“I knew he was too damn good to be true.”

The guard opened one of the vehicle doors to help Shanna climb inside. He frowned at her.

“I don’t understand.”

Shanna met his bright green eyes and blinked back tears. “Unfortunately, I do. Let’s go. Take me to Rever’s house please.”

Chapter Eleven

The white-haired tall Zorn woman smiled widely at Shanna from across the table, pushing a lock of her hair back. “Eat.”

“I’m afraid I don’t have much of an appetite, Ali,” Shanna admitted softly.

Ali, Rever’s house helper, frowned. “You are sad that you missed Argis Rever and Brenda? They will return tonight like I told you yesterday when you arrived here. They were not expecting a guest but you are very welcome here, Shanna. You must eat breakfast. You barely touched your dinner I prepared last night.” Sighing loudly, Shanna lifted a fork and pushed food around her plate. “It’s really good, Ali. Thank you. I just… I’m not very hungry.”

“Hyvin Berrr did not come last night but he did send a message that he would visit today.”

Pain lanced through Shanna. Berrr hadn’t come to talk to her but had instead sent a personal messenger saying his meetings were going to last longer than he thought because another district had been attacked and he didn’t want her to wait up too late for him. She had wanted to snort but instead she’d fought tears. Maybe he was in meetings or maybe he was so busy with his Alluwn that he would finally arrive to tell her he was taking the bitch back.

“I am Brenda’s best friend,” Ali said softly. “I love humans. You are sad. You can talk to me about anything and I will not gossip. Brenda trusts me so you can too.” Looking up to meet the other woman’s concerned gaze, Shanna hesitated. She’d been told that Brenda was human but she hadn’t met the woman since Rever had taken his bound on a sudden trip to get her mind off what had happened to Ariel. Brenda was pregnant and both of them were now worried she would have a difficult birth as well.

Their trip had been unplanned and sudden, Ali had explained to her.

“Is this about Hyvin Berrr? Zorn men are very different from the Earth men you are accustomed to. Brenda has told me all about humans.”

“His bound came back yesterday,” Shanna blurted. “He couldn’t get me out of there fast enough. I thought it was over with her but obviously it’s not and I fell in love with him.”

Ali’s eyes widened. “She returned?”

Miserable, Shanna pushed her food around on the plate again, piling up something green that was similar to mashed potatoes in substance. “Yeah. I guess maybe she is ready to come back into his life.”

Shaking her white head, Ali softly growled. “Not that one. If Bratha Alluwn comes it is to make Hyvin Berrr miserable. That woman lives to hurt our Hyvin. She is not right in her mind anymore and she is not tolerated by Zorn people.”

“He rushed me out a back door to get me out of his house before she saw me, shoved me at one of the guards and promised to come see me last night but he blew me off.”

Frowning deeply, Ali tilted her head, staring at Shanna for long seconds. “Bratha Alluwn is known for her viciousness on Zorn. Perhaps he was trying to spare you from her.”

Shrugging, Shanna forced herself to take a bite of food. Starving herself wasn’t going to do a bit of good to mend her breaking heart. “I think he still loves her.”

“No one loves their biggest enemy.”

It was Shanna’s turn to frown at Ali as she lifted her gaze. “They are bound and have children together.”

“Yes but she publically humiliated him and then had him bound to her as punishment. It is very effective punishment, albeit unjustified in this case, to make a warrior suffer that kind of great shame. The entire population knows how it is between them. We always hoped that he would find another Zorn woman who would challenge Bratha Alluwn but his house helpers were too weak or too frightened to do what needs to be done. They were the only ones who had the right to challenge his bound.”

“Challenge?”

“It is a shame that you are human and not built as strongly as our women.” Ali stood up to pour another drink from a pitcher before sitting back down. “Only a woman under his protection can issue a challenge to an unfit bound with the warrior’s permission. That is Zorn law.”

Shanna bit her lip. “I don’t understand so explain this law to me specifically.”

“If a bound is unfit or unstable a house helper can ask the warrior his permission to challenge the bound for her status. If he agrees, the house helper will challenge the bound to a fight. It is a rarely used law but it does happen in extreme circumstances.

They can fight to the death or until one concedes to the winner and then the winner has won the right to be the warrior’s bound. It has to be approved by a judge and the fight witnessed publically so everyone knows it was fair and just. I wished that Brenda would have challenged Rever’s human bound but she said humans don’t fight like that to challenge each other in relationships. It did work out in the end but it was miserable for all until the issue was resolved.”

“I’m confused. Isn’t Brenda Rever’s bound?”

Smiling, Ali started talking, telling Shanna all about Brenda and Rever. “It did work out and now they are bound,” she finished saying. “His first human now lives far away from here because her warrior had to separate her from other Zorn men. I feel deep sympathy for that one. He is stuck with her unless he allows her near other males. If she is stupid enough to offer her body up to them again he could hand her off to the next unsuspecting male.”

Shanna was stunned. She sat there picking at her food until she raised her head, eyeing Ali. “So house helpers have the right to challenge a bound for her position if I get permission from Berrr to do it first?”

Ali paled. “You can’t consider doing this, Shanna. Bratha Alluwn is Zorn and she is known for her viciousness. She comes from the strongest bloodlines and is not a typical Zorn female. That is why she was considered a perfect match for Hyvin Berrr to begin with and why their sons are all so strong. She would win and she would not have mercy to spare your life. I never meant that you should challenge her for it would bring you death.” Ali took a deep breath. “If she did find mercy for you as winner she would send you away to whatever household she deemed fitting. You would have no say in the matter and she could send you to a very bad place. You would never be allowed in the home of Hyvin Berrr again or even allowed to speak to him. It is the Zorn way in these matters. You must understand that Bratha Alluwn is a born fighter, she is—” A loud bell sounded, causing Ali to stop talking instantly to stand up. “That must be Hyvin Berrr for you.” She fled the room.