“Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked, wrapping my arms around him and giving him a quick hug to reassure him. “That was incredible. Is swinging always like this?”
“Whenever we’re on our land,” he said, returning the hug. “Other Calyzisregulate the lower limbs of the under branches.Any limb too young or too old could kill an unexpected swinger, which is why I always keep an eye on our land, especially after storms.”
“But you haven’t left to survey our land since the storm.” I frowned, scanning the nearby branches. “Despite the fact that I was swinging on them for the first time, you weren’t concerned.”
“Because I used to take daily trips around the land and over trim what was normally needed in case something happened and I was needed somewhere else,” he explained. “With the rainy season upon us, who knows when someone will reach out to me for help?”
“That’s a kind thing to do,” I said softly. “Very thoughtful and forward-thinking.”
“It’s the least I could do to be prepared for anything.” He cast a glance toward the underbrush. “Even so, I would prefer that we not stay on the ground floor for too long. The plants haven’t warned me about any intruders, so I believe we’re safe, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“I’ll follow you because I don’t know my way around the land yet.” I scuffed the ground and frowned at how wet it was. “It appears that we are too late, and the rain may have covered all of my tracks.”
“Let me ask the plants,” Zyre said, closing his eyes and brushing my hair back.
I leaned against Zyre’s chest, staring out at the jungle, waiting for it to respond.
There was lush, dense jungle as far as my eyes could see. I’d never seen anything like the flora. Its vibrant colors were almost blinding in their brightness.
While the underbrush leaves appeared to be similar in shape to those of the nearly endangered rainforest that had miraculously survived and was recovering, they were much larger, as if fertilized. It was as if I’d entered a simulation based on the classic film series Avatar, but instead of blue aliens, I’d discovered a plantman, who was surprisingly normal in appearance and coloring.
Despite the fact that he hoped I could change that for him soon.
“It appears that while I was busy with you, one of my brothers investigated our shared border and discovered something.” He frowned and turned to face the river. “However, that doesn’t explain why he hasn’t contacted me about what he’s discovered on our land.”
“Is he still alive?” My gaze was drawn to the location where the pafeldae’s body should’ve been found. “Did he have an accident?”
“No, he’s still alive.” He huffed. “I would’ve felt it if he died, and an announcement would’ve gone out to the entire planet, giving any new guardians or mated pairs a chance to move in.”
“Would you like to check on him?”
“If you don’t mind,” he muttered, slumping his shoulders. “He may have what you’re looking for, but he despises company.”
“If he’s going to be trespassing on our land, he’d better get used to company.”
CHAPTERTWENTY
ZYRE
Idespised having to do this, but my brother had given me no other option.
All he had to do was stay on his side of the river and leave me to tend to my lands, and I wouldn’t have to introduce him to Viola.
Each Calyzis who discovered her existence would become a new threat to her—and, through her, to me. I refused to let anyone take her away from me, especially since our future was uncertain.
The more time I spent with her, the more she lowered the barriers she had built between us. I only needed a little more time, and I was confident I would be able to get through to her.
But Rynez had to ruin things for me and possibly my future with myluwaeri.
As we got closer to my brother’s hometree, the branches became thicker. He was always envious of the size disparities between our hometrees, because his was shorter and thicker than mine.
Despite the fact that he kept his land as clean as mine, he had nothing to complain about because he had more land than I did and his hometree was located on a cliffside overlooking the ocean.
That was something I would have thought most females would want in a male when looking for aluwaeri.
Circling his hometree, I slowly descended around its trunk, landing on his guest balcony and turning to catch Viola with her landing.
A roar erupted from above, jolting my entire body. My hearts leapt in my throat as I turned to see something I had never wanted to see.
