Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you so much to Ahlysha, maba7x, Fameanon (and L'Vek, Emmie, S'Vec and Kuvak's beast), 2redbird, Caren Rose, and the anon reviewer (thanks! Two reviews!) for reviewing! Thank you all for the support!

Kuvak watched as Tawny tried to sling her bag onto her back, and he shook his head at her. His planet would be much more trying on her than he anticipated, and he took the bag from her before she could protest.

"Come, ashal-veh, the shuttle will leave in ten minutes." He gestured to the door (his luggage was hanging from a strap around his shoulder) and followed her out. He noted the second bite mark he had given her, only visible to those who were looking, pricking the back of her neck with red teeth marks. It made his beast roar with pride before he quashed it, and he closed his eyes briefly. He was not even bonded with her, yet she seemed to enjoy getting bitten. A third bite mark was hidden beneath her shirt, high on her back near her left shoulder. Briefly he remembered the taste of her blood in his mouth, how he had sucked greedily at the mark, how she had moaned like...

He shut off that train of thought, but he couldn't help but let his eyes linger on her right shoulder, where a matching bite mark was also hidden by her clothing. Four marks in the space of a week...how many more would she bear when she was his wife?

If she becomes your wife, his logic retorted, and he sighed in agreement. But the beast was not so easily convinced. It would convince, connive, persuade, even seduce her to achieve its goal, to feed its hunger...

He sighed again and lightly placed his hand on the small of her back to steer her toward a seat. He allowed her to choose which seat she wanted, and she took the one closest to the window, presumably so she could see his planet from orbit as they descended to Shi'Kahr transport station.

The planet below was half-shrouded in darkness, as their shuttle would be arriving in the early morning hours. Already the light of the sun was creeping over the redlands, setting the ground below ablaze with fire. He wondered briefly if that fire would destroy his little Tawny. The day and a half that he had acclimated her to the higher gravity was most likely not enough, and he could already see her losing moisture. He would have to rehydrate her thoroughly when they reached the surface.

He reached across her and pointed to the capacious spread of lights in the Southern hemisphere of the planet, and he watched as the lights began to dim as the sun spread closer to its boundaries.

"That is Shi'Kahr," he whispered to her, smirking ever so slightly as her jaw dropped in awe. "Capital city of Vulcan, and our largest. That is where you will be staying."

"Wow," she breathed, and he felt a sense of pleasure wash over him at the sound of her awe-filled voice. He did not repress it, but allowed himself to hang on to it before he had to let it go; he would allow himself this small pleasure, to see her in awe of his planet's capital, to watch her eyes blow wide with amazement. It pleased him, made him feel proud, but he knew he would have to let go of these emotions later when he meditated. Now was not the time to let his control slip, not when he was so close to achieving his goal.

She turned back to him with a wide grin, and he briefly let his fingers trail down her neck before withdrawing his touch and leaning back in his seat, watching her watch the sun flood his homeworld with light.

…

Kuvak had explained to her that the decontamination stations were calibrated differently to each species, so they would have to part briefly, but he told her not to worry about her luggage. He would have it sent to her room at the Embassy, and he walked with her to the screens that wiped visitors and returning citizens of all known contaminants that they might be carrying, or might have picked up, from Earth.

The stations were built into a wall that separated the landing bays from the exits, and Tawny swallowed at the sight of the blue screen she would have to walk through.

"It is painless," Kuvak said gently, pushing her forward with a gentle hand on the small of her back. His hand only made the warmth of this place more prominent, but it did feel good. She turned to him and smiled wanly.

"I'll meet you on the other side," he continued, taking her luggage with him to the Vulcan station.

She turned back to the screen and got in line to be put through the decontamination station, putting on a brave face for Kuvak. She didn't want him to dating a whimpering little coward, she wanted him to date a brave woman, ready to take on whatever life threw at her. She took a deep breath and watched the line shrink.

"Scared me the first time too," a voice said behind her. Tawny turned and looked at the woman next in line and smiled wanly.

"I-It doesn't h-hurt, d-does it?"

"Tingles a little," the girl said. She shoved her shaggy brown hair out of her face, and her caramel brown eyes twinkled in the early morning light. "I'm Joanna Hudon, by the way. I've been working here for a year, but I went home to visit the folks for Christmas."

