Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

S abrost breathed a sigh of relief when the Chosen of the Goddess accepted his suggestion that they wait until the sun was lower before beginning their travels. He would have been reluctant to return her to their present shelter if she had attempted to go out into the open once more, but neither would he have let her hurt herself.

He was still shocked she had gifted him with her name.

"Janet," he repeated silently, savoring the sound.

And he had been even more shocked when she asked for his name. So shocked that he had provided her with his birth name, instead of the name he had been given at the Temple. Hearing his name on those small pink lips had sent a shiver of pleasure down his spine. The urges of his body, suppressed for so long, threatened to overwhelm him, but he firmly pushed them aside.

Janet was giving him an expectant look, and he realized he had missed whatever she had been saying.

"My apologies, Chosen One."

"Water?"

She mimed raising a container of liquid to her lips. Ah. Water. Of course she thirsted. He was immediately ashamed that he had not anticipated her need.

He turned his attention back to their surroundings. Although no surface water was in evidence, the sand beneath the largest rock formation was darker than the surrounding sand. It was the lowest point between the rocks, and any moisture would have pooled there.

Hurrying over, he began to dig. His claws cut easily through the dry surface, sending the sand flying as he dug.

The satisfaction filled him when he reached the hidden layer of water sand. He sat back on his heels and gave her a triumphant smile.

"Water, valitta."

She had stayed away from him while he was digging, but now she joined him eagerly.

"Youwerediggingfor water ? Youlookedlikeadoggoingafterabone," she muttered, then gave him what was clearly an apologetic look. "Sorry."

He didn't understand why she was apologizing, but he gave her a reassuring smile. Just as she had done the last time he smiled, she shuddered and looked away. Did his levity disturb her?

Before he could decide, he was distracted by her sigh.

"Ithoughtyousaidtherewas water ?"

He nodded. "Water."

Perhaps her lack of familiarity with the desert extended to the source of liquid. Although his spines flared at his temerity in going before her, he dug his own fingers down into the damp sand, then licked away the moisture. He gestured for her to repeat his movements, but she was staring at his mouth with a horrified look.

"Youhaveatonguelikeasnake."

He ignored whatever she'd said and pointed at the water sand again. "Water."

She sighed and shook her head.

"Look, Sabrost. Lickingsandisntgoingtowork."

Doing his best to ignore his pleasure at his name on her lips, he tried to understand her reluctance. Perhaps her body was not equipped to absorb liquid from any available source. He considered the problem, then went to retrieve one of their bags. Pressing the woven material down into the wet sand, he waited until it was thoroughly saturated. He removed it from the sand, turned it to the clean side, and then presented it to her.

She made no attempt to take it from him. "Nowwhat?"

"Water."

He offered her the bag once more, but she still didn't take it. How could he make her understand?

When she opened her mouth to speak again, he simply stuck the water-soaked cloth into her mouth. Her eyes widened, but then she sucked eagerly.

The sight of her soft pink lips enclosing the rough bag, her mouth working, her eyes fastened on his, brought to mind a forbidden image he had seen in the library of the Temple. His kalu jerked inside his body with such force that it threatened to emerge.

Shame immediately swept over him. How could he have such thoughts about one of Tetlana's Chosen?

"Goddess, forgive me," he prayed silently.

"Icantbelievethatworked. Istheremore?"

The sound of Janet's voice distracted him from his prayers for forgiveness. He opened his eyes to find that she was handing him the bag with a hopeful look.

He watched in fascination as her tongue swept across her lips to capture the last traces of moisture. Small and pink and smooth – completely unlike his own, and yet he had never seen anything so enticing.

" Water ?" she asked again.

Forcing his lustful thoughts aside, he repeated the process twice more until she waved him away.

"Enough. Wecandoitagainlater."

"Later?"

She mimicked his earlier gesture indicating the path of the sun. Ah. She would want more water before they set out – and during their journey. He was confident that he could find sufficient liquid to satisfy the needs of his own body, but what of hers?

