Zaki hisses at him, but he doesn’t stop. “What is happening is bigger than you will understand right now,” he continues, and I watch his ears twitch once at the tips, the only sign that Zaki’s anger registers on him at all. “I am working to prevent a war, and with my efforts I ask you to meet me halfway.”
I stiffen at those words. The eggs on the table this morning. Zaki telling me she’s meeting me halfway. And now Amir using the same words.
“I will never force you to be here,” Amir says. “Wintermoon is not a cage. It is a safe haven. But you have to be willing to change to be here.”
“I do not understand why I had to lose everything,” Zaki says, her voice cracking. Her ridge spikes once and falls, and her hands ball into fists at her sides.
“But you did not, Zaki.” His face softens and he reaches out, placing a hand on her shoulder. She flinches but doesn’t pull away. “You still have life. And you still have a chance to start anew.”
I reach out and grab Zaki’s hand. She looks down at our fingers, then at me.
“I’m so sorry, Zaki.” I squeeze her fingers.
She sighs and the smile she gives me doesn’t reach her eyes, but she doesn’t pull her hand away.
“I will be your guide for the time being,” Amir says, withdrawing his hand from Zaki’s shoulder and tucking it behind his back. “You would not mind, would you?”
“No,” Kojo says. “We would not mind, Amir.”
Amir smiles. “Now, what is on the agenda for today?”
“My mate wants to travel the land,” Kojo says. “Explore Wintermoon.”
Amir looks at me. “Of course. This is your home now.” He studies me for a moment. “And how do you plan to get where you are going?”
“I’m fine with walking.”
He smiles, snaps his fingers, and a key fob appears in his palm. “They will not ride with you,” he explains, nodding at Kojo and Zaki. “The Bouda are deeply rooted in their culture. They prefer travel by foot.”
“I know.” I take the key fob and pocket it.
He snaps again and a sleek black SUV appears on the road. Zaki looks at it, unimpressed. “I still do not see a problem with the wagon.”
Amir walks me to the driver’s side and opens the door. Kojo and Zaki nod when I glance back at them, and I climb in. Amir closes the door once I’m seated, and when I look over at the passenger seat he’s already there, adjusting the air vent away from his face.
“How the hell did you...”
“My apologies. I am not much of a driver, and teleporting you would upset your Bouda.” He gestures at the ignition. “Go on. Start the engine.”
I pull my seatbelt on, start the SUV, and ease onto the road. In the rearview mirror, Kojo and Zaki break into a full sprint behind us, bare feet throwing up mud, matching the vehicle’s speed without effort.
He turns in the seat to face me, studying my profile while I drive. “You are very calm for a human who just watched a Bouda shift.”
“I’m not calm. I’m processing.”
“Interesting.” He taps a finger on his knee, considering me. “And the mate bond, how are you handling it? Is he treating you well? Feeding you? Is Zaki behaving?”
“Are you always this nosy?”
“Yes.” He doesn’t hesitate or apologize for it, just folds his hands in his lap and waits for my answer.
“He’s treating me fine. Zaki cooked for me this morning, which I’m know is a big deal. And the mate bond is...” I pause, not sure how much I want to share with a creature I just met. “It’s a lot.”
He nods, satisfied with that, and turns back to face the road. “If you aren’t a Bouda,” I say, watching them run in the mirror, “what are you?”
“I am a mix of beasts, but I was born a warlock.” That explains the magic, I think, and he must read it on my face because he nods before I can say it out loud.
“You will get used to Wintermoon quickly. The human women always adapt better.” He pauses and his gold eyes flick to the rearview mirror, watching Kojo and Zaki run. “But Kojo and Zaki will need more time.”
