Page 8 of Unfinished

“Yes. H’viss is watching to make sure she doesn’t fall, but you know she won’t come down for anyone else.”

R’kash bowed his head in acknowledgment and stepped inside the chamber. “Veesha,” he called, his eyes immediately tracking the soft flutter of black feathers above. He raised his arms and moved closer to the wardrobe. “Come out. It’s time for the evening meal. I promise I’ll catch you,k’vasha.”

He could sense Jesthi and H’viss’ surprise without turning back to look at their faces. The endearment had slipped out on its own—he hadn’t chosen to use it. He hadn’t heard it since he was youngling himself, and then it’d beenk’vashithwhen his mother had said it.Beloved son.

Veesha crept closer to the edge of the wardrobe, her small fingers curling over the carvings covering the trim.

“Please. If you wish to practice jumping, I’ll show you someplace safe tomorrow.” He didn’t know where he’d take her yet, but he’d find something.

Her shoulders lifted as she took in a deep breath. Veesha’s wings came forward, shielding her body as she moved up onto her feet. He’d always liked the high-ceilinged rooms of the Evathi temple, but seeing how much further she could leap even now made him curse the builder who’d designed them.

R’kash’s arms burned from extending them for so long as he waited for her to approach the edge. Standing still felt almost impossible, and his body itched to move, but he didn’t shift a muscle as he watched her. “I’m ready, Veesha. Jump.”

He stepped back under the impact as she barreled into his arms. He held her tightly against his chest, one hand spread out across her now folded wings. He’d never thought of himself as particularly fragile, but when he was all that stood between that small body and the rest of the vast, cold world, R’kash knew he was all too fallible.

“Come—the food will grow stale if we don’t hurry,” Jesthi said as he gave R’kash’s arm a slight tug. “Small ladies need plenty of veska meat to grow strong and to power their wings,” he added, his voice taking on a playful tone R’kash had only heard him use with Veesha.

He held the child a bit tighter before he loosened his grip, but he didn’t put her down until they reached the dining hall. His fellow priests were quick to switch chairs, leaving the head of the table and the seats on either side available for himself, Jesthi, and Veesha. His smile was almost imperceptible, but R’kash was proud of his men. They’d welcomed Veesha as if her arrival was as joyful an occasion as the entry of any apprentice into one of the Lady’s temples.

“We’re all pleased to have Veesha among us, but last night Neevish and I were discussing ways to make her more comfortable here at Evathi—teachers, toys and learning aids—that sort of thing. Perhaps she’d be happier being around other Lisseethi.”

R’kash had just settled Veesha to his left when Jesthi spoke. He’d been reaching for a few skewers of grilled veska meat, but shock held him immobile, arms hovering above the table as he tried to decipher what his lead priest meant by such a statement.

“You want to send her away?” he whispered, turning his face so that Veesha wouldn’t be able to see the movement of his lips.

Jesthi’s crown feathers sprung up with a snap and he lifted a hand, his fingers moving in a gesture to ward off ill luck. “No, not at all. We meant that a Lisseethi teacher should come here.”

“Or a human. Many human women have settled on Xithilene now, and the girl needs a mother.” H’viss’ low voice was uncomfortably loud in the nearly silent dining chamber.

R’kash released a disjointed hiss. It was supposed to denote his amusement at the ridiculous notion, but it only sounded broken. “A human woman? Why would a human woman come to Evathi?”

The other priests at the table shifted warily, the noise of rustling fabric and lifting feathers the only response.

Finally, Jesthi dared to meet his eyes. “For you,” he said.

“For me?” R’kash attempted to laugh again.

“Yes, for you,” Jesthi repeated, seemingly regaining his confidence. “You were just expressing your desire for a mate. It’s the perfect solution. You enter the Mate Portal Program and find a mate for yourself and a mother for Veesha. The humans aren’t aware of the old beliefs about the winged ones. A human woman wouldn’t treat her differently than any other child. It would be the Lady’s greatest blessing for you, and as you’re well aware, sometimes we need to take action to receive her blessings.”

Jesthi snatched a skewer off the nearest tray and bit off a large section of meat, swallowing it down before he flashed R’kash a toothy smile. If his friend had asked, he would’ve told him he’d have been better off hiding his fangs after that declaration. There was still time for a challenge on the sands. At that moment, R’kash didn’t think he’d mind bloodying the other man’s grinning face, after all.

Jesthi wasn’t the only one who was grinning. He looked around the table and saw that all of his brethren were casting similarly expectant glances his way. He couldn’t believe it. He had the feeling the bulk of the prior evening’s discussion had concerned his prospective human mate instead of appropriate tutors for Veesha.

“No,” he said firmly. “Absolutely not.” R’kash made sure to meet the gaze of each priest at his table. “I’ll take a list of possible teachers or attendants and see if Evathi can afford the expense. You were correct that Veesha needs more stimulation than our temple currently provides, but we need to focus on realistic goals, not silly dreams. No human woman would want to journey this far north, and I’m much too busy for a mate.”

A lie, but a necessary one. He wasn’t too busy, but he knew better than to hope for impossibilities. As Jesthi had just said, the Lady didn’t work miracles on her own. If a human woman was searching for a Xithilene mate, the last male she’d choose would be a mid-level priest from one of the Northern Continent’s most remote temples and the child he barely knew himself.

“Thank you for your concern, but we need to keep our efforts focused on Veesha and Evathi. I know that together we will make a home for her.” The words felt a bit heavy coming from his mouth, but he forced them out nonetheless. No, dreams weren’t for him, especially not any longer. Not now that he was a father, that he was determined to truly become Veesha’s sire.

R’kash turned his head to smile at the child. “How would you like to try a special treat tonight? H’viss has told us that a special shipment of j’lessi fruit arrived today.”

Veesha’s eyes brightened, and he knew he’d made the right decision. Being her sire would have to be enough. Maybe someday he’d deserve the blessing of a mate, but it wasn’t today.

6

Sienna hadn’t checkedher Mate Portal page since she’d set it up. She’d been thinking about it all morning, and then all afternoon, but she just couldn’t bring herself to look. She could still hardly believe she’d really done it. Maybe she’d try to log in after work and discover that she’d dreamed up her entire profile. She hadn’t really agreed that an alien lizard man could pump her full of his venom if they were compatible, had she? That didn’t sound at all like the sort of thing she’d accept if she’d been thinking clearly.

She looked around the office. No one was paying attention to her. Vanya was gossiping with Jensen on the way to the break room, their supervisor’s office door was closed, and the rest of their colleagues on their floor were holding a meeting in one of the conference rooms upstairs—she wouldn’t get a better opportunity.

---