Page 82 of Theirs to Crave

His eyes widened, and I had to fight back a nervous giggle. He looked so alarmed; I half expected him to jump in the air like those videos of cats when they see cucumbers. Wait, didn’t the cats jump because they thought the cucumbers were snakes? Apparently alien felines didn’t share the same aversion.

“Ahhhh!” Zafett said something more, but my growing vocabulary couldn’t keep up.

“Svestrix safe,” Litha assured, caressing me with her tail.

I realized I still had a death grip on it and relaxed, petting her back apologetically.

I drew in a couple deep breaths, scrambling to reset my expectations. I hadn’t planned on meeting a whole-assed new species today. A new village had been stressful enough, but herewe were. Time to stop causing a scene. I pasted on a brave face and nodded.

Revik stepped back, giving us room to pass. Gratitude swelled in me. He’d placed himself as a wall between us and the Svestrix, giving me privacy for my little what the fuck moment.

“Relyat,” I murmured, squeezing his arm. Jesus, he was such a hardbody.

He dipped his head, looking almost...proud?

“Estrella! Did you know about the snake people? I about shit myself!” Mariano jogged towards us, looking over his shoulder furtively.

“Screamed like a bitch,” Ria confirmed, following at a saunter.

I’d been so fixated on the Svestrix, I hadn’t even registered there was anyone else in the glade formed by the legs of thezhazhalouktrees. It was packed.

Six Svestrix took up the far side. Four Teterayuh ranged nearby, and between the two groups—looking like halflings among elves—sat my little family. They waved, then got back to inspecting the array of pots and other items set before them.

“Not surprising,” I said, distracted. What was in the pots? How longwerethe Svestrix’s tails? Did they have fangs? Did they constrict? For all I knew, they shot lasers from their fingertips. “You’re afraid of snakes.”

“I am not!” Mariano said, his voice raised in outrage.

I finally looked at him. “Remember that garter snake that slithered over your foot when we were ten? You screamed so loud Tata thought you were being murdered. Then there was that rattlesnake last year when you were biking—it was twentyfeet away, but you panicked and rode into a ravine. Broke your leg, remember? Oh, and—”

“All right, all right!” He clamped a hand over my mouth, only to pull away with a grimace when I licked it. “You’re meanandnasty.”

“And I have an excellent memory, thank you very much.”

Ria chuckled. “They’ve been nothing but hospitable. Nicer than some folk from the village, to tell the truth.” She pursed her lips, rolling her eyes to the side.

I grimaced, then smoothed out my expression. All four of the Teterayuh were from the pro-Saytireka/anti-alien contingent, with Arvel leading the pack. He didn’t seem to like the Svestrix any more than he liked us, going by the generosity of his glares.

“Hey, Litha. Revik. Zafett,” Ria said, nodding at each with a smile. Mariano begrudgingly followed suit.

“Kezhai, Ria. Naryanuh.” Litha led us forward, greeting the other Teterayuh cooly.

Mariano and Ria fell in beside me, him tense, her moving with a casual slouch. If she’d had pockets, her hands would have been in them. She looked to be a second from whistling.

“You’re taking this pretty well,” I whispered.

“Eh.” Ria shrugged. “This is, what? Alien species number four? It’s old hat by now.”

“If you say so,” I scoffed. It could be species twenty-four and I’m pretty sure I’d still freak out.

“Hold on, where’d you get the knife?” Alien nagas weren’t enough to raise her heart rate, but one little knife had her sounding positively covetous.

“Revik made it for me.” I caressed the smooth, rounded pommel, unable to keep a cat-in-the-cream smile from curling my lips.

“Aw, man. That is so romantic!” She inspected me closely. “Maybe I can make something like that for the knife I took from the bugs. The thigh strap action is sexy as hell, and practical too.”

“Be careful with it,” Mariano deadpanned, shooting me a look from the corner of his eye. “If you chop off a finger in an alien jungle, you lose it in real life.”

“Cute.” I rolled my eyes.

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