Their Rebel Mate [Helan Universe 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read Online Free Page B

time he’d been able to say that phrase without blushing, although Kerek was gazing at him knowingly. “And with the decrease in our female population, we have turned to each other.”
    “So the answer is yes, then,” she replied.
    He cleared his throat and felt the heat that signaled a blush begin to work its way up his neck. “Yes. Most Helan males have a mate of the same sex, and human women would be involved in an intimate relationship with both males.”
    If anyone asked him about the details of Helan sex, he might die. One of the doctors that had been brought over would be a much better candidate to discuss such things. Maybe he should look at having a physician available to answer those types of questions.
    Luckily for him, no one questioned the intimate details of his relationship with Kerek. Having to explain that was hard enough, but having to explain in front of his mate was a whole different animal.
    He took question after question, answering them with as much detail as possible. Yes, their scientists were working on cures for even more diseases. No, they had no plans to help Earth police their societies. Yes, their long-range sensors had detected other exploratory ships on the outer fringes of their quadrant.
    The questions started to wind down, and Thantos started to wonder if he would get away without a peep from his nemesis.
    Of course, as soon as the thought entered his head, Kim McManus stood up and nodded to the technician manning the camera.
    The man swung the camera around until she was the focus. She started speaking about women being bartered away, pseudoscience and bullying at its worst.
    Crap. This was exactly what he’d hoped to avoid when Kim had walked into the room. Thantos glanced at the security guards and found them all staring back at him stonily. Well, the guards had probably been in on this from the beginning. If they didn’t sympathize with Kim, they’d probably been bribed.
    Kerek was whispering into the cell phone he’d purchased a couple of weeks ago. His face was flushed, his eyes glittered dangerously, and the emotions he could feel pouring through their mate bond told Thantos just how angry Kerek really was. “I’ll explain in a second, talan.”
    Thank gods for their telepathic bond.
    He angled his head so that he was still facing the cameras but was looking at Kim McManus directly. “If you remember correctly,” he said in his clipped, perfect English, “signing the registry is completely voluntary.”
    The woman had the nerve to snort at him. Snort . “That was not the original agreement, was it, Ambassador?” she asked. Derision dripped from her voice. God, he felt like he was an inch tall.
    She continued without missing a beat. “It was only after Jacy Townsend talked some sense into you all.”
    He pursed his lips at the statement. His queen being referred to by her given name grated on his nerves. Humans had a love for titles, especially Americans. Hell, presidents were still addressed as such, even when their time in office was up. Why did they have such difficulty addressing his queen properly?
    Before he could respond to any of the accusations Kim was sending his way, Kerek’s voice nudged its way into his brain. “Somehow, that camera has been put on a live feed. The entire world is now watching you.”
    Well, this sucked big, hairy sorcan balls. And of course, Kim just had to touch on the one thing that Thantos couldn’t respond to. “We have been manipulated into believing that we are the answer to all their problems, but we have yet to see any proof of their claims.”
    A feeling of resignation swept through him, and Thantos knew it was Kerek’s realization that he would have to make his announcement sooner than planned. There was no help for it though. If they didn’t show the humans that they did have the power to save the Helan species, the number of women willing to sign the registry and become mates with Helans might fall drastically.
    Kerek