She led her inside one of the simple doors, and Polly braced herself for what she would find inside.
Her hand rested on the bat that was hooked to her hip, ready to pull it just in case?—
“Polly!”
Erzo grabbed her and scooped her into his arms.
And nothing felt better in the world. The stars. The universe. He was all right, and he was here! She curled into him, feeling him like he was a dream.
Just to be sure that he was really there.
“Erzo,” she said.
He pulled her into a kiss. She clung to him, and he to her. His tail wrapped around her, pulling her tight against him. His kiss tasted like ambrosia.
And hope.
It felt like there could be hope.
“Break it up,” a female voice said from behind her.
Polly turned.
Breal was there. The female Charro that led her here stood next to Breal, and she put her hand on Breal’s shoulder in a very intimate gesture.
Polly pulled away from Erzo, but he kept his arm around her.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Erzo beat her to it.
“Breal, why didn’t you tell me it was Carvassa?” He smiled warmly at them both.
Breal crossed her arms. “Would that have made any difference?”
Erzo shrugged. “I might have come sooner for Carvassa, if I had known that’s who you’d fallen for.”
Carvassa laughed. “Thanks, Cousin.”
“So, you are related,” Polly said, looking over the other female Charro, and seeing that their skin tint was close to the same green. Not quite the same, but close. And subtle similarities in eye shape, that Breal didn’t share.
She’d have to up her observation game if she was going to detect these subtle differences between Charro families.
“Some blood, yes. Still, it only matters when it’s worth something,” she said.
“Ahh, the Charro way,” Erzo replied. “Nothing matters unless it has value.”
“Everything has value if you look hard enough,” Polly said.
“Not to Charro,” Carvassa said.
Breal put her hand on Carvassa. “A cultural lesson will not solve the immediate problem. We still have to convince the clan leaders to release this stupid arrangement so the right people can be together.” She put her arm around Carvassa.
Erzo tightened his grip around Polly. “Do you have a plan?”
“I figured you would have one. This whole thing was your idea,” Breal said, gesturing to Polly.
Polly pursed her lips. “I don’t love being referred to as a plan. Or a transaction.”
“Sorry about that. I had to keep up appearances. If the others knew I held sympathy for you two, they would have never let me come. I didn’t want anything to happen to either of you.”
