Page 59 of Planet Zero
Vircea took a fresh wad of moss and rubbed it across Zoark’s forehead, cleaning residual dirt.
“It is so unfair.” Fat amber tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Shh, Vircea, don’t cry.” But Addie was crying herself as she said it.
Vircea shook her head. “My beautiful brothers.” Her eyes were fixed on Zoark but she spoke of both of them. “Oh’nil needs to take a mate. He’s already too old and getting older. Men can’t go forever without being tapped, you know that?”
“No, I didn’t know.”
“Well, they can’t. If they don’t take a mate before a certain age, they will never get as strong as they should.”
“Why doesn’t Oh’nil? Because there are no available women?”
“It’s true that our tribe lacks women. Oh’nil should go out, look for a mate in another tribe. But he doesn’t, because ofher.”
“Who?” But she already had a good idea.
“A mated woman. He is waiting for her, and she will never come to him. Oh, Addie, why is he so stubborn?”
Addie hugged Vircea tightly. The woman wilted in her embrace, letting her weight settle on Addie’s shoulders.
“Oh’nil watches over Zoark like he’s a small child. Watching after Zoark! He was so strong, Zoark. And he understands this land better than any other warrior, better than Chief Net’ok. Zoark knows stuff, Addie, but they never listen to him. The High Counselor doesn't even allow Zoark to speak with Net’ok. He can’t hunt, he can’t patrol, he can’t train with the rest of them. They send him out to scout like some green youth.”
“I’m sorry, Vircea, all of it is unfair.”
“He had a favorite there, you know? In the city. I heard him and Oh’nil talking about it. She was, like, his mate.”
“A human woman?”
“Yes. He stayed so long because of her. But she died.”
Vircea’s account echoed Sathe’s vague insinuations with disconcerting accuracy. Addie gently stroked Vircea’s hair. “They must’ve been happy together. She was a woman who wanted him, despite his injuries.”
“He used to glow with power,” Vircea said forlornly. “Like the Ehr sun, so full of life.”
She let go of Addie. “I’m sorry. I rarely get upset, but today got to me. It’s because of the fight, because of Iguell.”
Addie let her arm fall at her sides. “Iguell provoked Zoark.”
“Iguell often does. He pokes my brothers out of spite.”
“Why does he do that?”
Vircea sighed. “Because of me. I refused Iguell, and he’s sore about it. And Vuskas keeps forcing the issue like I have no say in the matter. He wants to see us mated.”
Vircea wiped her face free of tears with a small piece of moss and wadded it up along with the remnants of Zoark’s dirty shirt. Giving Addie’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze, she left the teepee to dispose of the trash and to look for Oh’nil in hopes he’d agree to an examination. Addie didn’t think he would, and she didn’t worry. Oh’nil wasn’t seriously hurt.
Addie turned her attention to Zoark’s still form. She frowned as she looked, thinking of what Vircea had revealed.
Had Samantha truly been his mate? Had she been very attracted to him?
Addie slowly looked Zoark’s shirtless torso up and down, with bandages and all. He had wide shoulders with lots of muscle, not a weakened invalid like his bad knee led her to believe. Old puckered scars bisected one shoulder, likely the main reason why he covered his body with a shirt at all times.
As was the case with all For men, he had no hair on his chest, but a slick reddish pelt started at around his navel and went down, gradually thickening, fanning across his abdomen. Addie knew about this standard bodily feature of male For and counted it as one more reason why they werenotsexy.
He groaned and moved restlessly before settling back into the furs. His eyes opened briefly, and closed, searing Addie with an unseeing green-red gaze.
Alien.
