Mike worked through the line and brought back two glasses—one for Jim and one for himself. He then motioned Jim over to the table where Dave and Gina were already talking with a few others.
Grady was at Gina’s side, and Dave had Jaci next to him. Mike took the seat on Jaci’s free side and Jim chose to stand at the side of the table, watching.
A young boy came up to Jim and asked him about Colorado. Jim spent an enjoyable few minutes talking to the boy but was aware of Grady’s scrutiny as he did so. Sure enough, when Jim looked over, Grady was watching him.
Two could play that game.
He turned to the boy, already hatching plans to keep tabs on the Alvian warrior. But the boy was joined by his mother and father, who kept Jim talking about the outside world. By the time Jim was able to look back at Grady, he was gone. The seat at Gina’s side was filled by a woman who seemed to be hanging on Gina’s every word.
“I wanted to thank you.”
The deep, musical, Alvian voice surprised Jim. Son of a bitch. Grady had snuck up on him.
“What for?” Jim didn’t know how to play this little scene yet.
“For keeping watch over Gina. I worried about her while she was away on her mission, but had no way to contact her and a mission of my own to fulfill.” Grady seemed serious enough but Jim still wasn’t sure if there wasn’t some ulterior motive. “Thank you for making sure she came to no harm.”
“No thanks are necessary. Gina’s a talented woman. She took care of herself.”
“She is that.” Grady’s attention seemed to be snagged as he looked at the woman in question. His gaze softened and a tender expression touched his otherwise hard features. “She is a very special woman.”
“You’ll get no argument from me.” Jim felt jealousy, but also a kind of understanding for the other man. Grady probably believed himself in love with Gina. Jim was familiar with the idea. He recognized the emotion on the alien’s face for what it was and couldn’t fault the man for it.
“I love her.”
The bald statement was tinged with wonder, as if the alien was just discovering the truth of his words. Jim had to fight against his compassionate nature and remember Grady was talking about Gina—the woman Jim had just spent a passionate journey with and had deep feelings for himself.
“We completed the tests for resonance and she is my true mate, as I anticipated. I knew the moment I saw her that she was special.”
“Hell.” Jim drained his glass of beer and placed the empty on the table. “For your information, I knew her when she was just a kid. A gorgeous, talented, spunky teenager, studying in her father’s dojo. She was off limits to me then, but she sure as hell isn’t now.” Jim felt his anger translating into clenched fists and tight muscles. If it weren’t for the crowd, he’d gladly take out his confusion on the Alvian warrior, but he held himself in check. “If she loves you back, you’re a lucky man, Grady. But know this. I won’t make it easy on you. I saw her first.”
Grady regarded him steadily for a long moment before speaking in a low, serious tone. “I envy the fact that you’ve known her longer and I value the challenge you’ve issued, but it could be for naught.”
“How so?”
Grady looked pointedly at Jaci and the two men flanking her. “If she will have you, I won’t object to sharing her love. I know there are few human females. I never expected to find even one who could resonate with me, but having seen three true Resonance Matings, I knew it was likely I would be one of several men, should I be lucky to find a mate.”
Jim had to admit, he’d thought about the idea, but he still had a hard time separating the young girl he’d known from the woman. He thought of her as she had been with her family and he knew her father and brothers would have had strong objections to her getting involved with Jim in any way. Forget any kind of ménage relationship. The Hansons would have killed any man who even suggested it for their little princess.
“Look, buddy.” Jim tried to master his confusion and unrest. “I don’t know you, but I do know Gina. She’ll make her own decisions. Let’s let her be our guide.”
Grady looked at him strangely for a moment. “You are indeed wise,” he finally said, making Jim a little uncomfortable. He hadn’t expected the man’s respectful tone. So far, this Grady guy wasn’t acting in any way Jim could have predicted. “Gina will decide. It is for us to live with her decisions. I’m glad we had this talk.”
Funny thing was, Grady didn’t look glad. He looked as if he’d lost his best friend or something. The Alvian warrior left him then, walking away into the darkened part of the massive main cavern.
Jim stewed when Gina got up and went after him, but he was stopped from making an ass of himself when Jaci came over to him.
“Grady Prime is a good man,” she said without preamble.
“I’d expect you to say that, if you don’t mind my candor.”
Jaci laughed and the sound was musical and enchanting. “Back when I was a lab tech, I was a little in awe of him. Most lower ranked Alvians are, even though they don’t fully understand the emotion.” She moved closer to him, and her voice dropped. “Grady Prime is a considerate, skilled lover. I was only with him once in the course of my duties, but he’s the only man besides my mates who has ever shown me true pleasure.”
Jim wasn’t sure he wanted to know that. It was a little too much information for his peace of mind.
“I’m just saying,” she went on, “that Grady Prime will be good to your lady. He may even give you some competition in that area. Of course, the benefactor of such a competition will be Gina. I could almost envy her if I wasn’t so happy with my own mates.”
Jim didn’t know what to say when she paused dreamily, but assumed some response was required. “I’m very happy for you,” he finally managed, but she hardly noticed.
Jaci put a hand on his arm. “I think you could be just as happy, Jim, but it will require you to bend a little. Having been mated to two human males for some time, I’m beginning to understand their nature a bit. I know Grady Prime and I know he will never tell you what I am about to reveal, but I feel you must know it to understand the seriousness of the situation.”
Jim didn’t know what to make of her words and almost feared some new revelation of a sexual nature. For all he knew, Alvian guys had two cocks or something equally as weird. He just hoped whatever Jaci was about to tell him was something he could handle.
“Ancient Alvians—before emotion was bred out of our people—were highly aggressive. More so than even your human ancestors. Alvian males, warriors in particular, lived short, harsh lives spent fighting and searching for their Resonance Mates. If they didn’t find their mate, they were fated to a horrible end. They would often end their own lives in battle before facing that final challenge of madness.”
“What are you saying?”
Jaci’s face went pale and her eyes solemn as she turned to him. “Without their mates to complete them, Alvian males go insane. Grady Prime is a man of honor and pride. If Gina rejects him in favor of you, Grady Prime will not put up a fight. He’ll take her at her word and leave.” A tear fell unheeded down her pale cheek. “You’ll never see him again. In all likelihood, no one will ever see him again. Grady Prime will end his own life before the madness claims him because he knows it’s the only way to protect his mate. If he went mad, knowing she was in the world, he could do her harm while he was out of his mind. He’d take his own life before he’d let that happen. If Gina rejects him, she will be sentencing him to that terrible end.”