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honest.”
    “Some would call it cold.”
    “Cold can be altered. Treacherous behaviour cannot.”
    She nodded. That was her experience as well. Once someone acted against her, she never trusted them again.
    He opened a door and gestured for her to enter. “These are your quarters. The lav is to the left; it has not only water but also sonic and solar shower options. The bed hangings have been created in reds and ambers, but they can be changed to your preferences.”
    She smiled. “Thank you. I like hot colours. Everyone thinks that I should dress like an icicle, but when you feel it in your bones, you want to wear something else on your skin.”
    She lifted her bag off her back and settled the trident against foot of the four-poster bed.
    “What is the trident for?”
    “Focussing my talent. It is for projection. I have been getting pretty good at aiming searing cold.”
    Devnin lifted her left hand and raised it so he could see the band on her arm. “I don’t find you cold.”
    He pressed a kiss to her palm and heat spiralled through her. From her palm to her elbow, shoulder, breasts and belly, the stroking coil of warmth shifted to stroke her from the inside out.
    She licked her lips. “I really need something to drink.”
    He chuckled. “I will return in a moment. Change if you like. I need to get out of this armour.”
    She blinked and tried not to imagine him with nothing at all. Parts of her began generating heat, and there was nothing more to it than her own hormones. She had to cross star systems to find a man that could warm her blood. Funnily enough, she thought it was well worth the trip.
     

Chapter Four
     
     
    When he returned, Devnin wore a sleeveless white shirt with a deep vee at the neckline, dark green fitted trousers and bare feet.
    “I wish I could match you for casual clothing.” She opened her robe and slid it from her shoulders.
    He stared at her, and she felt the increase of heat in the air. Her body acted to subdue it a second later.
    She looked him over, made note of the different musculature over a familiar bone structure and took in the band on his left forearm. “You have one, too?”
    “All couples wear the bands with their family names on them.”
    She looked at the design. “This is a name?”
    “It is a depiction of the Niil family crest.” He drew his finger across the filigree.
    “I see.” She stared at the design on her wrist. “What causes it to lock in place?”
    He looked pleased. “It locked?”
    She held it up and exposed her band. “It sealed in place.”
    “Each band is calibrated to the family member that seeks a mate. Both females and males have cuffs, and in an Irudan family, both wrists of a wedded couple are banded.”
    “I see. So, I am going to stand out.” She bit her lip.
    He looked at her in astonishment and then laughed out loud. “You are an alien who controls cold on a world covered in gardens. Yes, you will stand out but no one will judge you for it.”
    “Wonderful. I would change clothing, but I only have another set, which is similar to this one. It allows for a more passive absorption of ambient heat.”
    Devnin approached her, and she felt the air warm between them. “Is that what the crux of your power is?”
    “Apparently. The men in my family are cold inside, and they can find comfort in a wife, but I am the first woman in my family in five generations. The hungry nature of the cold was never set down in family diaries. There was nothing to help me tame it.”
    “I believe I can assist you with that.” He touched her cheek, and she fought the urge to lean into the warmth.
    She cleared her throat. “A drink of something first, perhaps?”
    Devnin winked. “Of course. This way. We will work on your wardrobe later.”
    She sighed and put her hand on the arm that he offered.
    They walked out of their rooms, down the hall and into the kitchen that overlooked the common room where the others were gathered.
    Skorin had a seat that