by Hope Hart
“Tell me he’s a sentry.”
Terex doesn’t respond. No growls, no groans.
Shit.
We make it to the warrior, and he pales when he sees Terex draped over the mishua.
“I’ll ride ahead and get the healers ready. Keep going.”
I nod, and Kini speeds up again, likely pleased to be so close to home.
I swallow around the lump in my throat. Terex is no longer responding. I reach out and attempt to feel for a pulse, but we’re bouncing so much that my hand slips off his neck.
It feels like time comes in snapshots. I’m suddenly surrounded by warriors, who reach for Terex, faces hard and pale as they take off toward the camp. A warrior I don’t know reaches for me, and I jolt back. He simply grabs me in his arms, pulling me onto his saddle, and then we’re racing after Terex.
I’m suddenly standing in the healer’s kradi, watching all three healers strip off Terex’s shirt. The glimmering scales across his shoulders and upper chest look washed-out and faded, and Moni’s mouth becomes a thin line as she takes in the wound.
She glances at me. “You do not need to be here for this.”
“I’m not leaving him.”
She sighs but nods, gesturing for me to sit by his side. “Then take his hand, child, and talk to him.”
I grab his huge hand and raise it to my lips. I’m suddenly shaking, the aftereffects of the adrenaline hitting me hard. I lean forward, nuzzling Terex’s ear.
“You need to be okay,” I whisper. “I said I’d kiss you when we got back here, remember? You need to be awake for it though.”
Moni does something that makes Terex’s brows lower and his body tense. I press a kiss to his cheek, and Moni mutters, her eyes hard as one of the healers hands her a tray of instruments.
I turn my eyes away, feeling queasy, and return to whispering in Terex’s ear.
It feels like hours later when Moni finally moves away.
“We have done all we can,” she declares, scanning her gaze over Terex’s body. “Now it is up to him. Terex is a stubborn warrior. He will choose whether he will go with Death or stay with us.”
I nod, shoulders slumping.
“Let me take a look at that elbow, child.”
“I’m fine.”
“He will not be pleased to see you like this when he wakes up. He will scowl and roar, and it will set his recovery back.”
I nod, reluctantly letting Terex’s hand go as I move closer to Moni. She’s as gentle as can be, her dark eyes sympathetic as she examines my arm.
“What were you thinking?”
I frown at her. “I had to get him on the mishua.”
Her eyes widen in surprise, and then understanding sweeps across her face. “You were very brave. This will hurt. But you are learning that sometimes pain is necessary, hmm?”
I nod, my eyes half closed with exhaustion. And then I jerk back as she pulls out her evil green paste, slathering it on my arm. I grind my teeth but refuse to cry out when Terex is in so much more pain. Moni helps me back into the sling, and finally, she lets me curl up next to Terex’s warm body, and the healers leave us both alone.
Terex
I shake with the cold even as I know I’m burning up.
Fever.
Am I still on the mishua?
Ellie.
I shift, and fire travels up my side as Ellie’s sweet scent hits me. She is close by.
My eyes are heavy, and she nuzzles my hair.
“You’re okay, Terex. We’re back at camp.”
A cool cloth wipes my brow, and I shake further.
“C-Cold,” I growl, and the cloth pauses.
“You’re burning up. I know you’re cold, but we need to bring the fever down.”
I scowl, and a tiny laugh leaves Ellie’s throat. I allow her to do as she wishes. I would allow her anything to hear that sound again.
She got me back. I may still die, but my brave, stubborn female brought me home.
“Terex?”
My father. Ellie stills, and I growl as I feel her move away.
I reach out a hand and catch material. Her dress, perhaps. I pull her close and hear her exasperated snort as I hear my mother let out a choked laugh.
“My son is as stubborn as his father,” she says.
I fight to open my eyes, but a vicious headache keeps my lids closed.
I would know my mother’s hand anywhere, the skin soft but slightly calloused from a lifetime of work. She runs her fingers over my cheek, and I hear a choked sob.
