“I’ll come with you,” Lydia says, her eyes still closed. “We can work together. I know you can do this.” She has her single eye open again, fixed on me. “Because you are not a traitor.”
I dip my head away from her gaze.
“I am not a traitor, but sometimes…it is hard.”
Her hand is on my cheek, turning me to her.
“I can’t even pretend to know what it was like for you, Deus, but what you did, you did in grief. It is not an excuse, but it is a reason, and it is the reason you are not a traitor,” she says.
“A good Sarkarnii warrior…”
“From what I’ve seen, a Sarkarnii warrior is strong because he is part of a whole, Deus, not alone. That’s what Dalox means when he wants to see you work. He knows what makes Sarkarnii strong is how they work together.” She smiles at me. “And he knows you did, once.”
“He just wants me to go fight spaceworms again,” I grumble.
“I don’t know about that.” Lydia wrinkles her nose. “But one thing I do know is, if he wanted to banish you, he would have done it. And he hasn’t.”
“You know a lot about Sarkarnii.”
“I watch,” Lydia says, her hand moving to my chest. “I do a lot of watching.”
“And what does your watching tell you about me?”
“I haven’t watched you enough yet,” She replies. “But so far, it would appear you have an ego to rival Driok, a darkness to rival Dexx, an appetite to rival Darax, a feral side to rival Dante, and enough wisdom to rival Dalox, if only you’d let go of your guilt.”
“That seems like you have watched me a lot.” I stroke my thumb over her lips. “Although I will never be such a great Sarkarnii.”
“There’s always time. I never thought I’d let another man, or male, into my life and yet here you are,” she says.
“I rut for you, little ember. It is not something I take lightly.” I lean in to capture her mouth with mine, luxuriating in the sweetness of her. “You are all the light in this universe.”
She takes my kiss, leaning into me until I release her.
“I hope so,” Lydia says. “Because we’ve got to work together, and I can’t imagine that’s going to be easy.”
I look out the window where the suns are rising.
“In which case, we should make sure we eat well, you are dressed well, and we are ready for the new nova-day in Dexx’s sector.” I press a kiss to her forehead. “He is unlikely to treat me well.”
“We’ll see about that,” Lydia says, uncurling from my arms and making her way to the food dispenser. “I suspect it will depend on how well youworkfor him.”
LYDIA
I’ve visited Dexx’s sector before to see Scarlett. The place has improved considerably since Dante was able to synthesize a treatment so Dexx and his warriors have recovered from the mutation which meant they had to spend hours in their Sarkarnii forms or risk madness.
The place is looking better for them having more time to take care of their environment, which previously was covered in a layer of grime from the mining activities they undertook. And also full of growly, grumpy males who were unable to control their change and who stomped about everywhere.
I can’t imagine Scarlett standing for things continuing as they did, and as Dexx worships the ground she walks on, it stands to reason he’ll do whatever she asks.
Although I can’t imagine any of Dexx’s warriors would complain about having more comfortable living conditions. In fact, today, they’re almost smiling. Well, nearly. It’s certainly an improvement.
“Deus.” A dark voice, more at home in a horror film, growls at us as we wait in the main atrium, warriors surrounding us with snarls on their lips. “What have I done to deserve you?”
The ring of Sarkarnii stand aside as Dexx enters. He looks at Deus, then at me.
“You brought your female?” Dexx’s voice has gone up an octave, to hit evil rasp.
“I followed him.”
