The Peacemaker went pale. “I did not ask for a challenge.”
He turned around and stalked into the building. Treffon and Violet began walking around the camp, supervising the trash pickup.
A short time later, the Peacemaker came back. There was an ugly smirk on his face. “I have contacted headquarters to report your insubordination. We are leaving immediately. We only came here as a courtesy to you because Ilyria is a trade partner, but apparently you do not appreciate our assistance. We can take all of them with us now and drop them off at a detention center, or they become your problem permanently.”
And he left Treffon and Violet, strolling off rapidly with a stiff, angry gait.
“You’re letting them stay?” Violet said hopefully. This was a new side of Treffon, who had just recently said that he would protect only his pack members.
Treffon avoided her gaze. “It would make you unhappy if I sent them away. Come with me while I make arrangements, and do not leave my side.” He was back to barking orders at her again, but Violet didn’t mind. His primary concern was her safety, and that touched her deeply.
After the camp had been cleaned up, Treffon gathered all of the remaining species in the common area. He informed them that the Peacemakers were leaving, and that the Vulfans would now be in charge.
He explained to them why the Karvangii had behaved as they had. He promised them that the needed dietary supplements would be arriving soon, and the Karvangiis’ behavior would return to normal.
Violet had to admire the way he’d handled it. He was acting as a diplomat, as a negotiator. He didn’t try to use brute force on the exhausted and traumatized aliens. He was not his father’s son. He was his own man – a much, much better man.
Soon there were food deliveries arriving, along with forty new guards from the Wor-Lan and Thorolf packs.
Violet organized a cookout, and that evening they ate dinner together under the sprinkling of stars in the sky. The mood in the camp was hopeful. The new guards mingled with the aliens, and they all took turns singing songs from their native worlds.
That night, Treffon and Violet slept together in a sleep pod, in a room with hundreds of other aliens. There was no privacy there, so there was no chance of love-making, and Violet burned with desire as she lay wrapped in Treffon’s arms.
“Tomorrow,” Treffon mumbled into Violet’s ear, his fingers lightly skimming her arm.
“Tomorrow what?”
“Tomorrow we will return to our room and I will pleasure you beyond your wildest dreams.”
Violet struggled to stifle a moan of desire. “I will consider your offer and let you know my response in the morning.”
Treffon kissed the top of her head. “You are already responding to my offer…my sense of smell is excellent. I can smell the delicious sweetness of your arousal. You wish to be with me immediately. You do not wish to wait.”
Violet rolled away from him and tried to be indignant. “It’s a good thing you’re not my true mate. You are rude and crude. Hmph.”
She drifted off to sleep to the sound of Treffon chuckling quietly to himself.
