Page 16 of The Weaver

She lowered her hands and glanced up at Rekosh, offering him a smile, but she didn’t hold his gaze. In fact, she seemed to look everywhere but at him. “So…you’ve been back for a little while then?”

He released a long, slow breath as he studied her. The bundle clutched in his lower hands felt so much heavier in that moment, its weight only increasing as that internal fire shifted from rage to something softer but no less intense.

“Three days,” Rekosh said. “I was… I had much to attend.” He brought his upper forearms together. “Forgive me. I should have come to you more soon.”

Finally, Ahmya tipped her head back and met his gaze. “It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize, Rekosh. It’s just when I saw that Urkot and Telok were back, I wondered if you had stayed in Takarahl since you were nowhere to be seen.”

His mandibles rose. Strange how naturally that expression came to him. It was not so profound a look on a vrix face, perhaps, but when humans smiled, when Ahmya smiled, their features were transformed.

And he’d gone much too long since he’d last seen her smile.

Since he’d last seen her smile athim.

“I could not stay. My place is here, my tribe is here.” Rekosh stared into her eyes. Their warm brown was so expressive, so deep and inviting. “You are here.”

Ahmya’s eyes flared. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear with a strained laugh as she dropped her gaze. “Well, where else would I be?”

A thoughtful trill sounded in Rekosh’s throat. “You were to be in Xolea, and I was to be in Takarahl. But we are here now. Together.”

She peeked up at him. “Don’t you…don’t you miss Takarahl? You lived there your whole life.”

“Do you miss Earth?” he asked gently.

Ahmya drew in a slow, deep breath, and again looked at her surroundings. “Sometimes. There are some things I miss.” She met his gaze, and her smile returned, this time softer, warmer. “But not enough to want to go back. I love it here.”

Rekosh curled his fingers tight to keep from reaching for her. “I feel the same about Takarahl. It is more good—better—here, where I can see the sky and sun. Where I can see…flowers.”

Though her cheeks retained their pink stain, Ahmya did not look away from him this time, and Rekosh did not miss the flicker of delight in her eyes.

“But don’t you have family there who will miss you?” she asked.

Rekosh’s hearts stuttered, and something coiled tight around them. “Only Ahnset.”

“We all miss her.” Ahmya folded her hands against her belly. “But…I’m glad you made it back safely.”

His chest swelled, flooding with warmth.

My female is happy to see me.

His eyes dipped to follow her hands. A trail of small pink scars ran across her stomach, disappearing beneath the silk of her skirt; marks of his failure to shield her from danger.

That warmth faded as quickly as it had come.

Had Ivy been any slower to react, Ahmya would’ve been killed by a firevine. The plant’s tendril would’ve wrapped around her slender throat, piercing her flesh with its venomous thorns, and taken her from Rekosh right before his eyes.

Had I been faster, I could have spared them both from harm. Had I been more observant...

Never again.

He extended one of his upper arms and took her hand, guiding it away from her belly before curling his fingers closed around it. Her hand was so small within his own.

Rekosh drew her closer. “Ahmya, I must share words with you.”

“Words? What…what kind of words?” She chuckled nervously. “Aren’t we sharing words right now?”

With her hand in his, he felt her faintly trembling, and almost swore he could feel the fluttering beat of her heart. His hearts thumped faster in response. He raised the bundled dress a little higher, but he did not yet offer it to her. “Words from my heartsthread,kir’ani vi’keishi. Words?—”

“Diego!” a vrix shouted in a deep, booming voice.

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