Chapter Three

I opened my eyes and immediately closed them again. The sunlight sent a spike of agony through my head, but from my brief glimpse of my surroundings, I was not in the village. But the soft surface beneath me was definitely not the jungle floor. Which begged the question, where was I?

My skull felt a few sizes too small, but I struggled to focus. Bird calls, distant hoots, and the whisper of the wind through the leaves. But no voices. Something shifted beside me, too purposeful to be a scurrying animal. I held my breath, expecting a barrage of questions from Emak.

Instead, I was met with silence, even as whoever had moved next to me paused. I waited a moment longer, then risked peeking my eyes open.

This time, it was easier, and I saw a blurry figure crouched at the edge of my field of vision. Too big to be one of the village women. My breath caught in my throat as I tried to sit up, only to flop back down with a groan. The world spun around me, my vision darkening as I weakly clutched at my head.

When my right hand drifted toward the center of my forehead, a massive hand gently grasped my wrist.

"No," a deep voice rasped.

My heart lurched. Why was there a strange man at my bedside? Where was everyone else? Surely, we were not alone together. Everything I had ever been taught rebelled against the idea.

I forced my eyes open and squinted against the light to scan the room. I frowned. The walls, floor, and ceiling seemed to be made of the same woven material as the houses in the village, but the architecture was all wrong. There were no right angles, the floor curving into the walls that curved up to form the ceiling. It was, for lack of a better word, a giant bird's nest. But what kind of bird…?

The still figure at my side shifted and I snapped my head around to look. The movement made my stomach heave and I had to close my eyes and take several deep breaths before the urge to vomit faded. I carefully squinted at the man. But it was not a man. Not anything remotely like a man.

Heart pounding, I slowly inched away. I did not dare take my eyes off of the… My mind stuttered. What was it? What was it? I could feel myself hyperventilating, but I could do nothing but stare.

The male's upper body was very similar to a chimpanzee, with a barrel-like chest, long lean arms, and thick dark fur, but his legs were more human. Even crouched, I could tell his legs were long and muscular and would have him towering over me. His giant hands were clasped together in his lap, the long, thick fingers woven together to press his broad palms together. As if trying to prevent fidgeting. I paused.

For the first time, I let my gaze wander up to the creature's face. He stared back at me with large, black eyes. Like bottomless pools of darkness, they glittered in the shade of the nest. His muzzle was shorter and less pronounced than a chimpanzee, a strange hybrid of ape and man. And his ears were closer to the top of his head and vaguely bat-like.

The creature shifted as if he were uncomfortable under my scrutiny. Something large and red shifted behind him. Wings? There were huge, crimson bat wings tucked tightly against his back. Almost as if he were trying to hide them. The sight made me pause.

This creature had helped me, and I was being unbelievably rude. Inappropriate proximity aside, he had done nothing to harm me. And I was making him self-conscious. I internally winced.

How many times had I been the one being scrutinized? The one always found wanting no matter my achievements? I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, forcing myself to relax and meet the creature's eyes again.

"Hello," I tried.

He cocked his head. "Hello," he said hesitantly.

My lips twitched. There was something endearing about his obvious nervousness. It was difficult to be afraid in the face of it. I gave my surroundings a slow once-over. Without panic coloring my observations, the curious part of me took over.

"Did you build this place?"

When he did not reply, I turned my head to see him staring at me intently. There was a deep crease between his heavy brows. I frowned back.

"Do you speak Indonesian?" I asked.

His frown deepened and he made a quiet huffing sound. It appeared to be more frustration than hostility.

"Can you understand me?" I tried in the local language.

He perked up and nodded.

I smiled. "I'm Anissa."

"Muram," he said softly.

My smile faded slightly. Who would name someone that? A name was supposed to be a parent's hope for their child's future. As I took in Muram's face, my heart hurt for him. This creature who had been cursed with the name Sadness.

∞∞∞

Annisa. My beloved's name was as lovely as her. I busied myself pouring her a cup of water, willing my hands to stay steady. Having her so close, was a sweet sort of agony. At least her fear scent had faded.

When her beautiful eyes first opened, they had taken my breath away. But then the bitter scent of terror had filled my nest, and I shrank in on myself. If I could make myself small, maybe she would be less afraid. I wanted her to know she was safe with me, but the fear scent only grew. And then abruptly, it was gone.