"Cool," Tawny replied with a smile. "I-I'm T-Tawny T-Townsend."

Joanna smiled. "Well, welcome to Vulcan. Are you working at the Embassy?"

She nodded. "M-Media and C-Communic-cations."

"Nice," Joanna said with a grin. "I'm one of Trent's undersecretary's assistants. I'm from Illinois, by the way. Where are you from?"

"My m-mom...M-Miss-ssissippi...then S-San Fran."

"Ooh, Southern bell, huh? All right, it's your turn."

Tawny turned around and looked at the man working the station, a grim-looking Vulcan with dark grey hair and a dour scowl.

"This is your first time on Vulcan?" the man said in monotone. She nodded nervously.

"This device will not harm you. Go through."

She took a deep breath and walked through the screen, and it washed over her like a tingling sensation, just as Joanna had said. In two seconds, she was on the other side, and it felt even warmer here. There were benches and information kiosks, and behind that, a tall wall of windows and automatic doors that led to the outside world.

Tawny waited for Joanna to walk through, and the Midwesterner gave her an encouraging grin. "See, that wasn't so bad! So...you're new at the Embassy, right?"

She nodded. "Do you have a ride there?"

"I-I don't start for f-five days, Ms. H-Hudon."

Joanna laughed. "Call me Jo! Where are you staying, then?"

"With my family," she heard Kuvak say behind her, and she turned and smiled at him. "Ms. Hudon, welcome back to Vulcan. Was your vacation agreeable?"

"Very much, Minister," she said, her voice getting softer and less firm. It seemed she was slightly intimidated by Kuvak, but Tawny winked at her and grinned at her beloved. "You would not believe how much I missed snow."

Kuvak raised his eyebrows. "I have finally experienced this phenomenon. I did not find it pleasant, though the fight your people engage in using snowballs was rather invigorating."

Jo laughed. "You got in a snowball fight?" she asked incredulously.

"With me," Tawny mumbled. "I won."

Jo laughed harder. "You've got the home field advantage, though, Tawny! Do tell me you went easy on the minister."

Tawny bit her lip. "I-I..." She looked to Kuvak for an answer, and her beloved seemed to pick up on her discomfort.

"She did not. I have never seen a human move so quickly and quietly through the woods. I will have to learn this skill from her at the earliest opportunity."

Tawny sighed inwardly in relief, but frowned when Kuvak did not hand over her luggage, even when she held out her hand for it. "If you'll follow me, Ms. Townsend, my aircar is waiting."

She turned to Jo, who was looking between them with a suspicious gaze, but the Midwesterner smiled at her and bowed slightly to Kuvak.

"Then I will see both of you at the Embassy next week?"

Kuvak nodded curtly. "Most assuredly. Good day, Ms. Hudon."

He then strode confidently from the station, and Tawny ran after him, slightly bemused. A large aircar with an insignia on the side was waiting just down the street from the door, but Tawny paused a moment, trying to breathe. Even a quick walk or light jog was winding her, and she finally felt the effects of the gravity on her, now that her nervousness over getting through decontamination had passed.

Kuvak turned and gestured into the open door of the aircar, indicating that he wanted her to get in, and she slowly walked toward him, suddenly light-headed and sluggish. Thankfully, the sun was only just peeking over the horizon and hadn't spread its heat over the city just yet, so the air was still bearable. It was like standing in a kitchen where the oven has been on all day, but Tawny knew that it was only going to get hotter as the day hurried on.

He helped her into the aircar and slid in beside her, and she clung to the seat, leaning back against the plush, comfortable fabric. Kuvak said something to the driver in curt Vulcan, then slid shut a screen that divided the driver and the passengers. He locked the screen, but waited until they were airborne before turning to her.

He tapped a few buttons from a console-like device in front of him and drew out a pitcher of water, then poured her some. He handed it to her, and she drank slowly, remembering to take measured sips to cool herself down. Kuvak poured a little for himself and drank quickly, then set his cup aside.

"You should rest," he said gently, taking her glass from her and setting it in a cup holder. She laid down, resting her head on his thigh, and stared up at the roof of the aircar, letting the heat on her body float away from her, letting her body adjust to the thin air and the weight of the planet. She rolled over so she was facing towards his body and sighed into his pants leg.

