Breakfast was a cold porridge. If you let it steep a bit it had the consistency of glue so I wolfed it down fast.. We resumed our course from the day before. Hana stuck close to me today. Edd was nearby talking to Zanth. Jace walked next to Giggy while Baren, Near, and Finn stood at the head of the pack. George was our unofficial mascot, getting in everyone’s way, stalking the rocks, dust, and wind, and making me smile.
It was weird. I never got to socialize much. There was a pub-like area in the middle of section two, but I never felt comfortable going there, and it wasn’t Marin’s kind of place. Plus it’s where I saw Finn canoodling with Lara all those months ago. Here though, we had all the time in the world. And while my love life might be in the crapper, perhaps I could help someone else. Time to get cracking.
“So what is up with you and Edd and Jace?” I sidled up to Hana.
She shushed me and looked around furtively. “Too loud.”
“What?” I said even louder.
She covered my mouth with her hand while laughing. “Stop.”
Ha. “Okay,” I replied in an exaggerated whisper “What is going on with you and Jace and Edd?”
“I am with Edd, he likes me, but I do not know.” She shrugged. “He does not make my heart race like Jace does. Do not get me wrong. He is very good. But watching you and Marin, well, I want something of what you have. I cannot have that with Edd, but I could with Jace.”
“There might not be any more me and Marin.” My chest ached. “You should follow your heart, do not base it on what other people have.” I hip bumped her. “You know you could make the first move.”
“How do I do that? I have made it more than clear I want to be lovers. He does not return my feelings.” Hana’s shoulders fell.
“Maybe he has small man parts.”
We both swiveled around and studied Jace. Jace appeared startled then narrowed his eyes as I finger-waved at him.
“Stop that,” Hana grabbed my arms, facing me forward.
“I know that is not his problem,” Hana whispered.
“Oh, really?”
“Stop that.” She giggled.
“Ohhhh, reallllyy?” This time I drew it out.
“Stop, please.” Hana’s lips twitched.
My elbow nudged hers. “Okay fine. How come it is we only talk about boys when we hang out lately?”
“Boys are fun.” She sighed.
“Sometimes, when we don’t feel like killing them.”
The next couple hours passed quickly. I wheedled a bit more information out of Hana, but no gory details. Jace ambled over a little bit later and she wandered off at his approach.
“What is going on?” He attempted to be casual and monitored Hana walking with Edd and Zanth.
I shrugged. “Marin’s pissed at me.”
Jace’s gaze returned to me. “Marin is angry at all of us. He will not stop sending commands.”
“He hasn’t talked to me at all except for when he first noted our absence.”
“Oh…well.” He cleared his throat and his gaze drifted back to Hana.
God, these two were so dense. “What is up with you and Hana?”
“What do you mean?”
“What do you think I mean?” I chided.
“I love her.”
I stumbled over a rock and turned to face him. “What? Does she know that? Because I’m pretty sure she doesn’t. In fact, I know she doesn’t.”
He hunched a bit. “She is Zak’s daughter, he raised me alongside her. He is like a father to me, and she is just so…”
“So what?”
“Perfect.”
I snorted and resumed my amble. “She is sarcastic, somewhat mean, a wee bit violent, and a whole lot of fun. That doesn’t make her perfect. You need to go over there and tell her you care.” Jace raised his brow at me when I tried to push him toward her. “You need to go jump her right now, I swear, or I will so go over and tell her all kinds of stuff.” His mouth twisted. “I will make it all up, and none of it will be flattering.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because someone needs to be happy.” I thumped his shoulder with my fist. “And I want to see two people together, who belong together. That is what I thought Marin and I had, but I guess I was wrong. I don’t want to be wrong about you two. You go need to go talk to her right now.”
Jace squared his shoulders and sauntered toward her. Hana remained oblivious, chatting to Zanth.
Edd snuck in beside me. “What are you doing? Ruining all my fun?”
“Yes, yes, I am.”
