Page 57 of Tharn's Hunt
There is only a hollow space in my chest where her weight used to be. There is only loss.
Rok approaches a short time later as Jus-teen continues her ministrations, his expression grave. "Jus-teen knows how to treat the fire," he tells me.
"Will she live?" The question tears from me, raw with fear I don't try to hide.
Rok studies me for a long moment before answering. "She is strong, this small one. Like her sister."
Relief weakens my knees, forces me to brace against the rock wall for support. Jah-kee will live. She will recover. She will...
She will no longer need me.
The thought strikes with unexpected force, leaving a cold emptiness in its wake.
"Brother," Rok projects softly, "what has happened between you and this female?"
I look up, meeting his golden gaze directly. There is no judgment there, only curiosity. Understanding.
"I do not know," I answer. "There is a... something. A tether. I can feel her thoughts sometimes. Her emotions. And when we touch..." I gesture helplessly to the golden glow that still pulses beneath my skin, though fainter now with distance from Jah-kee.
Rok does that chin jerk thing—something he has no doubt learned from Jus-teen. "It was the same with Jus-teen and me," he projects. "This light. This connection. It grows stronger with time."
I stare at him, shock momentarily overriding exhaustion. "You experienced this, too? The glow? The... pull?"
"Yes." His expression softens, something like contentment passing over his features. “This light, this connection…it is rare, brother. Special. It is Ain’s gift, marking her as yours to protect, as Jus-teen is mine. I fought it once, too. I tried to tell myself it wasn’t real, but the light does not lie”.
I follow his gaze, watching as Jus-teen carefully bathes Jah-kee's feverish face. The tenderness in her movements mirrors the fierce protectiveness I've felt since finding Jah-kee in the dust.
"A Daughter of Ain…mine?" The thought filters into the mindspace.
Rok's mouth quirks in what might be amusement. "Jus-teen does not like when we call them that." He places a hand on my shoulder, his grip firm and reassuring. "Rest now, brother. Regain your strength. There will be time to understand what this means later."
At his words, my legs, steady through three sols of relentless travel, finally surrender. I slide down the cave wall until I sit on the cool stone floor, my gaze never leaving Jah-kee's still form.
Even as Jus-teen works, as my brother stands guard, I remain connected to her in ways I cannot fully comprehend.
Mine to claim. Mine to protect.
I do not want to give her back.
Chapter 17
SHARING WATER, CLAIMING, AND OTHER THINGS I SHOULD NOT DISCUSS AROUND JUS-TEEN
THARN
Ido not like the way Jus-teen touches Jah-kee.
This is an unreasonable thought. I know this. Jus-teen is Jah-kee's sister-female. Their bond is ancient and deep. Deeper than clan-ties, deeper than lifeblood. And Jus-teen's hands are skilled, gentle as they wipe the fire-sweat from Jah-kee's brow, as they tip water past her cracked lips, as they check the pulse at her throat.
Yet I cannot stop the low growl that builds in my chest each time she leans close to Jah-kee, each time her fingers brush the strands of head-fur from Jah-kee's face.
The growl dies before it reaches my lips. But barely.
"She will be well, brother," Rok projects, his mindspeak rippling with amusement. "Jus-teen knows what she does."
I force my claws to retract, my shoulders to relax. "I know this," I project back, not taking my eyes from where Jah-kee lies still on the stone pallet. "I merely... observe."
"Is that what you call it?" Rok settles beside me against the cave wall, his frame also casting shadows across the floor."Strange. I would call it 'watching her like prey about to escape a trap.'"
