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)
I'm a little thrown by her cheerful tone and the ease with which she greets me. "You…know who I am?"
"Well, given that there's not a lot of strangers running around on this planet, I assumed. You know what they say about assuming, though." She pulls the heavy fur cloak off her shoulders and reveals more leathers underneath, all of them seemingly buttery soft and well-put together. I'm suddenly embarrassed at my tunic of crude skins pieced together with a few knots and cords. "And you, motherfucker. Not cool to disappear like that for two weeks. Not fucking cool at all."
I turn to Valmir, expecting him to make some snotty comment like he always does. Instead, he just rubs his chest as if the song there pains him with its intensity. "Ran into a snag."
"So did you get it?" she asks, tugging off her mittens. Her expression is as casual as she can make it, but I sense an urgency to her words…or maybe it's just the angry song of her khui influencing that thought.
I look between the both of them, utterly confused. "Get what?"
The woman sniffs. "Do I smell intisar?"
"Yeah, we had to rub ourselves down with it and the smell is lingering." Valmir volunteers the information. "Don't ask."
She looks over at me, her gaze bright and curious. "Did I not introduce myself? Hi, I'm April. Me and a few of the others were out looking for Valmir, because he's been missing for a while now. You okay, buddy?" She leans over and puts her hands on her knees to address Valmir. "Did you get lost?"
He scowls at her, even as he devours her with his gaze. "Not that you care, but I was injured."
April tilts her head. "Aw, does he have a boo-boo?"
He gestures at his ankle indignantly.
I purse my lips, trying not to laugh. All this time Valmir's been making me nuts with his casual sarcasm and this woman comes in and immediately starts busting his balls. I kind of love her for that.
Her gaze flicks over him and then back to me as she straightens. "I guess I should thank you for bringing him back."
"I walked! I was the one bringing her somewhere!" Valmir retorts.
"Yeah, yeah, you're amazing." She makes a talking gesture with her hand and rolls her eyes. "We're all so impressed."
He hisses at her like a feral cat.
I can't ignore the fact that they're both thrumming—resonating, Valmir called it—very loudly. My khui was that loud once upon a time, when Corvak and I were first getting to know each other. It only calmed down after we started having sex regularly, and I remember what Valmir had told us. That the khui decides who your mate is so you can procreate. "Can I ask?" I begin, indicating the two of them. "Are you guys…you know…"
"Resonating?" April looks annoyed. "We're not acknowledging that at the moment."
Valmir just seems irritated at her answer. "Have her tell you all about the tasks she is making me perform before I am worthy of her."
"I like to think of it as a honey-do list," April says cheerily.
"So you guys haven't…"
"What?"
"Fucked?" I ask bluntly. "Made a baby? Isn't that what resonance does?"
For the first time, April seems a bit flustered. She toys with her damp hair. "Like I said, we're not acknowledging things at the moment."
I'm surprised. When I hummed the loudest, I could think of nothing but jumping Corvak. I wanted to touch him constantly. My thoughts were that of a woman possessed—a very horny woman possessed. The fact that April and Valmir are controlling themselves so well is startling to me. Not acknowledging something doesn't change how it works. It just strikes me as stubborn and fool-headed. But maybe that's the best way to deal with Valmir. Who knows.
April gestures behind her out of the cave. "So like…should we go? The others aren't far behind. They're searching the next canyon over and I told them I'd check over here." She turns to me. "You're welcome to come with us, by the way. Always happy to have a friendly face at the beach."
Leave? Like…right now? I shoot a panicked look at Valmir, who isn't paying attention to me. He's utterly focused on April, who's doing her best to ignore him. "Oh, we can't go. We're waiting for Corvak."
"Who's Corvak?" she asks, puzzled.
"My mate." I straighten, saying the words proudly. "And I'm Aidy. I don't remember more than that, just that my name is Aidy."
She doesn't seem surprised at my admission. "Yeah, some of us didn't get a lot of memories with the whole clone thing. It's not a big deal. You'll manage."
"Clone thing?" I echo. "What clone thing?"
April eyes Valmir and then looks back to me. "Uh…so remember that little bracelet that we got dropped here with?"
I have to think for a moment. There was a small bracelet on my arm, now that I recall. "You mean the tracker?"