Page 126 of Theirs to Crave

“The last time we met, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I shouldn’t have leapt at you as I did.”

The tension stretched, vibrating like a cable about to snap. I waited for the “I’m sorry” part of his apology, the “I’ll never do anything like that again”. It never came. He just stood there, staring at me. In a way, it was almost comforting. If he’d suddenly becomenotan asshole, I would worry I’d slipped into an alternative dimension.

I couldn’t think of anything to say that wasn’t a lie or an insult, so I just nodded. My muscles were so tight, the small movement took monumental effort, as though I moved a mountain rather than only my head.

Arvel took a step towards me.

I sank back, the rough bark of the tree scraping my side as I put it partially between us. “Shouldn’t you be at the funeral?”

Arvel stopped, his claws kneading the ground restlessly. “TheRalaytuh Naisetsent me to look for her son. Imagine my surprise to have found only you, instead.”

There was something weird about how he always referred to Saytireka by her title. Worshipful. It was so out of place among the generally egalitarian Teterayuh that it made the hair on the back of my neck rise.

“Ah...I’ll go get him.” I backed up more, until the tree hid me from his view, and spun. I had no idea where Zaf was. Wandering off into the jungle on my own was stupid as hell.

I rushed forward. He could yell at me all he wanted. I was not hanging out with creepy fucking Arvel a second longer.

The only warning I got was a rush of air against my sweat-dampened back. Then pain exploded in the back of my skull, and I tasted dirt and blood as I fell to the ground. Distantly, I heard Arvel muttering something, but I couldn’t do more than twitch, curling protectively into myself.

The spicy scent of marigolds disappeared. Was I having a stroke?

I dragged myself onto my stomach, trying to crawl away.

Arvel’s clawed foot plowed into my gut, knocking me over. He grabbed me, throwing me over his shoulder. I landed roughly, my teeth snapping together, and more blood filled my mouth.

My head roared like cymbals crashing and the world went dark.

???

Mierda, what was that fucking smell? I wrinkled my nose and my head throbbed. A killer migraine pounded through it, sending nausea squirming from my stomach up my throat. I swallowed, my tongue feeling too big for my mouth.

Goddamn, I felt like shit.

I shifted, trying to relieve the pressure in my skull, but there was something wrong with the ground. It was hard. Very hard, and very smooth. Cold.

Oh, fuck no.

My surprised jerk sent sharp pain spearing through me in half a dozen places, and I squinted through tearing eyes.

The dark, grimy walls of the bugs’ ship surrounded me, illuminated only by weak sunlight streaming through the gashes carved in the hull by the crash. My breaths came in rapid, panicked gasps, fear overriding the pain as I scrambled to my feet, swaying, trying to focus my blurry vision enough to find a way out.

“Oh, good. You’re awake. Time to go home,Little Star.”

Chapter 35

Litha

Revik and I ran through the branches, pushed to greater speed by an urgency that had been growing steadily since we’d left Estrayuh and Zaf. Dealing with the flooded area had taken longer than we’d hoped. Lecha had been stubbornly insistent that we dig a channel to encourage the waters to recede—and had almost drowned when she’d gotten washed into one of the raysheel pits in the process. I’d fished her out, but with my arm holding her unconscious body out of the water, I couldn’t swim. Revik had pulled us both to dry land.

Moving the dry stores out of danger hadn’t taken long, nor had seeing Lecha safely to her den to recover, but every moment had felt like an eternity as my heart wailed to return to our vulnerable loves.

Neither were helpless, but they were also not warriors. Their hearts hurt when they were forced to violence, and I would much rather carry that burden for them. I truly believed Saytireka would not go forward with her accusations—had she intended to, she would have made them while the rest of our peopleremained so they could bear witness. But if I was wrong...I put on another burst of speed, Revik matching it beside me.

My ears pricked forward as we neared where Tsalot and theraysheelhad run across our path. I heard nothing. Perhaps they’d fallen asleep. The two of them did like their naps.

Revik and I dropped from the trees, but we were not faced with a sleep-soft Estrayuh sprawled over a blissful Zaf. They were nowhere to be seen.

Revik inhaled, grunted, and turned sharply to the left.

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