Chapte 13
APRIL
It feels so strange to be packing up my things while outside there's the endless scraping of yet another sea creature beaching itself.
Devi had warned us that this might happen, but hearing about it is very different from seeing it.
A curled shell the size of my house is terrifying.
The fact that it has tentacles flailing out of it? Doubly terrifying.
Valmir seems calm, which helps things. I want to panic, but when I look over at him and he's unruffled, it soothes some frantic part of me. I hand him Makana. "Hold him while I pack?"
"I should pack your things," he says, frowning. "It is my duty."
"Bullshit it is." I point at the stool on the floor near the fire. "Go and park that near the door and watch for snails. If one looks like it's heading in our direction, warn me. We should be able to get away with plenty of time."
He grunts. When he sits down, I notice he favors his bad ankle, and it makes me wonder if he's been pushing himself too hard. "Make sure you pet Makana so he doesn't dart off. I don't want to chase him."
Valmir strokes my two-fang while I toss things in baskets. "Has this creature ever tried to run off before?"
"No, but the beach has not been invaded by snails since I got him, either."
"Fair enough."
I'm not sure where Dawn is, but I'm positive she's going to want her gear, too. I stuff it into the nearest basket, heedless of folding things or being organized. We can do that later. "Let me pack all this up and get it somewhere safe, and then we'll do your things."
"I don't have anything I need."
I look over at him and he's running a finger over Makana's narrow nose, his expression soft. It makes my heart melt. Why doesn't he ever look at me like that? If he did, I might not want to run away screaming every time he talks. Another thought hits me — will he look at our kid like that?
Fuck. I don't know if I'm ready for a kid.
I push the thought aside and focus on packing. "What do you mean, you don't have anything you need?"
"Just that. I can do without if I need to. A spear can be remade. A blanket, too. Your comforts are far more important than mine. Make sure you get your things and I'll carry them for you."
Okay, I take back what I said about wanting to run away screaming when he talks. That's surprisingly sweet of him. "Hopefully we're not going to have to choose. I'm sure there's enough time to gather up everything."
"If not, then we are the fools," he comments. "Devi's been warning everyone for weeks."
So she has. Some of the tribe have moved things into the caves higher up along the cliff line, but I've been busy.
I also use everything nearby, so it doesn't make sense to put it away just to pull it out again.
The way he says Devi's name makes something uncomfortable uncurl in my belly though. "Do you chat with Devi a lot?"
"Why, does it make you jealous?"
It takes all of my strength not to look over at him. "Of course not. We resonated. She has her own spouse. There's nothing to be jealous of." Even if it does make me feel strangely possessive.
"You told me to make friends to please you. Maybe I have been and you just haven't noticed."
As if. I'm highly aware of him when he's in camp.
He can't twitch without my khui going off.
Still, it does make me wonder why I'm reacting like this.
Devi is just about the nicest woman on the beach, and she's far more interested in dead fish that wash up on shore than anything Valmir has to offer.
"I'm just making conversation. Why do you have to make everything difficult? "
"Why indeed."
I grab the overflowing basket of Dawn's things. "I'm going to take this up to one of the caves and I'll be back for the rest soon. Wait here and watch Makana for me?"
"If I must." He keeps petting Makana's nose. "Are you having me watch your pet because I'm injured and you want me out of the way?"
"Yes. Are you confident enough in your own masculinity to handle that?"
His head jerks up at my abrasive tone and his eyes gleam with amusement. It's like the weirdness between us disappears and we're back to how we used to be. "I am very confident in my masculinity."
"Good," I tell him, defiant.