Chapter 6
Julie
“Girl, where have you been?” Kayla was the first to start asking me questions as I sat down on a bed of furs.
“Yeah, what happened?” Talia cut in.
“I, uh…” Where did I begin? “Well, two nights ago I spent the night in a cave and then last night I spent the night in a tree.”
“A tree?! Why were you sleeping in a tree? Was Orsu with you the whole time?” Taylor cut in this time.
“Yes, he and I were together the whole time.”
“Did you two get cozy in that cave?” Hai asked with a knowing smirk on her face.
I could feel my face turn red at her question. We had gotten cozy, but it was for survival purposes. I may have enjoyed his warmth, but it hadn’t gotten romantic between us. How Gabby and her guy had formed a romantic connection so quickly I’d never understand. I’d never been able to move quickly in a relationship. My anxiety had always gotten the better of me in that regard.
“We did not.” I decided to not share manydetails about my stay with Orsu. I’d never been one to overshare and I wasn’t about to start now.
I looked around the room at all the women and noticed everyone was wearing a bonnet over their hair. Had I missed a memo about proper sleep attire?
“Why is everyone wearing a bonnet?”
“It’s the culture here! Everyone with every hair type wears bonnets,” Talia excitedly explained as she handed me one.
I secured it on my head and wrapped a fur blanket around my shoulders. The women continued to pepper me with questions and I told them the story of Orsu and I walking from tree to tree to stay out of the jagwas’ reach and how we found his den empty when we finally arrived, but any personal questions about Orsu and I were avoided or given very short answers.
I didn’t know how I felt about him. He was nice and sexy, but I had been in survival mode. How would I feel about him now that I was safe?
Eventually the questions died down and we all laid down in our beds. As soon as the last candle was blown out I settled onto my furs and closed my eyes.
Sleep should come much easier for me tonight. I was safe inside a literal mountain and I was in a proper fur bed. But instead of falling asleep as I’d hoped I just lay there thinking about what my new life would look like here. Would I find my place in this new community? Would I be expected to hunt for my own food? How long would the generosity of the guys last? Would the women and I eventually wear out ourwelcome or had the guys really accepted us as part of their dekes?
These thoughts kept spinning around and around in my head and I found myself wishing I could talk to Orsu. He had been so kind and understanding. I had found comfort in telling him my worries. I had to admit I missed his warm smile too. Butterflies danced in my stomach when I thought about his broad grin as he looked down at me. But I pushed those thoughts away. We were just friends, that was it.
There was a strange ache in my chest though, as if something were missing. I couldn’t put my finger on it though. Maybe I just missed Gabby. Yeah, that was it. I just missed Gabby.
drawing by: Crystal Rose
Orsu
The next morning I got up early and headed for the cook fire. I hadn’t slept well the night before. My heart had ached for Julie and I had wondered if she needed someone to listen to her worries so she could fall asleep. I wanted to be there for her, but I would not intrude on her, either.
I couldn’t imagine how scary this all must be for her. She’d been taken from her home and now she was a new member of a dekes full of Sirrets she’d never met before. I had made the decision before I fell asleep last night that I would do my best to ease her transition to Valo Prime. I would teach her about life here and invite her to cook with me so she’d be able to do something familiar to her and maybe along the way I’d figure out how to woo her. Maybe one day she’d claim me as her mate and the ache in my heart would turn to joy.
I started a pot of porridge from the grains found in the lowlands and added some sweet spices and berries.
“What are you smiling about?” Rhaz, who had an overabundance of energy, was always one of the first of the dekes to wake.
Had I been smiling to myself?
Rhaz didn’t feel like the right person to confess my feelings for Julie to. He was a grumpy male who knew little of joy and even less about love.
“He’s smiling because he’s thinking about that female he got to spend the last few days with…alone.” Axon drew out that last word for emphasis. He was another one of our early risers. His sensory issues made it hard for him to stay asleep for long.
The males of my dekes had surrounded me last night, pestering me with questions, but I had given them little information in return. How could I explain that I knew in my very core that Julie was the one for me? My beast had known it from the moment he caught her scent. My need to be with her was hard to deny, and the ache in my chest, now that we weren’t together, was ever present.
I did my best not to pay Axon or Rhaz any attention as I created a dough for my flatbread. I added some nectar and spices, then added some fruit before putting it over the fire to bake.