“I know, he’s burning up,” Ellie says quickly. “Moni says it’s normal and once the fever breaks, he should start to heal. I’m trying to keep him as cool as I can.”
I can smell my father, the scent of his favorite leather softener drawing closer. “I heard what happened. Your actions were very brave.”
I can almost feel Ellie blush, and I want to smile even as I shiver with fever.
“I did what anyone would’ve done.”
I frown at that, and my mother’s hand dances over my brow. “You saved my son’s life.”
“He saved me first.” The words are simple, and I want to drag my tiny female close.
“Rakiz,” my mother says suddenly, and I crack open my eyes.
“How’s he doing now?” Rakiz asks.
“It’s hard to say,” Ellie says, her voice trembling. I attempt to turn my head toward her, but my body is weak and useless.
“The fever has taken him,” my mother says. A shadow falls over my face, and I manage to meet Rakiz’s eyes. It’s not often that he looks worried. He’s scowling down at me, but relief hits his face when he sees I’m awake.
“You need to get on your feet so I can yell at you,” he says, and I attempt to smile, but my eyes immediately slide shut.
Ellie
Terex passes out again, and Rakiz turns to me.
“I would like to speak to you,” he says.
I glance back at Terex, but his mom is wiping his face, and she smiles at me, indicating that she’ll stay with him.
I don’t want to leave, but I force myself to nod and follow Rakiz. He’s silent as we walk back toward his huge hut, and I blush as I feel everyone’s eyes on me. I’m covered in Terex’s blood, and most of the bottom half of my dress is missing, cut away to help staunch Terex’s bleeding.
I haven’t slept in two days, and I want nothing more than to curl up next to Terex and go back to sleep.
But no one has told Rakiz what happened, and with Terex so badly injured, that’s now my job.
I follow Rakiz into the front room of his hut, and he gestures for me to sit down. Arana offers me some tea, and I take it, blowing on the hot liquid before taking a sip.
I didn’t realize how thirsty I was, and I drain the cup. Rakiz waits for me to finish and then gets straight to the point.
“Where are Asroz and Deraz?”
I open my mouth, and we both turn as someone pounds on the door.
Arana opens it, and Asroz stares at me, face pale.
“There they are,” I mutter to Rakiz, and he narrows his eyes at me. I can tell Asroz has just arrived back at camp though. He’s covered in dust, and his face is pale, likely because he’s just heard about Terex.
“Is he alive?”
I nod, getting to my feet. “He’s with the healers. His parents are with him.”
Rakiz also gets to his feet, staring Asroz in the eye.
“Why don’t you tell me why I sent three warriors and only one of them returned, barely alive?”
Asroz swallows but takes a deep breath.
“We decided to split up,” he says. “Nerix’s camp was just a half day of travel away. Dexar had no information about the Voildi who took the human females, so it made sense to see if Nerix had heard anything.”
A muscle ticks in Rakiz’s jaw, but he nods. “And what did Dexar say about the other female?”
Asroz’s gaze flicks away, and I almost shake my head. He reminds me of one
of my kindergarteners, confessing to something they know will get them in trouble. I half expect him to cover his mouth with his hand and mumble at the floor.
“He wasn’t cooperative. One of the human females…” Asroz shakes his head, and Rakiz tenses.
“What?” He demands.
“Dexar had information about where the missing female was. He wouldn’t tell us until she agreed to stay with their tribe.”
Rakiz stares at us for a moment, and then a roar leaves him. We all step back as he pushes open the door of his hut, stalking down the steps toward the mishua pen.
“You probably should have let him know that it was Alexis that stayed,” I say.
Asroz’s mouth is hanging open, and we all watch as Rakiz calls for his mishua, obviously intent on heading to Dexar’s tribe.
Then Nevada and Deraz move out from behind the healer’s kradi, and Rakiz freezes, his eyes narrowing on Nevada as if he’s a predator and she’s his prey.
