Chapter 8
Zsekhet
I wasn’t sure if I was avoiding Cosima or if I was genuinely just giving her some time and space after that heated moment two days ago.
I didn’t want to spook her, and I knew I was battling a sense of rage and helplessness.
Someone had cut into my mate’s head, taken the implants that she’d previously had to help her understand other languages. They had tortured her.
By her own words, she had been held captive for a time by rebels fighting her Clan. How long? Long enough to crave the feeling of being outside whenever her nightmares became too strong. I knew the stories of the other humans at Haven.
Reid and Kalani had supposedly been punished for insubordination, they had been warriors. While Vera, Charlie, and Naomi had been sent here as punishment for crimes they had not committed. Only Min-Ji had not received punishment, she’d been the pilot of the sky-ship that had crashed.
Cosima’s story had been a mystery to everyone, but now I was starting to believe that it was very, very different.
Why would they punish her after what she’d gone through?
I sensed a serious betrayal and I wanted to break things, kill the people that harmed her, and I wanted to take her on my dragon to the skies and keep her safe. But that wasn’t what she needed.
The feather with the scent of her arousal was my constant companion, first tucked between my belts, then safely hidden in a pouch to better preserve the scent. I didn’t want any of the aspirants that had arrived to get a taste of it; it was mine and mine alone.
The Shaman had located only a dozen of the implants from his storage.
He claimed it had been a common procedure once, all Naga citizens got an implant, just like all humans did.
Now, we didn’t travel far enough across our planet to encounter the natural differences in our language.
Though my accent was different from Thunder Rock and some words weren’t quite the same.
Reid and Min-Ji had their own implants to update and seeing that happen was the first time I ventured back into the med bay after my own installation.
My process had been quick and painless and then followed by a terrible headache a few hours later that had lasted all day.
Still worth it as far as I was concerned.
Cosima was on the other side of the room, huddled on a cot with Min-Ji and Naomi and talking animatedly.
My translating device was giving me a lot of nonsensical words for whatever it was they were discussing.
I would have feared they were broken, and I’d gone through it all for nothing if not for the sight of Artek’s baffled expression.
I had a feeling the Shaman had installed his own translator implants after he’d gotten done with me, this just confirmed it.
“Are they actually talking about missing the practice of polishing their nails?” he asked Krashe next to him and when the Warlord nodded and shrugged I figured some things were just going to remain a mystery. At least my implants were working.
“I’ll go first, Doc,” the human male – Reid – said, striding over to the pale Shaman and cocking his head to the side to tap behind his ears.
“I can’t wait to finally understand what everyone is saying,” the male said, his eyes darting to the huddle of females with some mild confusion.
I grinned, because they were now talking about something hot to curl hairs and it was even more nonsensical than polishing nails.
In minutes he was done, staggering off with a grimace. Min-Ji followed the same fate, eagerly smiling despite the prospect of a headache. “I can’t wait to finally understand what Corin is saying! It’s gonna be so much fun,” she grinned back at the other girls.
Then Naomi was pushing Cosima to her feet, “You are next, sweetheart! Go on.” She gave my mate a gentle little shove toward where Artek was waiting but Cosima didn’t move, standing frozen in place and her features growing pale.
I knew why, she had no implants to update and she said she had too much damage to receive new ones.
Her friends didn’t even know that was the case, they thought they were helping her.
Cosima shook her head, “Oh, I don’t want it.
I’m fine.” She sounded mildly panicked and when she searched around the room that became even more visible in the stricken look on her face.
Everyone was staring, the humans with obvious confusion.
I saw how Reid started to open his mouth to question her.
Her eyes flicked to mine, a plea in them I didn’t expect to see.
“Ah come on, leave her alone. If she doesn’t need it, she doesn’t need it.
Strictly volunteer only, remember?” I said cheerfully.
And then I pointed out the door, vaguely in the direction of where the crowd of aspirants were waiting to hear when and how many of them could get an implant.
“Shouldn’t we see what that lot is up to outside?
What if they decided cracking skulls was the best way to solve the number issue? ”
Reid laughed, eyeing me and then my mate but he shrugged and turned to leave the med bay. The others followed. After a shrewd look, Artek agreed wholeheartedly that they needed to make sure his plants remained untouched. If anyone had chopped down his favorite tree for firewood, heads would roll.
As I followed the crowd out of the med bay, ushering them along, I could feel Cosima’s eyes burning into my back. I didn’t look back, worried that I might give in to my impulse when we locked eyes, and yank her into my arms.
Outside the aspirant Haven members had not chopped down Artek’s tree, but they had found a curious system on how to decide who was getting an implant.
There were only twelve available, of which two were naturally going to Aks and Xorare who’d already become members of the Clan.
The two dozen aspirants here couldn’t all get one, but they’d decided against luck of the draw to make the choice.
They’d settled on competitions that ranked each hunter, the top ten got the available implants.
I hadn’t stuck around to watch those proceedings.
Instead, I’d volunteered to fly Krashe, Naomi, and the two humans back to Outcast Haven.
It meant leaving Cosima behind, but I’d overheard her promise Naomi to stay safely inside the entire time.
By the time I returned to the Shaman’s home, late that evening, the competitions were over.
Cosima was asleep, and ten aspirants, Aks, and Xorare were nursing the same headache that I’d been recovering from after my own implants were installed.
The handful that had missed out were grumbling near the fire, sharing a fermented drink that most hunters liked to brew.
When I sought my mate out in Artek’s tunnels I discovered that she slept with furs pulled over her head, shutting out the world.
Hiding herself, even in her sleep. It made me realize there was much to work on still between us.
