by Sabrina Kade
I don’t know if this is a good or a bad thing.
The temperature drops suddenly, and I’m relieved for the long sleeve top and pants Layla ‘borrowed’ for me. I feel Exer isn’t exactly enjoying the change either, but that doesn’t stop him from moving. He glides through the woods, and with each step, there’s an adorable flex of his butt in his tight black pants. He does have the body of a prince.
I glance over my shoulder and drop another bright green seed on the dirt, hoping desperately that an animal won’t pick it up. These seeds are my only guide back because I’m too focused on keeping up with Exer to write down directions. I can only hope Exer isn’t going much farther.
Animals are moving in the trees above my head, but luckily Exer’s presence seems to keep most of them from getting too close. I can’t help wondering what the girls back at the cave are doing. Blythe’s probably feeding little Kyeth, and York and Ellis are probably getting foot rubs or something. Sigh. It’s hard not to get a bit jealous about how lucky they are. I mean, yes. I get it. I’m lucky too, but it’s a different kind of luck. Prince Korben is an actual prince, and Azan (even with the mask) looks like a damn prince. They worship their mates. I try picturing the alien striding ahead of me through the woods kneeling at my feet and caressing my swelling stomach, and I can barely imagine it.
Exer isn’t like that.
He sure is beautiful to look at, though.
Then, at last, when I think I can’t move another inch, Exer stops in a clearing in the woods and glances around. He lowers his pack to the earth and lowly hisses as though it starts at his stomach and rises all the way to the follicles of his short, dark hair. Goosebumps rise on my arms as the sound comes again, but nothing happens. The woods are still empty, and Exer’s shoulders slack as though disappointed. Doesn’t sound like he’s calling for a woman. That has to be a good thing. Whatever’s he’s looking for doesn’t seem to be coming tonight.
Inwardly, I curse, annoyed I may have wasted a great opportunity. I made it this far, and I don’t have the slightest clue what Exer or the Sidyth’s secrets are yet. Annoyed, I huff, and Exer lets out one more hiss call before lifting his pack back to his shoulder. I’m turning away when a sound reaches my ears through the woods. I spin, no longer caring if Exer hears me because there’s nothing here that would make him appear suspicious. If he sees me, he remains silent, but I’m quiet too, even when the shuffling grows louder and louder. Whatever’s coming through the trees isn’t necessarily huge but there’s a decent amount of them.
Part of me wishes the sound was only the wind picking up, but the air is deathly still. Whatever’s coming is coming from different angles, and luckily, none of them are coming right at me. I duck behind a thick tree trunk and peer beyond it toward Exer, expecting him to be wearing a sour expression, but all I see is the back of his head. He’s facing the opposite direction, and his arms are open wide. It’s an odd gesture, like he’s expecting a hug or something, and my heart races.
It’s a woman. It has to be. He’s excited to see another woman. Not me.
Why does the idea of him being with another woman feel like a stab to the chest?
The trees part, and Exer drops into a crouch as not one, not two, but four shadows emerge from the shadows of the trees.
I have no idea what I’m looking at first.
The four beings lumber forward, all of them moving about like massive gorillas, but they’re not that big compared to Exer, even when he’s crouched down. He chuckles as one of them comes forward, and I note that while it’s a little like a lizard, it’s covered in greenish grey fur. It also has six legs. It moves about on four legs, using the two others like arms. As they settle in front of Exer, I can’t help noticing huge, fluffy striped tails on each of them.
What the heck?
For a moment, I’m dying for York’s glasses. I’m seeing things. I have to be.
Animals like the ones surrounding Exer don’t exist. I’ve never seen anything like them before. I’m not sure how to classify them. My mind scrambles to remember the details. Lizard shaped, but no scales. Fluffy fur. Six legs. Big tails like a lemur. But they’re not like lemurs at all. They have fur like one, but they’re larger than any lemur I’ve seen at the zoo. Each creature has two enormous red eyes. The muscles in their legs and arms are almost as impressive as Exer’s, but I’m not sure how I know that. Maybe it’s that despite the fur, I swear I see the defined muscles like the coat has shaped around them.
