“Zakai.”
As predicted,the weather grew harsher throughout the night, and snow began to pile against the sides of the tent, blocking the worst of the howling winds. When Zakai began to get tired, I saw him look toward the tent flap and then in the direction of his own tent next to mine. He screwed up his face in distaste, and I doubted he wanted to leave. When I’d gone to get his food, I’d smothered his fire to prevent issues later, so it wouldn’t be as warm as my tent was.
There was a small part of me that worried about keeping him here with me. He was a prince. But I didn’t want him freezing to death in the night, either, and with how heavy he slept, he might not wake to care for the fire like he should. Instead, I kept him with me, bundling him in his furs and putting him to bed so he could rest. I thought to sleep beside the fire and give him space, but he reached for me, pulling me onto the bed beside him like I’d done since he arrived. He pointed at the tent flap and made aface, but there was fear there. More so than when he’d arrived at the clan. The cold scared him.
Running my fingers through his hair, I murmured to him, “You are safe, tavi. We are prepared for this. No harm will come to you.”
He leaned into the touch, closing his eyes, and let out a sigh of contentment. It warmed me, and I kept up the soothing touch until his breath evened out and I knew he was fast asleep.
Rolling onto my back, I considered my options. Orthorr was vehemently against me bringing Zakai to his home myself. If I had the option, I might have kept him here at least until the tournament was over to appease them both. But Orthorr was determined to have me take over for him, and if I did become clan leader, traveling to Al Nuzem alone would be impossible. I would be stuck here responsible for the clan.
If I was being honest with myself, I wasn’t sure it was what I wanted. I didn’t feel suited to the job. I was short-tempered at times and struggled to remain unbiased when discussing clan matters. Especially in regard to tributes. But… I also loved my clan with my whole being. Caring for them, ensuring their safety and happiness, brought me contentment I might not attain in any other way.
I’d tried to speak with Orthorr on the matter, telling him I might not be the best choice, but he said all felt the same when in my position, and I would grow more comfortable in time. I chose to believe him because he was closer to me than my own parents most days. They had left when most of the older generation did to assist Clan Akes that had been decimated by war. Our clans came together at least once a season to trade and visit, but I did not see them nearly as often as I did Orthorr.
Perhaps I could speak with my father on the matter when he came to visit this season. As long as my mother didn’t find out I had a tribute. She was determined to have me bonded soon andhad threatened more than once to set me up with someone from her clan in an arranged bonding if I didn’t get my act together. If she saw I had a tribute, she would think I was considering settling down. Even if I explained to her it was only for Zakai’s safety, she wouldn’t let it go. She might not even if I told her he was a prince. She was stubborn that way.
Zakai turned over in his sleep, burrowing against my side and wrapping himself around me. He clung to me like a babe, tightening his grip when I shifted beside him. I moved only enough to free my arm and put it around his shoulders, keeping him close. It was nice to not have to wait out the storm alone or in Orthorr’s tent discussing clan matters. For the moment, I could just be. I valued that more than I expected.
Twelve
ZAKAI
“No.”
Uttin shot me an exasperated look, but I stubbornly refused to go along with his plan. He wasn’t pleased that the one word in his language I used regularly was the word no, but maybe he should have thought of that before teaching it to me. Besides, what did he expect when he suggested going out of the tent in this freezing weather. He’d had to go out at one point and move snow to avoid it ripping through the side of the tent, there was so much of it. There was no way I was going outside right now.
“Food,” he growled in my own language to emphasize his point. I raised an eyebrow at him. We had food here. Granted it wasn’t very good food—dried meat and bread wasn’t at all what I was used to in my life—but I’d put up with it to avoid the cold. At least in Uttin’s tent, it was warm.
Irritation flashed across his face; I could tell he was losing his patience with me. He wanted to go out, but I wouldn’t let him leave me all alone. I was too afraid I’d freeze to death while he was gone. What if the tent collapsed under the weight ofthe snow? What if I accidentally smothered the fire? I had no knowledge of how to start one; someone had needed to do it for me the night before. Uttin had to stay here so I could stay alive through this godsforsaken weather.
He seemed to cast around for some kind of idea to convince me, but there was nothing he could say that would?—
“Simon.”
I jerked my head up. Wherever we were going, Simon would be there? Simon was the only one in this entire camp that understood me. After what felt like weeks being unable to understand or have anyone understand me, I’d lost track of exactly how long it had been, it was a gift I wouldn’t scoff at. But… It was so cold…
A whimper escaped me as I looked toward the tent flap. The wind had been excruciating, what little of it had come through while he was dealing with the snow and the tent flat wasn’t fully tied closed. I couldn’t imagine going out in it. He’d had to fetch me a pot to piss in because there was no way I was pulling my dick out in that weather. It would freeze and fall off.
Uttin kneeled in front of me, cupping my face in one of his big roughened hands, his voice low and warm. “No cold. Uttin and Zakai go.”
I snorted at the poor attempt at a sentence. It was a little odd trying to use his tongue while he tried to speak mine, but I appreciated his attempts and could accept the lessons if he was putting in the same effort. A little, anyway.
He’d put in a lot of effort to care for me since I’d arrived. He brought me food and new clothes, he started warming water in a pot for me to clean myself, and despite having my own tent, he allowed me to stay by his side and kept me warm all night. A strange feeling twisted in my chest, and I felt my conviction waver. He knew I hated the cold. He wouldn’t keep me out there long. Would he?
I scowled at myself as I gave in and nodded. I was such a pushover.
Instead of pulling me to my feet right away, Uttin went to his chest of clothes, pulling out a cloak. It dwarfed me when he wrapped it around me, and he gathered the material up until only my face stuck out, hoisting me into his arms so he could carry me where we needed to go. A smile tugged at my lips, and I buried my face against him, stealing as much of his warmth as I was able as we stepped out into the frozen wind.
We weren’t outside for long, but in that time, it felt as though the wind had stolen the breath from my lungs, and no amount of furs would truly keep me warm in this kind of weather. I guessed it was a good thing I’d agreed to wait before traveling home. If I had been outside without a tent when the storm hit, I truly would have died.
I didn’t watch where we were going, keeping my face tucked away until we stepped into another tent. The wind stopped pummeling me, and the sound of a crackling fire and voices took the place of the whistling howl the wind had shouted at me.
“He lives!” a familiar voice called.
Enjoying being wrapped in Uttin’s arms, I didn’t immediately pull away. Instead, I peeked out from where I was tucked against Uttin’s neck, searching out Simon in the crowd of people filling the massive tent. I recognized it as the tent I’d first been brought to when I arrived. It had been expanded somehow, and a large fire was roaring in the middle with a big hole above it to let out the smoke. There were many people inside already, few of them familiar to me. Uttin had kept me in his tent for the most part, so I didn’t know many of the people of the clan.
Simon sat in his barbarian’s lap, a fur tucked around him and his hair a little windblown. He waved me over, patting the spot beside them, and ignored the irritated growl his barbarian made when Uttin set me on my feet next to them. I gave him anincredulous look when he pulled away, but he just smirked at me and said, “Food,” before ducking out of the tent again.
