Chapter 9 #3
Rhav blinked, and his eyes widened slightly. “That’s kind of you. But you don’t know me.”
She shrugged, picking at a purple berry on her plate. “I know you’re sitting at a table full of strangers being nice to the one person who’s more out of place than you are. That’s enough.”
He was quiet for a moment, his gaze searching her face, and then his expression warmed. “You’re very direct.”
“Comes free with the accent.”
That wrung a laugh out of him, low and surprised. “So what’s Earth like? We’ve all heard about it, but no one can give me any details.”
The question caught her off guard, and she laughed.
“That’s a big question. Earth is… a lot. It’s crowded and messy, and half the time it’s raining when you don’t want it to. But it’s home, you know? The sky’s blue instead of whatever that is—“ she gestured at the dome overhead “—and we have oceans. Big ones. Have you ever seen an ocean?”
“Only in data files. My homeland is mostly arid. Deserts, mountains and scrubland. The water we have is piped up from underground reserves.”
“That sounds harsh.”
“It’s beautiful in its own way. The sunsets are…” He paused, hunting for the word. “I don’t have the translation. At dusk the light turns everything violet, deep as the heart of your dress when the light catches it. I miss it.”
She frowned. “Have you been away for long?”
A shadow moved behind his eyes. “Seven years.”
He reached for his glass again. “I was in the harem of another warlady before this one. She…” He stopped, his jaw tightening. “When my lady absorbed her harem, I went with it. That’s how it works among us. The strong take what they want.”
The strong take what they want. Delilah’s gaze flicked toward the head table, toward the warlady and her hand still resting on Kellat’s arm, then made herself look back at Rhav.
“That’s awful,” she said quietly. “Being passed around like property.”
He shrugged. “It’s our way.”
“Still awful.”
His tone was careful and measured, but his eyes told a different story. “My lady isn’t cruel. She doesn’t mistreat us. But there’s no…” His lips pressed together, and he shrugged again. “I am the lowest among her harem, so I don’t expect…”
He trailed off.
“Your eyes,” she said. “They’re the same color as hers. Is that… I mean, is that a Vorrtan thing?”
He nodded. “When Vorrtan bond, our eyes change to match the female we belong to. A physical marker of the connection.”
“So everyone in her harem has her eyes?”
“Yes.”
“Are you jealous?” The question was out of her mouth before she could think better of it. She went red, hand flying up to cover her mouth. “Oh god. I’m so sorry. I really shouldn’t have said that. That was so rude.”
“It’s not a problem.” Rhav’s voice was gentle, and when she risked looking at him, his expression hadn’t closed off. If anything, he looked relieved. “Ask. I don’t mind.”
She bit her lip.
“Are you jealous of being one of a group?” she managed. “How does that even work? How do you feel about that?”
Like I’m waiting my turn. Like I’m watching her touch him and wondering if I’m going to get him back, or if this is the part where he decides I’m too much work.
Rhav was quiet for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was low and even, stripped of the polish he’d worn earlier.
“It doesn’t matter what I feel.” He turned his glass in slow circles on the tablecloth. “I didn’t have a say in what I am. I’ve made my peace with it.”
He said it calmly, like he was describing the weather. But his hands weren’t calm. His fingers were tight on the glass, his knuckles pale.
“You loved her,” she said softly. “The first one. The other warlady.”
Rhav’s gaze sliced to hers.
“I did,” he said, and his voice cracked before he cleared his throat and spoke again. “She was kind. She laughed at my jokes. She used to sit with me in the evenings. We’d watch the sunsets together, and she’d tell me about her day.”
“What happened to her?”
“She lost a challenge. To my lady.” The words came out flat and empty.
“Rhav—“
“It’s fine.” He looked up, and the mask was back. “It was seven years ago. I’ve accepted it.”
No, you haven’t. Your hands are shaking, and you’re not fine at all.
“I’m sorry,” she said instead, and put her hand over his.
His skin was warm under hers, warmer than a human’s, and the faint tremor in his fingers stilled before he turned his hand over and squeezed hers once. Briefly.
“Thank you,” he said. “That’s more kindness than I expected tonight.”
She pulled her hand back and turned her head before she could stop herself, her gaze finding Kellat across the room.
The warlady was laughing at something he’d said, her head tipped back. Her hand was still on his arm. Kellat was smiling. A real smile, warm and open, not the dry lip-quirk she got. And it was aimed at a woman who wasn’t her.
Her stomach lurched, and she yanked her gaze away.
“She likes him,” Rhav said quietly. “I haven’t seen her look at a male like that in a long time.”
Delilah’s fingers tightened on the stem of her glass. “Yeah. I noticed. None of my business, though. I’m just the ‘guest’.”