Exer’s silent as they approach, still holding out his arms and part of me wants to scream for him to run.
But he’s obviously called for these creatures. They’re not hurting him. Not yet.
They’re still strange to look at. Compared to me, they’re still huge. Dangerous. They could easily overpower any of the girls back at the lair. I sniff hard, wishing my hands weren’t shaking and my eyes watering. I didn’t expect to see anything like this. I thought Exer had another woman. Or maybe there were other Sidyths getting together or something. But no.
Exer’s big super-secret is lizard gorillas.
I’m unable to look away from the scene, though, waiting to see what happens next. Despite Exer having his back to me, I can picture his face. It’s easy to tell by the way his shoulders are relaxed, and his fingers are soft and delicate looking as they stretch toward the gorilla lizard beasts. They’ve surrounded him completely, but he’s not nervous. If anything, he seems happy, and at ease. Whatever tenseness grasps his shoulders back at the lairs is completely gone.
Exer snickers as one of the beasts nuzzle his fingertips. Can a lizard gorilla purr? Bizarre. Despite my initial fear, a fraction of me longs to be part of whatever’s making Exer this calm and relaxed. I desperately want to be a part of it. I—
My thoughts come to a grinding halt as something slaps against the exposed skin on my neck. I stumble back behind the tree, surprised at how much it stings, like someone’s giving me an over-aggressive hicky. I groan, lifting my hand to scratch the area when my fingers contact something cold and flimsy. I squeak, yank my hand away, and flex my fingers. Ew. Whatever made that flappy sound and attached itself to my neck, feels almost like a teeny, tiny jellyfish.
I swallow hard. Jellyfish. Alien or not, I don’t want something stuck to my skin like a leech. I suck in a gasp, pinch my eyes shut and blindly grab the strange object and pull it off my skin, barely able to suppress a scream. The weird squelching sound makes my skin crawl, and I throw the unseen offender into the woods before I can get a look at it.
Something tells me I don’t want to take a good look at it.
“What’s wrong?” Exer’s voice breaks through the fear and the silence, and I slap my hand against my neck, hoping there’s no blood there. But there is shuffling, and I think Exer’s standing up. “Did you hear something? Something in the woods?” His voice lifts. “Hinda? That you?”
I hate the sound that comes from my throat. Hinda? Who or what is Hinda?
“Don’t be afraid,” Exer coos in a voice I’ve never heard him use before. It’s soft and luscious, and the hairs on my arms raise at the tenderness. My thighs tingle as well, and no one’s voice should have the ability to do that. “Don’t be afraid, female. Come forward. I’ve missed you. Where have you been?”
I stumble away, shaken to the core. Female. Of course, it’s another woman. Of course, it is! Before I get caught, I spin away and lower my eyes to the earth. The seeds. Thank goodness. Under the full pink moon, the deep green seeds are vibrant against the dirt ground, guiding me back to the lairs. Almost as though they’re forming an arrow.
Get away from here. Get away now. Go back.
My eyes burn from unshed tears as I burst through the woods and back into familiar territory. I must have jogged and stopped, and jogged and walked for hours, but I barely feel the burn in my lungs. All I think about is that voice. Exer’s voice. The way he called for a woman. So softly. So sexy. So princely. I clutch at my chest, barely able to keep my footing as I
stumble back to the central lair opening and throw a glance over my shoulder.
No one’s following me. The woods are silent. Thank goodness.
So why does it still feel like my heart’s about to explode?
“Hey,” Celeste calls, rushing closer. “You okay?”
I can’t say anything. If my lips part, I’ll admit what I saw. If I admit what I saw, I won’t be able to stop crying. I have to tell Celeste something, though. Glykoran’s livid, and yet, worried at the same time. I wasn’t supposed to come back yet. I wasn’t supposed to burst in like my butt was on fire. I had the signal, and I forgot it in my haste to get away from Exer and those lizard gorillas and his woman—
The lizard gorillas. That’s what I’ll tell Celeste. That will calm Glykoran’s features. I should be able to say those words without crying like a jealous fairy tale princess.
“Lizard gorillas,” I mutter.