He needed a way to transport water. It would have been nice if the Goddess had provided him with a flask instead of a knife, he thought wistfully, then immediately rebuked himself. The knife had provided the Chosen with the confidence to communicate with him. The Goddess always knew best. Which meant…

He retrieved the packet of kestava cloth that had been in her bag.

"May I?"

She shrugged and nodded, and he flipped it open to its full size.

"Ohitsablanket."

"Blanket?"

She snatched it out of his hands and wrapped it around herself, and he nodded. The kestava would provide protection from the elements. The finely woven cloth was also waterproof.

He reached for the material again, but she immediately stepped back, keeping it wrapped around her body. Did she feel the need to adjust her temperature?

"Are you cold?" he asked.

She only frowned at him, her hands gripping the cloth.

He wouldn't remove it against her will, of course, but perhaps if she understood that he only needed a small portion, she would be accommodating. Moving very slowly, he positioned a claw over a corner of the cloth, then looked to her for permission.

"Youwanttocutaholeinmy blanket ? Why?"

He tried to use gestures to indicate his intentions but could not feel that he was successful. He needed to learn her language as soon as possible. A challenging task, but not impossible. He had always had a gift for languages – a gift that had been enhanced by his duties at the Temple. He had spent much of his novitiate translating the Words of Tetlana into other tongues.

He patiently repeated his movements. "I only need a small amount."

Finally, she sighed and nodded. "Goahead."

Using his claws, he carefully sliced a square from the bottom of the cloth as well as a long thin strip, then put them together to make a crude pouch.

"Youremakingmeapurse?" Janet asked.

She watched as he took her woven bag and used it to gather more moisture from the water sand, then squeezed it into the pouch.

"Thatsbrilliant!"

The excitement on her face filled him with immense satisfaction. He continued the tedious task of adding small amounts of water to the pouch with joy in his heart.

After watching him for a short period, she offered her assistance. Of course he refused, but when she insisted, he reluctantly handed her the bag. Her small hands were not strong enough to squeeze much liquid into the pouch, but she bit her lip and kept at it.

However, as soon as her hands began to shake, he took the bag away from her despite her protest.

"I am obedient to your will, valitta, but I refuse to allow you to hurt yourself."

His meaning must have been clear because she rolled her eyes, but she let him continue until he judged the pouch contained enough for their journey. He carefully tied the strings and placed it on top of the cooler sand in the hole.

Checking the angle of the sun, he realized that they would be waiting for several more hours.

"Perhaps you should rest," he suggested.

When she frowned at him, he patted the sand and indicated that she should lie down. Her look immediately turned suspicious.

"Justbecauseyoufoundme water , Ihopeyourenotgettinganyfunnyideas."

"You are safe with me," he assured her.

His heart ached that she thought she would have any reason to distrust him. Did she not know that the Chosen of the Goddess were sacrosanct?

He pillowed his head on his hands and closed his eyes.

"Youwantmeto sleep ?"

"Sleep," he repeated firmly.

"Idontbelieveyouexpectmeto sleep onastrangeplanetwithanaliennexttome," she muttered.

The words of her language were starting to come together for him, aided by the easily read expressions on her face.

"Sleep. You are safe."

"Imnottired." Her obvious protest was followed by a wide yawn.

For the first time, a smile crossed her face, those luscious pink lips tilting up at the ends. "Isupposeitwouldnthurttotry."

He smoothed out the sand as best he could and patted it encouragingly. Keeping a wary eye on him, she laid down. Apparently she did not find the sand as comfortable as he did, because she kept adjusting her position. He was on the brink of offering to provide his body as a more comfortable resting place when her restless movements finally ceased. A few minutes later, he heard her breathing deepen as she settled into slumber.

His spines straightened with pride. She trusted him enough to sleep in his presence. Determined not to betray that trust, he quietly investigated the rest of their small shelter. The only sign of life was a small avian perched high on the rocks above them, too small to be dangerous.

He found no other sign of danger, but no sign of anything that would prove useful either. Returning to her side, he sat back against the rock and prepared to keep watch.