Page 124 of Rok's Captive
But she is mine.
Tharn stands at the entrance, his gaze lingering on her sleeping form. His curiosity is palpable, brushing against my mind like a persistent question waiting for an answer.
“She is unlike anything I have seen,” Tharn projects, his tone cautious but probing. “Even her breathing is strange. Soft…uneven.”
I grunt, unwilling to feed his curiosity. Jus-teen’s breaths are soft, light, and melodic in a way I have come to find soothing. I watch her chest rise and fall, the faint warmth of her body radiating through the bedding.
“She is delicate,” Tharn continues, tilting his head. “Not like us. Will she endure the journey to the Silent Valley?”
“She will,” I say firmly. “She is stronger than she looks.”
Tharn does not respond. Instead, he steps closer, his golden eyes narrowing as he studies her.
“What are you doing, Tharn?” I project a low growl, my brows tightening.
He glances at me, unperturbed. “Her skin changes color often. I have seen it. Is it…danger?”
“No,” I reply. “It is her way.”
Her flushed skin, her strange reactions—they are all part of her. At first, they puzzled me. Now, I find I look forward to them. They are signs of her emotions, her thoughts, and I notice them even when she tries to hide them.
“Strange,” Tharn muses, stepping back. “But then, all of this is strange.”
Before I can respond, Justine stirs. Her brow furrows slightly, and she shifts in the bedding, her hand reaching up to rub at her face. Her eyelids flutter open, and she blinks, her gaze finding mine almost immediately.
“Is it morning already?” she mumbles those words I cannot understand, the thoughts following her meaning shortly after.
Tharn flinches at the sound, his claws twitching at his sides as if preparing for an attack. His thoughts are sharp, unguarded:What is this? What is she doing?
I suppress a smirk, leaning closer to Jus-teen. “You are loud, light-bringer,” I project gently into her mind.
She blinks, realization dawning as she sits up straighter, her cheeks flushing slightly. “Sorry,” she thinks, her mental voice softer now. She turns to Tharn, offering him a small smile. “Good morning, Tharn.”
Surprise flickers across Tharn’s features—not just at her greeting, but at her casual use of his name, as if they are long-acquainted. Few address him so directly outside of Kol and me.
His thoughts ripple with confusion. “What were those sounds she made?”
“She vocalizes,” I explain, the word forming clumsily in my mind. “It is her way of communicating.”
Tharn tilts his head, his gaze flicking between her and me. “She speaks…with sound? Does it not disturb you?”
“No,” I reply without hesitation. “She has spoken aloud many times in my presence, her strange human sounds startling and unfamiliar. But now, I find I like them. Her voice is soft, melodic, even when she is frustrated or amused. It is like water running over smooth stones—gentle, soothing, and alive.”
“It is her way,” I add simply.
Tharn steps back slightly, his gaze fixed on Jus-teen as if she is a puzzle he cannot quite solve.
Jus-teen shifts under his scrutiny, and I feel a surge of protectiveness rise within me. “We leave soon,” I say, standing and moving to block Tharn’s view of her. “Prepare the others.”
Tharn hesitates, then inclines his head in the way we do, similar to Jus-teen’s chin jerk. “As you say, scout-leader.”
He lingers for a moment longer, his gaze flicking once more to Jus-teen before he turns and leaves the chamber.
Jus-teen exhales softly, her shoulders relaxing as the tension leaves the room. “He’s…intense,” she thinks, glancing at me.
“They are curious,” I explain, sitting beside her once more. “You are the first they have seen. The first they have heard.”
Her brow furrows. “I guess I’m going to have to get used to being the center of attention.”