“What?” Her dark eyes lift to meet Glykoran’s, and he shrugs. She brings her attention back to me.
“Lizard gorillas. That’s what I saw out there.”
She still looks confused, but Glykoran leans forward, trying to capture my light blue eyes with his golden ones. “Get some sleep, female,” he says in a soft, soothing tone.
Soft. Soothing. Tone.
My eyes well up, and I manage to shakily take a few steps away from the both of them. “I should,” I agree. “I’m going to find Layla. I have to talk to her. She’s still in her room, right? They didn’t leave?”
Celeste shakes her head, still peering up at Glykoran now and then. It’s like they’re having a conversation without uttering a single word out loud. It’s romantic and mesmerizing, and I’m jealous, picturing Exer’s relaxed posture and him calling out for Hinda—
“She’s in her room,” Celeste says, ushering me away. “Go. Don’t worry about anything right now. Just go.”
She doesn’t need to ask me twice. I’m barely able to keep my footing as I stumble back toward Dolan and Layla’s lair, and I guess I’m rude as heck because I don’t bother patting on the curtain and instead, burst inside. Of course, they’re both in bed, and Dolan shoots up, advancing on me with a look of ferocity so severe I start blubbering and beg him not to hurt me.
“Dolan!” Layla squeaks from behind his bulk, bursting out of bed. “It’s Sloane! Calm down!”
His shoulders relax, but he looks sheepish. “She did not alert me of her presence. How was I to know?”
“Because we’re safe here, idiot.” Layla rolls her eyes and gently clasps my shoulders. “Hey, chica, you all right? I’m here. Dolan’s here. What’s wrong?”
I sniff hard, shaking my head while I try to compose myself. All I see is Exer. Those gentle monsters. I hear his soft voice. Tears keep falling down my cheeks, and eventually, Layla puts the pieces together.
“You… tonight’s the night you went to spy on Exer, isn’t it?”
“What?” Dolan hisses. “She shouldn’t have left—”
“Dolan, babe? Silencio, por favor?” Layla turns back to me. “Right, though, Sloane? Is this about what happened? You went to spy on Exer, didn’t you?”
“She should not do that!” Dolan hisses.
“Babe!” Layla snarls at her mate before her eyes widen and she licks her lips. “Do you mind getting me some water?”
“But, I—”
“The baby is thirsty, I think.” She’s lying through her teeth, but her voice is so syrupy sweet, and she bats her eyelashes so hard that Dolan’s shoulders slump, and he shuffles to the opening without another word. Layla smirks. “Goodness, for someone who took me away from the lairs, he sure is a worrywart. Now. Calm down and talk to me.”
I sniff hard and try to gather myself. Dolan’s lair is quiet, and I have the chance to swipe at my fallen tears. “Tonight was the night,” I manage.
“Okay, and what did you see? Something bad, right?” Her nose scrunches. “It was bad. Otherwise you wouldn’t be crying like that unless…” her eyes drop to my neck, “… is that a hickey? Wait? Did something good happen?”
I slap my palm against the sore spot. “That’s another story in itself. But no, I saw Exer.” My voice quivers, but I push forward. “At first it wasn’t that bad. I saw him with these lizard gorilla things. They were weird, Layla.”
Layla arches an eyebrow. “Lizard gorillas?”
I nod. “They had six legs. They were as big as gorillas, but they reminded me of lizards with fur. They have tails, too. It was so weird.”
She hesitates before speaking. “Is that the reason you’re crying? You don’t strike me as the type to cry over alien animals. Exer wasn’t hurt, was he?” I shake my head, and her expression softens further. “Then what is it? What happened?”
“He was calling for another woman. He was with those lizard gorillas, and then something stung me, and I guess I made a noise, but Exer seemed okay with it. It’s like he knew someone was coming. A woman.”
Layla’s eyes widen. Her lips part. “Are… are you sure? That doesn’t seem like Exer. He cares about you—”
“I guess he has an odd way of showing it, then,” I grumble, trying to remember that I’m the one who keeps calling him a friend all the time. This is my fault. “He called for her. Hinda, he called her.”
