Page 27 of Tharn's Hunt
“Wait.” I squint, trying to focus on his face. “You’ve been able to talk this whole time?”
“Yes.” The answer is simple, matter-of-fact.
“And you didn’t think to start with that?” My indignation is a weak, sputtering flame.
“You did not hear me before.” He adjusts his hold on me, his speed slowing. The passing desert comes a bit into focus again. "Your mind was closed. Now… now I can feel you."
"Yeah, well, you were busy glowing at me and gesturing at my thighs like a creep."
“I was not creeping,” his voice is sharp, laced with genuine confusion.“My steps were strong. I did not crawl on my belly. I was crouching. There is a difference.”
I blink slowly, trying to process his literal-minded defense. He thinks "creep" means... actually creeping around on the ground. The absurdity of it is so profound it almost makes me laugh, but I don't have the energy.
"Right. My mistake."My words slur with exhaustion."You were performing a… crouching, non-creepy thigh-gesture. Totally normal."
“I was attempting to offer a claiming,” he explains. “To bring you into the mindspace so you could hear me.”
"Oh, is that all?"My thoughts are getting fuzzy around the edges."And here I thought you were just really, really interested in my panties."
I let out a sigh that turns into a shuddering breath and snuggle back against his chest. Arguing with a giant, literal alien is officially beyond my pay grade today. Especially when he’s the only solid thing in this tilting, burning world.
My eyes flutter closed. So tired. I just want to sleep.
“No.” The command is a physical jolt in my skull. Sharp. Terrified. “Jah-kee. You must stay awake.”
“I’m trying.” My lids flutter, but it’s so much easier to just close my eyes. “But it’s hard.”
“You must,” he demands, the intensity of his voice pulling me toward consciousness once more. “You will not leave me.”
There it is again. That overwhelming wave of longing that crashes into me. It’s so raw, so desperate, that it almost drowns me.
Chapter 10
MY HUNT LEAKS WATER AND TALKS OF NON-EXISTENT FOOD
THARN
She is burning alive in my arms.
The fire beneath Jah-kee's skin rages hotter with each step I take across the dust. Her small body curls against my chest, her face buried in the crook of my neck. Her breath comes in quick, shallow pants that make my dra-kir twist with worry.
I have hunted many creatures across Xiraxis. I have tracked beasts that could tear a hunter in half. I have faced dust serpents that lurk beneath the sand, waiting to drag unwary prey to their deaths.
But I have never felt fear like this.
The female in my arms isdying.
And I do not know how to save her.
"Jah-kee," I project, desperate to keep her in the mindspace. "Tell me of your world. Tell me of the place that made you."
Her mind brushes against mine, weaker now than before. The connection that flared so unexpectedly between us flickers like a flame being smothered by the dust.
"Earth?" Her thoughts are disjointed, slippery. "It's...blue. So much water. Too much sometimes. Cities with lights that never go out. Forests that stretch forever.And people. So many people."
I try to picture this strange world she speaks of. A place of endless water. Offorests. The concept is as alien to me as she is.
"And food," she continues, her mind wandering. "God, I miss food. Real food. Not just... whatever that spiny thing was."
