Page 54 of Unfinished

R’kash breathed in like someone had struck him before he controlled his expression. “You are Veesha of Evathi now. That means this will always be your home.”

She wrapped her small fist around her birthstone again, watching R’kash. “Really?”

“Really,k’vasha. Forever.”

Sienna pulled the pie closer and removed the candles before she started cutting slices. Her eyes ached like she needed to cry. How had they both worked their way into her heart so quickly? She’d only known Veesha a week, but already Sienna had become inextricably attached to the little girl. It was bittersweet to watch them together. She knew what she had with R’kash was growing stronger every day, but she hoped soon he’d give her similar words. She wanted to know for certain that R’kash saw her as part of his forever, too.

“Pie?” she asked as she held out a small dish with the first piece towards Veesha.

R’kash slid the plate in front of the birthday girl and helped serve the others. Neevish looked at his piece with skepticism, but when he took a bite and moaned, Sienna smiled down at her plate. It hadn’t turned out half bad, even if the flavors were different from what she was used to.

Once Veesha stopped eating and started fiddling with her new birth chain again, Sienna pushed back her chair and picked up the package at the end of the table. She walked over to Veesha and offered her the present.

“Where I’m from on Earth, we cover our gifts with pretty papers or bags so they’re a surprise. I have something for you if you’d like to open it. You can rip the paper.”

Veesha tentatively reached for the bulky package. She’d done her best, but Sienna wasn’t a master gift-wrapper by any stretch. It took Veesha a moment to figure out how to tear the paper, but once she got her fingers into the open seam where it was taped down, she made quick work of it. Ivekth startled at the sound of the tearing paper, and the back legs of his chair clattered against the floor as he shifted, his feathers lifting in embarrassment.

Veesha stared at the gift, and Sienna bit her lip. Maybe she should’ve chosen something else. The rainbow colored cat stuffed toy with translucent, shimmery wings might’ve been too odd for an alien child, but she’d hoped that every little girl would appreciate having something soft to hug.

“It’s a pretend cat, an animal humans keep as pets. That means they live with us in our houses. They don’t really look like that, and they don’t have wings, but I thought she was too pretty not to bring to you,” said Sienna as she watched for Veesha’s reaction. From the Mate Portal orientation materials, she knew Xithilene didn’t really understand the concept of pets, but hopefully that didn’t extend to stuffed toys.

Veesha drew a finger along the top edge of one of the cat’s wings. “Too pretty,” she said, repeating Sienna’s words. Then she smiled, her own wings lifting up above her shoulders, the fine feathers fluttering.

Sienna sat back down and glanced at R’kash. He was looking back, a new softness in his eyes. He reached over beneath the table and took her hand. “Thank you,” he whispered, bowing his head low to her. When he lifted his face, his little half smile did something dangerous to her heart if the speed it was beating was any indication.

Sienna took a deep breath and let it out, reaching for her chocolate. She could do this—she was doing it. She’d dreamt of a new life, and now she was claiming it with both hands.

23

R’kash rosefrom the close-shorn lawn of the sacred grove. He’d needed to take a moment to himself after Veesha’s birth chain ceremony. His mind and heart were full to bursting with tangled emotions, and he knew the clarity of prayer would be vital before leading the harvest festival that afternoon.

As he walked towards the door to the main temple, he still felt off-balance and unsettled. It was all happening so fast. His bond with Sienna grew ever stronger, and he hadn’t lifted a finger to stop it.

R’kash stepped into the cool, shadowed halls of the temple. He’d been the High Priest of Evathi for years now, yet today it felt as if he were about to lead his very first ritual. This would be a harvest festival different from any other. Time at Evathi had always flowed like the river beyond the trees, relentless and constant, but since he’d brought Sienna back with him, the days had lengthened, each one richer and fuller than the last.

They’d hear the gliders and flyers arriving soon. He knew his priests had preparations well in hand, but the press of responsibility still sat upon his shoulders. He could go oversee his men like he would’ve done during any previous festival, or he could trust them and go to Sienna.

His strides quickened as he headed towards the ramps at the back of the temple.

He’d placed a gown he’d chosen himself in her wardrobe, ordered especially for the festival. He’d meant for her to find it after Veesha’s ceremony, but now he hoped she hadn’t discovered it yet. He wanted to watch her when she saw it for the first time.

R’kash ended up running down the hall to his chambers, and he stopped before the door feeling like a foolish youngling.Lady, give me peace. Lady, grant me courage,he prayed.

He wrapped his hand over the door handle and turned it as he pushed. She was facing one of the windows, her palms pressed to the stone wall on either side of it. She still wore her simple human clothing, yet caught in the halo of the sun’s golden light, the finery he’d chosen seemed superfluous. Here, now, just as she was, Sienna was perfect.

She looked back over her shoulder. “R’kash?”

The soft smile on her lips beckoned him closer, and he was halfway across the room before he even realized he’d started moving.

“I have something for you, if you’d like it.” Why did he always sound so stiff, so cold, when he felt anything but in her presence?

That smile of hers grew as she came to him, and then her arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him in close. Her scent—night winds andv’tushliblossoms and the taste of frost on his tongue—dragged him under until he was swimming in it, drowning in its cool sweetness as he rubbed his face into her silken hair.

“I can’t wait to see what it is,” she told him.

He shivered, and he could already feel the tell-tale swelling building in his gums.

She let go of him and stepped back as he let the tips of his tongue glide against his sensitive fangs. Then he forced himself to forget the pain, the need, and focus on what he was supposed to do next—the gown.

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