Page 123 of Theirs to Crave

“I don’t care how big they are. If they hurt you, I’ll kill them.”

“I love you too.”

Chapter 34

Estrella

“Tell me,” I wheedled. Grabbing Revik’s hand to smoosh his arm between my boobs, I batted my eyelashes, pouting for good measure.

He chuffed, shook his head, and swatted me on the ass with his tail.

“Daaaddy. . .” I whined. “Please?”

Litha laughed.

Zaf groaned. “Do not start that, myLelesha. I don’t want to dance in Sezan’s memory with my waving cock as my partner.”

I snorted a laugh, but stopped trying to squeeze the information out of Revik with my tits. He’d been acting sneaky, taking an extra long time when he went out on “chores”, distracting me with sex when I asked questions.

I didn’t mind that part so much. I still needed a soak after he reamed me out with that fat cock of his, but it felt so fucking good every time—I wasn’t about to complain.

Then, on the way home from our last disastrous and oh-so-dramatic visit to the village, he and Mariano had disappeared—together! And neither of them would say a damned word about why.

I was dying of curiosity.

I was also twitchy with an overload of stress and desperate for a distraction. Today had dawned bright and clear, the world sparkling after the brutal barrage of the last storm, and we were headed to a funeral.

I had no idea what we were walking into. Would I be facing a firing squad for “murdering” the old man with the power of mydeath aura? Would I find my family rounded up and awaiting trial? Or would there just be more glaring from Saytireka and her creepy sidekick?

“It will be alright,” Litha murmured. It was almost spooky, how well-attuned we were becoming. “Saytireka will see reason. She’s not a bad person. Look at Zaf and Indaro. She has a good heart—she’s just listening to her fear instead.”

I stretched my lips into something like a smile, rubbing my palms over my hips. I wanted to ask what criteria we were judging her on, if not her actions. Wanted to shout that sometimes good people were gooddespitetheir parents, not because of them. I ground my teeth together, holding back the snarling need to ask, “Will you still say she’sgood at heartafter she kills me?”

But that wasn’t fair. Litha didn’t mean all that. She was trying to put on a brave face. We were all worried about what today would bring. She and Revik were strapped for bear, bristling with weapons like we were going to war rather than a funeral inour own village. And she knew Saytireka better than I did—by a lifetime. Maybe she was right.

God, I hoped she was right.

A horde of chubby blue creatures the size of German Shepherds burst from the bushes, streaked past us—flowing around our legs like water—and disappeared into the jungle without a sound.

“Huh.” I blinked, craning my head to see the thrashing leaves settle in their wake. Thathadjust happened.

Tsalot bounded after them, skidding to a halt just in time to keep from plowing into me. Right around six feet tall—like his twin sister Aretoi—Tsalot was normally sweet and gangly, like a puppy who hadn’t grown into his feet yet. Now, he was a hair from panic.

“Tsalot!” Revik barked, catching him by the shoulders. “Breathe. What’s going on?”

The teenager sucked in a lungful of air, nodding jerkily. “The river by theraysheelpits flooded. I was out feeding them, and all this water just—rushed in. No warning! Two of them d-drowned, and more were trampled, and the water kept coming, and Mother told me to run. She’s there, by herself, and I was just trying to catch theraysheel, but they’re sofast—” he broke off into hiccupping sobs.

Revik pulled him into a hug, cupping the back of the young man’s head and purring as he and Litha shared a lightning-fast conversation with only their eyes.

Litha nodded and moved to us, talking quietly as Revik calmed Tsalot.

“We must go help,” she said. “With everyone on the way to the funeral, Lecha could still be fighting the river alone. The stores of dry herbs and dyes are next to theraysheelpits. With more hands, moving them to safety will not take long—but we must go quickly.”

“Go,” I urged. I would slow them down, and we all knew it. “Help Lecha.”

Lecha was funny and kind, and she and her mate Talayuh had been very good to Ria. I tried not to speculate about why Ria hadn’t been with her and Tsalot, tending theraysheel.She probably went ahead to the funeral with Talayuh and Aretoi, the hopeful part of my brain suggested.

Or Saytireka snatched her up and is waiting for us to wander in so we can all go on trial, the larger, more cynical part rebutted.

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