"Oh."
"And if it's from who I think it's from, they gathered it up in a handful of days."
Yeah, I had to sit. What he was saying made my head spin. "How? Tobias, how is that even possible?"
"Because the world is not ruined," he said, making his way over to crouch before the chair I'd dropped into. "It's lush and happy. Sadly, this isn't good news."
"But we have food now," I said. "That means you won't need to go out there and risk your life. You can make sure you're going to get that promotion first!"
He murmured. "I'm not sure that's how this will work," he said. "Callah, we're not supposed to say anything. It was a false alarm, nothing more and nothing less. I had to check who didn't make it to the armory and report them. According to Gideon, the elders will be told about the meat, and it's being brought inside, but we're not supposed to mention it to anyone else."
"Why not?" I asked.
"Because we all know where it came from," he said, "and demons should not help us. That makes them a lot less evil."
Okay, he had a point. I had another. "So maybe we need someone to give them a better line to use? Some way to make sure the women down here aren't constantly starving?"
He shifted onto his knees and bent to press his brow against my legs. "Not yet, and I don't want you eating it either."
"Why?" I asked.
He sighed heavily. "Because Dragons are poisonous, Callah. They have tails with stingers on them, and fangs. If they bite or sting a man, we die. Always. None of their victims ever make it back to be treated. Most don't survive long enough to even be evacuated from the area."
"The Wyvern?" I asked, nudging his shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me that?"
"Because the man is terrifying enough on his own. He stands even taller than me, and he's not the biggest among them! He's huge, black with white stripes, and a bright blue tail! There are green ones and red ones. All the colors, Callah. Dragons are nothing like us, and that makes it easy to believe they're demons."
"But they aren't?" I had to ask, because I could hear the concern in his voice.
"They're poisonous," he said again. "And I can't be sure they didn't poison that meat. Would Ayla assume I'd know, so she'd think it was a safe way to free us? Would the others do it without her knowing?"
"But I thought the Dragons listened to her!"
He made a noise. "They do, but that's not the same as obeying. When Sylis was hurt, I talked to them, and many weren't happy about it. I can't understand their words - not all of them. Some speak English, though. But their tone? The yellingand pointing and gestures? They were angry, Callah. At me. At everyone down here."
I nodded, believing him completely. "So what do we do?"
"We do not eat this meat," he said. "We keep doing what we're supposed to and see what the elders are going to do next. I mean, I don't know what else to do!"
"You," I told him, "need to come back to bed, Tobias. It's too early for anyone to be up. The lights will probably dim again soon, and you need your sleep." I stood, taking his hands, and did my best to guide him up.
"Are you sleeping?" he asked.
I nodded. "Yeah. I was too worried to even try, but now that you're safe?" I clasped his smallest three fingers, aware they were all I could get my hand around. "And I don't really mind if you put your arm over me."
"I..." He stopped. "I don't mean to."
"No, it's okay," I assured him. "I actually like it. It reminds me that I'm not alone." I tugged again. "And I trust you, Tobias."
"So, maybe hugging is okay?" he asked.
To answer, I turned in place, released his hand, and threw my arms around his waist. "You, husband, may hug me any time you want. It's what friends are meant to do."
Slowly, almost as if he was being careful, this giant of a man bent to fold his arms around my back, and then he simply held me. Tilting his head, he pressed his cheek against my hair, and while he gripped a bit, it was not enough to crush me at all.
"I don't know when we'll hunt again. I don't know what Ayla's doing. I'm worried they're taking action without us because the wild men - er, Reapers - want revenge. Callah, I'm scared we're going to get caught in the middle."
"But you said she made them look at you," I reminded him.
