Collateral Trade by Candace Smith Page A

she eyed the amber liquid skeptically. For some reason, she did not feel threatened by him. “I don’t want to be drugged.” Tian smiled, and this time Sharell felt her sexual responses awakening. It was frightening and confusing. As soon as fear began to build, it seemed to wash away.
    “It is very mild, Sharell. I give you my word. It is from the buds of the sachan flower.” Tian sat next to her, silently communicating with Chaya and keeping her calm. “Were your quarters like these?” This was a safe topic. Tian knew with their overpopulated status and the size of their ship, they could not be, but he felt letting her speak while the sachan took hold was best.
    “No.” Sharell sniffed and took a small sip. She was fighting a losing battle over her nerves, and she reluctantly decided it might be better to drink the damn stuff and calm down. Sweet, delicate fruit coated her tongue. Her eyes widened and she blinked up at Tian. “This is delicious.” For the past two years, all she had had was water filtered through condensers. “I shared a space with Janella.” Oh god, Janella. Tears sprung to her eyes.
    Tian felt a wave of pain and sorrow and immediately tried to pull her close. Sharell sprang to her feet and ran to the door, staring at them. Chaya bolted to his feet and scanned the room. “Do you sense a threat? Where?” They had meager information on the profile, and he was unsure what senses and defensive abilities she possessed.
    Tian walked slowly towards her, and Sharell flattened her palms and pushed against his broad chest. “The only threat is you.” Tian’s fingers brushed down her arm and Chaya sat down. His comforting caress felt nice, even though she wanted to bolt. Sharell tried to shrug Tian’s arm off her shoulder and she felt a wave of calmness flow through her. She held up the empty glass. Shit, this stuff works fast . “I miss Janella. I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”
    Tian managed to guide her back to the couch with Chaya watching every move. Tian, is she a twin? He would destroy anyone who tried to separate him from his brother.
    I don’t think so. The ship’s log did not indicate any twins on board. She is in so much distress, Chaya. Even with the elixir, I can’t get through the web to find a passage to ease her pain. Tian was frustrated with his failure, and he wished he had studied his scrolls harder.
    Chaya knew he had to do something to rectify the situation, or his brother would sink into despair and his mate would think he lacked the ability to protect her and lead their family. “Why did you not say goodbye? You knew you were offered for trade.”
    “About two seconds before they put us on the shuttle,” Sharell retorted. Her lids felt heavy and her words slurred.
    Chaya tried to control the anger in his voice. He wanted to rip the Chairman apart for hurting his mate this way. “But, they had since yesterday to prepare you.” Tian sat back and watched Chaya’s eyes darken, grateful that at least his dark twin seemed to be in control. “Please explain how and what you were told. It may help me decide how to deal with this.”
    Sharell was crying tears of frustration by the time she finished the short story, and she could see Chaya’s anger and Tian’s compassion. It was strange, but she could almost feel it… especially the dark haired man’s fury. He seemed almost as angry as she was, and the other one, Tian, seemed almost as upset.
    “Tian, comfort our mate. I need to speak with father.”
    Chaya stormed onto the bridge. “They were told nothing.”
    Danilo had been expecting Chaya to show up. He had heard reports of the primitive’s duplicity from other twins, and he had been formulating a course of action with other dark fathers. Above all, it was his duty to see the true bonding was not disrupted.
    Chaya gripped the edge of the console until his biceps bulged. “They have been ripped from everything they know by their deceitful leaders, with no