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be angered at the fact that the Droushanian were watching them.
    Wiping her tears away, she took a deep breath and stepped outside of her quarters. Turning her face to the Droushanian camp, she nodded and then started to walk toward her people’s community center, where she knew her dad would be. She would leave it to the guards to figure out who had entered her home without her approval and destroyed everything she had.
    * * * *
    Pressing his fists to the console, Kraven stared at the monitor and watched Elisabeth. She was upset. He could see it in the lines of her body and the tightness of her face. Something had occurred in her quarters, or she’d found something there. It was clear in the way she held herself as she walked out of her quarters. That she’d come back out without a mark on her or harmed in any outward appearance meant nothing.
    There were many ways to harm another.
    Why he cared at all was something he would have to investigate later. Along with his odd reaction to the tiny human female. Her scent, on the night breeze, had teased his nose and made his body harden. This was not the way a Droushanian male should ever react to an alien female.
    This was not the way he should react to any alien female. His life had a very set plan, one laid out when he’d been nothing but a child, long before he’d even had sight of puberty and turning into an adult male.
    And yet… Something about Elisabeth Washington brought out urges from within that could well be very dangerous. Not only to her, but to any around him. Every Droushanian male held untold power inside of himself. It came with their darker natures and the Beast, as it was called on his world.
    He would have to watch himself around her, catalog everything. If it was merely a reaction to a new race, he would need to alert the scientists. If it was her…
    If it was her, he would have to ensure he was never around her again.
    * * * *
    Elisabeth went to the commons room. Seeing her dad standing there, she approached him and quietly asked to talk with him privately. When they were alone, she turned and began to speak.
    “Dad, while I was delivering the gifts to the Droushanians, someone broke into my quarters and destroyed everything. Nothing was left untouched. They even killed my plant.” A plant that was rare, which had survived their trip in one of the stasis pods. “I don’t know who would do something like this.”
    Okay, so she was blatantly lying to her dad, but she knew if she mentioned the Droushanian could see into their settlement, life would be very difficult. The trust would be broken where she didn’t think that destruction of trust was deserved. She was glad to have the Droushanians watching over and protecting her people, but she had always seen things differently from others.
    “For what purpose?” Markus asked with a frown marring his features. Clasping his hands behind his back, he began to pace, a pose that Elisabeth knew all too well. “Why would someone do that to your quarters? Perhaps we should go and see the damage done?”
    “Of course, Dad. I also think that we should bring along the guards so that they can begin their investigation and find who did this?” She offered because she wanted them to do the research and find the man whom she knew had broken into her quarters.
    “Yes, I will get the captain and ensure that he starts his search immediately.” Markus nodded absently. After making a communications call to the captain of the guard, Markus said, “Let’s head to your quarters, and you can tell me about the Droushanian?”
    “Of course, Dad. They were very peaceful. Quiet. They simply want to ensure our protection,” Eli said honestly.
    * * * *
    Watching his friend, Lukkis had to wonder if he should be worried. Kraven was acting oddly, out of sorts really, and definitely not like his normal self. And yet, if Lukkis hadn’t known Kraven so well, he would never have noticed.
    It was little things really. So small