Then I feel incredibly guilty because I keep forgetting about Silver and letting myself get swept up in . . . whatever it is I'm feeling about a giant furry alien.
Discussing how to rescue her must be the first order of business.
Not nanite-fueled lust.
No, not only lust, I correct myself.Nanites didn't change my opinion of the genali.
Not all of my attraction to him is related.
Ugh, but his to me might be, I groan internally.
I'll have to talk to him about that, too. Just the thought of that conversation makes my face turn into an inferno.
When a stream comes into view, I let out a big huff of relieved breath.
It should be boiled and filtered, but since there's no way to do either I'm just going to risk it.
I slide off Thivoll's back when he gets close, and kneel in a rush. I never remember being this parched in my life. The water is very clear and smells clean when I sniff it.
I take a long drink, starting off with desperate gulps, then trailing off into smaller ones until my stomach feels like it might burst.
I know from experience over the past few weeks that I don't really need to bathe after the modifications they made, but the impulse to wash is too hard to resist. I cup water in my hands and use it to scrub at my face, wishing I could jump in.
I don't want to get him wet from my clothes, or of course get naked.
I'm reconsidering the getting naked plan, my libido making its own demands, when a splash next to me makes me jump.
I look over to see Thivoll holding out a wiggling version of this planet's fish. It's a muddy brown, has legs like a salamander, but with billowing membranes that look like they would function as fins.
"In case you're hungry, too," he explains.
I try not to gag at the thought of eating the slimy thing.
"Eating that raw would make me sick," I tell him instead of voicing my distaste.
He hums. "If you are as modified as you look, then your nanites would also make this safe for you."
I grimace. "Maybe, but I'm not that desperate yet. I appreciate the thought, though."
He nods at me, then tips his head back and downs the thing in one gulp.
I don't contain my reaction this time and retch. Luckily he doesn't see it and my face is schooled by the time he looks at me again.
I give him a weak smile and climb back up when he crouches down. I get my foot wrapped up in my long hair and have to flip it back behind me, but it whips around too far and then is in the way of my other leg.
I get it sorted and eventually scramble up, my face burning at the delay.
After about fifteen minutes of running, Thivoll stops under the same type of tree as before. This one with unmarked bark. I wonder how he will manage a climb with me stuck to him like a cowardly barnacle without damaging this one, too.
I don't ask, though, trusting him to know his abilities and limits.
I slide off as quietly as I can. He tips back on his back paws, his tail held out as a counterbalance. It must be difficult to maintain. I wish I could help more, but he is too tall for me to just grab.
He lifts me and I hold on tight.
He talks quietly near my ear, the feel of his warm breath on my skin raising goosebumps.
"I'll need both arms for this climb, Ree," he explains.
