“You heard him,” Tedra replied carelessly. “Beyond his reach-beyond your reach.”

Brock then announced with a good deal of male chagrin, “The Visitor’s Center has just informed me that the Rover is no longer in Spaceport.”

“Shanelle has left the planet?” Tedra winced at how close Challen was to raising his voice, but he wasn’t finished. “You gave her permission to take the Rover?”

“If I hadn’t let Martha take her off-planet, she would have left alone, and then we wouldn’t see her again. Even now, she thinks she’s not coming back. She’s that serious about not wanting to end up with a warrior. If you had bothered to ask her, she would have told you that. But no, you plowed right ahead in typical barbarian fashion, insisting it had to be your way or no way. Well, she got it her way instead.”

“With your assistance, woman. She could not have left otherwise.”

That was debatable. But as long as Tedra was getting blamed anyway, she might as well keep quiet on that score and take it all. But Challen wasn’t finished telling her how bad she’d been.

“What you have done is shame this house. You deprive this warrior of his right to protect his lifemate.”

Tedra glanced toward Falon, who’d stood silently near the sunken pool all this time, probably in a state of shock at seeing a woman defying and arguing with a warrior. “She’s not his lifemate yet.”

“She will be the moment he finds her,” Challen reminded her. “This you know.”

Perhaps it was time to do some reassuring. “She’s only going to be gone for a few weeks. Martha will see to that. She’s going to work on Shani, help her to conquer her fears.”

“I have waited two risings to claim my lifemate.” Falon spoke for the first time. “I will not wait any longer.” And to Challen, he asked, “Is there a way that I may follow her?”

“It can be arranged.”

“No!” Tedra said incredulously, but she knew it could be arranged, and why hadn’t she considered that?

Her anger now was at least half self-directed, that she was going to fail in protecting Shani after all. But it was Falon she took it out on, marching over to him to rail at him in full volume. “Dammit, what do I have to do, challenge you to get you to back off for a while? Shani needs some time to think and figure out for herself that a life with you won’t be so bad. You know it won’t be, my lifemate knows it, even I do, but Shani… does… not! If you find her before she’s ready, she’s just going to resist you. Is that what you want, warrior? Because if you’re so eager for another fight, I’ll damn well accommodate you.”

By his expression, Falon wasn’t taking her suggestion the least bit seriously, and her anger simply didn’t impress him. “She is mine now to protect, yet is she not here for me to do so. I cannot remain here and do nothing while this is so. But your concern is unnecessary. When I find her, I will not allow her to resist me.”

He might have got away with saying that to any other Sha-Ka’ani mother, but not to one who believed totally in free choice. “That tears it in half, warrior. Consider yourself challenged.”

Falon almost laughed at the absurdity of a woman challenging a warrior. He did smile. But Tedra wasn’t interested in his reaction. Her body loosened into a fighting stance, she heard her lifemate call out, “Do not!” which she ignored, and in the next moment she was delivering a high kick square in the center of Falon’s chest.

He was totally ill-prepared, since he hadn’t expected her to actually attack him. Because of that he was knocked off-balance-right into the sunken pool. He came up shaking hair and water out of his eyes. But those azure eyes quickly settled on Tedra with a heated glare.

“I will not fight you, woman.”

“The hell you won’t. I won’t allow you to refuse. So come on, warrior.” She beckoned him with her fingers to get out of the pool. “How does it feel not to have a choice?”

Unfortunately, Challen intervened at that point, coming to stand beside Tedra, but it was to Falon he spoke. “You cannot be faulted for refusing challenge from the mother of your lifemate. Perhaps you will allow me to stand in your stead?”

“No,” Tedra whispered, even as Falon gratefully nodded his head, and then said as Challen turned toward her, “Challen, no! I would only have demanded that he give Shani the time she needs to get over her fears! That’s all. I wouldn’t have embarrassed him or put him to work.”

“Challenge was issued, chemar.” Hearing that prompted Tedra to run, but so damn easily was she stopped, and a moment later she was lying flat on her back on the floor, with her lifemate calmly lowering his body to cover hers. “Now it is accepted, and now do you lose. And you know what it is I will have of you for your challenge loss.”

She did. Perfect obedience in the bedchamber, which meant she wasn’t going to be able to fight when he got around to punishing her.

“Get off me, warrior,” she growled low. “Even after all these years, you’re still a farden jerk.”

His lips curled in humor the slightest bit at her tone. “And you still try a warrior’s patience.” But he kissed her briefly before he let her up.

And now Tedra was the one who could do no more than glare at Falon as he hefted himself out of the water. “Try all you like, but Martha won’t let you find them.”

“Then I must allow Brock to accompany him,” Challen said quietly.

“Brock isn’t up to taking on Martha.”

“This you hope. I disagree.”

“So do I,” Brock seconded.

“Fine,” Tedra snapped in disgust. “Have it your way-you farden warriors always do. But I warn you, Falon Van’yer, that my daughter has had a year to convince herself that she would prefer anyone other than a warrior for a lifemate. It’s going to take more than a few days to get her to see things in a different light. So go protect her. Do what you feel you just have to do. But I guarantee you won’t be happy with the outcome.”

“We may have a problem, kiddo.”

Shanelle rolled over in bed to face the intercom. She didn’t feel like getting up yet. She hadn’t felt like doing much of anything since they’d left Sha-Ka’an three days ago. But if she didn’t show a little interest, Martha would start asking why.

“Is something wrong with the ship?”

“Nothing so easily fixed. What we have is a shadow. It showed up last night on my long-distance scanners. Nothing unusual in that, except this ship is using us as a directional beacon. I’ve changed course three times since I noticed them, and each time they changed directions with me.”

“You’re telling me we’re being followed?”

“Didn’t I just say so?”

“Sometimes I’m not sure what the hell you’re talking about.”

“All right, what’s your problem now? You’ve been moping about since we left, not to mention taking cute little snipes at me like that one.”

Shanelle sighed and rolled onto her back to stare up at the ceiling. “My father is never going to forgive me for leaving without his permission. I know I had no choice, but I wish I didn’t feel so guilty about it.”

“I wouldn’t worry about your father if I were you. Your mother will make sure he understands your reasons. It’s that warrior you deserted at the symbolic altar that you ought to feel guilty about. He was probably devastated by your disappearing act.”

“Let’s not overlook mad,” Shanelle retorted skeptically.

“No, we can’t discount that, but I’ll wager he feels hurt more than anything else.”

“So what was I supposed to do?” Shanelle asked defensively. “Tell him good-bye to soften the blow?”

Martha chuckled. “That’s rich. If he had had even the slightest clue that you were thinking about leaving, he would have dragged you straight to your father and wouldn’t have let go of you until you were his by the laws of Sha-Ka’an. But maybe that’s what you’re now wishing had happened.”