by Hope Hart
“You’re welcome,” I say, my voice thick.
I saddle my mishua while Ivy carefully watches my movements. She seems determined to learn as much as she can about this planet, and for some reason, this makes me rub at my chest.
We’re silent as we make our way to Ilax, and she grins at him as we find him sitting in his usual spot outside his tashiv.
My arm is much better, and I will soon be able to remove the sling. Ilax nods and hands me the tonic while we watch Ivy sneak the mishua a handful of food from her pocket.
“She is different, this human,” Ilax murmurs.
I nod, handing him back the cup. “She is.”
“And you? Will you keep her?”
My mouth drops open, and the old male laughs.
“Is it such a crazy question?”
“A female like this is not for me.”
Ilax sighs, his expression softening. “I do not understand why you insist on thinking this way.”
“You are just like your father. A useless waste of space. You will always be alone. Always.”
I attempt to push Hevi’s words aside, but they still ring true.
I can feel Ilax’s eyes on me as I watch Ivy pat Nari on the snout. She laughs as the mishua ducks her head, demanding more attention.
Ilax sighs again. “You are an honorable male, Vrex. I’m sorry that you do not believe yourself worthy of a mate.”
He is wrong about my honor, but I don’t bother arguing, staying silent until he shakes his head, muttering to himself as he moves back into his tashiv.
Ivy leaves the mishua, the sun glinting off her scarlet hair as she moves toward me, her lips still curled in a grin.
“We should go,” I tell her, and she raises her eyebrow.
“Okay, let me just say goodbye to Ilax.”
I ready the mishua while she says her goodbye, and the old male steps back out of his tashiv with her.
“Think about what I said,” he calls to me, and I nod, waving to him after I pull Ivy up onto the mishua.
“What’s he talking about?” Ivy asks.
Ilax narrows his eyes on me and then shakes his head as if declaring me too stupid to live. Then he waves us off dismissively, stomping back into his tashiv.
“Nothing,” I say.
Ivy’s quiet on the way to the trading post, and I frown at the back of her head, used to her easygoing chatter. By the time we arrive, the trading post is busy, darkening my mood further.
I tie the mishua and follow Ivy, who moves straight toward the messenger tashiv, ignoring the many eyes on us.
Finding it difficult to do the same, I grit my teeth. Usually, I am able to easily ignore the terror in the locals’ eyes as they look at me. But when I am with this human female, I feel ashamed that I am a creature that so many fear.
The messenger tashiv is busy when we arrive, but those who are waiting quickly move aside as I step through the door.
I grind my teeth until Ivy winks at me.
“Man, that would be a really helpful skill to have on Earth. I’d never have to wait in line again.”
I feel my lips curl, and her eyes widen.
“Strange female.”
Color creeps up her cheeks, and I stare, entranced, until the Taxu steps forward, clearing his throat. He hands me a piece of paper, and I glance down.
“These are not from Rakiz,” I say. Ivy’s face falls, and I guide her out of the tashiv, attempting to ignore the way I want to pull her close. How I want to take her mouth again and hear her soft sighs as she opens for me.
“Who are they from?”
“Another tribe king. He has a task for me.”
I scrawl a message back, telling Thane that I am currently completing another assignment. I glance at Ivy, my stomach twisting.
She climbs back up onto the mishua while I stalk back into the tashiv, and she’s once again quiet when I climb back up behind her.
“Can I trust you, Vrex?” she finally murmurs.
I tense, and Nari throws her head in response.
“You cannot trust anyone on this planet,” I tell her finally, my voice hard. “You would be wise to remember this.”
Ivy
We clomp slowly along the forest path, both of us silent. I don’t know what Vrex is keeping from me, but from the tortured expression on his face, he’s not happy about it either.
Even after his warning, I do trust him. I trust him to keep me safe, to help me find my friends, and to not hurt me.
Maybe that makes me an idiot.
I frown. “What the hell is that?”
Nari freezes in place, and Vrex jumps off his mishua, his boots hitting the ground with a thump.
“Stay here,” he orders me, and I watch as he moves closer to one of his traps. Nari follows him until he turns around and glowers at her until she freezes in place.
Now that we’re closer, I can see exactly what’s caught in Vrex’s trap.
It’s a Voildi.
He’s impaled by one of the huge sticks that Vrex is constantly sharpening, and he’s writhing on the ground in front of us, clearly in agony.
Bile rises, and I’m about to turn away when the Voildi glances past Vrex to me.
“You,” he chokes out. “I knew you were here.”
I don’t recognize this Voildi, but God knows there were enough of them in the pack that stole us.
I stay silent, and he laughs.
“The Zinta has paid for you, female. He will keep searching until you are his.”
Vrex leans forward, blocking my view of the Voildi. The forest suddenly seems loud, birds chattering, animals scampering. Something is happening.
“How many of you are here?” Vrex demands.
“Vrex,” I say. He holds up a hand, and the Voildi laughs again, his yellow face turning the color of sour milk.
“Hand her over,” the Voildi advises him. “This is just the beginning.”
“Vrex! I smell smoke.”
