Chapter 7

Jodah

Faint sounds enter my consciousness. Slowly, I grow more alert until I open my eyes, blinking away the sleep. The tent is dim, with only the dwindling fire providing any light and making shadows dance along the hide above me. I glance toward the door and barely a single ray of light slips through the edges of the flap covering.

A clinking noise from the other side of the tent has me slowly turning my head. In the pale firelight, Sage stands at the supply table rearranging pots. I remain unmoving and silent while I study her. I do not want to disturb her. I am surprised she returned after the way things were left between us earlier.

Her long hair glows and spills in waves around her shoulders. Although I cannot see them from this distance, I can recall small dots decorate her nose and along her cheeks. She does not look like our females, but there is a quiet beauty to her.

Sage wears the strange coverings the humans call jeans, and the soft fabric of her chest covering accentuates her chest mounds. They are larger than any of the other human's. Tavikhi females do not possess them, so they have been a source of interest for many of the younger warriors. I admit to being fascinated with them. What do they feel like? Are they soft or hard? Do they serve a purpose?

I try to recall the rest of her features. Her eyes are also different from Tavikhi's. They are tri-colored in three circular shapes. The tiny hairs that surround them are long and pretty. Everything about Sage is pretty. Beautiful, in fact. Not that the other human females are not pleasing to look at, but the longer I stare at the female who is my mate, the more appealing she is.

She glances in my direction and her human eyes widen. "Oh, you're awake. Are you in pain?"

"No." My voice is sleep-roughened, and I clear it. "No, thank you. I am well."

Her hands clench on the table surface but she straightens her shoulders and approaches. "Would you like help sitting up? I can try or I can go get Kyler."

I shake my head. "No need for the healer. I will take your help if you are offering it."

"Of course."

Sage places her arm beneath my shoulders and with great effort, I manage to bring myself upright with her assistance. I grimace at the ache across my entire chest. A large bundle of furs is placed behind me, and I lean against them. I concentrate on slowing my breathing. Just sitting up should not have taken that much energy. It is clear how much healing I still need to do. The scent of cooked meat from somewhere in the distance reaches me, and my stomach makes a growling noise that reminds me of the same creature who put me in these furs.

"If you're hungry, I can get you some stew. The evening meal is just starting."

I do hunger, in fact, but I do not want Sage to leave. I am afraid if she does, she will not be back this time, so I shake my head. "Not at the moment. Perhaps a little later."

"All right. Just let me know and I'll make sure to bring you something. You need to eat to heal."

A small grin curls my lips. "You sound exactly like the healer."

She returns the smile. "I've heard it often enough from Kyler. But I suppose if I am going to become as good as he is, then I should follow his lead."

"From his praise, you are well on your way."

Sage's cheek color darkens. "I'm not so sure about that, but I'm doing my best."

Silence settles only broken by the crackling fire and the faint voices of tribespeople passing by. Why is it so hard to speak with her? I do not want this awkwardness to continue.

"I am sorry. About this morning. About last evening. It was never my intention to hurt you, and if you are willing, I would truly like to get to know you as one would their mate."

Sage blinks as though I have taken her by surprise. Slowly, a tiny smile appears. "I'm willing. And I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have left so abruptly without listening to what you had to say."

This is good. "I would like to begin again."

"I'd like that as well."

"Have you eaten?"

"Not yet." Sage shakes her head. "I can get us both something. We could eat together and talk, if you're feeling up to it."

"You do not mind not eating with your tribe sisters?" As much as I would like to spend time with her, I also know how close she is with the shefira and the other human females.

"I don't mind. We all still eat together, but it sometimes feels a little weird when you're the only single one surrounded by a bunch of married couples. They never treat me as such, but I tend to feel like the fifth wheel after a while."

Some of Sage's words themselves do not translate, but being surrounded by happy mates while being unmated is something I do understand. So, if she says she does not mind, I will believe her. "I would be most honored to share my meal with you, then."

"I'll be right back, if you're okay being alone for a few minutes?"

I smile. "I will be okay."

"All right. I won't be gone long." Sage hurries out of the tent.

There is a sense of anticipation while I wait for her to return. My soul light continues to lie dormant, but I recall Kyler's words about the possibility of a bond still growing between my mate and me. If the humans can fall in love with their warriors without possessing a soul light, then why cannot the same happen for Sage and me? I wonder what it feels like to be in love. How much of what Zander and the others feel for their mates is love, and how much is their mate bond? Are they one and the same? These are questions I do not have any answers for, but perhaps the next time the shefir or Benham comes to check on my progress I will ask one of them.

The tent flap opens, and Sage steps in, carrying two bowls and bringing with her the scent of dreri stew. It is one of my favorite things to eat. When my nene was tasked with making that evening's meal, she would always add a little dash of deti to mine. It gives it a delicious flavor that I crave even still.

"Here you go." My mate hands one to me.

"My thanks." I set the warm vessel on my chest and the heat of it soothes some of the ache from my wounds.

"Oh, let me get us some water." Sage sets her stew down and pours two glasses from the bucket kept on the supply table.

She places it next to me and then sits on the wood stump that is between my platform and the other. We eat in silence for a moment until she glances up. "How is it?"

