Clenching my fists against the instincts now thrumming through me, I lead her away from Zaku’s and into the night… With me.
EIGHT
A STEEP PATH
Julia
He keepsthe pace deliberate and slow, often holding his tailtip beside me to use as leverage against the uneven, and sometimes steep, rocky ground. It’s the middle of the night and too dark for me to see properly, even with the moonlight casting a surreal silver glow to the wild landscape.
I can’t believe he’s taking me with him. I also can’t believe I’m outside right now when I’d been sleeping in bed mere minutes ago.
There’s smoke in the breeze and with each gust that hits me, the smell of exhaust and burnt wood fills my nose through my mask. It’s better than the alternative: catching more of Krellix’s musky, unusual scent. I had gotten enough of it in the bathroom. And based on everything I’ve learned from the other women, I should be fine as long as I don’t breathe too much of it in… but I’ll know if it’s beginning to affect me. I’ll be aroused for him. And only him.
Now that we’re outside where there’s a slight breeze, I’m not as worried about breathing too much of it anymore. I only hadto avoid my bathroom for hours earlier until it was aired enough out.
Peering at him before me, I wonder if nagas are always giving off pheromones or if I’m being paranoid.
I grab his tail to help me down a small incline. Instead of descending the mountain the same way I went down last time when I inevitably sprained my ankle, Krellix leads me to the right of Zaku’s home instead and down a steeper, more obscure path I wasn’t aware of. But spying the lake and water that Gemma and the others live near far below, I assume we’re taking the same path they use when traveling back and forth.
“The other nagas will not know there is a trail down this way,” Krellix tells me at one point when the path gets narrower.
As we get farther away from Zaku’s, sadness tugs at my chest, wishing I’d had a chance to say goodbye to Daisy and the boys. At least a more proper one after the events of yesterday. It had taken Daisy and I most of the evening calming down the children before they would go to bed.
The boys won’t find me in my room in the morning, and that might be hard for them. I don’t want anything to be hard for them…
Krellix pauses right as I hear the sounds of a ship. Pausing with him, I peer up at the dark sky and look south to where the noise is coming from. Seeing the lights of a ship flicker soon after, the vessel flies our way. Eventually it soars over us before turning east and disappearing into the mountains across the gorge the lake resides in. Shortly after, another ship arrives from the same direction but continues north past us. Watching the second one slow down and lower, I lose sight of it around the rocky landscape and trees.
Holding onto Krellix’s tail harder, I hop down two steps to get closer to him. We continue on wordlessly for a few more minutes before he stops again. When I don’t hear the sound ofanother ship, I squint at him, noticing his chin is raised like he’s listening for something even if it’s not a ship. There can only be one other thing he’s listening for…
“What is it?” I ask, my voice barely higher than a whisper. My eyes shoot over the trees on the steep ledges above and below us.
He cocks his head. “I thought I heard something.”
“A naga?” I ask.
He nods.
Gripping my rifle strap harder, I follow right at his side when we eventually continue on.
Sticking to the steep cliff that makes up the west side of Zaku’s mountain, the pathway curves and bends. Once, when the pebbles roll under my boot, I slip, landing with my side on Krellix’s tail. He stiffens and coils his tail around me. Quickly pushing off of him, I wipe my hands on my pants and stand.
Between careful footfalls and a lot of squinting, I stare at his back, curious about his change of heart.
Krellix would have never considered taking me with him during his few visits to Zaku’s before, though I have never pushed it until now. It doesn’t mean my presence hasn’t always caused tension at Zaku’s but until the arrival of the Boa, and the numerous other nagas from around the land, he’s never wanted me gone more. I can’t blame him, in fact, I completely understand.
If Zaku asked Krellix to take me, I’m not upset about it, I’m relieved. Krellix is the perfect naga to get me what I want… which is safely away from Zaku’s.
I’m also reasonably certain Krellix isn’t just going to kidnap me and tie me up in his nest.
When the pebbles roll my boot once again, I curse under my breath.
Krellix grabs my arm. “Sssshhhh.”
Steadying myself on my feet, I pull my arm from his grip. “Sorry.”
“We need to keep moving. If another naga has already found our trail, we do not have long before we will know for certain.”
I peer up at him, trying to read his features in the dark. “I would think they would’ve all scattered with the ships.”
