by Ivy McAdams
Her voice trails off.
“...and I’ll croak?”
“Worse. You’ll send your spirit off into oblivion.”
My throat tightens.
What the fuck?
“Are you serious?”
She looks a little taken aback by my suggestion.
"Yes. Taking too much lofo will pull your spirit so far out of your body that it'll never be able to return."
This shit just got upgraded from creepy to fucked up. It’s not voodoo roofie. It’s Russian Roulette weed.
“Okay. Four leaves. Got it.”
“You must take it while near your old body so your spirit knows where to go.”
A swallow a forming knot of nerves.
“How will my spirit know where to go?”
She looks at me solemnly for an uncomfortable few seconds. “I’m not sure. I’ve never taken it. But hunters have told stories of misdirected sessions. I’ll just say they don’t sound nice.”
Thanks for the confidence boost.
My stomach is rolling now. Holy cow.
"So be really close to my body," I reiterate with a wrinkled nose.
She nods.
“Good luck,” she whispers, patting my arm, and wanders back toward the central square.
I stand in the middle of the path between the lines of huts and stare after her.
I think I’m in shock.
That herb sounds like some scary shit. But it’s worked before and I don’t have time to waste. Last time I peeked in on the human bodies, they were already looking a little gray.
Time is running out.
I glance back at Kovak’s hut.
I really want to go back in there and get my morning round of cardio in. Kovak’s hands on me would be most soothing thing. But I’m on a schedule now more than ever. I can’t waste time.
And it’s not like I can march in there and tell him I’m leaving either.
Thanks for all the lovin’, but I gotta split.
I frown, pain radiating through my forehead.
It's not even the guilt of leaving right after we've had the most amazing sex. The truth is I don't want to hurt him. I hate the idea of walking away from him now. Just when we've connected and I want to spend a few more days in this giant, nimble body that he wants.
But I don’t have a few more days.
And neither do my friends.
I pull in a deep breath, fisting my hands at my sides.
If not for me then for them. They’ll die in a matter of days if I don’t get this herb. I’m the only one around to do it, so it falls to me.
There’s no time to waste.
I twist on my heel and head for the north end of the village, eyes on the mountain in the distance.
Chapter 17
Kovak
Mokto sets his head in my hand with a throaty purr. I glide my fingers over the rough skin of his forehead between his eyes, just where he likes it. The dark flesh shimmers in an array of soft colors, like the rivers in the sky during the dead of winter. The sparks in his skin are even more vibrant than normal. He’s very happy for rubs this morning.
“Not feeling replaced are you, my friend?” I ask as I add another hand to scratch down his soft throat.
The levadon stretches out and gives a shivering wiggle with his massive hindquarters and tail.
“I didn’t think so. Gemma cannot replace you.” I give him a twisted smirk. “She can do things you cannot, I’m afraid. But that is the same for you. She cannot carry me across the plains and protect my life in battle.”
I know he doesn’t understand my words, but my tone must soothe him because he rubs his big scaly head against me.
“I think her having her own companion may help bring her into our circle. What do you think?”
I glance at the younger levadon huddled around the pile of meat I brought in for breakfast. The older, battle-worn mounts tend to linger around each other. Then there are the mated pairs, one or both usually a warrior’s mount. And then the younger unbonded beasts. Children of our levadon that have yet been claimed by a Kutarian.
My eye falls on the young beauty with white pearlescent skin and smile.
She’s a spirited creature and breathtaking to see, a color not often found in levadon. I want to present this little lady to Gemma in hopes the two will connect.
It’s normal for Kutarians to find a levadon that suits them, but it will be very special to Gemma, with her background in paley-tology. I’m hoping it’ll be a proper courting gift.
Because now that I’ve mated her, I want to make it proper. I need to claim her and keep her until the end of my days.
I give Mokto a final pat and move across the dinosaur pit to stand alongside the white levadon. My hands remain on my hips as I observe her. I don’t know her well enough to touch her while she’s eating. I could lose an arm. But she seems at peace with her peers and doesn’t pay me much attention.
“Perfect,” I murmur with a smile. I can’t wait to present Gemma with her gift.
Someone clears their throat at the top of the pit and I look up.
Drek stands at the edge of the rocky bowl, arms over his chest and a strong, dark look in his eyes. I know that face. He has something to tell me that he doesn’t want to. As second-in-command, he’s often the one to deliver news to me.
The muscles in my chest tighten as my mind jumps to the stagni and their whereabouts. It’s too early in my relationship with Gemma to be running off to war again. I want to enjoy some days of peace before that’s necessary.
I move to the edge of the pit and climb the steps carved into the stone. Drek regards me silently until I’m at his side.
“Captain.”
“Good morning.”
“I hope you slept well.”
I frown at him. This news could be worse than I thought.
It is not like a warrior to comment on another’s health or pastimes. When we’re not training or fighting, we are unconcerned with one another’s sleep patterns. The fact that Drek is using it as small talk makes me uncomfortable.
“Fine. What’s going on?”
