Nortel let his gaze settle on Thymara. “He said we all had to play fair, and not take advantage of your situation.” He shifted his eyes back to Tats. “But that’s what you’re doing, isn’t it? Taking advantage of being old friends, of her mourning Rapskal. You’re using every excuse to be around her all the time. Not letting anyone else even get the chance to talk to her.”

“I went with her to pick fruit. We’ve lost a lot of hunting equipment. We need to gather what food we can, while we can.” Tats spoke in a flat voice. His words were reasonable, but the sparks in his eyes were not. They were, she suddenly knew, a challenge. She saw how Nortel swelled his chest, and she saw a pale lavender light kindle behind the green of his eyes. He reminded her, she thought, of his dragon and suddenly recognized what she was seeing; here was a male, come to challenge all comers for the right to be her mate. A strange thrill went through her. Her heart leaped and raced, and she felt her skin flush.

“Stop it,” she growled low, to herself as much as to the males. She did not have to turn to know that Tats was responding to Nortel’s challenge. “I don’t care what stupid things Greft says. He can’t set rules about who talks to me or when. Nor can he insist that I make some ‘decision’ that exists only in his mind. I have no intention of choosing anyone. Not now, perhaps not ever.”

Nortel licked his narrow lips and then accused Tats, “You said something to her, didn’t you? Something to set her against the idea.”

“No, I didn’t!”

“Nortel! Talk to me, not him!”

His eyes shifted between them. “That’s exactly what I’d like to do. Leave, Tats. Thymara wants to talk with me.”

“Make me.”

“Stop it!” She hated that her voice rose to a shriek and broke on the words. She sounded hysterical and frightened, when in truth she was angry. “I don’t want this,” she said and tried to make her voice calm and reasonable. “This isn’t going to convince me of anything.”

It was as if she hadn’t spoken. Nortel squared his shoulders and leaned slightly to one side to stare past her at Tats. “I can make you, if that’s how you want it,” he offered.

“Let’s find out, then.”