Chapter 17
For the first time since leaving Kaldarak, their party had been granted a reprieve from the heat. Clouds spanned the sky, preventing the sun from beating down on the Tangle, and a strong, steady breeze made the humidity far more bearable.
As much as she appreciated the weather, Lacey was too caught in her own head to truly enjoy it. She walked behind Cole and Koss, who were having an animated conversation, but their voices were far off, little more than a meaningless drone blending into the jungle ambience.
Is blue clit a thing? Violet clit? Or would it be…snubbed nub?
If men could suffer from blue balls, surely there was an equivalent torture for women.
Because Lacey was undoubtedly feeling it.
Ever since Telok had bathed and tended to her at the stream two days ago, she’d been on edge.
Every touch, every caress, hell, even every glance from that insufferable vrix aroused her.
She was certain he was doing it on purpose.
She could only take comfort in the fact that she wasn’t the only one affected.
It was worse at night, when he would draw her against him in a protective embrace, wrapping her in all that heat and solidness, and then just…just lie there!
Not that Lacey actually wanted to have sex while they were out here. It wasn’t like they had any privacy when they made camp, and she definitely didn’t want an audience of seven watching them. But God, a girl could only take so much edging.
Each night before they slept, Telok had unbound the silk from her thighs and massaged vineroot oil into her scars, repeating the process each morning before they set out.
Despite the lingering soreness, all Lacey could focus on while he kneaded her skin were his large hands and those dexterous, rough yet soothing fingers.
And when those hands traveled higher and higher and higher, Lacey’s desire would heighten until she almost didn’t care that there were others nearby if only he would stroke her clit and give her the release she craved.
She knew he smelled it too. He would tense, his eyes growing heated, the hairs on his legs standing, and his claspers would tighten over his slit.
The arousal Telok evoked in Lacey was overwhelming, but there was something else he made her feel even more strongly.
It was a warmth permeating her chest, a fluttering in her belly, the squeezing of her heart.
It was her lips curling into a smile all on their own at the thought of him.
It was a tiny hollow opening inside her whenever he left her sight to hunt or scout.
Lacey didn’t dare give that feeling a name. She couldn’t. Not yet.
A loud screech snapped her from her thoughts.
She looked up to find a large bird perched on a low branch, staring down at them.
It reminded her of a cross between a hawk and one of those gorgeous quetzal birds, with long, flowing tail feathers and bright, iridescent plumage in green, blue, and red.
But despite its beauty, it was clearly a predatory bird.
It was about as big as the northern harriers Lacey used to see around her house, with large talons and a sharp, hooked beak.
The bird had first turned up last night.
Lacey had noticed it watching while she and her companions had made camp.
It had particularly stood out to her because they’d neither seen nor heard many signs of animals since yesterday afternoon, and not even Garahk and Telok had been able to catch anything for dinner, leaving them to tap into their provisions.
When the group had set out this morning, the bird had followed. Was it hoping for some scraps of food, or was it just curious?
She smiled up at it. “Hello, pretty bird.”
It cocked its head, flaring its feathery crest and flicking its tail feathers as a warbling trill emanated from its throat.
Lacey chuckled. “Oh, you know you’re pretty, don’t you?”
“Talking to birds now, Lace?” Cole asked over his shoulder.
“They make for more pleasant company than you.”
“Ouch.”
Koss buzzed uncertainly. “Kess ithaa zikarn?”
“No, I’m not hurt. Apart from my feelings.” Turning toward Lacey, Cole wiped away a mock tear.
Lacey gave him an exaggerated frown and rolled her fists in front of her eyes. “Oh, boohoo.”
“I can give real hurt,” Telok grumbled from somewhere behind Lacey.
“Hard pass!” Facing forward, Cole hurried to put a little more distance between himself and Telok, with Koss matching pace after a moment’s hesitation.
Lacey snickered, peeking behind her to look at Telok. His eyes met hers, and the annoyance in his gaze faded into something softer, but no less heated.
Her heart did a little flip.
Nearing the branch the bird was perched upon, Lacey lifted her gaze.
She was pretty sure it was male based on what she knew of birds from Earth.
It sauntered along the bough, keeping her in sight, before it hopped off to glide to a new perch farther ahead.
Its wings were shorter and rounder than she would’ve expected, but it flew with perfect grace and control.
“It is called a larkhet,” Telok said as he strode up beside Lacey.
