I knew what I was saying was wrong but I couldn’t stop. Lorelei, I didn’t mean to pin you to the ground. I…”

Lorelei smiled and Sevan’s heart beat madly in his chest. He wanted that directed at him, not the psycho before her. “Christian, we will win. I promise you this. See how far you’ve come in seven months? You’re now able to recall what you do during the spells, and even fight him. I watched you hesitate a little bit ago, and when you tackled me, you should have crushed me. You didn’t. See, we will beat him.”

Christian snorted. “Is that before or after he uses one of us to kill you, Lorelei? I am a threat to you and shall remove myself from the premises. Change all of the access codes and give the information only to the females. It might be wise to section the males off and quarantine them again until the passing of the moons. His power weakens after that and will take some time to recover.”

Lorelei shook her head. “No, Christian. You will stay with us. Your place is here.”

“It’s getting to the point that I’m overreacting to every tiny thing you do. I know that the elders arranged a marriage between us even though we both know it wasn’t to be. I cannot replace Samson. Yet I can’t stop the hate that burns when I think of you with another man. I want you to be happy, Lorelei. I do. Why am I suddenly jealous of every aspect of your life?” Christian cupped her cheek and Sevan wanted to beat him until he lost consciousness. “I will never forget waking to find you the way I did, and I will never forget knowing it was I who caused it.”

Nina moved forward fast and pushed him hard. “You did not cause anything. He could just as easily manipulate the men standing among us now and attack her. He picked you to prove a point. The man is a lunatic, Christian, and wants to make the biggest statement he can. Having you, the Chieftain, destroy Lorelei would be the ultimate irony. The only thing that could top that would be for Lorelei’s true mate to arrive and slit her throat because he deemed it so.”

Sevan stiffened. Who was this evil man they were speaking of?

Lorelei laughed. “Always a ray of light, aren’t you, Nina?”

“I’m honest.”

Jordan sighed. “Brutally so.”

Everyone just stared at him. Nina cast him a dirty look and Jordan winked at her. For a moment, Sevan thought she might actually punch Jordan. He wouldn’t stop her. Seeing his brother get his ass kicked by a girl would be hilarious.

Christian nodded. “I shall take my leave of you all now.”

Nina and Lorelei grabbed hold of him. Nina shook her head. “He can manipulate any man’s thoughts at will. It is a risk we both know and watch for. We know that we are only truly safe with one another, carefully removed from the male population, but we also know that these men he uses are our friends, brothers, husbands or fathers. They aren’t monsters. They are people we love. Removing ourselves from them means he wins yet again.”

What man was this?

Sevan glanced at Jordan and found him staring at Nina with possessiveness in his eyes. Was it possible that his brother was as taken by Nina as Sevan was with Lorelei? Could it be that fate had intervened and caused the rupture in the fuel tanks to get them here on purpose?

“Uh, is there something we should know about?” Jordan asked, eyeing Nina carefully.

It was Lorelei who answered. “Nina, see to it that our men are aiding in the repair of their vessel and that they are stocked with food and any additional supplies they require. Captain, what is the ratio of females to males aboard your ship?”

Curious as to why her tone was now so cold, Sevan tipped his head and watched her. “I believe it’s about seven to three, males being the majority. Why?”

Nina stared at him. “Alert your females that they are to watch their male crewmen carefully. It would be wise to suggest they go to a portion of your vessel where they can seal themselves in if need be. We have such locations here, and they are most welcome to use them. I can assure you that the facilities are extremely comfortable and quite safe from attack.”

“From attack? Watch the male crewmen? What the hell is going on here?” demanded Sevan.

Christian stepped forth. “My apologies for my lack of manners, Captain Vasil. I am Chieftain Christian Beauden. You have already met two of my head advisors, Lorelei and Nina Janelle. Nina is head of security and defense, and Lorelei’s skills do not have a particular label, but it is safe to say she is a powerful leader among our people. While it is nice to have visitors, this is not the best time. To explain it would take longer than you are permitted to be here. Should you or any of your men begin to feel a tugging, the slightest of mental pulls, perhaps a driving suggestion or urge, then you should hand your weapon to the nearest female and back away fast. Notify whoever is closest that it has occurred and expect to be placed in restraints until it is clear you no longer pose a threat to anyone.”

Sevan’s mouth dropped open. “What? Neither I nor my men pose a threat to anyone who isn’t trying to harm us.”

“Captain,” Christian said softly. “As much as I would love to debate this matter with you, it’s pointless. Do as I’ve instructed or live with the knowledge that you may hurt or possibly murder someone against your will.” Christian glanced at Lorelei. “From your responsiveness to Lorelei, my guess would be that you are a prime target for manipulation. Currently, it is Lorelei he wishes to destroy. That being said, no females are safe when he strikes, so all males pose a risk.”

“Who the hell is he and what do you mean ‘prime target for manipulation’?” Sevan asked, confused and concerned for Lorelei’s safety. “I would never hurt her. I’ve thought she was a figment of my imagination for—” He stopped instantly, not wanting to reveal he’d dreamed of her.

Lorelei locked gazes with him and his body tightened. “Captain, please do as Nina asked. I don’t want anything to happen to you or your crew. Had your ship not been in such a dire state of need, I would have had it escorted to the next planet over for your own safety. You and the people who have come with you are my responsibility to keep safe. I was the one who allowed you to dock. I never expected Stegian and the others would attempt to strike during the day. All I can ask is that you take every precaution necessary to assure your safety and that of your crew.”

No longer did Sevan feel the need to argue for answers. The raw emotion in Lorelei’s eyes told him that the steps were needed. He pressed the communicator chip on his waist and kept his eyes on Lorelei. “This is the captain—all female personnel are to report to level two and are to lock it down at the first sign of trouble. No males are permitted on that level. Nonlethal force is permitted to ensure they stay off it. This remains in effect until a native female from this planet notifies you otherwise. Captain out.”

Jordan moved forward. “Sevan, why in the hell are you only allowing females from here to tell them to come out?”

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