Ken'ja — Bernadette Gardner

Mate or die! Thal Warrior Tige D'Vron battles the biological imperative of his people. Can Zira, a mere human, withstand the mating frenzy?

When two prisoners of war find themselves unexpectedly freed from their captivity they discover they have no choice but to rely on each other to survive. Tige D'Vron, a Thalian Warrior, and Zira Teynor, a human intelligence courier, set out together across a nameless planet to avoid recapture by their enemies, the reptilian Ketomir.

Soon, however, Tige becomes aware of a growing desire for his human compatriot, a desire he cannot control. Thalians have long battled the Ken'Ja, the biological imperative to mate or die. In an effort to protect Zira from himself, Tige forces her away from him, hoping she will flee to where he cannot find her, because when he does, he will claim her in a mating frenzy too intense for a mere human to withstand.

Note: This short story [approximately 12,000 words] was previously released.