Chapter 20
Drovo
CW: characters bound against their will in dark place
Darkness, darkness and my own thoughts are all I have in this cave. I’m not sure how long we’ve been in here, but it feels like it’s been half a day.
Brexl is sitting to my right, breathing slowly like a predator calming itself before a kill.
“How are you holding up my friend?” I would reach out to pat his shoulder but they tied my wrists tight. Brexl could easily cut through the ropes with his claws and I could do the same for him, and yet neither of us offered to free the other. What would be the point? We could not leave this place without our mates. What if they were hidden from us? We would have freed ourselves for nothing and doomed our dekes to a lifetime disconnected from the goddess.
“I’m fine,” Brexl grumbled in response. “How are you?”
“Fine,” I replied. We were both lying. I could hear the pain in my friend’s voice. It must be as hard on him to have seen his grandfather as it was for me to see my sire and brothers.
The sooner we can leave this valley the better.
There was a scraping sound outside, like rock grinding against rock. They were moving the boulder away. Fresh air swept through the cave and then the last light of the evening sun greeted our weary eyes.
Scaron’s familiar scowl met us at the entrance. “Come, you will join us for the evening meal.” He was joined by three other males from the dekes. I noticed neither Zander nor my brother were with them this time.
I nodded my head, and he roughly tugged on my arm to help me to my feet.
“I don’t want any aggression out of either of you,” he growled.
I wanted to taunt him and ask or what. He was no match for either of us. Brexl alone could probably take down this entire dekes in his beast form. But I knew what the or what would be. They could hurt our mates or refuse to let us lay our offerings before the goddess. With that knowledge weighing heavily on my heart, I let myself be led down the familiar path to the communal fire.
I could hear laughter in the distance. I strained to hear Kayla’s voice or to catch her scent on the wind, but there was nothing. We were too far away yet. I needed to do something. To take advantage of this opportunity to talk to her. Could we make a plan to get out of here? Tomorrow when the big moon was full, we won”t glow for each other. What would happen then?
As we drew closer to the fire, I could hear Kayla’s voice. It was a balm to my soul. I suddenly found it very difficult to walk slowly behind Scaron instead of letting my feet run to my luna moth as I wanted to. But to my utter agitation he made us stop before anyone could see us approaching.
“I will cut these bindings so you may eat, but know this, once the dinner is over, they are going right back on again.” He scowled, and I scowled right back at him. I was tired of being nice, tired of being treated like I was a murderer. If the humans were right and we hadn’t been the cause of the stiffness, then all this hatred would have been for nothing. The thought felt like lead in my stomach. All this hate for nothing.
Our bindings were cut, and we emerged from behind the trees to find the entire dekes sitting at the communal fire, laughing and eating the evening meal.
“Drovo!” Kayla stood up as soon as she saw me and ran to me. I ran for her as well and we crashed into each other like two people who had been separated for many seasons. I held her tight and let the warmth of her skin sink into my bones. I didn’t want to let her go. I wouldn’t let her go. Never again.
“Brexl,” Taylor breathed his name as she sank into my friend’s arms. His normal stiffness was gone, replaced by a possessive hug.
“Are you alright? Did they hurt you?” Taylor asked as she checked over her pretend mate’s body.
Brexl let out a chuckle, which surprised all three of us. “No one can hurt me.”
Taylor let out a surprised laugh. “That’s for damn sure.”
“What about you? Are you impervious to harm as well?” My luna moth smiled up at me.
“Why don’t you check my body and see for yourself,” I teased.
“Sit,” The Savrix interrupted our reunion with an annoyed tone.
We headed for the two empty benches at the far side of the fire. The only people who were willing to sit near us were Trivix, my father and brothers, and Zander with his younger sister. Zander was one season younger than us. His parents had died in the stiffness, leaving him to raise his sister on his own. I had played with him many times as a sietling and it was nice to see him again.
My brothers brought Kayla, and I bread topped with meat and vegetables while Trivix brought Taylor and Brexl their dinner.
My youngest brother, Zoru, reached out his hand and touched my arm.
Kayla smirked at him. “What are you doing?”
“I’m making sure he’s real.” Zoru was a few seasons younger than Sozu and Jax and his voice is still that of a sietlings. I found it strangely comforting that there was finally one aspect of my brother’s life I had not missed. I will get to hear his child-like voice at least one last time before it changes to the deep tenor of an adult male.
“I’m very real, my brother,” I ruffled his hair like I used to many seasons ago, and the action was achingly familiar.
Zoru swatted me away like he always did and time seemed to stand still as we met each other’s eyes in remembrance of the life we once lived together. He broke the stillness of the moment by jabbing me in my ribs before quickly scooting away.
“I will get you for that later,” I laughed.
“How is your life in the other dekes?” Trivix asked Brexl.
“It is a good life. We are safe in the mountain.” His expression was neutral and his words were short.
“And Tarak is a good leader?” His grandfather tried again to speak to my friend. “He treats you well.”
“He treats me much better than a monster should be treated,” Brexl’s voice was barely above a whisper, just loud enough for myself and Trivix to hear.
The elder male wore a sour expression on his face. “You are no monster. You are my grandson, a kind male, a worthy male.”
“Was I so worthy for you to leave me behind?” Brexl bit back.
Trivix’s jaw snapped shut, and he looked away in shame.
“No whispering over there. I do not wish for you all to make plans for escape,” Dameron smiled at us as if he’d just thwarted some great plan of ours.
“In fact, I was thinking, once the full-moon has passed, your two females should stay in the valley while you two head back to your mountain. It’s not safe for females to walk such a long distance through the forest. I will keep them safe while you gather more males from your dekes to escort them home.”
The Savrix and Scaron shared a knowing look as if they’d discussed this plan in great detail already. I could not help the growl that rose up through my throat. The claws that accompanied my shifter form extended from my fingers, and I itched to shift the rest of the way. I wanted to protect Kayla, hide her from their sight.
“You put those claws, away you beast!” The Savrix pointed to my hand as if it were a damning piece of evidence.
“See! They are dangerous!” He looked at Scaron and his brutes. “Take them away,” he commanded.
Three hunters rose to their feet and started to approach us.
Kayla stood in between us and them and Taylor quickly joined her.
“Let us stay with our mates!” Kayla cried out and my heart squeezed. Her plea sounded as desperate as I felt.
“We want to go wherever they go,” Taylor added her plea as well.
“Why? So you can run away in the night?” Dameron looked us up and down. “No, I want to see you lumines for myself.”
“I will guard them.” A familiar voice sounded from the crowded group sitting near the fire. It was the soft, comforting voice of an elder female, one of the few we had left.
She stood and walked toward us in her black and white robes. The priestess.