Drek glances over his shoulder, scanning the area as if he expects someone―or something―to come walking up on him.
“Have you seen Gemma this morning?”
My mate’s name on his tongue does not sit well with me. At least not right now.
Drek may be my best friend and the warrior I trust the most, but Gemma’s disappearance is a sore spot I’ve been trying to put out of my mind all morning.
We had a great night and a morning I’d like to repeat for the rest of my life. But after she stepped outside to talk to Waella, she never returned. I lay in bed a long while, not thinking much of it, but once I went out and couldn’t find her, my stomach soured and I grew nervous.
Why would she disappear again? Where did she go?
I did my best just to put it out of my mind. If she’s going to exist with the Kutarians, become one of us, I must trust her to live in the village. That means going where she pleases. Finding alone time if she needs it.
I must be strong for her.
So despite the tinglings in my body that something was wrong, I continued with my morning, discreetly looking for her wherever I went.
Drek’s reminder that Gemma is missing does not sit well with me.
“Early this morning,” I say.
A subtle perk of Drek’s eyebrow tells me he understands my meaning and a sly smile slides over his face. Then he’s back to business.
“Kaami has been looking for her. Your hut was empty when she checked and no one knows her whereabouts.”
My blood heats. Hot with a fierce protectiveness―it’s none of their business where she is if she needs her space―and vibrating with nerves that maybe she’s no longer in the village.
And if so, where has she gone?
“Maybe she’s picking daffaberries.”
“Does she know not to walk through the river? Or that at high
noon the Thunder Jaws will be on the move?”
My teeth clench and the tip of my tail slaps against my calves as it jerks back and forth. “She’s not done much traveling outside the village.”
Drek doesn’t say anything further, but I can see it in his face. Doubt. Concern.
Why is she gone again?
Did she not enjoy herself as much as I did? I thought we connected. I wanted to feed her a big breakfast and introduce her to the levadon.
My hands rest on my hips as I gaze out over the village. I hope to catch a glimpse of her, but I know I won’t. But I do see the Shaman heading this way.
My stomach tightens. What horrible timing. I don’t need a conversation with him right now. Having to explain to him that I’m not sure where Gemma is will be painful. He’ll probably be angry. It was my job to take care of her, among other things, and I’ve misplaced her.
I lean closer to Drek as I take a step back down into the pit.
“I’m going to look for her. Distract him for me, will you?”
Drek stands taller, facing off with the approaching magic man. I duck down into the pit.
“Hunting time,” I whisper to Mokto as we sneak out the backside of the pit.
I don’t have the first clue of where to look for Gemma, but we can’t sit around here and wait for her to come back if she’s gone out into the open world.
She’s much safer in her Kutarian body than she was in her scrawny human one out there, but even Kutarians fall prey to stagni and the Thunder Jaws.
Gemma
With a running leap, I grab ahold of a low limb on the brown and purple tree and swing myself up into its branches. My lungs and legs burn but I don't stop. I just keep pulling and moving, climbing high into the funny looking tree with heart-shaped leaves and bark like cracked sidewalk.
I’m going to die in this tree like a frightened little kitten.
Where’s the fire department when you need them?
Of course, any sort of rescue would require the two huge spinosaurus-looking dinosaurs to high-tail it out of here and stop stalking around my tree. They look to be about the same size as the ones we had on Earth―massive and cranky. I stumbled upon these guys in a river about an hour away from the village, and wouldn't you know it, those bitches started chasing me.
I thought I was a goner for sure.
Thank goodness for my long, lean body made for running.
I wouldn’t have outrun them for long, but it got me to the closest grove with tall enough trees.
One of the spinosauruses bumps into the tree I’m in. Hard. Leaves rattle and some fall. I have to grab hold of a thick branch next to me to steady myself.
The dino chomps at a lower limb, snapping it in two and ripping it free.
Oh my God. This thing is going to eat me. I edge closer to the trunk, doing my best to inch myself up higher.
Being eaten by a dinosaur was never how I imagined myself dying.
The two beasts bump the tree again, then snap at each other. They’re like warring toddles, neither wanting to share. Though I can see why. It’s not like I’m even a mouthful for either one of them.
Then something else roars just a hundred feet away.
Holy shit! Where are all these things coming from?
I clench my eyes closed and hug the tree like it’s the only thing in the world that can save me.
The branches shake and one of the dinos slams into the tree with an angry roar.
Oh, God. Here it comes. That motherfucker is going to climb this tree like some miracle freak of nature and tear me to pieces.
It screams again, but this time it sounds less angry and more pained.
My eyes pop open. One of the spinos is clawing at his face. It wails and paws at the thick spear lodged in its cheek. Its partner has moved away a few feet and is squaring off with a smaller dark dinosaur.
I blink and squint. That dino has a rider.
My heart leaps and lodges in my throat as Kovak yells at the massive beast, waving a second spear in the monster’s direction.
Relief washes through me so hard that my knees nearly give way.
