6. Emily
6
EMILY
It’s early, just after suns rise, but I’ve been awake for hours. Stewing, pacing, and turning the Rakuium pendant over and over in my hands. The damn thing feels wrong—like it’s wormed its way between me and Stromm, driving us apart.
I can’t wait any longer; I need to get rid of it.
That’s why I storm into Jade and Zeleck’s hut, the only warning a quick, “Hey, I need your help.”
And…I immediately regret my life choices.
Because as soon as I open the flap and step inside, Jade yelps, “What the fuck?”
And Zeleck growls. Not the good kind of growl. The kind that says, if I take another step, I’m dead.
My brain short-circuits, trying to process what’s happening.
Jade and Zeleck are naked. And busy.
No.
Getting busy.
I see a tangle of golden limbs and pale skin, and a mess of dark hair on top of the furs instead of underneath. But it’s the air inside the hut that finally clicks things into place…air that’s thick with the musky scent of sex .
OH. MY. GOD.
I squeal and immediately spin around, slapping both hands over my eyes. “Sorry! So sorry!”
Zeleck mutters something that doesn’t translate, his voice grumbly and displeased.
Jade groans. “Uh, Em, could you give us a minute here?”
“Yeah. Sure. Ah, yep.” I slip out of the hut quicker than I slipped in, cheeks burning with embarrassment.
I hear the sounds of murmured voices and rustling fabric while resisting the urge to run toward the river and drown myself.
A solid minute passes before Jade’s exasperated voice calls out, “You can come in now.”
I peek through the flap just to make sure. Jade is standing on one side of the hut wearing her Earth Gov issued shirt and leggings, her hair a wild mess, and her arms crossed over her chest. Zeleck is standing on the other side, wearing nothing but an amused smile and a crooked loincloth that barely covers his junk. Now that the shock of the rude interruption is over, he’s taking this better than his mate.
Clearing my throat and lowering my eyes, I skip another apology. “Good morning?”
“If that’s a question,” Jade says, “it was before you barged in. There better be a good reason why you’re here so fucking early.”
There’s no way to undo what’s been done, so I march forward and thrust the Rakuium pendant out toward her. “Take it back.”
Jade blinks, looking from me to Zeleck and then the pendant, like I just offered her a rotten fish. “Why?”
“I don’t want it anymore.” I shove it toward her again, insistent. “It’s ruining my life and the reason Stromm and I broke up. Take it.”
“I’m not taking it.” Jade keeps her arms crossed, her irritation clear. “Because that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
I stare at her, incredulous. “I doubt that.”
She moves away from me to stand next to Zeleck. “The Rakuium chose you,” she says firmly. “I can’t take it back. And even if I could, I wouldn’t. You need the protection.”
My heartrate spikes with frustration. “I need Stromm back, Jade.”
She throws up her hands, exasperated. “If something happened between you and Stromm, the Rakuium isn’t responsible. It’s not evil, Emily.”
“You don’t know that,” I snap.
“Actually, my mate, Rakuium can be evil,” Zeleck interjects, irritating Jade. “Yet only if the one who is directing its energy is evil.”
“Well, Emily is the complete opposite of evil,” Jade declares, “so that settles it.”
“You should try talking to the stone,” Zeleck suggests. “Perhaps it can shed some light on your trouble with Stromm.”
I shoot him a glare. “I’m not talking to the damn stone about Stromm. It’s the reason we broke up!”
“Emily, that’s not how the Rakuium works.” Jade’s voice is sharp, impatient.
Folding my own arms across my chest to mimic her, I ask, “How do you know that?”
She rolls her eyes. “I just do.”
I let out a harsh laugh. “Maybe it knows Stromm doesn’t feel whole anymore, and is pushing him away so I’ll find someone better .”
Jade uncrosses her arms to put her hands on her hips. “That’s crazy talk.”
“Is it?” My voice rises, raw with emotion. “You’re the one who thinks it’s sentient. How do you know it’s not interfering to protect me?”
Jade opens her mouth, then closes it, her jaw tightening. She doesn’t know. I see it flicker across her face—that tiny sliver of doubt she doesn’t want to admit.
She pinches the bridge of her nose, muttering under her breath. “Listen to me, Emily. You may not know yet why the Rakuium chose you, but one day, that will become clear. Since yours was the largest stone in the batch that Zeleck and I brought back from our quest, I have to believe you’ll need its protection for something big, not a lovers’ quarrel.”
Even if I need it, I don’t want it. I want Stromm. But I can see she isn’t going to budge on this. I feel so frustrated, angry, helpless. Tears sting my eyes.
Jade sighs. “Look, I’m not taking the stone back and don’t think it’s causing problems between you and Stromm. But maybe we can figure out a way to use its power to mend the relationship.”
“How will we do that?” I ask, sniffling.
“We’ll take it to the Cavern of Memory and have a chat with Zavra.” She glances at Zeleck with googly love eyes, and he pulls her into his arms. “ Later. ”
Zavra is the artificial intelligence that powers the computer from the Rakui's ancestral ship. She knows all about the Rakui's history and lost technology.
“Um, later it is,” I agree.
“Stromm is a warrior who has lost his ability to fight,” Zeleck says, as if I don’t already know it. “That is the more likely reason for the trouble between you.”
“Maybe.” I’d ask how he knows Stromm’s fighting days are over, but news travels fast in the village. “I said the wrong thing at the wrong time, and that pushed him away.”
Zeleck looks at me, his expression sad. “Give him time.”
“There must be something I can do to help.” I let out a frustrated breath, rubbing my fingers against the stone. It feels warm, as if it’s pulsing with life just beneath the surface. I loop the leather rope back around my neck. “Got any ideas?”
Zeleck’s lips twitch, the ghost of a smile playing at the edges. “Seek him out. Follow him, if you must. Become a constant reminder of what he is missing.”
“You think she should stalk him?” Jade groans. “That’s a great way to give Stromm time to figure shit out.”
But Zeleck just grins.
And I start thinking.