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touch, even embrace our surroundings. Everything on Inarr feels good.” He squeezed her hand with his, but wasn’t surprised when she quickly let go.
    She looked up into the sky. “There are no birds?”
    “No. Birds are something I believe are only on your world. I have never seen any. Would you show me one?” Casually he reached over to run his other hand along the skin of her arm. She started slightly but this time didn’t pull away. Something within him relaxed, the tightness uncoiling as he realized she was accepting him much quicker than he’d expected. The incredible gift of m’ittar had blessed them again. By bringing her to a place of his personal peace, he’d fulfilled her desire to see an alien world and had reached her in a way no other action could have. The gods blessed his mission.
    He studied her as she scanned the horizon. Her smooth skin, naked of Inarrii L’inar, was intensely appealing. He swallowed as he realized that his need to comfort her was gone, satisfied as she relaxed and put aside her pain, but his desire for her was steadily increasing. The mission might be blessed, but that didn’t mean it would be easy. He must put aside his sensuality and concentrate on finding the truth.
    It was clear that her vulnerability, so appealing to his protective nature, was caused by her recent captivity. He’d read Agent Alinna Gaerrii’s reports carefully as she’d met Captain Branscombe and they had indicated a strong, independent personality not given to hesitation or timid behavior. The change pointed to innocence, unless she had somehow fooled the Inarrii Agent. However unlikely that might seem, it was still something to watch for, especially considering how easily she was adapting to m’ittar. Her mind was very strong, and she was learning fast. Intelligence, beauty, vulnerability—no, the mission wouldn’t be easy.
    “How can I show you?”
    He shook his head, her words confused for a moment with his more immediate desire. Clamping down on his response, he thanks the gods he’d left his chammiss robes on or she might have noticed the slight thickening of his L’inar as he responded to her in a way she would surely feel inappropriate. He must retain control over his attraction. He had a duty to perform and even if his initial assessment told him she was innocent, he must find the proof and be absolutely certain. Everything hinged upon that.
    “Remember a bird, one you observed on your home world. That’s what this is, a memory. I am not imagining this place, I am remembering it and sharing that memory with you. Just remember a time when you saw a bird in flight, and I will guide you in sharing that moment.”
    She hesitated, then closed her eyes. It wasn’t necessary for her to close them, but he wasn’t about to interrupt her when she was trusting him, trying something new. A bird would surely have innocent associations for her and relax her further.
    “When I was young I would hike with a friend out of the city. We would stay out, sometimes overnight. When you get far enough away from the buildings there are more animals than just the usual city pests. There are seagulls.”
    Asler sucked in a breath as the terrain changed around them. He didn’t have to help her. As Agent Gaerrii had reported, human m’ittar was stronger than anyone might have anticipated. From the beautiful coastal shoreline of his home, their surroundings morphed into a scrubby wasteland, tainted with the hint of city pollution. There were patches of green—long grass and thorny bushes. It wasn’t what he had expected. Susan must have grown up in one of the heavily overpopulated inner-continent cities. This patch of empty land would be all there was before another city began.
    “You call them seagulls, but you are far from the sea?”
    “They used to live mostly near the sea. Now they’re everywhere and can survive by feeding on almost anything. They survived when even the vultures died. They’re