She felt corded muscle beneath her cheek tense and relax, and she looked up at his clear blue eyes. His pupils had bloomed, darkening his eyes, and his hand was almost reflexively stroking her braided hair.

Tawny reached up and stroked his cheek, smiling wickedly up at him at the memories of how she had gotten more bite marks.

She was lying on her stomach, reading a novel her brother had given her two years ago, relaxing in a casual tank top that left most of her back exposed. Kuvak was in his room, or so she thought. She was engrossed in her reading and didn't even know someone was in the room with her until she felt someone straddle her high on her thighs, and she felt his lips on her skin right above the hem of the shirt. He trailed his lips up her spine, kissing up her back, and she shoved the book away, focusing on the work of his mouth.

This was flirtatious and sensual in a way she had never experienced, and she laid her head on her pillow and let him kiss her where he would. She tensed instinctively, her entire body awash in pleasure, and she let out a surprised squeak when he licked the top of her spine. She trembled, her flesh aching for more of his attentions, and her hunger was satisfied in a heartbeat. He graced her neck with an open-mouthed kiss, trailing his tongue along her goosebump-pricked skin, and she mewled in contentment. Her mewls turned to moans as he slowly and painstakingly trailed to the other side of her neck, licking over the mark he had made a few days ago. It had faded a little, but it was still clear enough to see without closer examination.

He trailed his lips and tongue back to the top of her spine, and she felt herself overcome with a tingling sensation, an almost unbearable itch for his teeth to sink into her skin and mark her a second time.

"Bite me," she murmured, slowly brushing her hair out of his way.

He froze and lifted his lips a millimeter from her flesh. "Tawny, you know not what you ask for."

"Another intimate mark...Kuvak, do you like biting me?"

"What?" he breathed. She could feel his warm breath ghost over her back, and it made her shiver with delight.

"Do you like biting me?"

He paused, his breathing a little heavier than normal. "Yes," he admitted in a whisper. "Tawny..."

"Then bite me. I...I like it..."

"Are you sure? This is not something you should ask for lightly." His voice was almost a growl.

"I'm not asking for it lightly. Please...please, Kuvak..."

She swore she heard him growl, but she did not feel his teeth pierce her as she thought she would. His fingers pressed to her neck and began massaging her in soft, warm circles, and she closed her eyes, feeling dizzy and light-headed, and giddy. She mewled in pleasure and pressed herself into the mattress, stretching her legs and basking in the glow of his ministrations.

His lips lingered over the spot where he intended to bite, and it made her nether regions throb in anticipation. She writhed against the bed, pressing and relaxing her hips, then pushing her rear up a little to meet his legs.

"Tawny, I'm warning you," he growled in her ear, nipping at its rounded edge. She moaned in reply.

His bite felt even better than his first, sending a pulse of lust down to her core and making her feel hot in ways that made its previous definition pale in comparison. His teeth tore through her flesh, so hard she was sure he was drawing blood, but she only writhed in pleasure. All she felt was pleasure and the heat of his chest pressing into her back, and she wished his hands would wander all over her and his touch set her body ablaze in ecstasy.

She felt him release her after two minutes or so, and she relaxed but a little. He had awakened sensation in her that would not be caged again.

"Again," she groaned, turning her head to the side, resting on her cheek. "Sweet heaven, do it again..."

She heard him growl again, but he said nothing. Rather, he nipped and bit down her neck and over her shoulder, like an animal in heat, and she shivered in anticipation as he lingered over her left shoulder.

"The more I mark you, the harder it will be for me to separate myself from you," he growled in her ear, and she moaned again.

"I don't want to be separated from you..."

She gasped as he bit again, and her nails dug into the sheets. She was panting, pressing herself back into his legs now, and she felt rampant wetness between her thighs as he pressed back, holding her down with his hips.

She whimpered, writhing a little; blood was rushing to her thighs as he pressed her a little harder with his hips and his teeth, and she felt almost as if her nether regions were blooming as they throbbed in want.

"More..."

