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Besides, what is this, The Scarlet Letter? ”

    “I know the book you’re speaking of,” Sylvan said. “And it was the male—the one who abandoned his pregnant female—who should have been shunned and cast out of society. What he did was shameful and wrong—she was blameless.”

    “Blameless, huh?” Rast’s eyes flashed. “It takes two to tango, buddy.”

    “Well you’re not going to be giving Nadiah any dancing lessons—understood?” Sylvan pinned him with a cold glare. “I mean it, Rast, she’s a virgin and she’s going to stay that way. Do you understand?”

    The human’s eyes widened with surprise. “You sure about that? I mean, she’s what—twenty-three? Twenty-four? Most women have done some exploring by that age.”

    Sylvan felt red rage rising up in him but somehow he held onto his temper. “Nadiah just came of age recently,” he said in a slightly strangled voice. “And yes, I’m sure her virtue is intact. Look, Rast…” He turned fully so he could give the other male the full weight of his glare. “Virginity is very, very important to my people. If Nadiah loses hers to anyone but her bonded mate…well, let’s just say what happened to Hester Prynne would look mild in comparison to what will happen to her. The entire community would shun her and on Tranq Prime, that is no laughing matter. She’d be cast out in the cold— literally.”

    “Okay, okay, I get it. Hands off.” Rast raised one hand in a conciliatory gesture that made the ship sway again. “But how would they even know?” he asked. “I mean, unless Tranq Prime females get pregnant every time or something.”

    “Her scent would be altered—that’s immediately obvious to a Kindred,” Sylvan said, still frowning at him. “But beyond that, her eyes would also change color.”

    “Her eyes?” Rast looked at him as though to be sure he wasn’t joking. “Seriously? Would they turn green or orange or something?”

    “No.” Sylvan shook his head. “They’d either get darker or lighter—only by a shade or two but enough to make it obvious to anyone who knew her before what had happened.”

    “Wow.” Rast shook his head. “That’s bizarre. So her family would take one look at her eyes and know right away she’d been, uh, up to something.”

    “ I would know,” Sylvan emphasized. “And as her protector, I would certainly take action.”

    “I said I wouldn’t touch her, didn’t I?” Rast shot him an unfriendly look. “Look, Sylvan, I’m not the type to take what isn’t offered. You ought to be a hell of a lot more worried about that little bastard waiting for her on your home world. It’s pretty clear what he has in mind if he gets his hands on her.”

    “I know.” Sylvan felt like someone had dumped a fist-sized lump of ice in his stomach. “I can’t bear to think of her being treated like that. Taken that way,” he confessed in a low voice. “She is, as you say, my baby cousin. I used to watch her while her parents were away at functions and sing her to sleep when she had nightmares. The idea of that Goddess-forsaken son of a motherless vorteg hurting her makes me so angry I could kill.”

    Rast squeezed the steering yoke until his knuckles went white. “I know the feeling,” he growled. “That’s exactly what I was thinking when I agreed to take the challenge—that I wanted to kill that little son of a bitch for hurting her. Well, except for the vorteg part.” He looked at Sylvan. “What the hell is a vorteg, anyway?”

    “A low, stinking creature that looks like a cross between a snake and a spider,” Sylvan explained. “It’s about as long as your forearm and covered in greasy brownish-gray hair.”

    “Ugh.” Rast frowned. “Okay, your cursing just took on a whole new meaning. I get it now.” He gave Sylvan a look. “And I get the idea that Nadiah is off limits. So don’t worry—I’ll take good care of her.”

    “You’d better,” Sylvan said grimly. “If