She turns and the bright smile she gives me does not detract from the dark smudges that are heavy beneath her eyes. “Hi. Come, sit.”
I lower myself in the space she creates for me next to her and take her hand. It is cold within mine and her fingers are thin and bony. “Have you been waiting long?”
“Not really. Maeve and I finished up our tour and she went back to her tent. I’ve always found the water to be really peaceful so I came back down here.” Piper leans her head on my shoulder. Her breaths release with a shallow wheezing sound.
The fact that she feels so at ease that she will use me to rest upon makes my chest swell with pride. This is the kind of closeness and connection I have yearned for since I was a kit.
“I do not know that I have ever taken the time to merely sit at the water’s edge and enjoy the quiet. Most of my time is spent hunting or scouting. When I return from either of them it is with a hunger for food. Once the evening meal is over, I will often join the elders at their fire and listen to them tell the stories of our ancestors.”
“That must be fascinating, though. To be able to learn all about those who have lived here before you.”
“It is said that at one time our people numbered in the thousands. However, with changes in the weather and the lossof food supplies, they were forced to migrate to a different area of the planet. The tribe split into several and each one went in a separate direction. Those of us in this village are all that is left of one such tribe.”
Piper glances at me. “Has anyone ever tried looking for others?”
“A few of the elders did, once, but not in many, many sun cycles.” While I can understand the desire to find more of our people, they are strangers. The people here in this village are family. “What about you? Do you know of your ancestors back on Earth?”
She shakes her head. “No. My parents never really talked about their family when I was growing up. Hell, they barely talked to each other unless it was to yell. They hated one another, and the only reason they didn’t get divorced is because the government stipend—credits—that was given to all families was more for family units than single people. I spent most of my time at the factory where I worked just so I could get away from all the screaming.”
I squeeze Piper’s hand. “I am sorry you lived in a home that was so filled with conflict. You have my word that I will never raise my voice to you or any kits we might have, if we are so blessed.”
Her withdrawal is immediate. Not physically, as she still rests her head on my shoulder and her fingers are still gently clasped within mine, but her emotions are withdrawn. I can feel it as if they were a part of me. I shift and pivot so we are facing each other and she must raise her head and meet my gaze.
“If you do not want kits, you only need to tell me. I will not be upset or disappointed. Well, perhaps, I will be a littledisappointed, but that does not mean I am unhappy with you or that I do not wish for you to be my mate.”
The sun shines on the wetness that sparkles in the depths of her beautiful brown eyes I have come to love so much.
“It’s not that I don’t want them,” Piper says.
I caress her cheek. “Then what is it?”
She is silent for so long that I do not think she will answer, until finally, her shoulders sag. “I don’t think it’s safe for me to get pregnant.”
“Then we will make sure you do not.” I would never do anything that would put mykeeshlain danger.
She chuckles. “I don’t know that it’s quite that easy.”
“We will speak with Kyler and Sage. They will know if there is a medicine one of us can take that will prevent my seed from taking root inside you.”
Piper’s cheeks darken. “You’d be willing to do that?”
“Of course. Never would I want you to be in danger. Not if there is something I can do to prevent it.”
She scans my face and throws her arms around my neck. “You’re incredible. Do you know that?”
I embrace her as well and nuzzle her neck. “I did not until you spoke it. We will have to make sure that others in our tribe know this as well.”
Her arms tighten and remain that way. I will hold Piper for as long as she will let me.
Chapter 16
Piper
My hold tightens even more on Katem, but he doesn’t complain. He just keeps his arms around me, yet still allowing me to breathe fully. Or at least as fully as I’m currently capable of. I bury my nose in his hair and let the various scents soothe me.
He doesn’t rush us or even speak. We just…are. It’s the two of us alone, as if nothing else exists. The sound of the river is a calming one. My heartbeat slows, but it’s steady. Katem’s matches my rhythm, like we’re completely in sync. I’ve never had that with another person before.
Slowly, I raise my head, but keep my arms around his neck and shoulders. Our eyes meet and the heat in his warms my entire body right down to the core. His face is so different than mine. So…alien, yet perfect. Where I have eyebrows, he has several rigid bones. In contrast to my protruding, upturned at the tip nose, his is a flat piece of yet another bone. My gaze drops to Katem’s lips. They’re full and plump and entirely kissable.