Edd swung his head and we walked in companionable silence until dinnertime. After eating supper, Hana and Jace went to “relieve” themselves. It was pretty obvious from the noises a few minute later, what it was exactly they were relieving. They probably didn’t realize how much we heard in this canyon. It made my heart clench to hear it, I missed Marin so much. And wow, Hana was a screamer.
Everyone sat looking at the bushes where they went. Finn snorted at a particularly loud shout. The teasing when they got back to camp was going to be brutal with me in the lead, of course. And I must say, if they didn’t want to be teased they could have a) moved farther from camp or b) controlled their enthusiasm a wee bit better.
I cleared my throat. “So is everyone enjoying the journey so far?”
“Yes, but not as much as Hana and Jace,” Baren replied with a grin and exchanged glances with the group. We all laughed. What else was there to say? I started, “Good... so, um—”
Hana and Jace both screamed out, “Yes.”
I coughed, my cheeks burning.
“That sounded like a finish to me.” Edd grinned.
“Aren’t you upset?” I asked him.
Edd shrugged. “It is not our way to be jealous.”
That was so awesome and the same time so wasn’t me. Hana and Jace stumbled back into camp, smoothing their clothing. Hana had grass-stains on her back, the hussy. A grin split my mouth.
“Aww,” Finn drawled. “They looked satisfied.”
Hana blushed crimson and sat next to me while Jace plopped down next to her, unfazed. “How did people know?”
“Echoes.”
Hana turned even redder if that was possible.
Wind stirred in the clearing. I sucked in a breath and almost got whiplash, I turned so quick into the breeze, listening. That was him. It had to be.
“Marin.”
I hoped he couldn’t tell how eager I was to talk to him. The silence stretched and the air stilled. My shoulders slumped. I was getting so freaking paranoid. Every breeze was him trying to speak to me, but it wasn’t. Why did I expect any different?
I sacked out early with George curled around my neck. This kitten needed a bath. There was a distinct aroma of manure surrounding him. What had he been getting into?
I nuzzled my face into his fur anyway. A pulse beat under my ear, the land. I put my hand out and its power curled around me, a warm blanket on a cold day, sunlight through the clouds. My fingers curled in the dirt and my heart eased.
Finn settled down across from me. I rolled to face him. He adjusted himself on his bedding. His hand reached out and tapped my nose. “You all right?”
“I wish people would stop asking me that.” I closed my eyes.
“Is that an ‘I’m okay.’”
“Yes.”
“Want to cuddle?”
My lips twitched. “No.”
“How are things with Marin? He finally shut up for me around midday today. I am uncertain how it is for you, or anyone else.”
“He hasn’t talked to me since right after we left.”
Finn whistled. “He must be really angry.”
I rolled away, gut tense, trying to sleep.
Finn’s words still reached me. “He will get over it, Beta. If he does not …”
I groaned, “Finn, I love Marin. Now let me go to sleep.”
A hand settled on my shoulder, jolting me awake. Zanth’s ugly mug g
reeted my eyes. Ugh. I reached up and swatted his hand away. George snuffled on my side.
“Watch,” Zanth said.
Damn it. I sat up with a yawn. Finn moved to shake Baren. This time, I took my blankie with me. George cuddled against my chest. The silence here was disconcerting.
The wind blew lightly and I mourned a little inside. This was ridiculous.
“Marin. Please talk to me. I love you. I don’t want this to be over. That was never my intent, and to be honest, I never thought you would let me go.”
A tear slipped out when he maintained radio silence. Maybe we were too far away, but I didn’t think that was the case, not with his power. Damn him for making me care.
My hair stood on end. There was a different type of hush now. Something watched. I didn’t twitch, my head fell forward. To Finn, “You feel that?”
Finn glanced over at me. “George?” he mouthed. I pointed to my chest.
I saw his answering nod as he oh-so-casually got up and stretched. He walked around the camp, past me, and then Baren. When he sat down, he shook his head at me. The feeling faded.
But something still waited.
Twenty One
Our days slipped into a routine of never-ending steps. And after a little over a week of this, every part of my body ached, but I think I was getting used to it. Lying down was a chore and heaven at the same time.
