Page 71 of Orange Lake
No. Must get up.
But my body was not cooperating. Somebody has my other mate. This is not acceptable.
I can hear the others talking all at once.
“It’s their link, something bad must have happened to Brynn,” that was Crix. I felt someone touching the pulse at my neck. “Jigen is following them.”
“Who was it?” Roqs asked urgently.
“We have to wait for Jigen. He is the best person on this mission.”
They are wrong. Wrong. The best person to go on this type of mission is me. I can sniff out information faster than any of them. If I can just get my body to cooperate. There’s a void inside my chest. A hollow feeling.
I felt Zirc’s heat change and knew that he most likely transformed to his normal skin. He is strong. Stronger than all the people I knew. And he knows me so well.
“Open your eyes,” he said gruffly.
I peeled open my eyes and saw Zirc’s face, still with some perspiration by the force of his transformation. His dark hair damp on his forehead.
Then I felt it. His hand on my chest, with a crystal. It is warming up my insides. I never realized I was too cold. I started to shiver but it’s good I’m looking into Zirc’s gunmetal grey eyes. It helped stabilize my thoughts and without telling me, I nodded. I know what I need to do. The only capable being on this planet who can find Brynn will be me. Without Zirc telling me, he clearly said that Brynn is more important than our mission. Zirc, a stickler for rules, regulations and lives on missions, is telling me to find Brynn. He trusts me to do this. Because he can’t go back on others who depend on him on this mission.
I grabbed his other hand and squeezed. With my hand in his, he stood up, taking me with him.
“I have everything I need,” I announced to no one in particular.
“I’ll go with you,” Roqs said beside me.
That surprised all of us. Even Zirc who narrowed his eyes at him.
“You need to go back to our tribe,” Zirc reminded him gruffly.
“A few more days will not make any difference. I only know I will leave now because you and Coone are leaving today. But I might be able to help Coone.”
Someone handed Zirc some pants, probably from one of Crix’s nuls.
“Do you know something?” I asked, moving closer to Roqs. I saw Volks holding Roo who refused to leave us, trying to describe the manasties who took Brynn.
“Zirc,” Roqs looked at him. “Do you remember when Brynn told us she saw someone looking like Ist?”
Zirc nodded. It’s probably not here. Most likely in the South Sector. And I know the Ist they are talking about. I heard about him from Zirc’s initial report. The same guy who kidnapped Brynn to lure Zirc’s silver beast. Zirc said he killed them all, including Ist. Maybe someone escaped.
“Ist has a brother.”
Silence. A brother is bad for a manasty. A blood brother seeking revenge for the death of his sibling, is even worse!
“There are no records - “
“He has a brother,” Roqs cut Zirc’s outbursts. Of course Zirc would ask the Blue Tribe. Roqs is concerned about Zirc. And me, I should have researched that myself. But I was too focused on Brynn that I missed that.
Fuck!
“Don’t blame yourself,” Roqs looked at me. “I am going with you. We’ll get her back.”
“I want to go,” Zirc insisted.
“No,” Roqs chided, moving as if to stop him from advancing forward. “Earlier you wanted Coone to go and that is right. Both you and Coone are compromised because she is your mate. If Jigen is already following them, there’s a high chance we can save her within the next 24 hours, even less. They wanted your Silver Beast, Zirc.”
“Are you saying I’m a liability?” he looks pissed. I would too in his position.
