His eyes roam the clearing, scanning it. The vines make the bodies disappear into the jungle.
He reaches for my hand—the one with the ring. His thumb rubs a circle over the light. These are the same hands that just killed ten men. His hands don't shake or squeeze. The heat of his gentle touch seeps in, and the shock starts to wear off.
But I’m not safe here, and I shouldn’t let my guard down right now. It doesn’t matter. My body obeys him before it obeys me. I look up at him, trying to form words, but nothing will come out. I count my breaths, trying to slow my heart. Every time I close my eyes, I see the faces of the dead, their mouths open in permanent surprise. I’ve seen plenty of death on New Terra. Now it’s here. My skin crawls with memory. I clench my fists, dig my nails into my palms.
Alive. I am alive.
A soft rustle sounds in the brush. I jerk upright, wanting to bolt, but Rythar holds up one hand.
Wait.
From the green, four warriors step into view.
They’re Rythar’s, I realize. Green Reach. They must have been here the whole time. They knew Rythar didn’t need their help.
One of them is Ex O Drenz. He bows his head, never meeting my eyes.
“What happened?” I whisper.
The Ex O’s eyes are dark. “Vorak sent his warriors to submit an accusation against you. They say you contacted another Starfallen Bride.” His gaze sweeps the bodies. “An accusation does not require ten males. Vorak sent them with a message. When they saw you, they chose to attack. It was unwise. Undisciplined,” Drenz says with disgust.
“Sophia,” I say. “She’s in trouble. Rythar knows she’s in my mind. It will happen again and they’ll come back,” I ramble.
“You are claimed by Rythar,” he says. Drenz’s gaze flicks to the bodies, then back to Rythar. “They will never take you from him. He will die to protect you. All of us will.”
I need to make Drenz understand. “What about Sophia?” I ask.
Ex O Drenz exchanges a look with Rythar. “Sophia is Vorak’s,” Drenz says. “And communication between Starfallen is not allowed. You will cease immediately. Your safety depends on this.”
“My safety? Sophia’s already not safe. There has to be a way to help her,” I plead. My adrenaline is still high. I look into the jungle, in the direction I feel Sophia must be. I need to run to her.
Rythar frowns and shifts to block my view.
Drenz answers for him. “Sophia will be safe as long as she obeys Vorak and stays with him. Vorak will not harm her.”
“Because some stone says he won’t?” I retort.
Drenz ignores me and hands Rythar cleansing wipes.
Rythar cleans himself off. The blood dissolves, leaving his skin unmarked except for the old scars. Then he reaches for my face with a fresh wipe.
I grab for it. I can clean myself.
He lifts it out of my reach and gives me a look that ends the argument before it starts.
Fine.
I hold still. He puts two large fingers under my chin. He tilts my face up like it's a delicate instrument and starts at my cheek, slowly following each stroke with his eyes. He hesitates over which way to turn my jaw, then decides. The wipe trails down my throat as my heart thumps fast. He pauses at the corner of my mouth. It’s obvious this is a new thing for him.
That makes two of us. I'm not ready for what his careful touch does to me.
Rythar cleans away every trace of his enemies' blood. The wipes dissolve fast in the air, leaving nothing behind, but he’s staring at me.
“You shake,” Rythar says. His accent makes “shake” sound more like “zhake.”
I wonder exactly how much of my language he understands. And how he could have learned it. Drenz said he wouldn’t speak to me until his translator was fixed. Apparently two words don’t count. “I’m just cold,” I tell him. But I know it’s not true. I twist my hands together to steady them.
Rythar isn’t fooled. He watches my neck, frowns at whatever he finds there, and pulls me into his lap, tucking me against his body. I stiffen and push at his chest, trying to put space between us.I'm fine.The fight is over and I wasn't even in it. But Rythar doesn’t let me go.
