Rever was dressed in a pair of leather pants that were identical to breeches from a pirate movie with a loose tank top barely covering his torso. His tan, muscular biceps kept drawing her attention as he walked her from vender to vender, touching things to show her. His head turned, those incredible eyes of his meeting hers, and he smiled.

Her heart pounded every time he flashed that sexy look her way.

“Red would look good on you with your white hair. Do you like this color?” Tearing her gaze from his, she studied what he was touching, a pair of pants resembling the ones he wore, only in a smaller size. A grin split her face as joy hit her.

“Pants!”

He chuckled. “I noticed that you keep tugging at your dress often. Are you not comfortable bare beneath?”

“Not really. Every time there’s a breeze, well, hell. I don’t run around without panties.”

He blinked. “What?”

“Panties are thin fabric that covers my, um, lower half. They are comparable to what you wore last night only smaller and form fitting to a woman. Earth women wear them under their clothes to keep their…um… private girl parts covered.”

“Your pussy?”

She blushed a little more at this soft, husky tone for that part of her anatomy. “Yes.”

“Tina said to call it that but your cheeks turned pink. Did I pronounce it correctly?”

“Yes, you did.”

He nodded, turning his head to give his attention to the vender selling the clothing and made a hand motion. The vender nodded, wrapping the pants in a bag. Rever took her to a dozen more shops, picking out clothing for her, and then put everything together in a backpack he bought last. He shrugged it on his shoulders and gave Brenda a smile.

“Would you like to eat? I am in no hurry to return home just yet.” His smile died.

“My bound wished to come with us but after yesterday I refused her request because I don’t want to kill someone today. Yesterday she exposed her pussy to males here.

Doing that is an invitation for a male to mount her and I would have had to kill them if they’d tried. It was fortunate that they are aware of who I am so they backed off when I growled at them, realizing it would not be an easy battle to win. When she presented her pussy to them it was as if she told them she was unhappy as my woman and taunted them to challenge me to win her from me.”

“Did you explain that to Tina?”

Anger tightened the man’s features. “I did. She was amused.” Brenda’s dislike of Tina rose to a new level of disgust. She’d heard the nasty woman going off early that morning but she hadn’t put in an appearance at breakfast. It had kind of been a blessing. Brenda followed the large man down the street to a food vender. The smell of cooked meat made her stomach grumble since she’d just picked at her breakfast hours earlier. She loved Zorn food and it smelled delicious. Rever turned his head, a grin curving his lips.

“You are hungry.”

“You heard that?”

He sat, motioning her to a chair. “I have good hearing.” She sat down, carefully tucking her long shirt tightly around her thighs. She noticed men around them at other tables staring at her but she tried hard to ignore them even though she felt watched. Her full attention stayed on Rever while he removed the backpack, putting it on the other side of his chair. In less than a minute a younger Zorn male walked up to the table nodding at Rever.

“Argis, it is an honor for you to let us serve you. What do you wish?” Rever smiled at the younger teenager. “Give us two of your cook specials with large mugs of red veral.”

“Of course, Argis.” The teen ducked his head before fleeing inside.

“What is veral?”

Rever grinned. “It is a good drink but sip it slowly or it will make your head spin.”

“That sounds similar to Earth’s version of beer or wine.” He smiled at her. “How do you like Zorn?”

“So far I like it. It’s a lot different from Earth but I’m adjusting.” His smile died. “I am sorry about Valho. He was a good warrior who would have made you happy as his bound.”

She shifted in her seat and kept her eyes locked with his. “Do you know his brother, Volder?”

“I know him.” Rever’s voice deepened slightly. “He is not like Valho. Volder is older and keeps in the company of only his warriors on his ship while Valho was more social with many people of Zorn, rarely leaving planet. Volder is probably lonely for female attention so you will be good company for him.”

“You don’t like him?” She caught a tone in his voice that implied it.

“I don’t dislike him but we are different. We are not friends.” Something in Brenda’s gut tightened and dread spread throughout her. “Great. I’m to be given to this guy and I don’t even know anything about him.”

“He will care for you and you will be his bound and as such, it is his duty to assure your happiness. He would not be permitted to have a female if he was abusive. Females are a privilege in Zorn society. It is hard to explain but our history demands we protect our females and treat them well. If a male is found to be abusive he is stripped of the right to be responsible for them. At his age if there was a problem it would be known by now.”

That was somewhat comforting. Brenda nodded. “Thanks. I’m just nervous because I don’t know this guy at all and I’m going to be forced to marry him.”

“It is our way. It will work out.”

The teen returned carrying a large tray, setting down food and a drink in front of Rever first and then served Brenda. The boy didn’t even glance at her as he bowed low to Rever and left quickly. Brenda watched him go, her attention returning to Rever.

“They all bow to you.”

“My father leads Zorn. It is an issue of respect for my place in society and bowing to me in respect is my earned right.”

“Should I bow to you?”

A chuckle escaped him. “No. You are not Zorn. Our customs are not known to you and I don’t expect you to follow them. Eat. I want to get you home before the work day ends and the market floods with more males. You draw attention.” His voice lowered, his gaze turned to intently study the tables around them. “They all watch you.” She couldn’t stop herself from taking a look, confirming that almost every male at all the tables around them seemed to be staring at her. She blushed, dropping her head quickly, and reached for her food. They didn’t use utensils so she ate with her fingers, mimicking Rever.