Thefogsurges,thickand angry, demanding blood. I need to hunt and kill, but there’s nothing here in this cave. Nothing! The only creatures I see are hiding behind an invisible wall where I can’t reach them, no matter how hard I try. I can smell their fear, and it’s delicious. They’re right to be afraid. When I get through this invisible wall, I’ll bury my claws in their bodies and tear them apart.
Yes! The fog likes that idea, but a quieter part of my mind is telling me I’m missing something. Something important.Something I had and now I don’t, but I want it because it’s mine. Mine!
My roar makes the creatures flinch. Good. But what am I missing? Did they take it from me?
Sometimes the creatures make noises as they approach the barrier, but my snarls, roars, and vicious attacks on the invisible wall always make them back away. Like prey, they cower in the corner, but I will get to them. And once I do, they will give me what I’m missing. Because I want it. Ineedit. But what is it?
More creatures arrive, and that’s when I smell it. My something. That’s what they took. Rage floods me, and I throw myself against the barrier with all my might, tearing into it with claws and teeth. The scent intensifies, and I realize it’s coming from a creature. My creature. It’s mine! Another creature is carrying it, and that enrages me even more. No one can touch what’s mine! I will kill them. Every single one. Then it will be just me and my creature. My…my something.
Pain lances through my head, making me whimper and clutch at my temples, but I don’t retreat. Not until I have my creature. I need it. The pain will go away once I have it. I’m sure of it. I will take it, hold it, and it will be mine, and everything will be right. But first, I’ll kill the others so they don’t take it away from me again.
Chapter 30
Jaime
“So,Jaime,”Stevensayswith a hint of smugness as we watch Adam rage in the cell, “care to explain how you had sex with this guy and lived to tell the tale?”
Rokesh whips his head to look at us, all three of his eyes widening to a comical level. “Excuse me?”
Groaning, I rub my face. “Thanks for being so discreet, brother. Truly appreciated. Set me down.”
As he does, Adam quietens, his eyes fixed on me. Instead of mindlessly throwing himself against the force field, he crouches as if ready to leap, his tail swishing behind him from side toside. A quiet snarl escapes his rolled-back lips as he glances at the other people in the room, but it cuts off when he returns his hungry gaze to me.
“He wasn’t like this before,” I say in explanation as I slowly move closer to Adam.
“Interesting,” one of the other Wehdi in the room notes. A doctor or a scientist, judging by his white coat. “He hasn’t been this calm since we brought him here.”
“Because I wasn’t here,” I murmur as I pull myself into a seated position right in front of the force field.
Steven shakes his head. “Be careful, Jaime.” Adam hisses at him, and when Steven steps forward, his hand instinctively finding the blaster strapped to his thigh, Adam is back to raging against the force field.
“ENOUGH!” I yell before the situation can spiral again. “Both of you, stop that. Steven, you stay the fuck back and you,” I turn my glare at Adam, “stop. Now. What you’re doing isn’t helping and you’re only going to hurt yourself.”
With one last snarl in Steven’s direction, Adam lowers himself to the floor in front of me, his back spikes flat to his spine and a soft whine breaking free from his maw.
“Oh no, you’re not doing that,” I say, still keeping my voice stern. “No puppy murder-chameleon eyes. Don’t attack the force field and I won’t be angry with you. I know you don’t mean it, but you need to calm down, okay? I’m fine. I’m here. Everything will be okay. I know that fog is riding you hard right now, but you can fight it. You did it before, and you can do it again. I’ll be here with you, I promise.”
Whimpering, Adam grabs his head with his hands, narrowly avoiding cutting himself with his claws.
“Hey. Shh.” I press my hand against the force field, hating this barrier between us. I want to reach out to Adam and comforthim. “Adam. I mean, Rizven.” He hisses at that, which makes me chuckle. “No? You like Adam better? Is that right?”
With a quiet whine, Adam raises his hand, resting it against mine with only the force field separating us. Confused, he tries to push harder and harder, growing visibly frustrated when he can’t touch me.
“You need to disable this barrier,” I say quietly, glancing at Rokesh over my shoulder.
He’s staring at Adam like he’s seeing a ghost, then shakes his head. “We can’t. He’ll kill you.”
“No. He might attack you, but he’d never hurt me.” I’m certain of that. “Just leave the room. Please.”
There’s a whispered debate I ignore, focusing on Adam instead. “It’s going to be okay. I promise,” I whisper to him, certain of that, too.
“We’ll leave,” Rokesh says, “but we will not be lowering the force field. Rizven would hate to have your blood on his hands.”
Satisfied that they will at least leave us alone for now, I wave them off. Getting them out of the room is step one and hopefully, their absence will help further calm Adam down. I instinctively know that he needs to hold me in his arms and take in my scent to return to his usual self. I have no idea where that knowledge came from, but it rings true. Physical contact will bring Adam out of this. I know that, but it will be a battle to convince the others that Adam would never hurt me.
As Steven and the Wehdi move out of the room, Adam stands guard, snarling at them, though at least he’s not trying to break through the force field anymore. Once they’re all gone, he flops down on the floor again, whining as he tries to reach me through the force field. Frustrated and desperate, but definitely not feral or aggressive.
“See? They’re gone. It’s just the two of us now. Like down on that moon.” My words seem to calm him down, but the forcefield grates on both our nerves. I need to hug him too, dammit! “I thought you’d die. Why did you let that thing bite you, you stupid oaf? You were the one who called them venomfangs! Clearly, you knew they’re venomous. I nearly died chasing those millipedes for you. Have you tried chasing anything when you can’t walk? It sucks. And those scorpions. Fuck. I think I would have lost a finger if our brothers had not come for us. Though you probably would have brought some disgusting natural remedy to treat the sting. There are still a ton of bugs and other creepy things we haven’t tried eating.”