He turns to me, inhaling deeply, and his expression is suddenly so agonized that I struggle to take a deep breath.
Vrex leans down and swipes his sword along the Voildi’s throat, and then he’s sprinting toward me before landing on the back of the mishua and urging her forward. He wraps his good arm around me, holding tight as the mishua lurches through the forest toward Ilax’s tashiv.
It’s already in flames when we arrive.
We jump off the mishua and sprint toward the tashiv.
“Wait!” I scream at Vrex. I grab a couple of blankets from Ilax’s chair on the porch and shove them into the barrel of water. I hand one of the dripping blankets to Vrex and wrap the other one around my shoulders and head.
“Stay here,” he orders me. I ignore that, following him in just a few steps so I can see where he’s going. If this tashiv collapses, someone’s going to have to help them both get out.
“Oh God.”
It’s the back room that’s on fire. The one with all Ilax’s healing tonics. Ilax is lying in the main room, bleeding out from a wound in his chest. Vrex throws me a furious look as I follow him in, but he lets me help him get Ilax out of the tashiv.
He places Ilax on the grass and leans over him, his face desperate. “What do you need? Which tonic?”
“It’s too late for that, boy.”
Vrex ignores him, picking up the huge barrel of water and heading back into the tashiv.
I stare after him, torn, and Ilax grabs for my tunic. “He will be back. Look after him for me.”
I lean over him, finding the source of the bleeding. Someone has stabbed him, likely with a fucking sword, given how huge this wound is. I pull the blanket off my shoulders and push against his chest.
“You’re going to be okay,” I tell him, and he laughs.
“You are as bad as he is.”
A roar of fury sounds from the tashiv, and then Vrex is back, falling to his knees next to Ilax.
“Your tonics are gone,” he says, his face hard. “I know another h
ealer. You just have to stay with us until I can get you to her.”
Ilax ignores that, reaching his hand out to Vrex. Vrex takes it, and I have to glance away. I can barely swallow around the lump in my throat.
“They’ll be coming back for her,” he warns, glancing at me.
“This is my fault,” I murmur. “I’m so sorry.”
He shakes his head, wincing at the movement. “Not your fault. The innocent are never at fault when evil comes for them.” He turns to Vrex and raises an eyebrow. “A lesson some of us are slow to learn, hmm?”
I choke out a laugh. Even while bleeding out, Ilax is still attempting to lecture Vrex.
Vrex’s eyebrows draw together, and he gestures for the mishua.
“No.” Ilax’s voice is firm. “I am a healer. I will not make it, boy. I will die here, surrounded by my forest. And then I will join my family. They are waiting for me.” He turns to me. “He will blame himself for this. Do not let him. Be patient with him.”
I nod, and then he gasps, his face contorting with pain. Vrex’s eyes are wild as he glances back toward Nari, but Ilax squeezes his hand.
“Thank you for looking after an old male in the last years of his life. Your mother would be proud.”
Ilax chokes, blood running from his mouth. But he smiles as he looks up—through the canopy of trees in his forest, to the emerald sky…and beyond.
Chapter Eight
Ivy
We bury Ilax in his forest, close to the porch where he spent his days. Tears run silently down my face as Vrex digs the grave, refusing to let me help as he works one-handed.
If not for me, Ilax would still be sitting on that porch, staring out at the trees, waiting for Vrex to visit.
Vrex is silent until he has finished filling the grave. We managed to put out the fire before it could spread through the forest, but Ilax’s tashiv is mostly gone.
They must have been watching us to know where to hurt us the most. This is a warning, but if they think I’m going to hand myself over to them, they’re wrong.
This is war.
Vrex obviously agrees because his face is hard as stone as he turns to me.
“They will all die for this,” he says. He strides toward the mishua and helps me back on. Even Nari seems depressed, her head low as we slowly plod back toward Vrex’s tashiv.
We find two more Voildi in Vrex’s traps. One of them is already dead, and the second is unconscious. I look away as Vrex leans down and kills the Voildi without even getting off Nari’s back.
He instructs me to wait on the mishua while he examines the other traps around his home. Then he checks the tashiv itself before he returns for me.
“It’s safe,” he mutters, and I jump down so he can unsaddle Nari.
I hover awkwardly near him. “Can I help?”
He shakes his head, and I move inside, giving him space.
I pace for hours. Vrex seems to be compulsively checking his traps, disappearing in different directions only to return a few minutes later.
I simultaneously want him to join me and yet don’t know what to say to him. There’s nothing to say. I came to this planet, he helped me, and I got his only friend killed.
The guilt is crushing. It rips into me, shredding my insides as I watch the huge man secure his territory. His face is as hard as ever, but his eyes…
I look away, absently wiping my hands on my tunic. They come away sticky, and I stare down at the blood staining them.
Ilax’s blood.
I spin as the door opens, and Vrex steps inside. His gaze drops to my hands, and I almost hide them behind my back like a child.
“They’ll pay” is all he says.
I nod. “We’ll make them pay.”
“Tomorrow we leave. We will check for any messages from Rakiz. If there are none, then we go to him. It’s no longer safe here.”
