It was one of those rare days Issa was allowed to be free of her ward, of Leith. I recall because I wanted him to join us…
He had no interest in hunting pearls.Instead, he chose to sit by the lagoon and sharpen his spear.
“They spoke?”
Mother shakes her head. “I don’t know what they said, but his opinion of Leith fell that day. The male is young, fairly untried, and Tabach could not see you with him. That does not mean he will be a great male one day, but today, he has much left to learn.”
Confused by the omission, it is not a side of Father that I know. But I know Mother, and she doesn’t lie.
I exhale, and with my breath, it feels like all my confusion finally goes with it. All that remains is…
Relief.I didn’t know how badly I needed that answer.
Zaeyr grunts, pulling me back under his arm. “It does not matter. Leith is nothing to us. Aida is with me now. If he kisses her again—”
I circle my arm around his waist. “I’m with Zaeyr,” I declare.
Mother’s eyes finally go to him, and all her softness fades. I hold onto Zaeyr harder, uniting our front.
Relief or not, it’s not enough. My thoughts are jumbled.
After Delina was chosen over me, I never thought I’d have a partner of my own. Dreams of having young dashed to pieces. But it’s not only this…Zaeyr is a mighty male. Any tribe would fight to have him.
And here we are, possibly leaving.
He’s done nothing to deserve this treatment.
“Delina is my daughter too, dragon. She is Aida’s blood sister,” she says stiffly. “But I will have you stay if it keeps Aida here where it is safe. This is her home. And you, you are just one male. If she is with child, she needs to be with her people.”
I glance around and for the first time, I notice many of my tribe looking upon us from the shadows. Above, the moon rises, and the eerie glow of the comet rubies the land.
I love them. I love this place.
“Your people do not deserve her,” he fumes.
“That may be so—”
“Mother,” I intervene, unable to go through another fight, not tonight at least. They stop to look at me. “We will go to the caves tonight and tell you our decision on the morrow. It has been a long few days, for all of us.”
“Daughter…”
“Tomorrow,” I say, my voice lowering.
She slowly nods. “Tomorrow then. Take this.” She hands us a bag strapped to her back. Inside, I find food and dried meat. She steps back and gives us room to leave.
I swallow hard, holding the bag to my chest.
Zaeyr practically pulls me to the lift and lowers it down for us. He leads me to the caves. We light a torch and head deep within, procuring hides from one of the stashes and setting up a cozy camp by the water.
When we finally settle, I glance at him. He’s staring at me with an unreadable expression.
“I do not like it when you hurt,” he says, reaching out and tugging me into his arms.
Lowering my head against his warm chest, I let him hold me.
“What do you want to do, little human?” he asks.
“Nothing, not right now. Nothing but lie with you.”
