Page 109 of Theirs to Crave

“It’s so beautiful,” Estrayuh whispered.

Long moments later, she let out a shaky sigh and rolled her head to the side, finally looking away from the colors filling the night sky. “What do you call it?”

“Them,” I corrected, drawing a finger down her nose so she’d scrunch it up and smile. “Thevath’lenesta. Sky Dancers.”

“Vath’lenesta,” she repeated. “I love that. OnErth, we call themuhroaruhz.”

“You havevath’lenestaonErth?” Zaf asked.

Over Estrayuh’s head, he, Revik, and I exchanged a look. They knew why I’d wanted to bring Estrayuh out tonight, and learning this was a hopeful sign.

“Yes,” she said, then shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve never seen them, though. You can’t, where I lived. I’d only ever seenpikchoorsuntil now.”

I chose my words with care. “The Teterayuh believe thevath’lenestato be the spirits of our honorable dead. They watch us, weeping at our pain and celebrating our joy. They dance,” I held out my hand, turning it within the play of light, “to show their pride for all that we are.”

Estrayuh’s wide gaze shimmered with emotion, the memory of our earlier conversation large in their depths.

“We cannot see them all the time.” Zaf’s voice was husky. “Only when the storms are quiet and the moons dark. But always, they are there.”

“Your family dances,Lelesha. Look. They dance for you.” Revik’s words rang with quiet confidence.

Estrayuh’s face crumpled, and she wept. She burrowed into us, clinging and shaking.

We held her, silent but for our purrs, witnessing her grief.

“Thank you,” she said thickly when the storm of tears trickled to an end. “This—I can’t tell you what this means to me. How much it means to me.”

My throat ached with the need to tell her how muchshemeant to me, but I clenched my teeth, nuzzling her instead. She might return my feelings, she might not. Now, when anyconfessions would be inextricably mixed with gratitude and pain, was not the time to find out.

“If thevath’lenestaare your honorable dead,” Estrayuh said, wiping her cheeks. “Where do your dishonorable dead go?”

“All dead go to the sky,” Zaf answered. “They are judged by the spirits of those who came before—who have watched them and seen into their hearts. Those who lived with honor, who protected and brought light to those around them, join the dance. Those who act without honor...” He trailed off, wincing.

“Are cast into the darkness.” Revik said, without pause. “They are the teeth in the storm. The hunger in the belly of theva’grev. Cut off from the light, they cannot see us, and seek only more death—hoping to fill the void of their loneliness.”

Estrayuh was suddenly tense, looking at the sky with anxious terror rather than wonder. “Should we get under the trees? What if ava’grevcomes?”

“Kshh, no,” I soothed. “Theva’grev’sdanger is highest in the day, and in the storm. The light of the spirits hurts them, making them slow and confused. They don’t hunt on nights like this one. We are safe.”

Slowly, she relaxed, only to bolt upright, spinning around to crouch, facing us, tiny fists on her hips.

“Wayt wuhn fukkin sekuhnd!” she snarled. “Eye dohnt fukkin beeleev this.”

I was still as stone, waiting for some sign of what caused her anger. Internally, I sighed in relief as she switched back to Teterayuh.

“Is that why Saytireka and the others hate us? Why they call ustetevath’a?!Skypeople?! They think we’re some kind of—what,eevilspirits—”

She flexed the first two fingers on each hand in a strange gesture that meant nothing to me. The sneer was easy to read, though.

“Do they think we came down here tokill them?! Us?!” She held her arms out, displaying her small, soft, delicious body, then waved her hands at us, her expression outraged. She must have read the answer on our faces, because she let out a deep sound of disgust and flopped onto her back. She threw her arms up, covering her face.

“Meeyairda day veeduh.”

I glared at Revik, my tail twitching in panicked aggravation. “Do something!” I hissed, too quietly for Estrayuh to hear over her continued muttering.

Revik folded his arms, expression unrelenting. “She needed to know.”

I bared my teeth. She did, and if I’d realized how much shehadn’tknown, I would have explained earlier. But that wasn’t the point. Tonight was supposed to be a gift. It was supposed to be romantic. I’d wanted her to feel understood and cared for.

---