If my request bothers him, he makes no sign of it. He hugs Pacy before I put him to bed, and gives me a brief smile before I retire to the back chamber of the cave. He will sleep in the front chamber to guard the entrance and watch the fire. The back cave is still warm, and sheltered from errant breezes that cut through the edges of the privacy screen, and I go to sleep easily.
When I wake up, there are three of the small bone plates waiting for me.
I touch the first one, feeling warm in my belly at the sight of it. The surface is completely smooth and polished, so pretty thatyou wouldn’t think it’s made of bone but instead of ivory. Each plate is slightly different in size, and I realize he’s probably spent hours at work on these while I slept. It’s…sweet.
Pashov is by the fire even now, feeding it small bits. He looks up as I enter, a pleased look on his face. “You are awake. Good. I need to go to the cache nearby and get fresh meat. Will you be all right here by yourself for a time?”
“Of course.” I’m a little disappointed he’s going to run out the door the moment I wake up, but we do need food. I pull Pacy into my lap and open my tunic to feed him to keep myself busy.
Pashov watches us for a moment, and then unfolds his long legs, getting to his feet. “I put tea on the fire,” he says, gesturing at the tripod with the hanging pouch set up over the flames. “It should be warm soon.”
“Thank you,” I tell him politely, though I’m not a big fan of the sa-khui tea flavors. It’s nice of him to try, though, and I’ll drink it just because he put in the effort. “And thank you for the plates. They’re lovely.”
He watches me with burning eyes. “Anything you wish for, Stay-see, you ask and I will bring it to you.”
His expression is so intense, so earnest, that I feel my entire body flush in response. I murmur my thanks and concentrate on feeding my baby, wishing I wasn’t being such an awkward dweeb about things. He’s seen my breasts plenty of times. He’s seen the baby nurse plenty of times. I shouldn’t be weird about it.
But of course, I’m thinking about the story I told him yesterday of our resonance, and the intense longing on his face the entire time I spoke. It makes me hyper-aware of his reactions to me, and even exposing a tiny bit of skin feels like a subtle tease.Which is stupid—breastfeeding is natural, and the way he’s looking at me isn’t sexual. It’s longing. He wants to be included in the family.
And I said I was going to try harder, and I mean that. As he leaves, I hold Pacy close and look at the three little plates that Pashov must have spent hours whittling down for me. Funny how I’ve been telling myself he can’t care for us like he used to, and then he goes and does something as small and meaningful as that.
I can do something similar, then.
Back before his accident, Pashov loved my cooking. He’s never been completely fond of plain old roasted meat, but some of the concoctions I’ve come up with he’s loved. He likes my soups, the little cakes I make from not-potato, and he especially loves the spicy little meat pies I make by combining seeds and ground up not-potato to form a type of crumbly dough. I was going to make him some of those the day of the cave-in, and the knot in my throat swells in remembrance. That time is gone, I remind myself. Look forward. Your mate is alive and healthy and wants to reconnect with you. Let it happen.
I should.
I let Pacy finish nursing. When he crawls out of my lap and heads for the basket of bones, I get up and grab a pack of the food supplies. Pashov’s mother, Kemli, is our plant expert, and she’s been in a gathering frenzy ever since the cave-in, trying to restock what we lost. As a result, I know we have a fair amount of herbs for flavoring. The herbs here on the ice planet are different than the ones at home—some are pine-needle-like and stripped from small bushes. Some are a lichen that grows on rock, and there are a few types of strong, peppery seeds in a leather pouch. I dig through the supplies in the cave and find acouple of dried roots, but no not-potato. I’m disappointed, because I really want to make the meat pies for Pashov. I want to see if food can jog his memory. Didn’t I see that in a movie once? If anything would bring his memory back, it’d be those pies.
I make a noise of frustration, staring down at the dried, twisted roots in my hand. These are good for stew, but not for the pies.
While I’m frowning down at the roots, the privacy screen is pulled back and Pashov enters. He has a snowy, frozen carcass in hand, and his mane and shoulders are covered in snow. More drifts in as he steps inside, carefully replacing the screen.
“How’s the weather?” I ask, putting the roots down.
“Warmer than yesterday,” he tells me, shaking off the snow. “But still snowing.”
“Do you think the others are all right?” I feel a little guilty that we’re the only ones who stopped on our journey.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t they be?”
“Because it’s a blizzard,” I point out. But if he’s not worried, I guess I shouldn’t be.
“The humans will not freeze. Their mates will keep them warm.”
I don’t know how to take that comment. Is he implying that I won’t let my mate keep me warm? Is that why we stopped? Or is it an innocent remark and I’m picking it apart? Probably the latter.
Pashov removes his cloak and sets the carcass down by the stones of the fire. He gestures at the roots that Pacy’s currently trying to pull from my hands. “Are you hungry? I can thaw a chunk of this?—”
“I’m fine,” I tell him. “There are trail rations to eat. I actually wanted to cook you something. A surprise.”
The look of astonished pleasure on his face is painful to see. “You would make food…for me?”
“Of course. You loved my cooking before.” My heart aches, and I feel guilty all over again. Have I truly been this awful to be around? “I thought you might like it if I cooked something for you today.”
“Nothing would please me more.”
“Nothing?” I can’t help but tease.
