“How did your lessons go today?” Axel asked softly as he stepped behind me, his hands gripping the back of the chair. “Did you discover anything new?”
“I discovered how to use local fruit peels as a natural filter.” I pointed to the pitcher of sweet and tart juice on the side table, as well as a pair of glasses I had set out for the two of us to drink when he finished work. “It tastes like a cross between two widely available drinks on Earth.”
“And what are those?”
Axel reached for the pitcher and poured a glass of the pale green beverage for the two of us, offering me one. I nodded and accepted his offer, flashing him a quick grin.
“It tastes like a cross between lemon-limeade and strawberry soda.” I brought the drink to my lips and closed my eyes to enjoy its distinct flavor. “It’s low in calories but high in nutrition.”
I looked up and was surprised to see Axel staring at me so intently. He brought the cylinder glass to his beak and tilted his head back, gulping down the entire drink in one take as soon as he noticed I was watching him.
As he pulled the empty glass from his beak, he let out a loud twirl.
“That was amazing!”
“Really?” My chest swelled with pride, knowing I had created something he enjoyed.
“Yes,” he replied, grabbing the pitcher once more and pouring another glass of the drink for both of us. “You should make a big batch of this one morning so I can drink it all day.”
“I can do that if you can convince Lyave to have his hometree produce more of the ingredients required at the root station.”
“There’s nothing a few credits can’t fix.” He took another sip of his glass while staring out the window at the ocean’s waves. “Especially after I tell him that the excavation crew will be arriving tomorrow to remove your emergency pod and help repair the damage to his property.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Correct.” He peered down at me. “I’ll fly over to meet the crew tomorrow, right after morning meal.”
“Do you think I could accompany you?” I got up from the nesting chair and wiped the wrinkles out of my robe. “I haven’t been away from your villa since I arrived here. I’d like to know where I landed, especially since I’ve been trapped inside for the majority of the time.”
“If you really want to, I could take you.” He made his clicking noise on the top of his beak, which I discovered he did when he was deep in thought or annoyed by something. “Only if you don’t mind riding on my back. However, you must first cancel your Sutol lessons.”
“I can do that right now.”
10
Naomi - Ami
“I want you to take this with you.” Axel handed me a futuristic-looking gun as we stood inside his villa’s hanger, which was hidden behind a hole in the stone wall. “The jungle is a dangerous place, and even though you will be surrounded by many armed workers, I want to make sure you can defend yourself if necessary.”
“But I already said I’d stick by your side and not run off to investigate something that caught my eye.” I accepted his offer with a frown, tilting the tiny weapon in my hand. The silver gun was smaller than my fist and looked like a child’s toy, especially given how light it was in my hand. “I appreciate you giving it to me, but I assure you that it will not be required. I don’t want to jeopardize everything I’ve worked for simply because ‘curiosity killed the cat.’ ”
“I’m not sure if Sah-Rah’s horrible creature will be there,” he replied earnestly. “But I assure you, no matter how annoying her pet is, you can’t kill it because he did something you didn’t like.”
“Wait.” When I realized the name was familiar, I shifted my attention away from the weapon and toward the avian male I’d grown to trust after spending days, if not weeks, in his company. ’“Are you implying that another human will be present?”
“You are correct.” He ruffled his feathers as he shifted his wings, clearly bothered by something related to her. “She is mated to one of my scouts, whom I had assigned the task of finding someone who could speak with your ship’s captain. Unfortunately, by the time he discovered her and they were on their way to make contact with your ship, you had already entered Yzefrxyl’s territory.”
“So I’m not the first human you’ve encountered.” I couldn’t help but frown at this new information.
It was as if something special had been ripped away from me, and I knew it was a foolish notion to have, but I couldn’t shake the feeling from gnawing at my soul.
“No, you’re not the first human I’ve met,” Axel replied, gently gripping my chin and tilting my head up to lock our gazes. “But you’re the first human let into my private villa. I’d met her at a home owned by my family while visiting my brother when her mate thought she needed medical attention.
“Sah-Rah meant nothing to me before she was mated to Carth’aiq, other than she was the answer I hoped would’ve prevented everything that happened to your vessel.
“But those were different times, and the Four Winds have chosen for your fate to cross paths with mine for a reason.” His piercing eyes held a hidden meaning, one that I wished I knew, as his voice washed away all the doubt that had gripped my heart, leaving me to wonder what feelings I had developed for this avian male. “We have plans to carry out, and meeting with my excavation crew is something I wish I could avoid, but I have to.”
“How long will they be here?”
