Chapter 15

Brexl

“What happened when you got to the beach?”

Tarak drew my attention back to the conversation. I had been staring at Taylor as she laughed with her friends. I loved her laugh. Could I make her laugh like that? Every time I’d made her laugh so far, had been entirely on accident. Which I didn’t mind, but I also wish I understood what it was that was humorous about what I’d said or done.

“They’d taken her to the caves along the shoreline in hopes that I wouldn’t be able to track her scent after it got lost in the water. But I spotted Taylor’s necklace on the ground, which led me in the right direction.”

I wondered if there would come a day when she would wear the necklace I’d given her instead of keeping it in her pocket. My heart warmed at the thought, but I quickly pushed it aside. I had Taylor’s friendship. That was good enough for me.

“I caught up with them, and injured Scaron.” I should have killed Scaron. I thought with an inward growl. If I knew killing him wouldn’t cause an all out war between our two groups, I would have.

“And he injured me.” I pointed to my side where Taylor’s bandage still rested against my skin.

“Is it bad? Should Sozu look at it?” My friend looked at my side with concern in his eyes.

“No, it’s mostly healed.” I’d never asked Sozu to heal any of my wounds, if anything, I’d always welcomed death. That was until I met Taylor.

“After we fought, Scaron and the others left the beach.”

“Interesting,” Tarak tapped his chin. “The tension between our dekes’ is too great. I fear, that one wrong move will set off a war between us.”

“From what you’ve said of Dameron, it sounds like he might try to start a war, just to steal us women for his own dekes.” Gabby chimed in.

Tarak wrapped his arms around her and her growing belly. “I won’t let it come to that.”

“Hopefully, for their sake it won’t.” I looked over at Taylor who’d already been stolen by the other dekes once. I had been ready to kill Scaron if that’s what had been needed.

“They would be no match for us. It would be foolishness for them to try to fight us head on. It is one thing for us to hold our tempers when they can take our one religious practice from us, it’s another thing entirely for us to surrender in the face of an all out war.”

Tarak looked surprised by my words. He did not know I had long since given up on the goddess releasing me from my curse. So it didn’t make any difference to me if we lost our right to the offering ritual. What I hadn’t given up on was my dekes. I’d happily give my life to keep them safe, especially Taylor.

“I was happy to hear of your luminescence.” Tarak changed the subject and my shoulders tensed. I was not good at lying. Taylor had been the one to convince everyone we were happily mated, I’d simply followed her lead.

“Yes.” I gave him a tight smile and a nod of acknowledgment.

“Maybe you two will have a sietling of your own soon.” Gabby smiled.

I pictured Taylor with her belly rounded as she carried my young, and my heart squeezed. If it were up to me, we’d have a little girl with Taylor’s hair, and her confidence, and her...well, her everything. But it wasn’t meant to be. Our mating was fake, and soon everyone would know it.

“That would be a joyful occasion.” I agreed before standing up from their table. I couldn’t bear any more conversations about a future I’d never have.

“I wish to return to my mate.” I said a little too stiffly. I liked the way the words rolled off my tongue. I wanted them to be true so badly.

“Of course, enjoy your meal.” Tarak dismissed me from our conversation, and I bowed to both him and Gabby before I left.

I returned to my table and sat on the cushion next to Taylor, and as if my tail had a mind of its own, it wrapped around her waist.

Thankfully, Taylor was not displeased by this. She patted my leg and smiled, and I relaxed.

“Look at them,” Fatima continued on in whatever conversation had been happening before I arrived.

I followed her gaze to Drovo and Kayla. Kayla was sitting on Drovo’s lap as she talked with Hai. Hai seemed much happier now that their hair was cut short. I’d never felt much pleasure or displeasure from cutting my hair, but I guess everyone is different.

“Aren’t they so cute,” Fatima sighed. “It must be nice to lumines to someone.”

She turned her attention to Taylor and me. “Would you say, you feel an almost biological pull to take care of each other?”

“Umm,” Taylor glanced at me with an almost assessing look. “I feel like I cared for Brexl even before we luminesed. I think luminescence comes to those who already like each other.”

My heart beat faster at Taylor’s words. The idea that she liked me even before we glowed for each other filled me to bursting. I had to remind myself, however, that her words weren’t true. This was all pretend.

“What about you Brexl? What’s your theory on luminescence? Did you like Taylor before you luminesed?” asked Beatrice.

“I liked Taylor from the moment I met her.” This was not a lie, and I was not pretending. The moment I peered over Tarak’s shoulder and spotted Taylor in Orsu’s den with the other females, my breath caught in my chest. I’d never seen anyone like her before. At first, I thought her strange with her pale skin and tailless backside, but then her unique beauty outshone everything else. I was immediately struck with the urge to touch her soft-looking skin, and to protect her from anything that might cause her harm.

“Aww,” the two females said in unison and I nearly dropped my spoon. “Aren’t you sweet?” Fatima commented.

Taylor looped her arm around mine. “You really liked me from the first day we met?”

Her eyes were searching mine as if she were asking if what I’d said was really true.

I nodded my head, which brought a genuine smile to her face.

Our attention was pulled away as Beatrice changed the topic of conversation. We chatted pleasantly as we ate, and I enjoyed being included in the female’s conversations. Listening to them made me realize, that although their hearing was not as good as the hunters, their observation skills were far beyond ours. The information they’d gathered about everyone in the dekes was impressive, and I enjoyed what they called gossip.