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protection. His mother
didn’t have the warrior battle scent. She had tried, and she had loved him.
Doss had loved her for trying so hard. Doss hung his head for a brief moment.
Thinking about his mother left him sad, feeling lonely. But he wasn’t alone; he
needed to convince Zoe to stay with him. She would be safe.
    Doss spoke a command and a tray of food appeared in
the replicator. When he returned to Zoe, she was watchful. She grabbed the tray
and practically pounced on it. Thankfully her wariness and her hunger were her
only emotions. Doss had felt his head spin with every feeling she had bombarded
him with. Human females were bathed in emotion. Perhaps it was their battle
weapon; it was harder than hell to fight. When her eyes had leaked, he had been
terrified she was drowning. Doss had never felt such fear in his life. He knew
part of it was her own fear, but it had been horrible
to think he was the cause.
    As she stuffed food into her mouth, barely chewing, he
was remorseful. Maybe the stallion could take better care of her. The thought angered him. It wasn’t his fault. He
didn’t know females, not really. And human females were new to them all. He had
heard the chatter of the Tonans when they didn’t know
he was listening. They claimed the human females were weak and pitiful. Tonans thought their fear was hilarious.
    Doss had felt Zoe’s fear. He found nothing about it in
the least humorous. Yet another reason to loathe Tonans . Zoe coughed and guzzled the water from his
flask. It dribbled down her chin and throat wetting the bed sheet that dried
the spot immediately. She resumed her meal. Attacking it as
though it would disappear.
    “I won’t starve you,” Doss said.
    Zoe looked up at him. Her cheeks bulged. Her eyes were
wide. Her teeth made a chuck, chuck sound. Okay maybe that was a little funny. It reminded him of his mother telling him
to chew his food. Doss shook his head as even more passed her lips. He thought
one more bite and her head would explode. Her finger was pressed to her lips to
keep everything in.
    The sheet slipped to her waist. Her high breasts were
exposed. His mother had told him a woman could feed a baby with those beautiful
round globes. Oddly enough, he thought it would be interesting to touch one.
Just to see what it would feel like. Zoe continued to chew contentedly with her
eyes closed. She had finished everything on her plate, drank all of the water
and now she looked tired.
    Doss settled her back into the sheets. He continued to
stroke her face with his fingers. He remembered how to calm a female from his
ancestor’s memories. They were buried deep but once he touched Zoe, they sprang
to the surface and Doss knew what he needed to do because of his emotional
scent ability. She relaxed under his touch. Now he knew why his mother had
yielded to his father. The secretions didn’t make a woman want a male; they
just calmed her enough to decide without any other influence, such as fear or
even common sense. It was only what she wanted.
    “I can tell you aren’t afraid of me any more .” Doss’ words were quietly spoken.
    “Did you drug me?”
    “Not exactly. You can separate your own emotions when you’re
calmer. Deal with each individually without being bombarded.”
    “I don’t want to have sex with you.”
    Doss sighed. “I know. I won’t force you. Only a vile
creature would.”
    “The Tonans did that, so did
the Castians to the other women.”
    “Did they do it to you?”
    “No. First they attempted to weaken me. There were
promises of food and fresh water if I told a Castian how badly I wanted him. For a piece of information, they took a woman. I didn’t
want the Castian the Tonan gave
me to and he knew it. He was angry and I was beaten.”
    “The Castians are prisoners.
They wear collars. But they should have more control.”
    “Do you?”
    “Yes.”
    “What are you?”
    Doss would have to tell her eventually. “I’m a Tonian . Not Tonan , not Castian