Page 2 of Heart's Keeper

"Interesting." Lana laughed. "No. Disturbing." An itch grew on the inside of her wrist underneath her scaled cuff, and she scratched at it without thought. "We tried to help them stop the fights. To try and find a way to bring them back but..." Lana jerked her head one way in a sort of vrisha headshake. "Even after we helped stifle some of the fights, the queen said it was time they embraced the inevitable. I tried to reason with her, but they’d made up their minds, and me and Xerus just watched them slowly fade away, losing their own individuality. I could never imagine such a thing happening, it was just so..."

They sat in silence for a moment before Xini said, "You do not like their decision and so it still bothers you."

"Yes," Lana spoke softly. "That and..." She looked across to the jungle, past the buildings of their haven.

"And?"

"I think it might have affected Xerus too somehow," Lana said honestly.

"How so?"

Lana wasn't sure exactly how to respond. She thought it over, then said, "He seemed distant after...like he was distracted by something. Our whole trip home, I could tell something was off. He was so quiet. And when I tried to speak to him, it’s like he didn’t hear me. I would have said something sooner, but I was also still reeling from the whole thing.” Lana sighed, then drank down the rest of her tea and set the cup aside. "This was not how I was hoping to come home."

"But at least you are home," Xini stated. "And now you can take time for yourselves. Talk to him. Tell each other of your concerns and fears. You do not have to take another mission for some time if you do not wish to."

Lana smiled at her. "You're right. And I do plan to talk to him when we can find a moment together."

Xini gave her a quick bow, then took the tea set as another housekin, Syris, entered the terrace.

"Risa, your predomis has returned," he said, flicking his tail.

Lana and Xini locked eyes. Xini nodded her head and showed the tips of her fangs in a vrisha smile before turning away. "Thank you, Syris," Lana said as she rose from the groundmat. The wind picked up, catching in the tight braids of hair which fell down Lana's back and through the strips of kelva, a strong, leather-like hide, around her thighs. The heat and rock-dust pricked her skin and stung her eyes. Time she went inside.

Syris bowed his head and stepped away as Lana entered through the open door into darkness and the somewhat cooler interior of their home. She moved carefully down a flight of stairs till she reached the central chamber, a circular space with a domed ceiling. A map of Tryth's solar system displayed from above, and the walls showed stone etchings of wildlife and landscapes. The floor, made from dark bronze and stone, had several vrisha designs and pictures like hieroglyphs which could be translated if one understood. Lana knew them all now by heart. The lights—deep red and orange cracks of stone the vrisha called stonelights—glowed dimly around the dome's outer circle. At the center of the room was a low-lit flame in a large bowl with seats surrounding it. It was where housekin gathered to talk. A place of unity for the vrisha of the house where one needed to speak and be heard; the heart of their home. A home that sat above the haven as its own center.

No one sat there now, and Lana passed by the fire to walk down a hall opposite. There were few doors in the haven or within their home, but staircases and short bends or screens kept things private and hidden. She went down one lone staircase until she came to the bottom of her and Xerus' private den. As she walked around a thick screen, the glow of the stonelights above brightened as she passed.

The den was empty. Lana stopped near the middle to look across at her and Xerus' bed—an oval-shaped pit cut into the floor with a mat and pillows scattered within. The fabrics were soft but incredibly durable as a vrisha's spikes couldn't cut easily into them. Everything was smooth yet hard. Even the walls and floor were made of a soft but tough rock that the vrisha created from the flow of lava rock. It reminded her of the stones found on a beach, made smooth from years of sand and water.

Her eyes slid across the room and studied the subtle etchings along the walls then moved over to a globe map to one side that showed the vast area which the vrisha had explored. On another side were a few plants Lana had been caring for and collecting data on before her mission, tended now by housekin. There was a table next to the plants filled with Xerus' gadgets and tools and a cabinet housing the few pieces of clothing she wore along with her one set of vrisha armor they called grivhide. It was what she wore at her queening ceremony and to council meetings. The armor, made from those vrisha who had fallen, hung to one side along with a crown of horns Xerus had made especially for her. She thought fondly about that now. He had given the crown to her at their coupling ceremony. A smile played on her lips when she recalled it being the only thing she adorned when they lay together in their bed after. It made her think of the dreams she had before she'd come to Tryth. How wild and alive she felt with him.

From a doorway to one side, Lana heard the light trickling and splashing of water. Along the top of the passageway was the flickering of light from the water's reflection. Quietly, she stepped over to the door. The scent of coffee hit her, and she closed her eyes, smiling. Stepping through into the passage, she slipped down a short set of steps before entering the bath chamber.

Within a long, rectangular bath, Xerus stood, his back to the door. Wafts of steam floated just above the surface of the dark water, breaking against his body. He hadn't noticed her yet, and Lana took that moment to watch him carefully as he glided around the pool. His tail weaved lazily behind him, creating small ripples through the water. Even now, Lana could only stand in silent awe of him. Of his dangerous beauty. Pale orange light lit the room like the light of dawn, and in it, Lana could make out the brilliant deep red of Xerus' scales as they shined. There was the hint of dark purple stripes along his side from the scars he had acquired some years ago. His horns, though twisted and angled slightly differently than the others’, were full and thick and sharp as ever. The spikes along his back were a bit jagged if one looked hard enough, but it was of little issue. His lithe body was a sight to behold, even after all the years, still powerful and feral as he moved gracefully along the bath. What fear it had pulled from her long ago was no longer of any concern. Still, her heart raced all the same; for the love of him that she believed could never be broken.

Eventually, he turned and saw her watching him. He grew still as they locked eyes, and Lana became so lost in the heat of his red and black gaze for a short moment that she couldn't speak. Xerus' expression, though stunned to see her there at first, quickly calmed, and the glint of eagerness showed in his eyes as he gave her his sly smile.

"I wondered where you had slipped off to when I returned to find our bed empty, kissala," he said in a low voice.

"I thought the same thing when I woke up to find you missing, my domis," Lana said, returning his smile.

Xerus' smile fell slightly as he stopped in the middle of the bath. "Forgive me. I was restless."

"The hunt helped?"

Xerus bowed his head. "In a way..."

Lana looked down at the water and approached the edge of the pool. "May I join you?"

Xerus huffed, his tail curving along the water. "Would I ever tell you no?"

Lana shrugged then began to unclasp her Kelva garments from her thighs and shoulders. "I would hope not, but then if you ever needed to be alone..."

"I would never deny your presence."

"Even after having to endure it for so long?"

Xerus hissed a laugh. "I never tire of it if that is what you mean." He reached out an arm to her, and, as Lana stood naked at the edge of the bath, she slowly dropped into the water and moved across to be beside him. As if done unconsciously, Xerus's tail curled across her back, pulling her closer to him. Lana let out a slow breath and closed her eyes as she felt his rough scales brush along her skin. She placed her hands along the underside of his ribs and pressed against him, letting her forehead rest against his chest.

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