She trailed off.
Taking in a deep breath, she looked back to Lihvan and asked, “Where’s Cruxan?”
“He’s trying to track them,” Lihvan said. “He’s the best at it. If anyone can find their trail, it’s him.”
Then again, Crystal already knew that.
“Do you know when he’ll be back?” she asked softly.
Lihvan studied her closely. She wondered if he knew she was his mate, if Cruxan had confided in him like she’d confided in Beks. Something told her that the Ambassador did know.
“Nix,” Lihvan said. “For now, we must wait.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“It’s been two days,” Crystal said, gazing out the window, up at the dark sky above the canopy of trees, not that she could see anything. “Why isn’t he back yet? Do you think something happened?”
“If I didn’t know any better,” Beks teased, “I would say you’re a little in love with the guy.”
Crystal bit her lip, turning, but remained silent onthatsubject.
“He didn’t even rest when he was here,” Crystal said softly, nibbling on her lip with worry. “He barely slept when we were together and he gave me most of the food he hunted. He must be tired.”
Her chest squeezed just thinking about it.
“Cruxan is fine,” Beks assured her. “He’s a warrior, they are trained for situations like these, in much harsher conditions, I might add.”
It didn’t make her feel any better.
Beks looked a little pale that evening, considering she’d been bed-ridden with morning sickness into the afternoon.
“Are you feeling better?” Crystal asked, going to sit next to her.
“Yes,” Beks said, giving her a small smile. “Some days are worse than others. I can’t wait until this part is over with. According to Privanax, it hopefully shouldn’t last much longer.”
“Are you excited?” Crystal asked next.
Beks got a little shy, which was a strange thing to see. The brunette was outspoken and lively and wore her heart on her sleeve, pretty much the exact opposite of Crystal.
“Yes,” Beks said. “I want to be a mother, but I also can’t wait to see Lihvan as a father. He will make a good one.”
“It’s impossible not to be jealous of what you have with him,” Crystal told her, teasing. “Especially considering that I’ve barely gotten any sleep with you guys next door to my room.”
Beks burst out laughing and said, “Sorry, not sorry. My male is about as insatiable for me as I am for him.”
Crystal flushed but grinned nonetheless.
Beks’ boisterous laugh slowly died and she said gently, “And you shouldn’t be jealous. I know you’ll have it some day too. That’s what I wish for you.”
Crystal sobered. She was talking about Cruxan.
For two days, she’d thought a lot about him. He seemed to always be on her mind. She hadn’t realized how much she would miss him, his presence, his grin, until he was gone. She actuallyachedfrom it.
She hadn’t realized how much he’d situated himself into her mind until he was gone.
Beks had dropped little comments like that multiple times over the past couple days.
“Are you guys going to talk when he comes back?” Beks asked, taking a sip of her hot tea. It was delicious, actually, brewed from one of the plants native toKroratax.