She had trusted me with her body, and with part of her story, but she was not yet ready to be claimed.
I feared that, with no target for the anger I felt over what had been done to her, my hot feelings might turn into passion when I saw her.
If I pushed her more on the physical, I feared I’d end up pushing her away.
My body was on fire, my cock a constant ache since that moment in the small room with the inks and papers.
The memory of that ink stain on her cheek was forever going to be engraved on my brain.
So until I had myself more firmly under control, a bit more distance was going to be required.
I’d volunteer myself for more fly work, ferrying the aspirants back until Cosima finished up here.
Slithering quietly into her room, I left my latest present for her next to the bed with a note the way Naomi had instructed me.
Then I left for some restless sleep of my own.
Sesethul was big and strong, he was willing to attempt to carry six instead of five for the next trip.
By the time, two days later, we were making our final return to the Shaman’s home Ses was tired and sluggish.
Even unburdened by cargo, he was flying slower and a little clunkily, coasting as much as he could on thermals down the mountain flank.
“I’m sorry buddy, I asked much of you the past few days.
” I patted his neck as we started the final descent toward the flower meadow, now rather trampled, next to Artek’s ‘greenhouse.’ It was late evening, and the violet rays of the sun were only barely touching the meadow.
It was enough for me to make out the small shape curled up in the grass just beyond the greenhouse door. A halo of flames around her face.
It was quiet, and except for Cosima, all the visitors were gone.
I couldn’t fault her for wanting to get some sunshine now that she felt safe again.
But Scar’at had disappeared in this direction, and as a former Thunder Rock male, he would be familiar with many of the tunnels around here.
The sight of her outside made me worry that he might appear and snatch her right before my very eyes.
I should never have entertained that thought, it was as if thinking it had conjured him out of thin air. His dark, slate-blue scales blended beneath the shadows of the nearby tree line and the purple high grass of the meadow. I only saw him when he reared up and snatched her up in his arms.
Ses and I were still hundreds of feet in the air when it happened. I roared, which made my dragon roar. Below in the meadow, two figures each looked up, and then the treacherous male spun around and raced for the forest.
The powerful wings of my dragon made it easy to follow them, but we still needed to rapidly lose altitude, circling our target where we saw him beneath the treetops.
Sesethul roared as he crashed through the branches, his tail lashing to make way for himself, the blue shape with my mate, screaming and kicking, ducked into a darkened tunnel.
I fought with the buckles on my riding harness, struggling to free myself so I could rush into that tunnel after them.
When I finally landed on the ground at Ses’ side, I flung myself upright and toward the tunnel without a care.
Then I slammed my tail into the pale shape that rose up in front of me, blocking the way.
“No, wait!” the Shaman yelled. “Not like this, you will fail.”
Blood lust gripped me, harsh and fierce, writhing under my flesh and urging me to kill any bastard that stood between me and my mate.
The Shaman was stronger than he looked, grappling with me while still having enough breath to lecture me on what I was supposed to be doing.
Normally, Ses was the one trained to subdue me so I could master my blood lust, but today all he was doing was pawing at the cave opening, roaring and struggling to widen the gap so he could stick his body inside.
My dragon was as desperate to follow my mate into the belly of Serant.
It was the sight of him, clawing at rock and risking a total collapse of that tunnel that brought me back.
“Ses no!” I shouted, bucking off the Shaman so I could leap for the nearest belt on Ses’s body.
I was but a drop in a bucket to the strength of the beast, but yanking with all my might on the belt crossing his neck did get his attention.
His head rose, the snout as long as my torso.
Turning on his long, agile neck, that maw snorted scorching hot smoke out all over my body.
Then it opened and for a brief flash I worried my friend was about to blow fire.
All that came out was a mournful lowing sound, a cross between a howl and a cry.
“Yeah, I know Ses. But we’ll get her back. ”
Letting go of the belts, I opened my arms wide around his nose, hugging the sensitive tip to my chest. “I know you like her, I do too. But she’s strong, our mate, she’ll be fine.
How much do you want to bet that when I get there, she’s subdued that asshole with a pouch of Exar berries?
” My words though silly, soothed the beast and he finally lowered his raised claws from around the cave opening and sank to the ground.
Keeping a palm on his head, I turned to face the Shaman hovering behind me.
The male was smeared with purple mud and several broken branches dangled from his long pale hair.
A satchel bulging with plants hung crookedly from one shoulder.
He should have looked ridiculous but he managed to maintain his aura of calm elegance.
A deeply worried expression creased his fine brow.
“I will fetch supplies and a map of the tunnel system. She is strong and he does not wish to harm her. You’ll find your mate in time, don’t worry Zsekhet of Serqethos.
” With those words, he spun away and raced back toward his home, leaving me equal parts frantic for my mate and worried over his statement.
Why did he say Zsekhet of Serqethos? Did he know I wasn’t an outcast but a spy?
Had he spoken to the Shaman there, Levant?
It didn’t matter, I had more important things to focus on, my mate was in danger.
I fidgeted at the entrance to the cave, leaning into the dark opening to get an idea of where it went.
It was dark and damp, just like the last one, not my favorite.
Cosima was in there, I wasn’t going to let her down.
I shouldn’t stand here waiting for the Shaman, I should already be racing through that tunnel.
Ses nudged his head against my shoulder, impatiently growling.
“Yeah I know, I should go. Screw maps or supplies. We won’t let him get far, in and out. ”
I was about to duck into the tunnel when I heard a whistle. Looking over my shoulder I saw white scales through the trees, the Shaman. Fine. I’d wait for him, and then I was going hunting. This time, I’d make damn sure that asshole didn’t survive.