Plus during our marches, I couldn’t get the image of the guy from that movie, A Knight’s Tale, out of my head. The one dude who was naked on the highway, when Heath Ledger’s character asked him what he was doing, he replied, “…trudging.”
That’s what this felt like right now, trudging, a never ending journey of dry blue-green grass, brown rock, and dust. Some snow-covered mountain tops dotted the distance and low-lying clouds blanketed the landscape, which was remarkably beautiful in the morning.
The presence still watched. I could feel eyes on me, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. It didn’t seem malevolent, like the E’mani. I knew when the E’mani were about, except for that one time. All it took was one time. My chest ached. But this presence was less frightening and more…watchful. Still, I slept with my back against Finn’s just in case. No need to be stupid.
So far we’d traveled without incident, no knowing how long that would continue. But our pace suffered. We were all tired and I, for one, was sick of jerky. Finn hunted for game, but there wasn’t any to be found, which was unusual. He said even in winter, the area had been teeming with wildlife. Not now.
Hana, Edd and Jace continued to violate each other on a regular basis. I had taken to walking with Finn, who flirted his heart out in an attempt to cheer me up. Zanth glowered at us both in the background and hung out with Giggy. They’d taken to lifting boulders—because there really was not much else around to lift—for an upper body work out during breaks. Near and Baren I still didn’t have a good grip on. Those two rarely talked, more content to observe. It made for an exciting trip. Not. And every night I called to Marin with no response.
On what was the eleventh or twelfth day, the vista changed to rolling hills, long grass in that same blue-green shade, wildflowers, kind of like yellow mums, and, I blinked, crabs? Green crab-like creatures roamed the clearing at the base of our current hill. Mountains stretched behind us. Crab sounded good with lots of butter. My mouth watered. Anything sounded better than jerky right now.
Edd whistled and the rest of the crew all gathered for a snack of porridge and water. It felt good to get this pack off my back for a bit. My shoulders screamed as I dropped my gear to the ground and sat on a nearby rock. I scanned for Finn. He conferred with Zanth before they both entered the grassland, a few meters from everyone else.
A minute or two after the men left, my senses stirred. Eyes on me somewhere, again, I was almost used to it by now, but this was different. More. My skin crawled.
“Finn, something here,” I thought in his direction with the wind.
Ever so slowly, I turned and examined my surroundings. Hmm. I peered around and almost missed it. There. On the limb of a nearby tree, about fifteen feet away, a massive adult Coreck stretched across a branch on its belly. It looked like a mountain lion with scraggly chocolate-colored fur streaked with light tan, and droopy whiskers. The cat licked its chops and then peered to the side. I made out three more. A pack.
My knees got weak. Good thing I was sitting down.
“Guys…” I started.
Finn burst back into camp and I pointed to the trees. The rest of the group stood with gasps, sighting the animals. Finn ran toward the corecks, weapons out, Zanth behind him, moving between them and me. The first cat flicked its tail once appearing unconcerned. The other corecks disappeared into the trees.
I wrapped my arms around myself and backed up a few paces. The cat’s eyes returned to me. His paw moved back and forth in the air. Huh. No, it did not just wave at me. No way. The cat put his head on his paws without breaking eye contact.
Zanth and Finn exchanged glances and inched toward it. The coreck stretched and sat upright on the branch, its legs hanging down. It almost looked like a hairy child dangling there, a vicious man-eating furry kid with weird moss green eyes.
My heart thudded when I watched the cat’s muscles tense and it hurtled down next to me, knocking me on my ass. In the blink of an eye, the cat draped itself across my lap.
Holy Shit.
I did my best not to breathe. This could not be happening. George hummed from inside my shirt. His head popped up. The adult coreck nosed him. George growled and swatted his nose. The adult cat jerked back and a surprised squeak escaped him.
I echoed it, my arms wrapping around George, pushing him back into my jacket. My eyes closed, waiting for the bite.
