Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 83205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
He touches my arm. His mouth flattens into a thin line and my spirits plummet. Oh no. Failure, then. He wasn't able to capture the stranger. I reach out to reassure him—
There's a cacophony of hooting outside, and the sounds of a scuffle.
"Get your hands off! They don't belong there!" shouts an unfamiliar voice. "The tail is off-keffing-limits, you idiots! Hey, you! Call off your lackeys!"
Corvak exhales entirely through his nose, his face set in what can only be resignation. He gets to his feet, and I stand, too. He deliberately places himself in front of me, as if trying to block my view of the cave entrance. I peer out from behind his shoulder anyhow, too tired to complain that he's being overbearing. I'll add it to the book of grudges to discuss later.
A moment later, a large figure limps to the cave entrance, favoring one leg. He leans on the rocks and glares at Corvak. "No, no," he drawls. "It's fine. I can manage on a broken ankle. Don't get up."
"I found him. Our enemy," Corvak says, his hands moving back as if to brace me. "And he won't be silent."
I'm surprised. For some reason, I hadn't given much thought to what the other aliens we landed here with would look like. I'd assumed they'd all look more or less like Corvak. The man at the entrance looks…well, he looks like a cat. Where Corvak seems to have a few feline traits, this stranger looks as if someone mushed an oversized human with an equally oversized cat and made a person out of them. He's even got the split mouth and muzzle of a cat, unlike Corvak, who has heavier-but-still-human features. His triangular ears are flat with dislike, and I can see his tail swishing. That's different. Corvak has the Manx-like stump, but the stranger's tail is long and fully furred. He's tall and broad, but the downy fur that covers him is short and a pale gray with a hint of striping, like a tabby, whereas Corvak is dark gray all over. This man even has whiskers.
"You brought him back," I whisper to Corvak. "Thank you."
"You won't be thanking me in a few moments," Corvak continues, voice dry. "Like I said, he won't be silent."
The man hobbles a few steps more into our cave, and then his nose twitches. He recoils and looks at us in horror. "I thought it smelled bad outside, but what the kef are you cooking?"
"Nothing you'd want to eat," I reply, and for some reason, I want to smile. Is this one of the gladiators we're supposed to be fearing? He seems cranky and a little fussy…much like a cat. He's not instilling me with fear, either. He seems more like a put-out guest than a dangerous enemy. I rest my hand on Corvak's back, staying behind him just in case I'm reading things entirely wrong.
The man shakes his head, limps in a few more spots, and then sits down away from the cooking fire. He leans against the wall heavily, panting, and his long tail thumps on the ground like he's irritated. "Your nose must be useless if you can live with all these smells."
"Don't you worry about my nose," Corvak growls at him. "Just sit there and behave. And don't talk to Aidy."
The cat man smiles, even as he stretches out his wounded leg with careful precision. "Aidy? Is that her name? I see why you were so eager to get back here."
Corvak growls, and I can practically see him bristle. "Do not—"
The cat man waves a hand at us, dismissing Corvak's fury. "Don't worry. I'm not interested." He grimaces, leaning forward and rubbing his calf muscles. "I'm Valmir, not that you asked, and I'm far too tired to get into a pissing contest with a male that hasn't had the stones to mark his door."
"Mark his door…?" Corvak bites out the words, baffled. He glances back at me and then at the stranger. "What are you going on about? What is it you think you know?"
"Guess that's not an instinct thing, then? Huh." He shrugs. "Like I said, not interested in your female. I'm…already taken. Sort of. And I'm keffing tired. And I hurt. You don't have any herbs do you? Something for pain?"
"I could knock you out," Corvak growls. "Tempted to do it regardless. Just keep running that mouth of yours."
The cat man—Valmir—grins, showing sharp feline teeth. He leans back again, eyes closing, and slumps against the cave wall. "Of course. Just pretend I'm not here."
Corvak looks like he's going to bust a blood vessel. He cups my elbow and steers me into our bedroom. His eyes are glowing slits, but I don't have to see his face to know he's pissed. I can feel it in the air. Even the soft vibration in his chest sounds a little pissy. "This was a mistake," he tells me in a low voice. "I don't like him here. I don't like that he knows where we are."