That one word tumbled from her lips, and she trembled in desire as he pressed her still further and clamped his lips back over the mark he had just made, and she felt suction. He was sucking at the mark...drinking her blood...it was dark and wicked and erotic, and made her feel alive...

"Yes," she encouraged, unable to move or press him harder; he had her effectively pinned, and she liked it...

He let go and nuzzled at her neck, inhaling her scent, and then he bit down again over his first mark, re-marking her. His fingertips were working furiously at her neck, and a dull throbbing ache was pulsating through her core. Kuvak sucked at this mark too, licking at her, suckling her like a wolf at its prey, like a vampire over its victim...

"Oh, you do like that, don't you?" he purred, then plunged his teeth into her right shoulder, matching the third mark. Again he sucked, and again she moaned, and it was as if flame and desire were pouring into her from some other force...she realized it was coming from his very touch, out of the pads of his fingers, caressing her skin...

"Kuvak," she whimpered, wriggling so he would press down again. But he released her completely, sitting up and gently turning her around.

His eyes were almost black, and he was panting, but still she reached up and cupped his cheek.

"That's still not fair," she whispered, stroking over his ears. "I p-personally think you're cheating...I-I don't affect you a-as much a-as you a-affect me..."

He shook his head and leaned down, trailing his bloodstained lips over his. "Oh, Tawny, you don't realize how unfair you play..."

"What are you thinking about, Tawny?" he asked gently, bringing her back to the present. She sighed.

"You," she murmured. "H-How am I pl-playing unfair?"

Kuvak sighed and stroked her hair. "Even after two months, she does not see," he murmured to himself. "Have I not told you how much affect me, Tawny, my ashal-veh? I hold in my possession a temptress, a seductress from Earth. She does not even realize how much sway she holds over me, nor how far I am willing to go, how much I am willing to do to secure her heart as mine."

Tawny frowned slightly, stroking his cheek, and she relaxed into him, letting her fingertips trail over his lips, his jawline, his ears. His jaw slackened and his lips parted, and she quickly sat up and sealed her lips over his.

"I am h-held in the arms of a Vulcan devil," she growled. "P-Poor i-innocent little Tawny answered the door and didn't know he was waiting for her on the other side. She didn't know she would be consumed by his very gaze, or that her heart could never p-pine for anyone else...and he didn't know h-how b-beautiful he made her feel that day, and every day after..."

He smirked and stroked his fingers up and down her neck, and she closed her eyes. She could feel his lips brush against hers, and he whispered his words against her flesh.

"You believe I am wicked?" he purred.

"In the worst and most wonderful way, Kuvak," she breathed in reply, leaning forward to kiss him again.

She swore he chuckled, and he reached around and tugged her bottom closer to him, so that her legs fell on either side of his. "She is as perceptive as she is beautiful," he purred, licking at her ear. "I am wicked, very much so...how many times have I initiated contact between us that turns highly suggestive and sexual?"

She closed her eyes. "Um..."

"Too many for what is proper. A Vulcan female would have never tolerated such liberties with her person, and yet here you are, in my lap, in my arms, letting me kiss you and bite you and touch your body...your very flesh..."

He growled and nipped at the unmarked side of her neck, and she lolled her head to the other side, letting him have a go at her skin.

"Tawny, do you not see? I am seducing you, something you should have never allowed me to do...you turn me into a weak fool, chasing an impossible dream..."

"Impossible?" she breathed.

"The dream...that you will someday be my wife."

Tawny grinned and laced her fingers through his hair, gently tugging him so she could look him in the eye. "Tell me about your family."

He frowned and swallowed, then nodded and made to move her to his side, but she shoved his hands away.

"I like the view from here, thank you," she whispered, kissing his forehead. "Your family?"

He stared up at her, then took a deep breath. "You have already met my cousin, L'Vek, who was appointed by the Vulcan High Command to be head of the Vulcan Advisory Council on Earth. My mother is our family's clan mother, in other words, head female, a matriarch, if you will. I understand you have similar concepts on Earth, do you not?"

She nodded. "Ok...so your m-mother is v-very i-important?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Does that disconcert you? If so, you have no reason to fear. My mother is very progressive, all my family is...I believe she will think most highly of you."

She smiled wanly. "W-What about y-your father?"

