40. Lingering Silence
FORTY
LINGERING SILENCE
Lukys
The next day, I carry Elena over the first river by late afternoon. With the forest at our back and the mountains ahead of us, familiar noises fill my ears. It is quieter, more peaceful. Our pace is faster without the two human males with us. I do not have to help them cross the water.
Elena is unusually reserved as we discover the end of the shimmering veil. But then again, so am I. We stop a short distance before it.
“Do you think it’s okay to touch it?”
“I will test it later. It will soon be night. We will deal with the veil tomorrow.”
We make camp beside the river, away from the veil’s edge, leaving its dusty, transparent wall behind. It touches the water before it curves toward the mountains. I lose sight of it within the landscape on either side.
I clear out a small space within the ferns next to the river and dig a pit for a fire. Elena stomps down the inner ferns, pulling the leaves off of the outer ones to pillow the ground. She neither glances or looks at me as she collects twigs to add to the pit.
I add a couple of larger sticks and she pulls the firestarter out of her pack.
My fingers brush her hand as I take it from her. Her skin is warm and soft as she pulls her hand back with a soft frown. It is gone before she looks away.
I flick on the firestarter and light the kindling. Soon, flames lick the air. Elena feeds more branches into them before sitting on the trampled ferns.
I coil my tail under me and regard her. “You are quiet.”
Her eyes snap to mine and she winces. There is an aura of sadness around her that I have not been able to understand.
I frown. Her hair is tousled and knotted around her face, hanging in loose waves over her shoulders. My fingers twitch, itching to touch her, to pet her, to taste her once again, but I refrain.
“Issss it because we did not find your sister?” I lower to the ground and slide my tailtip toward her foot, stopping before I touch her.
She rubs her face. “I have a lot on my mind. My sister… is just one of many things.”
I nod and pull the fishing net off my waist. “Let me catch some fish and then we will speak about it.”
Elena waits by the fire while I catch us dinner. As I cut her fish, she warms her pan in the flames. Golden light dances over her features, illuminating her focused yet somber expression.
I clean up while she eats, letting the day’s silence linger for a short time longer.
Meanwhile, the sky morphs into a strange purple as the red hues of twilight blends with the dome’s brighter blue sheen.
The shadows lengthen, deepening to black as night sets in.
Fireflies appear to speckle the nearby bushes with light.
A spaceship can be heard in the distance, along with the thunderous rush of the river.
My eyes narrow on Elena. “Tell me why you have been so quiet.”
Placing her plate to the side, she lifts her head with a sigh. “Like I said… I have a lot on my mind.”
I shift closer, eyeing her guarded features. “If you are sad about your sister, there are other camps we can check. We will find her, we will continue searching for her until we find her. Do not be sad. Remember us speaking of hope? Let that continue to give you hope.”
Tears brim her eyes and she quickly wipes them away. “Why are you so nice? Why do you have to be that way and make everything harder?”
“I am that way because I am your mate. It does not have to be hard, not between ussss.”
She wipes at her eyes again. “I know. And I’m not… sad about us, despite me crying. Everything has just been so overwhelming and…”
“And?” I prompt when she sucks her lip into her mouth.
“And I just wish I hadn’t lost my parents, my family, my home…” Her tears fall between her fingers.
She looks at me as I slip to her side, coiling my tail around her and drawing her to my chest. A soft sob leaves her as I embrace her. “Is that why you cry? Is that why you cried so much when you first arrived?” I pet her hair, her cheek, sliding her loose strands behind her ear.
I did not know she had lost her parents with everything else.
Her wet lashes flick my chest when she presses her face against me.
“I tried to save my parents. I tried to get them to come with me. I knew something really bad was happening and what Volp was saying was wrong, but I couldn’t convince them.
” I tighten my hold on her, sliding my hand up her back to thread my fingers into her hair.
“It was hard convincing Jenna and Mateo, they didn’t even leave until the very end.
I should’ve… I wish I had tried harder. It’s been so, so lonely without them. ”
“You have me now,” I whisper, holding her through her sorrow. It is all I have ever wanted to do in the past; be there for her. I wanted to be that someone. “I have you now. I will always have you.”
Her nails scratch my scales as her hands ball into fists. “Lukys… please tell me you will never leave me. That you will never die. As stupid as that sounds. That you won’t vanish from my life like them.”
“I will never leave you. I will never die. I am incredibly hard to kill and have never fought a battle I have not won. I will not vanish on you—”
She pulls away and looks at me. “Promise me. If you promise me you’ll never leave, I will stay with you. I need foundation. I need a rock.”
Surprised by her words, I go still. But my promises come easily. “I promise I will never leave you. I promise I will never die. Not unless it is with you. I will be by your side to the very end.”
Her tears fall, and she swipes the back of her hands across her cheeks. “Thank you. I… I really… I really needed to hear that. I’m yours, Lukys. I’ll be yours if you’ll be mine. I’ve wanted you like I’ve never wanted anything, and I need you. I think I need you more than I can say.”
I tug her back into my chest as another sob escapes her.
“I will always be here for you.” I curl my limbs around her. She is more precious to me than anything I have ever known. I just wish she knew that.
You will be happy again.
You will see.