“There’s no one here named Hinda, Sloane.” She wipes a tear off my cheek. “Maybe he was calling for another lizard. That makes more sense, doesn’t it? We’re the only women here.”
“That’s what they told us, but maybe they’re lying. Maybe there’s another camp like ours only with women Sidyths ordering male humans? I don’t know! But I heard him! He said the word ‘female’. He called her Hinda.”
“Did you see her?” Layla asks. “Maybe you’re jumping to conclusions.”
“Maybe I am,” I admit carefully. “That doesn’t make what I heard hurt any less.”
“No,” Layla says. “I guess it wouldn’t. But the fact remains. You didn’t see anything. He called for a female, yes. He called a name. Hinda. It doesn’t mean Hinda isn’t an animal. And it certainly doesn’t mean that there’s another camp of female Sidyths ordering human males. Let’s not go crazy, Sloane. Tell me one more time. Did you see Hinda?”
I shake my head. “No. I think Exer thought I was Hinda. When I was batting a jellyfish off my neck, I was stumbling around, and I think some of the lizard gorillas heard me. That’s what caused the whole problem.”
Layla hums, pressing her full lips together. “You’re going to have to elaborate about the jellyfish hickey at some point but not tonight.” There are dark circles under her brown eyes, and suddenly I feel bad for waking her up. I suppose this information could have waited until tomorrow, but the idea of Exer hooking up with another girl forced me to act instinctively. And whether I’m ready to admit it fully or not, one thing is for sure. Prince or not, thinking that Exer’s not with me stirs up incredibly apparent feelings. Jealous ones.
“Maybe it was another lizard gorilla. It’s possible, anyway. But you should have seen him, Layla. No one gets that excited over animals. And Exer? This wasn’t an Exer we’ve ever seen. Not even me. He was so relaxed and calm and peaceful. He looked serene. He said he missed Hinda. Do you think he could have been saying all that and acting like that over some animal?” Layla giggles, and I can’t help narrowing my eyes. “What?”
“You’ve never had a pet, have you?”
“No? What does that matter?” I don’t understand the point of her question, but it does help me relax a little more before Layla ushers me to her shared bed and we continue talking. Dolan comes around, but Layla is quick to send him on another errand. The poor alien is whipped, but Layla promises that he gets plenty of rewards.
Oh, good lord.
Layla and I chat late into the night and almost into the morning until she feels I’m calm enough to go back to the Gathering Room. She escorts me though I beg her not to, insisting she needs some exercise before she ends up as big as the lair itself. I chuckle at
her words, always finding it funny when Layla worries about her weight. She’s not stick thin, but her curves are incredible, and pregnancy really agrees with her.
“Try not to stress out so much about what you think you heard or say, Sloane. What we have to remember is that Hinda could be anything or anyone. Please don’t jump to conclusions, okay? Believe in Exer. He’s been nothing but nice to you. I refuse to believe he’s seeing some other woman, Sidyth or human with an alias or not. Give it a few days.”
“You’re only so calm because if he is seeing another woman, that would explain why he really wasn’t interested in you,” I can’t help muttering, immediately regretting it. “Sorry. That was bitchy.”
She shrugs it off like the amazing, patient friend she is. “It was. But it’s okay. I have Dolan now, so I don’t really have to care what Exer thought about me. He always only had eyes for you. I knew it, but I tried to pretend I didn’t see it. But I sure as shit see it now. And I refuse to believe there’s someone for him other than you. Work something else out with Celeste and go back.”
Instinctively, I scratch the hot skin on my neck where the jellyfish thing got me. I’ll probably have to talk to Chentan to be safe. I feel fine, but I want to be safe. I hate how I’m kind of scared of going back. I look over my shoulder, remembering those lizard gorillas.
“You want me to go with you on your next super stalker mission?” Layla offers. “I’ll be slow but—”
“Don’t be silly,” I say, laughing. “You’re pregnant.”
“And?”
“And Dolan would never let you out of his sight.”
She joins in my laughter, looking sheepish. “I guess you’re right about that. Still. I want to know you’re safe. But I also want…” she trails off, blushing.
