Chapter Eot
Eot
“Rin. Rin.” Gently, I shake her shoulder. She has her blankets twisted around her legs as usual, always so restless in sleep, and her eyes pop open the second I say her name for a third time, as if she really has been waiting for us, even in her dreams.
“Eot. Keelo!” She throws herself out of bed, leaping through the air, and we catch her in our arms, long before she hits the floor.
Hours later, I eye a sleeping Halley, a hand tucked under her cheek and her shoulders scrunched up around her ears as if the events of the day have followed Halley into her dreams.
It’s going to be tricky maneuvering two fully grown males into a single occupied hammock without waking the current inhabitant, but not impossible. Especially not for the two Arrok who fought off a beast, protecting their mate and youngling.
I peer at Keelo from the corner of my eye, pride puffing up my chest, and I model my expression on one of Halley’s smiles, however unnatural it feels to be showing my teeth and not meaning to be aggressive.
Keelo rolls his eyes, another expression borrowed from Halley. “You,” he whispers, “are still high on painkillers.”
“Am not.” My churlish tone catches me by surprise. “Am not.” I try again, with the same result, probably proving Keelo right. To forestall his I told you so I pat his shoulder. “We did well today.”
“Yes.”
“Saved our family.” The fact we have a family to save spreads a delicious warmth through me.
“And we didn’t get each other killed.” Keelo clears his throat, as though equally unhappy with the hitch in his voice—and he doesn’t have the excuse of painkillers to explain it away.
My chest constricts. How blind we’ve been to have kissed for the first time—to have stroked our cock together for the first time—only two days ago.
“I love you.”
“Akh…” Keelo crosses his arms, glances at his bare feet, at the ceiling, at a sleeping Halley—anywhere that is not me.
I slide my hand along his shoulder to cup the back of his neck. His pheromones sink into my palm, momentarily blurring my vision with their potency.
Hunger races through my bloodstream. Not for food. For Keelo.
For my other half.
It’s a lingering sort of hunger, one that won’t be satisfied by a single night, or even a single year. It’s a forever sort of hunger, one that lasts a lifetime.
My cock makes a half-hearted attempt to rise, fighting against my bone-deep weariness and the side-effects of the painkillers.
But lust isn’t the reason my heart is racing, and I tighten my hold of Keelo’s neck, just enough to make him wince.
“I love you,” I repeat. So, maybe my voice is a little slurred, but I absolutely mean everything I’m saying. It’s been a long time coming, despite how slow on the uptake I apparently was.
“I—” Keelo grits his teeth, however much he can’t deny his physical reaction to my declaration. Doesn’t try. Knows it’s useless.
“Sorry?” I fake confusion. “What did you say?”
“I…akh—"
I step up behind him, careful of my injured arm. “Always too stubborn for your own good,” said in a murmur as I peel my hand off his neck and lick his scent glands.
His pheromones fizz on my tongue. Tasting what I can smell is oddly satisfying, and the way Keelo shudders—that would’ve brought me to my knees, if I thought I’d be able to stand up again afterwards.
“Say it,” I order, still not speaking above a whisper. “Say it. Only if you mean it.”
“Eot.” A long breath. The release of tension from his shoulders. “I love you.”
My eyes flutter closed at the impact. The breath catches in my mouth, as I trap this moment in my memory inscribing Keelo’s voice on my heart. Alongside Halley’s.