Read Online Upon the Threshold by April Zyon - Free Book Online Page A

again. Mostly because I plan on being more cautious, but also because I don’t think that anyone from my camp would ever put their lives on the line for me. With the exception of my dad, of course.” She was babbling, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. “Right, a drink would be nice. Thank you.”
    Lukkis was shaking his head and pointed through an archway. “In there,” he told her, following on her heels as she raced off. She heard Lukkis come into the room. She saw him walk to the wall, where he pushed a button, and a portion of the wall slid out of the way. “There is some juice and other drinks. You can take your pick,” he said, stepping out of her way.
    “Thank you.” She peered into the cooler and grabbed what looked to be an orange juice of some kind. She doubted it was like the oranges that they were growing in the greenhouses, but she was going to try it all the same. “I have no idea what kind of drink this is. Is it good?” she asked before opening it. She didn’t want to open it and not like it. She refused to be wasteful.
    “It is. It’s one of Kraven’s favorites. If you hadn’t guessed from the multitude of bottles of the stuff in there. It’s slightly tangy, but is very smooth without any aftertaste to it. It’s extremely thirst satisfying, unlike some beverages. You should enjoy it,” he told her. Leaning over, he grabbed a different bottle and closed the panel. Then he walked back into the sitting area of Kraven’s quarters and sat on a long, sofa-like piece of furniture.
    Eli moved to the sofa and took a seat beside Lukkis. “I was worried for the both of you. Kraven especially. No one should ever face off alone against things that want to kill them. While I’m grateful, I feel horrible that he had to kill for me.”
    “I am perfectly healthy and whole, no harm at all. You need to understand something, Elisabeth. The Droushanian people are, by nature, warriors. We are quite advanced technologically, but some things, like our views on war and battle, can be seen as a bit backward. We prefer fighting face-to-face with the enemy with a blade in hand. We have weapons to shoot long distance, but that isn’t our way. It helps to temper our inner nature, at least for the males of our race.”
    “I didn’t offend you, did I?” She realized now that the “mothering” she had been doing to these two men might actually be offensive to them. “I just…” She bit her lower lip and shook her head. “I don’t understand what’s happening.” Okay, confession time. “I would feel far better discussing this with both of you here. Can we all three talk when Kraven has finished cleaning himself?”
    “Of course we can,” he said. “And no, you haven’t offended me. I doubt you could, Elisabeth.” He took a drink from his bottle, his gaze on her, watching her closely as he drank. Lowering the bottle to rest on his thigh, he licked his lips and smiled, ever so slightly. It was a knowing look. She’d been getting those a lot from these two males.
    “As long as you are okay,” Eli said quietly. She took a drink of what she had chosen, and her eyes widened. “Oh, this is quite good,” she whispered in shock. “It’s unique, flavorful, and yummy.”
    “As I said.” He shrugged.
    A door opened and Kraven came back out. He was wearing loose pants, no shoes, and no shirt. Holy hell, he wasn’t wearing a shirt, and there was a lot of flesh for her to see. A lot of flesh.
    “You found something acceptable to drink, I see,” he commented. And then walked right through the room into what she would consider the kitchenette.
    She licked her lips, literally, when she saw all that beautiful flesh bare to her eyes. It was like a feast, and she was more than happy to partake. “Uh.” She forgot how to speak. For a moment, she totally and completely forgot how to speak. “Good heavens, you are a beautiful, stunning man. And you most certainly are not hurt.” Goddess help her, but