19. Vael-Torin
VAEL-TORIN
The happy smile leaves Poppy’s face in an instant.
She stares at the glowing screen of the comms tablet, her breath catching in her throat.
The small tracks of tears dried on her cheeks are suddenly filled by a fresh deluge.
There is no noise, and I think that is the worst part.
She goes entirely quiet, a heavy, devastating stillness settling over her shoulders.
I step closer, my tail sweeping through the grass, then circling around her ankle. I look over her shoulder at the flashing glass panel.
"Poppy?" I rumble, placing a heavy hand on her bare shoulder. “We can still find her. Perhaps it is her suit. Perhaps she has found new clothing. That would be clever, actually, lead the cameras away from her.”
Poppy doesn't flinch away from my touch. Instead, she leans back against my thighs, her fingers flying across the glass interface with frantic speed. She is typing. Even with water leaking from her eyes, her jaw is set in a rigid line.
She is not panicking. She is working.
The realization hits me like a plas bomb.
I have spent the last days judging her by Draegon code of honor.
But Poppy is not a Draegon. She acted on the intelligence available to her.
The documents she had her friends sign promised safety, luxury, and a new life away from a dying world.
She was trying to extract her friends from a dire situation; she could not have predicted a rogue system breach by this artificially intelligent monster.
"Lucy's signal is gone," her voice cracks as she looks up at me.
She wipes her nose with a dirty knuckle, her eyes blazing with determination.
"I don't care what Ken said. I am getting them out. All of them. We have to find Lily and Ellison, and then we go after Lucy. We’ll team up with Pol and Selene, since they’re closest, then find the rest. No woman left behind. "
Poppy straightens, her small frame trembling.
A surge of loyalty makes my heart ache. I do not care about the rules of this contest. I do not care about the mad king’s purge.
This female is my mate, and her friends are now my responsibility.
"We will find them," I growl, my voice a dark, absolute vow. I step into her personal space, my ruby-red wings flaring to block out the grey sky. "Fuck the artificial stupidity machine. Strength in numbers. We hunt."
Poppy blinks up at me.
“Did I use the word ‘fuck’ as glitter correctly?” I ask. “I do not want to fuck Ken.”
A surprised laugh barks out of her. “Yeah, you did. Good job, Vael.”
I flutter my wings with pride. “We hunt.”
“Hell yeah," she breathes. "We hunt. STRENGTH IN NUMBERS!"
I grab our supply pack, slinging it over my shoulder. It is awkward with my wings, but I refuse to let Poppy carry it. She carries enough burdens, I think.
As I turn toward the dense path leading into the next sector, I feel a familiar warmth slide into my palm.
Poppy laces her fingers through mine. She squeezes gently, using that strange human touch to anchor us together in the dark.
I close my hand around hers, locking our hands tight. I do not know the path ahead, but as we stride forward into the jungle, I know I will burn this entire cursed place to ash before I let go of her hand.