Guardian of the Storm by Kaitlyn O'Connor Page A

institute of marriage, as the ancients had known it, vanished once it became unnecessary.
    It had been invented to begin with by males, to ensure their breeding lines. With the advancements in genetics, that was no longer an issue. The females could choose the best male to produce children with, the male was in no doubt of the child’s paternity, and the female could then pursue sex as recreation the same as their male counterparts, reproducing only when, or if, they felt the inclination.
    The destruction of the colony had put her in the same position the women of her own world had held centuries ago. Without birth control, she was at the mercy of nature, which was dangerous enough without adding the possibility of cultural repercussions.
    The realization vanquished the last of her internal battle between giving in to her inclinations and ‘flight’. She shivered and moved away from Kiran. “We should sleep if we’re leaving tomorrow.”
    He studied her for some time after she’d climbed atop the pillows and covered herself. Tempest didn’t look at him, but she felt his puzzled, angry gaze. Finally, to her relief, he moved around the tent, dousing the lights.
    She rolled away from him when she felt the pillows shift as he climbed onto the pillow bed beside her. She could feel tension radiating from him as he lay stiffly on his back, staring up at the dark shadows of the tent above them.
    “You have decided to choose a mate among your own people,” he said, his voice flat, giving away none of his thoughts.
    Tempest stiffened. Kiran wasn’t one to beat around the bush, but she hadn’t expected him to be quite so direct. Finally, she shrugged. Then she remembered that he couldn’t really see her. “I’m sure it would be best,” she replied noncommittally.
    “For you?”
    Tempest sighed. “Probably for everybody. I don’t imagine the customs of the people are much like the customs of any of the Niahians. We’ve been on your world for years now without having a cultural clash. It just seems to me that the best way to avoid problems would be if we continued to keep to ourselves.”
    He said nothing for several moments. “You could learn the way of our people.”
    Tempest felt a surge of anger. “Well, maybe I think the ways of my own people are worth saving.”
    “I would not take that from you,” he said tightly, trying to control his own anger.
    “Because you can’t—anymore than you can give it. It’s part of who and what I am. Don’t you see that? I wouldn’t be me if I hadn’t grown up as I did. My culture is part of everything I think and say and do.... Just as yours is.”
    Abruptly, he seized her shoulder, bearing her down in the pillows as he shifted half atop her. “I will not always be bound by the vows I have taken,” he growled.
    Tempest swallowed against a little thrill of fear … and, if the truth were told, excitement. “What do you mean by that?” she asked a little breathlessly, unable to see him well enough in the shadows to read his expression.
    “I will be free to take what I want.”
    Tempest stared up at him speechlessly, wondering if it was a threat … or a promise. “What do you want?” she asked a little hoarsely.
    He hesitated. So abruptly she was caught completely off guard, he angled his mouth over hers. She jumped reflexively at the connection of sensitive flesh to flesh, but it didn’t even occur to her to try to resist when he forced her lips to part with the pressure of his mouth and thrust his tongue into her mouth. Heat instantly enveloped her with the first aggressive rake of his tongue along hers, burgeoned like a flash fire as he claimed every inch of the sensitive cavern with bold, hungry strokes. Her taste buds exploded with the flavor that was uniquely his, throwing her entire system into chaos as every follicle sprang as instantly to attention as if she’d been struck by a jolt of electricity, bringing every square inch of her flesh to