“Larkhet,” she repeated. “Are they normally like…this?”
He grunted, eyeing the bird. “No. They are clever. They often watch vrix, but do not follow.”
“Do they eat…meat?”
“Yes. Fruit and seeds, also.”
Lacey pursed her lips to the side. “Should we toss it some food?”
“Dak! No, no food,” Ayali called from the rear.
Turning to face the big thornskull, Lacey walked backwards. “Why not?”
She didn’t miss how Telok eased closer, his lower hand reaching toward her as though ready to steady her should she stumble.
Garahk, positioned between Lacey and Ayali, chittered. “You feed, larkhet calls. More come.”
Lacey faced forward again, looking up at the bird, which still watched intently. Her mind presented an image—dozens of vibrant larkhets swarming the hunting party like a flock of seagulls at the beach after someone just made the mistake of unwrapping a sandwich.
But larkhets had beaks and talons that made seagulls look about as threatening as plush toys in comparison.
“Yeah, I can see why we don’t want to attract more.” A crooked grin spread across her lips. “It’d be the most beautiful flock of killer birds ever, though.”
“Nothing will harm you,” Telok declared.
She glanced at him to see his fist tight around his spear, his mandibles spread, and his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.
Not that she’d ever want him to have to kill a jungle full of animals for her…
but she believed he absolutely would if it was necessary, and that knowledge made her stomach join in on that feeling she refused to name.
It also fanned the flames that had been burning in her core for the last few days. The jungle heat had nothing on her lady parts.
Please don’t let him smell me.
Wait! Please don’t let them smell me.
Please don’t let them smell me, please…
With that mantra repeating in her mind, Lacey continued onward.
Last night, Garahk had said they were nearing their destination. She knew the end of their trek was approaching. The end of this leg, anyway. But when Droztar called from up ahead that he’d found tavitahl’ani’losa—Hunter’s eyes—her brain didn’t immediately comprehend what that meant.
Had they finally found what they’d been searching for?
The group caught up to Droztar, who was crouched at a patch of vegetation. He brushed aside some taller leaves to reveal what he’d found. The lone, short-stemmed plant stood only a few inches high, with a cluster of flowers that had pointed, crimson petals at the top.
Droztar plucked the flower, rose, and held it to Garahk, who accepted it delicately and presented it to the others.
The flower’s subtle but unmistakable fragrance hit Lacey; she recognized it from the tea Diego had brewed for her during her mega period.
Lacey leaned in for a closer look. Each blossom had an almond-shaped, yellow center. Like Vrix eyes.
She eased from one side to the other. The eyes looked as though they tracked her every movement. “Creepy. It’s like they’re watching me.”
Cole peered over her shoulder. “So when the bird does it, you’re fine, but the flower creeps you out?”
“Dude, considering that there are plants on this planet that can literally eat us, why wouldn’t you be creeped out?”
“Point taken. You are absolutely right. Creepy little fuckers.”
Garahk gently curled his fingers around the little flower. He spoke in vrix, projecting his deep voice for the entire party to hear. “We are close. We must watch for more and make our wild den where the Hunter’s eyes are many.”
Telok hunched slightly so his head was closer to Lacey’s ear. “These flowers like shadows. They grow near the ground, beneath other plants. If you look with all eyes, you will see red.”
“Got it,” she replied, offering him a smile.
His mandibles twitched up before he straightened.
With Garahk and Droztar taking the lead, the group walked forward, spreading their line wider than usual to cover more ground. She doubted she’d be much use spotting the flowers, especially considering that vrix eyesight seemed so much better than that of humans.
It wasn’t long before Garahk found a second flower, which was in a little cluster with several more.
The Hunter’s eyes were sparse and sporadic, but they became steadily more abundant as the group advanced.
The thornskulls deposited the flowers they picked in a big basket that Ayali casually carried on the palm of one hand.
“Oh, I think I see some!” Lacey declared, pointing to a smudge of crimson amidst a patch of grass and shrublike plants. “Right there.”
She hurried to the spot, with Telok striding right behind her. They crouched beside the plants, and Telok reached out, sweeping aside the other vegetation to reveal what must’ve been at least fifteen of the tiny flowers.
“Good, kir’ani vi’jatai,” he said in that raspy, sexy-as-sin voice of his.
Those words seemed to vibrate right to her pussy, and she barely suppressed a shiver.