Kovak jabs the spear into the air, but the dinosaurs must be fairly intelligent because Number Two refuses to get any closer. While Number One finally manages to snag the spear in his face, rip it free, and move away, his companion decides he's had enough as well and the two monsters stride back into the trees. Long legs and massive feet with wide swaying tails, they disappear into the tall thatch of vegetation.
I nearly choke in relief as I jerk my gaze back to Kovak. He stares up at me for a heartbeat before his levadon is moving.
My body drops down the tree before I can even make a conscious decision. Grabbing branches and propelling my feet down the trunk, like I’ve done it a hundred times. Once I hit the ground, I run.
Nearly as hard as I did when I had spino-teeth on my tail.
Mokto is upon me before the tears even have a chance to sting my eyes. I leap up when he slides to a stop next to me and Kovak sweeps me out of the air. I land on the levadon’s back, facing Kovak and straddling his lap, my legs draped over his. He pulls me into his chest and I hide my face there, letting his warming energy envelop me.
No longer trying to fight back any of the fear bubbling over inside me, I choke out a sob.
I was almost eaten alive by vicious dinosaurs.
Dead. Gone.
No longer able to help my friends. No longer able to hold Kovak’s hard, smooth body in my hands. To tuck my head under his chin.
Another sob wracks me and he runs his hand down my back. He’s silent, but his big breathing chest is comfort enough for me. I cling to it like it’s the last lifeline I have in the world.
We stay like that for I don’t know how long. Minutes. Long enough that Mokto begins to side-step around with an anxious twitch.
I don’t live on a planet where giant man-eaters walk around, but even I know what it looks like when an animal gets nervous.
I open my mouth to say something to Kovak, but he’s already taken up his reins again.
“We need to move,” he says, an edge in his voice.
I lift a leg over his to right myself, but he places a firm hand on it and puts it back over his hip. The hand moves around to my ass, holding me in close to him as we ride out of the clearing.
It's only after we're a good half-mile from where we started that Kovak starts his questioning, murmuring against the top of my head. "What are you doing out here, Gemma?"
I wince.
The guy just saved my life and I’ve developed some pretty strong feelings for him. It’s hard to outright lie, but I’m afraid he’ll try to stop me if he knows the truth. I do my best not to fib too hard.
“Waella told me about an herb out here. Just beyond the mountain.”
Kovak’s finger hooks under my chin and tilts my head up to him. Those green eyes sparkle so brightly in the sunlight. It takes all I can to hold my resolve when he looks into me.
“What herb?”
Teeth set. Hands clenched.
You can do this.
“A plant that relaxes the senses. She said it would help calm me, maybe even improve fertility.”
Well, the senses and calming part is true.
Once I get the voodoo plant and make the swap, I'll be back to a human, without the super-sharp eyesight and sense of smell. I won't be able to feel the world around me anymore. Especially the people. Being able to sense the energies of those around me has been intense.
Kovak’s eyes move slightly, searching mine. His silence only stretches a few heartbeats, but it’s long enough for sweat to prickle along the back of my neck and spine.
“If that’s what you need then we will fetch it,” he says.
I let out a breath. That was too easy. Arguing with him would probably feel better on my conscience.
“We?”
A smile tugs at his mouth. "I would prefer you not to be eaten before you reach this plant."
/> That would be my highest preference as well, but I’m not sure which is worse. Traveling alone again and acting like a big dino snack-on-the-go or having to go pick my freedom flower with Kovak at my side.
The very thought of having to choose makes my stomach cramp.
Although we’re still moving in the direction I pointed and Kovak doesn’t seem ready to drop me off any time soon. His hand is still clamped firmly around my ass, pressing me right up into his hips. My thighs are spread wide and this could almost be an enormously arousing position. If I didn’t feel so guilty.
Since he doesn’t seem like he intends to let me go alone, I suppose my decision is made for me.
Honestly, I'd rather have him with me. I'm just not sure if I'm ready for what might come later.
Chapter 18
Kovak
Gemma is nervous and that makes me a little more than anxious. She points me in the direction of the mountain she’s heading for but says little else.
I don’t bother with many plants―they’re not in my forte of knowledge―but I do know villagers don’t often travel far for them. The only ones that have taken actual treks for a flower are the Shaman and his boys.
I don’t want to consider what that means.
Instead, I focus on keeping an eye out for more Thunder Jaws.
When I saw those two beasts that had Gemma treed, my body felt as if I’d been set on fire. There wasn’t a soul on our planet I wouldn’t crush to keep her safe.
I won’t let that happen again.
I keep a protective arm around her as we travel. Thankfully she doesn’t protest to riding up against me and doesn’t stir until we come into the Big Valley where I first met her.
She shifts in my arms, holding her breath. No doubt she’s seen what’s left of their destroyed wagon, still sitting out in the grass as if it’s been lying there for years.
Her body grows stiff, and this time when she untangles herself from me, I let her.
She slides down to the ground and walks toward the destruction. I dismount, grab the last spear from my saddle, and follow her.
Her feet are slow at first, but then she gains speed. She’s running by the time she reaches the side of the wagon. I keep a steady pace, eyes sweeping all around us.
