Page 14 of Veras
“Why—”
He slashed his clawed thumbs into the gash, digging and cutting out chunks of my arm.
“Aaahhhhh!” I bowed my back and screamed louder than I ever had. I fought, but he held tight, the agony of tearing skin and muscle washing over me. Blood sprayed down my arm, painting my face and his chest. It should have made me faint. But I wasn’t that lucky.
“This hurts me more than it does you. I hate it!”
For the briefest of seconds, I realized he might be right. I was experiencing both my agony and the sharp sting of his tortured emotions. “Stop! Please, stop.”
“Soon. It iskilling me.”
Always makes it about himself. “Shut up and just finish!” Tears rained down my cheeks as I thrashed and begged.
After an eternity, I felt the first swipe of absolute balmy relief. When I cracked my eyes open, Veras unfurled that magical tongue, the one juiced up with all kinds of Oro. I focused on its size and texture, rather than the lemon-sized hole in my arm.
He licked my gash, long and slow. Soon, a slight pressure built, and his tongue… vibrated.It vibrated. The endless possibilities of how much fun I could have with his talented appendage warmed me. Eventually, the healing got to the point where it cauterized the wound. The pain receded, and I could think again. Or maybe he counteracted the hallucinogenic part of the poison. Either way, slowly but surely, I felt like myself. My body sucked up every ounce of Oro coating his tongue.
I fell into a deep sleep while coming up with Plan D, which involved making use of that beautiful vibrating tongue.
***
My eyes flutteredopen. A golden mist surrounded me.Veras. He had my head in his lap and was stroking my hair.Sigh. I never wanted to move again, but my inner defense mechanism, the one that didn’t trust any aliens, no matter how hot, reared its ugly head, forcing me to sit up. “Thank you.”
He tipped his chin up in a nod. Lengthy explanations weren’t needed because he could read all of my complex feelings of gratitude and appreciation. “Of course. My life is yours.”
Why does he keep saying that?
“Because I must repay my debt to you.” He tried to tug me back down into his lap as we coasted along in the flying coffin. “Rest. We have time before we make it to the outpost.”
Old habits die hard.My ability to trust had been damaged, perhaps beyond repair. I just couldn’t do it. But I could clear something up. “We’re even now. You saved me. I saved you.”
“Thearbelucwas nothing compared to the Aavvee and my capture. Do not insult me.”
Okay, attitude.“What happens after we find the outpost?”
“We make our way back to the Guardians.”
“Guardians? Are those the golden tornadoes?”
“Torrr-naaa-dows? Such an interesting language you speak. Yes. They protect my people’s greatest treasure. The entrance to my home.”
I crossed my legs and pushed my grubby hair out of my face so I could take everything in.
Veras reluctantly gave up returning me to his lap. “My people were extremely advanced. Blessed with gifts that were enhanced by the power of the Oro. It strengthened our bodies and our minds. But as with most things, it came at a cost.”
“It always does.”
“Yes. We became dependent, moving farther and farther away from the surface of the planet to the purest source of Oro. To the heart of the planet, near its core. It granted us long life, but…once you ingest too much, you have to have a steady supply to replenish it. You become completely dependent on it. And you can never leave Nozaroc.” He gripped my hand, his twin thumbs tapping a beat against my palm.
I shook my head. “Then how were you able to leave?”
“A small minority of us are sent out before we become too addicted, launched through the portals to various locations. We are expected to learn and gather information about the universe.”
“Wait.” I gripped his hand tighter. “They just dumped you on some random planet?”
He winced. “It has been done this way for a millennium. It is a rite of passage.” He turned away from me, no longer meeting my eye.
Now I wished I could read his mind. It became clear that it hadn’t been the best experience for him. “Why were you picked?”