She had looked up at me, her large, dark eyes searching my face. Her expression was one I recognized from her explorations of the jungle. Curiosity. I smiled to myself. My Kekasih, my Annisa, was as brave as she was lovely.

I turned back to her to hand her the cup of water. I carefully kept our fingers from touching, as she took the cup with two hands. I wanted to stare, to drink her in, so I had something to hold close when she left. Her eyes met mine over the rim of the cup and I tore my gaze away.

"Thank you, Muram," she murmured when she set the cup aside.

My gaze darted over to her and then quickly away. "You're welcome. Can I get you anything else?"

I could feel her watching me. My instincts told me to preen. To display for my desired mate. I pulled my wings in tighter to resist the urge. She was calm now, and I wanted to keep it that way.

"What happened to me?" she asked quietly. I saw her touch the bandage on her forehead from the corner of my eye.

I hoped she would keep the cloth in place. It was the last of the fabric I had from the village. My last trade was for rice and vegetables, food I had acquired a taste for over the years. The herbs under the bandage, though. That was a family recipe for quick healing.

"You tripped," I answered, finally turning to face her fully. "Your head struck a large rock."

Her fingers wandered over the bandage lightly. "Did you do this?"

"Yes. Please do not remove it," I said quickly when her fingertips touched the edge of the strip of cloth.

She dropped her hands into her lap. "Of course. My apologies." Her cheeks flushed and she looked around my nest.

"I would have taken you to the village, but I can not visit until nightfall."

"I understand," she murmured. "Thank you for helping me."

I nodded. I started to say something, anything when she suddenly reached out to touch the wall of my nest. The primal urge to display slammed into me and my wings twitched against my back.

"Did you make this?" she asked, completely unaware of her effect on me.

I cleared my throat, but when I spoke it was still deeper than usual. "I did. Do you like it?"

"Like it?" she asked, running her dainty fingertips over my work. "It's amazing. Beautiful."

Yes, she certainly was.

"Thank you," I said. "Are you hungry?"

I needed to do something with my hands before the traitorous things tried to reach for her. I glanced toward the back of my nest where I kept the food stores from the village. Between the rice, vegetables, and fruit I had picked the day before, there should be plenty to offer her. Unless she wanted something else.

My stomach churned at the thought. What if she wanted something I could not provide? I took a deep breath to calm myself. I was treating this like a courtship, but it was simply caregiving. She was not, and never would be, my mate.

As hard as it was to accept, this was the closest I would ever be to my Kekasih. She was my beloved, but I was not hers. I stood from the floor and began to turn when I caught her scent.

A jolt went through me and I looked back over my shoulder. She was frozen with her hand still on the wall, but her eyes were moving over me slowly. As I watched her, her pupils expanded and her top teeth dragged over her bottom lip. I was unsure what to make of the expression on her face, but her scent was…

I hurriedly moved away, kneeling at the back of the nest. I inhaled through my mouth, careful to take deep, measured breaths. Calm, I willed myself. I glanced down to see the front of my loincloth slowly return to normal. I would have to be careful.

Anissa brought out instincts I had never felt before.

"I-is there something wrong?" she asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

I swallowed hard and shook my head, not trusting my voice to answer her.

"I could make you something to eat," she continued. I heard her shift on the pallet. "I'm a decent cook."

"You should rest," I said roughly. "Would you like some Nasi Goreng?"

"Yes, please, but I should really be helping." I heard her starting to move and whipped around.

"No!" I said, panic making my heart pound.

Her eyes widened.

"No, I am happy to do it," I said in a calmer voice. My instincts were screaming at me to court her properly, but I could not scare her again. My heart could not take it.

She was quiet for so long, that I feared I had ruined any hope of us even being friends. I looked at her from the corner of my eye. She was frowning, her hands fidgeting in her lap.

"If you're sure," she said, settling back onto the pallet with her feet tucked beneath her.

I was not sure of anything anymore. As many times as I had dreamed of speaking to her, I had never expected it to happen. She was a distant star, an untouchable beauty who was not intended for someone like me. Her kindness was for the villagers, her attention for my jungle. My soul bloomed in her presence and that would have to be enough.