I flinch, and he narrows his eyes on me.
“You think I can’t protect you?”
I shake my head. “No. I’m sorry your territory was invaded.”
“It was only a matter of time. You should get ready for bed. We will sleep early.”
I study his face. His expression is blank, and he holds his shoulders straight, his head high. But somehow, I know he’s barely holding it together. When he falls apart, he’s not going to want me to see it.
I nod and head to the bathroom, where I quickly bathe. I wrap a long fur around my body when I’m done and move toward the bedroom. Vrex is sitting, staring at the unlit fire, but I hear him enter the bathroom as I pull on my clothes.
I lie awake for hours, tossing and turning. Finally, I get up, planning to sneak past Vrex to grab some water.
He’s awake though, still sitting in the same chair, ignoring the furs near the fire. He glances at me, pain stark on his face.
I can’t help it. I walk over to him, reaching out. I don’t know for what. He catches my hand and pulls me to him, plundering my mouth.
His lips turn gentle, and he stares at me with dark eyes as I raise a shaking hand, running it over his cheek.
“You shouldn’t be alone tonight. Come sleep in your own bed.”
He doesn’t argue, following me into his room. I pull the furs over us as he hauls me close, his huge hand cupping the back of my head.
“He was a good male,” he says suddenly, his voice hoarse with grief. “When I first decided to move here, I was a young warrior, my voice still breaking. He taught me how to grow vegetables.”
I try to blink back my tears, but they spill from my eyes and onto his neck. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I should have known he would be a target. I should have convinced him to let me set more traps around his tashiv.”
“It’s not your fault either. He was a stubborn man.”
“He was.” Vrex is quiet for a long moment. “Go to sleep.”
Neither of us truly sleep. I nod off occasionally, then wake as Vrex’s body tenses below mine. At one point, I reach up and find his face wet. He tenses further, and I shush him.
“It’s okay to mourn your friend.”
He’s silent, and I pretend to sleep, giving him privacy as he grieves.
Ivy
I wake to a hot mouth on mine, and I gasp, a moan leaving my throat as Vrex’s lips travel to my neck. It’s still dark, but in spite of how tired I am, I’m desperate for him, my skin too tight, my thighs trembling.
He kisses me right below my ear, and my hands clutch at his shoulders.
“How are you so beautiful?” he murmurs.
I smile in the dark. “I could ask you the same thing.”
He snorts and then kisses his way down to my breasts. My tunic is gone, I realize.
“Did you undress me?”
He pauses, raising his head. “I may have helped you out of your clothes.”
“Jeez, I must’ve been really out of it.”
“Large animals make less noise when they sleep,” he agrees solemnly, and I laugh.
He returns his attention to my breasts, a low curse leaving him as I shiver at his attention, my nipples hardening. He takes one of my nipples in his mouth, flicking his tongue against it, and I sigh, trembling against him.
The muscles in his back flex as I run my hands over them, and I dampen further. His body is insane.
I move one of my hands around, running my fingers along the hills and valleys of his abs. He lifts his head, his jaw tight as he catches my hand in his.
“It has been too long. I may embarrass myself if you touch me right now.”
I smile at that, and he curses, dropping a kiss to my lips. We make out for a few minutes until I’m writhing against him, and he lets out a low laugh at my impatience.
I feel drunk when he kisses me, and I immediately want his mouth back when it leaves mine. But he’s moving down my body, kissing and nipping and licking.
He hums against my thigh, gazing up at me, and the image of him between my legs makes me gasp.
“Inside me,” I say, my voice hoarse. “Now.”
He glowers up at me as if I’ve taken away his favorite toy, but from the hard line of his jaw, I can tell he’s barely holding on to his control.
I want him to lose it.
His thick shaft presses into me slowly, and his head lowers once more as he plunders my mouth. I groan against his lips as he thrusts all the way in, right where I’m aching for him.
He thrusts again and again, driving me crazy as he grinds against me. He reaches his hand under my butt, angling my hips, and my eyes almost roll into my head as I wrap my legs around his waist.
My climax hits me, and I gasp as he buries his head in my neck, continuing his relentless, skillful rhythm. He drives himself into me, and incredibly, I feel another climax burning up my spine, my body shuddering as I cling to him.
I open my eyes, finding him gazing down at me, something like reverence in his eyes. He quakes above me, rocking into me once more as he lets out a low groan.
We’re silent for a long time. I don’t know about him, but I feel shell-shocked, wrung out by the pleasure that just exploded through me.
He hauls me on top of him, and I don’t miss the stark pain on his face as he uses his bad arm.
“You need to be careful with that,” I tell him breathlessly, and he raises his eyebrow. It’s evident that he’s not used to anyone caring, and my chest tightens at the thought.
“Why do you live out here all alone, Vrex? Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful, but you keep mentioning the camps that your people live in.”
He’s quiet for a few moments. “I used to be a member of Dexar’s tribe. He is another tribe king, only this was when his father was still ruling. My mother died while attempting to bring my sibling into this world. She had always been weak, prone to sickness, and she lost too much blood.”
