Mykie stood at the front of the group, staring at me with snide amusement. Directly behind her was a Quadmos I’d worked with briefly at G.P.O., Ragen. Perched over his lower arm was Ida, her leg swinging happily through stalks of wheat while she giggled something into his ear. In the back, Erith and Mitus were side-by-side. Erith stared at the field with an expression of awe, while Mitus was shrinking into himself, cringing away from me. My stomach dropped. The last time he’d been afraid of me was—
No.Not the time to think about that.
I tried to calm down, but my body wasn’t relaxed yet. So, my voice was monstrous when I said, “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Well, we couldn’t exactly call ahead of time,” Mykie shrugged. “Nice welcome committee.” She nodded over her shoulder, gesturing behind their group. I noticed the glimmer of a large crystal in her hand.
I craned my neck to see what she was talking about, peering over the edge of the mountain’s drop off. The distant trees were crowded with daytime beasts of all shapes and sizes. I could only imagine how freaky the hike up the mountain must be with this mass of predators trailing you, even if youdidknow how to protect yourself from them. It was a good thingI’d detailed the protective charms in my files on Cyciciah before handing them off to Arne.
“So where’s thegoddess?” Mitus asked, an emphasis of disbelief applied to the word. This was all new to him. The skepticism made sense. Even if the disrespectful tone made my jaw clench.
“She’s sleeping,” I answered. I wished my voice didn’t sound so aggressive towards him, of all people. I always tried to be softer with him, afraid of seeing the distressed eyes of that child looking back at me. But he wasn’t a child anymore.
“May we enter?” Ragen asked.
I appreciated the question and started to slowly deflate back to my normal self. They were not intruders. I took a steadying breath. “Of course.”
I watched the group’s reactions as they stepped into the field. Ida was the only one unsurprised by the unique sensation within the border. Her smile beamed. I wondered how long it’d been since she’d explored up here. Probably before Vivian, and fields only grew stronger once paired to their goddess. Ragen blinked heavily in surprise. Erith moved his hand as if feeling the energetic waves slipping between his clawed fingertips. Mykie didn’t react at all. Mitus startled upon entry and froze for a moment, before hurrying a couple of steps to catch up with the group. Poor kid wasreallygetting a crash course in all of this.
“You get used to it,” I reassured them—mostly Mitus.
The statement was half-true. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn’t appreciate howeverythingabout Vivian and her field was so incredibly magical. I loved the way my skin shivered every time I passed through that wheat border and was bathed in her essence. They would always notice it, but it would becomeless disorienting. Like settling into being tipsy on vibrations in the air. Floating. Electric. Alive.
“No judgement, buddy, but is the ‘no pants’ thing part of your transition to the wilderness?” Mykie asked, clearly the most comfortable speaking of the group. Well—other than Ida—who was still wrapping up her hushed, enthusiastic conversation with Ragen.
I scowled. Mykie knew damn well this was the only way to be feral without my cocks waving in the breeze while I killed. Pants would tear. She should be grateful I wasn’t naked. “I’ll go get dressed and wake Vivian up.”
“You aren’t going to pull a Graysen and bite my head off for disturbing her beauty sleep, right?” Mykie teased.
“No, but I should let her know you guys are here. She’s been—”How to summarize it?“We’ve been fighting off unwelcomed guests. I don’t want her to hear you and think she’s in danger.”
Everyone kept a respectful distance while I returned to the cabin. Vivian was still out cold. I sat beside her, gently took her hand in mine, and stroked her arm.
“Viv,” I cooed softly. “Little Goddess. Wake up.”
Her pale lashes peeked open. “Is everything okay?”
“Ida and some of my friends are visiting. You can stay in here and rest, but I wanted you to know in case you hear voices.”
That caught her attention. “Your friends? The ones staying with her?”
“And then some,” I laughed sheepishly. I had no clue why Mykie was here, and was worried she wouldn’t be delicate with Vivian while she was still recovering. You would never knowshe aced the G.P.O. mandated trauma education test. She was anything but tactful.
“Shit.” Vivian rubbed the side of her head, strands of layered hair sticking to her cheeks. “I’ll be out there soon. Can you kill time without me while I wake up?”
“Of course.” I kissed her forehead before pulling on a pair of denim jeans and a loose tank.
Everyone had moved to the alcove by the time I was back outside. The small cavern should be empty, I was curious what they’d be investigating.
Ida stood in the creek. Clear water ran over the tops of her foot. She had a pair of well-made arm crutches, hugging just below her elbow with smooth grips for her hands. A major improvement from what I’d last seen her using. Moving to Drifael reallyhadmade a difference.
“I can’t believe Vivian was living in here for all that time,” she frowned when I joined her.
“It was cozier with all of her stuff inside.” I scratched the back of my head. It wasn’t a total lie—sometimes it was comfortable—but “cozy” might be an overstatement.
Shehmpheddoubtfully and looked at Ragen. They seemed to have hit it off while traveling. “I told you it wasn’t fit for a female to live in. You’d hit your head if you tried standing in here.”
Mykie caught my attention before I could argue further. She jerked her head away from the group and began walking. I followed.