She’s talking to Deraz and completely oblivious to whatever craziness is going on in Rakiz’s head. I gasp as Rakiz stalks forward, drags Nevada to him, and plunders her mouth in front of the entire camp.
Everyone freezes, jaws dropping open as he pulls her even closer, framing her face in his hands. Nevada kisses him back, sinking into him until she seems to realize what she’s doing, suddenly bringing her hands to his chest and shoving him back.
Rakiz releases her the moment she struggles, and they stare at each other for one fraught moment.
Then Nevada turns, taking in all the eyes on them, and a dull flush hits her cheekbones. Her hands clench into fists, and she glowers at Rakiz before turning and walking away.
Chapter Eleven
Ellie
It’s three days before Terex can keep his eyes open for more than a few moments.
And it’s two days after that before he can be moved into his own kradi.
I took a bath as soon as I could trust that he’d still be alive when I was finished, and it felt amazing to scrub our journey—and his blood—from my skin. I changed into a clean gown, and then I stayed in the healer’s kradi, wiping Terex down with cool water until his fever finally broke.
Now he’s scowling at me from his bed, unhappy that I won’t curl up next to him and rest.
“I’m fine, Terex, honestly.”
“Do not lie to me, tiny female. You have purple circles beneath your eyes.”
I roll my eyes, and he growls at me. I grin back at him, just flat-out relieved that he’s alive and feeling well enough to be grumpy.
My arm feels good enough that Moni finally let me take it out of the sling. I know I set my healing back, but whatever’s in that green paste is magic, and while it’s tender, it no longer makes me grind my teeth in pain.
Nevada stopped by earlier. Apparently, the tribe they visited had seen Voildi similar to the pack our warriors described. Now we have some idea of the general region where their territory is located.
“Ellie?” Terex snaps me from my thoughts, and I eye him.
“Yes?”
“I would like to bathe.”
“Okay, where should I get the water from?”
He narrows his eyes at me. “Ask one of the servants to fill the bath. Perhaps you can join me, tiny female?”
I nod but ignore that last part. The idea of being naked in a bath with Terex… My face heats, and I scowl as he raises his eyebrow at me.
I know that everyone has their place in this tribe, and the servants are people who choose to do that kind of work, but I grew up in the US of A. Asking a servant to do anything just doesn’t come naturally to me.
“I’ll be right back.”
I wander down to the main meeting area, where Alexis used to hang out. She made friends with a bunch of the other women here, while I spent most of my time with Terex. Now I miss her hilarious jokes and bear hugs. I wish I spent more time hanging out with her when she was here.
“Ellie,” one of the women says, and I smile. Seini has brought food to our kradi every day, allowing me to focus on Terex.
“Hi,” I say, and she steps forward.
“How’s Terex doing?”
“A lot better, actually. He says he wants to bathe.”
She grins in relief. Terex is well liked amongst his people.
“That’s good news. I’ll bring water for a bath.”
“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant. I can do it.”
She raises an eyebrow, and I nod. “Seriously. Just point me toward the water.”
Seini nods slowly, but she shows me to the huge fire where women cook and heat water all day. One of them hands me a bucket, and I fill it with warm water. I pause as I realize I can’t carry it with both hands. My elbow is a lot better, but Moni warned me that I can’t use it to lift anything yet.
I shrug and pick up the bucket with one hand. The handle seems strong enough, and I maneuver the bucket up until it’s balancing on one hip, my arm wrapped around it. If I take small steps, it won’t spill.
Childbearing hips for the win.
I slowly walk back to Terex’s kradi, finding him asleep again when I return. I tiptoe past him and pour the water into the bath.
I return four more times, and by the fifth trip, my back is killing me. Terex is a big guy though, and he’ll need a lot of water to cover him in the bath. Something in my stomach clenches at the thought of him relaxed and naked, and I shake my head.
“He’s injured, Ellie. Don’t be a perv.”