"He was an ambassadorial aide in his younger days, but rose through the ranks of government to hold a seat on the High Command. I followed in his footsteps, and hold the seat he held thirty years ago. Currently, he is on Denobula, and will be for at least two weeks, as a crisis came up and his services were urgently needed."

She swallowed, realizing just what he was getting at. His parents were both in or were in positions of power. They were influential, and their opinions probably held sway over a lot of people.

"My clan is the second oldest and second-most influential on all of Vulcan," he continued, seemingly unaware that she was almost ready to panic. How could a foster kid with no money and no influence have ended up in such a powerful man's lap? How did she get to this point?

"So if you should decide to," he paused and swallowed thickly, "be my wife, you would be well provided for. You would want for nothing, Tawny."

She took a deep breath in. "Y-You d-do realize m-my...m-my mom is in rehab in Miss...M-Mississippi...my b-birth dad bailed...I d-don't know where he is, and I don't care, to b-be honest...I l-lived in foster care f-for n-nearly 12 years...I-I'm not r-rich like E-Emmie...I don't have p-power or i-i-influence or-"

He cut her off with a kiss, and continued to kiss her for several minutes. "I could care less if you were the richest woman on Earth or the poorest," he whispered, and she felt tears building behind her eyes. "I only wish you to be Tawny Townsend, because she is the most beautiful and kindly creature I have ever had the fortune to meet."

Tears began streaming down her cheeks, and she could not stop them. She kissed him back through the tears, holding onto his silky robes as if her life depended on it.

"Tawny, don't cry," he cooed, wiping her tears with his thumb. "What causes you such distress?"

She sniffed and swallowed her tears, blinking them away, and she couldn't find an answer for several seconds. She chose instead to continue their kiss, but her movements this time were aggressive, almost desperate, and most definitely rough. He breathed in sharply and matched her, making her groin press instinctively to his.

"No one has told you this before? That you are beautiful? A pity that the first time you should hear it, it comes from an old Vulcan man."

"No, not old," she growled, licking at his ears. "You sexy silver fox..."

She felt more tears despite herself, and she sighed, taking the tip of his ear into her mouth so she could suck, just like he had sucked at the bite marks on her neck and back. "You're the first man to make me believe it."

He growled, pulling her away from his ear and back to his lips, where he kissed her. "You had better start believing it," he purred against her lips. "Else I will be most displeased."

She breathed in sharply and dashed away her remaining tears. "Yes, sir," she said with a falsely chipper tone, cupping his cheek. She suddenly felt very vulnerable, but she somehow knew she was safe when he stopped kissing her and wrapped his arms around her.

"I am serious, Tawny," he whispered, kissing her forehead. "I will not allow you to accept anything less than the fact that you are beautiful, and that you deserve respect."

She shook her head, lightly kissing his lips. "I'm going to lose this game."

He was silent. "I do not understand."

"The g-game you pl-play dirty at? Th-This game of m-making me yours? You're w-winning...I-I'm going to l-lose."

He growled again. "Not a game, though I find your lack of enthusiasm disappointing."

She narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms over her chest, but still she grinned wickedly at him and leaned forward. "I-If i-it's a game of c-cat and mouse you w-want, that can be a-arranged."

She slid off of his lap and sat a few feet away from him on the bench seat, but she grinned at him when his expression turned to hurt. She gestured him forward with a crooked finger, daring him to come forward, but she was not expecting him to grab her ankles and tug her legs toward him. She fell onto her back, and he crawled over her like a powerful tiger, and she could even see his muscles moving beneath his robes.

"Sehlat and prey, we call that here," he purred. "I will pursue you with everything I have and all the power I wield, and all the charm I can muster." He leaned down and tried to kiss her lips, but she avoided him, laughing in his face, until he grasped her chin with a vicelike grip and made her stay still for his kiss. That very act made her arch her back up toward him, and he pulled back, his dark eyes gleaming with triumph.

"Ah, so you do enjoy that...I will make it a point to be a worthy sehlat, my sweet, succulent prey." She shivered in delight. "We are almost to my home, so I suggest we end this for now."

She sighed and accepted his help in sitting up, and he placed her closer to his side than before, and she leaned on his shoulder, preparing herself to make a good first impression on his mother and his family.