"I would say it is the best dreri stew I have ever tasted, but that may only be because I have not eaten real food in many days."

She laughs and the sound of it warms me. "I totally understand what you're saying. I'm pretty sure if I had some french fries right about now, they would be the best french fries I've ever had."

"What are…french fries?" I take a drink of water and set my vessel back down.

"They're made from a root vegetable called a potato. Or at least they were, when food was still grown instead of manufactured." She waves her hand. "Anyway, you would take a potato, cut it into strips, and then deep fry them in a type of cooking oil to make them crispy and a golden color on the outside. Add a little salt—a type of seasoning—and they were one the best things ever."

Her enthusiasm for this root vegetable is great. "So, yes then, you do understand my feelings about the stew. The only thing it is missing is some deti. It is something my nene would add when I was a kit."

"I'll make sure to ask for it the next time." Sage smiles brightly and there is a slight tingle along the mating marks running down my arms.

It is enough to give me pause. That has not happened before. I search within me for any sign of a light, but all remains dark.

"You were the first human to come to our village or to even attempt learn about us. What made you decide to become Kyler's apprentice?"

A troubled expression crosses Sage's face, but swiftly disappears. "I wanted to do something meaningful with my life. Not that what the other humans do within the settlement isn't meaningful, but planting and harvesting food wasn't for me. I also can't make clothes—coverings—at all. I just want to help people."

"That is a worthy desire."

She raises her shoulders in a way I have seen the humans do. "It just feels right. What about you? What is it you like to do when you are not out hunting or sparring?"

Only a few tribespeople know of my interest. It is not as though I am ashamed of it, but I have not heard of another warrior doing what it is I do, only kits. But I should tell my mate, if for nothing more than to know what her reaction will be. Better to discover it now rather than later. "I craft images on stones."

Sage cocks her head. "You mean like drawing?"

"I do not understand what your human word means."

"Drawing means you paint an image on a surface of something. For example…" she glances around and then raises her bowl. "I would take a brush with ink or a sharpened stick with ink on the end and I would make an image on the surface like this."

She uses a fingertip and traces lines along the outside of the bowl. "If I had ink on my finger there would then be a picture of something visible here."

I nod. "Ah, yes, then…drawing is what I do."

Sage's eyes widen. "I would love to see some of your work. If you'd be willing to show me, I mean."

Yes, I think I would like that. "Once I am healed and return to my dwelling, I would be happy to show you."

She smiles. "I've always been jealous of people with any kind of artistic talent. It's not something I have at all."

"I could teach you if you would like."

She laughs and gently shakes her head. "I'm afraid I'm a lost cause. Many people have attempted to teach me, and there's no hope for it. But I would still love to see what you've created."

"Then I would love to show you."

We both return to eating and this time the silence that lands between us is not one filled with discomfort, but rather of gentle intimacy. It is pleasant to sit quietly with this female. Soon though the fatigue grows heavy. Except I am tired of resting. It is all I have done for nearly nine turns of the sun. How much sleep do I need until I can make it through more than a single meal with my mate?

We both finish eating and Sage rises and reaches for my empty bowl. "Let me take that for you. Can I get you some more water?"

"Yes, please." Although now that my stomach has been filled with good food and plenty of water, I am in need of some privacy."Would you be able to locate Kyler for me, first?"

She quickly sets the bowls down and rushes over. "Is everything okay? Are you hurting? Do you need to lie back down?"

"No, none of that. I just need his assistance with something…personal."

Sage does not speak, but then her eyes widen, and her cheeks darken in color. "Oh. Yeah, sorry, I'll run and find him for you."

I nod my thanks and she dashes out of the tent carrying our empty bowls with her. Only a few short moments pass when the healer enters the tent. "You are looking well."

"I am still growing tired far too quickly."

"That is to be expected. You nearly died." He approaches. "Sage said you requested assistance. Let me help."

Carefully, Kyler assists me to my feet and guides me to the other side of the tent. Once I have finished with my personal business, he escorts me back to the platform. I lie down again, and he gives me the cleansing berries and water to wash my hands.

"When will the fatigue pass?"

"It will pass when your body has healed enough. Be patient and give Deeka time to work," he scolds lightly.

He is right, but I do not like my mate seeing me as an invalid. I cannot even take a piss without help.

"I am glad to see you and your mate together and speaking," Kyler says. "Are things more settled between you?"

"Yes, I believe so."

He gently claps my shoulder. "I am glad for you. Sage will make you a wonderful mate. She has not shared much of her past with me, but I sense there is something pushing her. I hope when she is ready, she will confide in you."

A thread of emotion ripples through me and it takes me a moment to identify it. The healer and Sage have only ever appeared as friends, and yet the way he speaks of her feels like…more. Kyler is an honorable male, but I cannot help being envious of their relationship. There is no reason for this jealousy to be present and yet it is.

Someone slaps on the door, which is unusual.

"It's Sage. Is it all right if I come in?"

A new emotion leaps inside my chest that she returned. Perhaps part of me had been wondering if she would.

"Yes, please, come in," I say before Kyler can.

He chuckles at my eagerness. She steps inside and any fatigue I had suddenly disappears.