I dump the water in the bath and head straight back to the fire. I’m not paying any attention on my way back to the kradi, so I almost bump into the woman who steps into my path.
She’s beautiful. Tall but curvy in all the right places, her low-cut dress highlights her perky boobs. Her hair is a deep black, and her skin is the light tan I’ve always wanted but never achieved, no matter how much I tried to bake myself in the sun.
“Hi. Ellie, is it?”
I shift the bucket on my hip, attempting to find a more comfortable spot. “Yep. I don’t think we’ve met?”
“No. My name is Learza. I wanted to say thank you for looking after Terex.”
She says his name possessively, as if he’s her giant warrior, and I blink at her.
“No problem,” I mutter and step forward to move around her.
She steps into my way again, and I meet her eyes. Of course, she couldn’t have cornered me when my bucket was empty, could she?
“It’s just that Terex and I are to be mated,” she says, and I feel the blood drain from my face.
“Mated?” I ask through numb lips.
She smiles at me, eyes sparkling. “Yes. I thought I’d die when I heard that he had been so badly injured while trying to protect you.”
The barb lands, and I wince. I’ll always feel guilty about sitting on the mishua while Terex fought for both our lives.
The thought of the terror I felt makes my voice brittle. “Oh yeah? Then where were you when Terex was in the healer’s kradi?”
She blinks at me. “I visited with his parents. I’m like a daughter to them. Soon I will be a daughter to them. They convinced me that Terex wouldn’t want to see me so upset.”
My hands shake, and I feel sick to my stomach.
“Thank you for looking after Terex for me,” she smiles, twisting the knife. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if he hadn’t come home to me.”
I nod and move on, stumbling over my feet on the way back and spilling water down my dress. By the time I make it back to Terex’s kradi, there’s more water dripping down my dress than there is left in the bucket.
Terex is awake this time when I return, and his face hardens as he stares at me.
“What,” he says dangerously, “do you think you’re doing?”
I move past him, blinking back tears. “I’m filling your bath. What does it look like I’m doing?”
“I told you to ask a servant.”
“Yeah, well, we don’t have servants wher
e I come from.” I pour the scant amount of water in the bath and stare down at it, disgusted. The bath isn’t even a quarter full.
I shriek as Terex appears in the bathing area.
“What are you doing up? You’ll fall!”
He glowers at me, and I blow out a breath as I realize that while his side is obviously hurting him, he’s not swaying on his feet.
Turns out giant warriors heal quickly.
And giant warriors are more than a little intimidating when their eyes darken with fury.
I stare back at Terex, and he finally nods, eyes turning cool as he pivots on his feet and strides toward the entrance to the kradi.
“Terex?” I trot after him. “What are you doing?”
Moni hasn’t said he’s allowed to leave his kradi yet. I slide a glance at his hard face. Somehow, I don’t think he cares.
People gasp as Terex stalks toward the water. He’s bare-chested, and while his wound has been stitched closed, it’s still angry and red, stark against his skin.
“Terex,” I hiss, and he ignores me. I blink back tears. He’s never been this angry with me before.
Everyone goes silent as he approaches the huge fire.
“Tell me,” he says quietly, but no one would mistake his tone for anything less than furious. “Why would you allow the tiny human female to fill my bath when she cannot use one of her arms?”
All eyes immediately turn to me, and more than one face looks unimpressed.
“It’s fine,” I say even as my face flushes. “I offered, Terex. It’s not a big deal.”
Terex ignores that.
“This female saved my life. She got me back to camp and has run herself into the ground caring for me. And no one thought to help her? You all watched as she struggled? I am ashamed.”
I swallow around the lump in my throat, hands shaking at both the reminder of how close Terex came to death and the feel of so many eyes on me.
Seini steps forward. “I should not have allowed Ellie to do this,” she says, and her eyes hold sympathy when she glances my way.
“No,” I say, glaring at Terex. “You offered to help, and I said I could do it myself. That’s on me.”
