Page 20 of Scarred

“I have returned.”

Amma swallowed her snort as Suni stomped back into the clearing with a skinned animal carcass over his shoulder. He dropped it onto a large leaf and started butchering it. Amma was happy she wasn’t squeamish as she sat on one of the logs and placed the small basket filled with herbs and spices next to her. “Did you want to use these?” She held up her mixed spices.

“This meat does not need it.” He pushed some of the chunks of flesh on long sticks over the fire. “I want you to try some and tell me if you think I am wrong.”

She looked at him a little doubtfully until the meat began to cook. Her mouth watered at the scent. “Wow, the smell is delicious. It reminds me of my family barbecues.”

“I am glad to remind you of home.” Suni finished carving a few more pieces and positioned them over the fire. “Gar, you and your brother finish stripping the kill.”

“Yes, Suni,” both brothers said.

Amma smiled as Suni knelt by the river to wash his hands. She could tell the brothers not only respected him but looked up to him as the warrior they wanted to be. Suni, as most great men do, didn’t seem to notice. He dropped onto the log across the fire from her and started sharpening the points of his morning star.

“I have never seen one of those in real life.” Amma leaned forward to get a better look at his weapon. It didn’t look like a normal morning star, it was ten times bigger, and the studded ball was the same size as two bowling balls. If hit, it would do some serious damage. “I always thought they were one of the more dangerous weapons because of how hard it has to be to control the chain.”

“It is a difficult weapon to master.” Suni glanced up. “Not many warriors ever do.”

“I doubt I would ever try.” She sat back. “Are you still up to answering a few questions?”

“I keep my word.”

“I have learned a lot in the last three days, like to stay hidden during the day. What I don’t understand is how your brother ended up mated to a human.”

“Mia? She found him after he had been left for dead on a battlefield.” Suni’s lips lifted in a snarl. “A dishonorable male stabbed him in the back with a poisoned dagger. Mia and her daughter were able to heal him. On the trip back to our village, Mia and Ni’em fell in love.”

“Mia. I feel like I should know her.” Amma tapped her lower lip as she flipped through her family members, there were a lot. “Wait, now I remember Mia. Her mother was one of the best seers in our family. My auntie Charlotte was second. Julian should be around five now and coming into her magic. Wait,” she stopped talking as something he said finally hit her. “You said that Mia is mated to your brother. How is that possible? We are not the same species.”

“The goddess knows what she is doing.” Suni answered. “Love and devotion know no bounds.”

“You’re right.” Amma shouldn’t judge anyone for finding love. “As long as she’s happy.”

“They both are.”

“How do mates meet in your world?” She wondered if the males left home to seek their mate like many used to on earth before the modern world.

“Some meet when they are calves, and others take a little longer.” He glanced up from his weapon and met her eyes. “I have always known I would know my mate the second I laid eyes on her.”

Chapter 8

Amma

Amma’s eyes widened at what she saw in his violet eyes. It wasn’t just a simple desire, but something more. Something she couldn’t let herself believe in, not this soon. “I never really thought about it because of my family legacy. I figured I would go the same route as my mother and find a donor.”

“What is a donor?” Suni continued working.

“It means that we find men who are willing to donate their sperm and walk away. It is a common practice in my family.”

“And you find males who are willing to walk away from their young?” Suni’s brows lowered, and he stopped moving.

“In my world, it’s a common practice.” Amma said. “There’s even a movement named Single Mother by Choice.”

“Why would a female want to raise a calf on her own? A mate can take half the load and calves can be a lot of work. I would never walk away from my calves. Never.”

Amma had never really thought of the other end of the donor transaction. None of the men her family used ever came back to complain. “For my family, it’s the best solution. We cannot tell the men we are real witches. Most would run because they think we are insane, and the others would call the authorities to have our daughters taken away.”

Suni snorted. “I doubt anyone could take your calves from you. A dam is dangerous when protecting her young.”

“That is true. My mother was nice and peaceful until someone tried to get one over on us. Speaking of mother’s, how long has Mia been here? I don’t remember hearing anything about her at the gathering.”

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