about her life and right now she didn’t want to divulge such personal details.
“Then who raised you?”
“My-my aunt and uncle.” She pretended to study something outside the window as she drew in a deep breath. After exhaling, she turned back to Rem, determined to change the direction of their conversation. “What about you? Do your parents live on Mars? Are they nearby?”
“My parents live a short walk away. I am fortunate that my mother is alive and in good health—we lost most of our females many years ago when the Xieandans poisoned the water supplies on our home planet. My father was a palace guard at the time and we lived on the palace grounds in the capital city on Marttiaxoxalia. The palace drew water from a source so deep beneath the ground that the poison—which only affected our females—hadn’t yet reached it, but most females who lived outside the palace grounds perished.”
“I am glad to hear your mother survived. Did you lose anyone you cared about because of the Xieandans?”
A look of pure rage entered his eyes, causing her to draw away from him. Obviously, she had hit a nerve with this last question. She wondered who he might’ve lost and prayed he didn’t have any sisters who’d lived outside the palace grounds on Marttiaxoxalia.
He stood up and moved to the window, staring out at the flowering trees. “I lost someone I used to care about,” he said after a long, tense silence, “however, I do not wish to speak of it any further.”
“Of course. I’m sorry.” She clasped her hands together and sat unmoving, her shoulders hunched as she bent into herself slightly, as if she might ease his anger if only she were very quiet and very still. This method had sometimes worked with her uncle, particularly when he was in the midst of a drunken rage. If she couldn’t run past him and hide, she would be quiet until his rage ran its course, hopefully without any harm coming upon her. However, she wasn’t always so lucky.
“Would you like to contact your aunt and uncle, Tyra? To let them know you have arrived safely on Mars?” He turned to her, his posture still tense.
“I, um…” She fidgeted in place and fumbled for words. “They don’t have a video comm, but I will eventually send them a message.” God, she couldn’t tell him the truth and she hoped he forgot about her promise to send them a message. She wouldn’t mind speaking with her aunt, but she knew her uncle would never permit the contact. He would be furious when he discovered she’d fled Bismarck and ruined his big plans for her. It was best to close the door on this part of her life forever, even if it meant never speaking to her aunt again.
“Very well,” Rem said. “The video comm system in my abode is also capable of transmitting messages to Earth. You are free to use it whenever you wish.”
“Thank you.” She had a few friends she hoped to contact, but that was it.
“I’ll bring your suitcase upstairs now, and you can unpack while I clean up the kitchen.” His nostrils flared then and he pinned her with a heated look. “I will come find you when I am finished.”
A shiver rippled through her, even as heat quaked between her thighs. She hadn’t missed the note of promise in his voice, nor the desire in his eyes.
He expected to consummate their union—and soon.
Chapter 7
When Rem returned to his bedroom a short while later, he found Tyra curled up in a chair by the window, sound asleep. Though the day was warm, the breeze kept ruffling her hair, and he noticed her shiver as goosebumps rose on her arms. He quickly grabbed a cover from the bed and draped it over her, taking his time to tuck the blanket around her.
He had hoped to finally claim her as his mate when he came upstairs, but he found he was more than content to watch her sleeping. She appeared younger in sleep and peaceful, all traces of worry absent from her pretty, innocent face.
As he stood watching her, he mulled over her life on Earth. It saddened him that she’d lost her mother and father at such an early age, especially losing her mother when she was too young to remember her. How tragic.
He decided to contact the Martian Affairs offices in Zone 15 and arrange for a video comm to be delivered to her uncle’s