A few seconds ticked by, my eyelids drifted open and my gaze met Finn’s. His white eyes glowed, a tic starting along his jaw. I glanced at Zanth and Giggy, who both fanned out with intent expressions on their faces. Hana crouched behind Jace. Baren raised his shoulders at me as if to say ‘what the hell’? George continued to hiss through my jacket, at the adult taking up my lap.
“This is odd,” broached Near.
We all stared at the cat who lounged on top of me and started to lick his paw. Lord, he was heavy, and what awful breath. I shifted my butt trying to edge him off but the cat moved with me and settled onto my legs with a feline sigh.
Finn crept forward out of the corner of my eye. Jace and Giggy fanned out at his side. Hana stood back next to Edd, who held his arm out protectively. I couldn’t see them, but Baren, Near, and Zanth had to be coming up behind me. Everyone was afraid to move quickly, just in case it urged the coreck on.
After a minute or two of his weight, spots filled my vision. A moan slipped out as my head spun.
The cat stopped his grooming and blinked at me. His eyes. They were moss-green but there was something else there. Another face peered back at me. Just like in the garden when I was chasing Lara before the E’mani attack all those months ago. I never understood the interaction then either. Was this the same coreck? That seemed like unlikely but if it was, it couldn’t be a coincidence. He had to have followed us.
“Do I know you?” The words slipped out, unbidden.
The cat huffed and the corners of his mouth lifted in a macabre grin. With a flick of his tail, he stood on two legs and his muscles rippled. As I watched, his fur peeled back and his legs elongated. His face stretched and grew longer.
I scooted backward to get away and the coreck’s paw landed on my knee to hold me in place. Finn cursed. The cat’s skin appeared to boil and reformed in front of my eyes.
In a few seconds, an adult male lounged above me. His eyes when they looked at me were Fost, golden-yellow and slit, no longer green. Occasional tan and gold streaks peppered his hair that otherwise fell in thick brown waves to his shoulders. His markings were different than the Fost’s. His jatua showed greenery, more like mine, not thorns. The theme song to Lion King played in my head.
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He smiled at me, stark naked, and leaned closer, encroaching on my personal space. “Hello.”
I stifled the inappropriate desire to laugh and leaned backward. Pretty sure it wouldn’t go over well with anyone here, though I noted Hana studiously avoided my gaze, her hand over her mouth.
Finn appeared behind him. His hand threaded in the stranger’s hair, pulling him up. Finn’s knife nestled in the curve of his jaw. “Explain yourself.”
I got an up-close full frontal view of the stranger as Finn straightened with the man held in front of him. He looked like a high-class stripper. And was hung like one too.
Wow.
The stranger arched and laughed heartily, then turned with a slick move, and grabbed Finn’s knife hand. They remained locked in that position, arms straining, gazes locked on each other. Finn’s face flushed, a vessel popped out on his forehead. The stranger twisted his wrist and disarmed Finn, catching the blade.
“Do not be rude, brother.” He twirled Finn’s dagger in the air, then threw it into the dirt.
Finn staggered back. “I am not your brother.”
When Finn moved toward him, the stranger picked him up by the neck. Finn dangled a foot off the ground, legs swinging. The stranger didn’t appear to strain at all. “No need to get angry.”
He shook Finn once, twice, then threw him a few feet away and turned back to me. “Hello, pretty,” he said and he eyed the group. “And look, another.” He winked at Hana right before Jace stepped in front of her.
I should be worried, yet I wasn’t. I sensed no threat from the stranger, only playfulness. “Hi.”
Finn staggered to his feet with a feral glint in his eyes. This would not be good. He picked up his knife from the ground and stalked forward. And for some reason, it reminded me of the day we met. I couldn’t remember who was more surprised to see each other. The intent look in those deadly eyes, that caused my belly to clench. I tried to catch those eyes now, but Finn’s were fixed on his opponent.
The stranger tilted his head and cocked his hip with a smile. “My name is Thorn, who might you be? These are Fost.” He waved to the rest of the group. “No hiding the eyes, but you. I have never seen your like before…I am curious.” He paced behind me.
Can't Forget: If she can't forget her past, she won't have a future. (Solum Series Book 2) Page 15
