“You have been waiting since our mother expelled you from her womb, and you will be waiting long after this day has come and gone,” Vedikus grumbled as Dezetus stood.
Aldora took a step forward as a wall of minotaur blocked her view. They were large, far bigger than any human man, and far stronger. She looked at Vedikus. Her bruised thighs were proof of that strength through their vigorous mating. She pressed her legs infinitesimally closer together.
“And you, brother, will stand by my side and wait with me, such is our curse.” Dezetus’s eyes landed on her. “The others should be here but have vanished the same day you arrived.”
“They have not vanished, I tracked hoof prints halfway down the mountain. There were no signs of any other passage but our own from our ascent. There is no mist-beast trespassing our lands. No signs of an attack, ambush, nor fight and none of the enchantments we have placed have been triggered. If Hinekur and Thyrius left, it was not because of us, but because of you.”
Dezetus kept his gaze on her despite her silence. He made her want to hide. “It matters not what you say, I will find the answers for myself,” he said, his voice darkening with warning. A thin, almost imperceptible wisp of steam trailed from his nostrils, dissipating within the unkempt hair that fell heavily over his face. His irises were lighter in color than Vedikus’s and startling among all the shadows that seemed to want to cling to him. Oftentimes, she thought he just looked...broken.
Vedikus gripped his brother’s shoulder and the other minotaur finally tore his intense gaze away from her. “Then find them and turn your anger to something else,” he hissed. Steam released from both of them as Vedikus knocked his horns against his brothers. “We are prepared to take over the next watch.”
“Youare prepared! Not her. You should not have brought her here without warning!” Dezetus raged, beating his horns roughly back.
Aldora moved away.
“She is my mate!”
“Do not forget what has happened in the past—”
“You think me weak enough to forget?” Vedikus placed his hands over the shafts of his axes.
“We have come here to find answers! To rebuild what was once great about our people, not to repeat history.” Dezetus turned away and stormed to the gate. Her eyes widened as she watched him walk away. There was one large battle axe strapped across his bare back. She had never seen a weapon so large.
“And you think a gift of fate should be ignored?” Vedikus demanded.
“I did not receive this gift, brother, but you. Your mission was to scout beyond our lands, not to collect us a human sacrifice. Now, half our clan is missing on the horizon of this event,” Dezetus raised a wooden lever and the wall opened. Heavy mist flooded in from the outside. Aldora looked beyond to find nothing but more of it distorting her view.
“You are not the chief anymore.” Vedikus followed him.
“Neither are you!” Dezetus roared. Somewhere, far off in the distance, an animal howled back. Both minotaurs stopped and Aldora held her breath. The strain of this past fortnight had been threatening to boil over, as both suspected the other of being the reason why Hinekur and Thyrius had gone.
Aldora rushed over to Vedikus and placed her hand on his forearm, imploring him to stop. “He will never be satisfied unless he searches for them himself.” The muscles under her fingers gradually loosened. “Let him go.”
She glanced up to see Dezetus watching her.
“You may be precious,human, on this side of the wall, but understand, you are not one of us. Our mother taught us that well. You will never be one of us.” He took a step toward her. “I will come back with my brothers, and when I do, we’ll all know the truth.” He turned to Vedikus. Her mate moved to step between them.
“No,” she urged, squeezing his arm. Aldora walked back to the fire and picked up the wooden carving. Her fingers slid over the patches of smooth wood to the rougher areas that had yet to be finished. In her hand was a partially finished idol of a human woman. She carried it with her and handed it to Dezetus, hoping he would take it from her hand.
Vedikus growled menacingly as Dezetus narrowed his eyes upon her. She turned the idol in her hand and slowly, with heavy suspicion, Dezetus relieved her of it. Aldora wiped her palm on her cloak to hide the tremor. “I will prove you wrong,” she said.
Dezetus snorted. “We shall see.” His chest expanded and a trail of steam expelled from his nose.
Aldora nodded and returned to Vedikus’s side, needing the distance.
“Brother,” Dezetus looked at Vedikus, “I will return with our kin.”
“Return with them.” The anger in him had not abated. “Or do not return at all.”
They shared a look of warning, of pent-up male aggression, and she knew then, that there was something she hadn’t been told. A secret that the brothers shared that kept them together. If they battled, Aldora wouldn’t know who would win. Her heart told her Vedikus but...
She shook her head, scrutinizing the two of them, trying to divest the tension that crackled between them. Dezetus glanced at her once more before turning away and stomping through the gate. The last thing she saw was the tip of his horn, before it too, was consumed by the mist.
Then, at last, her and Vedikus were once again alone. She moved past him and pulled the lever of the gate. It closed with finality and silence. The added strain of dealing with Dezetus’s disgust while adapting to this new life had not been easy.
He will find his answers.Aldora stared, unmoving, at the black wood of the gate.
“Aldora, come and let us prepare for nightfall.”
