Chapter 9

Veda followed Traze to the healing pond and a few of the seers trailed behind both of them. Much of the way, Veda was able to walk though she occasionally tripped over a large tree root in the dark. Every time this happened, Traze seemed extremely concerned. He would reach his hands out to steady her, and she was comforted by how much he was watching her.

Eventually, the rocks and tree roots became too many in the dark, so Traze put his hand on Veda's arm, stopping her.

"You can no longer walk this path. I know from the other humans that your eyesight is bad in this lighting, and your skin is weak and pliable. I will carry you from this point forward."

A little part of Veda wanted to contest and insist she could do this on her own. She always wanted to be as independent as possible. But ultimately, she didn't say anything because she actually wanted to be held by Traze again. Not to mention the fact that her legs were getting tired, and she had no idea how much longer it would be until they reached the healing pond.

Traze scooped Veda up, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He was holding on to her tightly, seemingly afraid to let go. She smelled his neck a bit as they walked along. She felt a little creepy doing it but he smelled so good! He was like freshly cut grass on a summer morning. It reminded her of home and, simultaneously, of exactly the reason she never wanted to return to Earth. No man on Earth had ever felt this comforting to her.

As they hiked, Traze seemed to get more protective of her. When the seers walked by narrow paths and brushed against her, Traze would get growly and protective. If Veda didn't know better, she would swear he felt something special toward her.

She hated that she had to keep reminding herself that this was impossible He wasn't a human man. He didn't develop feelings the same way humans did. Feelings of love would hit him if Veda was his kode. He'd have known immediately and loved her immediately.

But that wasn't how Veda worked. She was a human. Her feelings did increase over time. And because she hadn't found the Ateran man she was supposed to be with, she was beginning to have feelings for Traze instead. It was all wrong, and if Veda did not keep herself in check, she was going to end up very hurt.

"I may hold her for a spell if you grow tired," Wezt commented.

Instinctively, Veda gripped Traze tighter and drew her head closer. She didn't want to be carried by anyone but Traze.

Traze seemed pleased with this and gave Wezt a cocky smile. "She is fine where she is."

It seemed to Veda that Traze was prideful that Veda wanted only him, which made her even more confused about what was going on between them.

Veda didn't question it, though, and instead chose to be grateful Traze seemed protective of her, whatever the reason. She loved being in his arms and rested her head against his chest as they continued to the pond.

Upon their arrival, Traze slowly and carefully set Veda down, and she sighed when she was no longer in his arms. But she redirected her focus to the healing sands as she did genuinely have an interest in helping discover what was wrong with them.

Immediately, even in the low light, it was obvious to Veda that the water level was extremely low. She understood why the Aterans seemed so worried. Even for a drought season, this would be concerning.

"You may go ahead and enter, Veda." Traze encouraged her to get into the sands.

"Right." She nodded and began to step toward the edge of the pond.

But before she had a chance to get in, she was grabbed by the rough hand of one of the seers. He pulled her back quickly, jerking her body a bit.

Before Veda even had a chance to react, Traze seemed livid. He was actually growling at the seer! It was like some animalistic sense had come out of Traze when he saw Veda touched by someone else.

Traze shoved the man away, and Veda could see in his eyes that the seer was livid. But he didn't say anything. He put his head down and tried to appear subservient to Traze, who was still gritting his sharp teeth.

"I apologize, my warlord. I moved without thinking. I only wanted to prevent the human from tainting the sands with her alien clothing."

Veda looked down at her outfit. One of the women had stopped by earlier while Traze was speaking to the seers to give her some human clothes though she didn't know that would be a problem.

Traze still seemed angry but accepted the seer's apology. She still didn't entirely understand why the seer holding her back made Traze so livid, though.

"Veda," Traze began to explain, "we have very strict rules about what can touch the healing sands. We don't want them to ever be tarnished or polluted so Aterans only enter the healing sands naked or with a very thin cloth covering our bodies."

"Does that mean… I went into the healing sands naked while I was comatose?" Veda asked.

"At times, yes," Traze admitted.

Veda felt her cheeks warm with a blush. So that must have meant Traze, along with several other Aterans, had already seen her naked.

"So do I… need to get naked to enter the sands right now?" Veda asked.

"Yes, you do, or you risk polluting our sacred sands." The same seer who grabbed her spoke up.

Traze glanced at him angrily, as if he did not wish for the seer to talk to Veda any more.

Then Traze glanced back at Veda and looked at her worriedly. "Veda, your skin grows red. Are you ill?"

This only embarrassed Veda even further. "Uh, no, I'm not ill. I'm just… I'm feeling a little awkward about this."

"About what?" Traze pressed.

"About… you know… being naked in front of everyone."

"But why would that bother you?" Traze asked cluelessly.

"Well, uh, back on Earth we don't just walk around naked. My naked body is a private thing, reserved for only me… and, well, possibly for a boyfriend. But not for the whole world."

"A boyfriend?" Traze raised an eyebrow.

"You know, like, a man who I'm… Who I'm mating, I guess you could say."

Veda watched as Traze's jaw tensed once again. "You had human men you mated?" He seemed both shocked and infuriated.

"Well, yeah, kind of. I mean, nobody I was particularly serious about and not for a really long time."

Traze did not seem to like hearing this, but Veda couldn't lie. It wasn't as if she was a virgin or anything. And it wasn't as if Traze really had a reason to care… She wasn't his.

Traze stepped closer to her. "When you mated with other men," he whispered, "what happened?"

He was very close to her now, speaking softly, and his mouth being so close to hers sent a chill down her spine.

"It's, uh, complicated… Maybe I can tell you about it later," Veda whispered back.

She kept staring at Traze's lips and doing her best to imagine what it would be like to lean in and kiss them. She wouldn't do it, of course, but she wanted to so badly.

Veda pulled back, turning around quickly to keep form making a fool of herself. She stared at the pond and the stream that flowed into it, eagerly changing the subject.

"Has anyone swum upstream to see if there is some kind of block or diversion keeping the sands from flowing in the pond?" Veda asked Traze and the seers.

"If Eana has blocked off the passage to the healing sands, that is her will," Wezt commented.

"Okay, sure, yeah… But what if it's being blocked by something else? What if it's not, uh, Eana's will?"

Wezt scoffed. "What could block the flow of the healing sands besides Eana?"

"Another Ateran, maybe? Maybe an Ateran has blocked off the flow or diverted it for nefarious purposes?" Veda suggested.

The seers gasped.

"Who would dare to alter Eana's gift?" Wezt argued.

Veda still didn't entirely understand Ateran culture, but she doubted very highly that all Aterans were entirely pure in their intention. The healing sands were obviously a great commodity, and it seemed obvious to Veda that someone may want to steal them.

She turned to Traze. "Is there any way we can go up the stream and look for diversions?" she asked.

"I may go with some warriors, yes," Traze began, "but you will not come with us."

"What?" Veda scoffed. "But why not?"

"Because you are still likely to be weak from your coma. It is not safe. I will go and determine if there is any blockage."

"But you need a scientific mind with you!" Veda argued. "And I don't imagine any of the seers are eager to tag along." She looked at them over Traze's shoulder.

"We are fine with our warlord taking his warriors up the stream," one of them spoke up.

"See!" Veda argued. "They don't want to go, so you should take me with you. I can be of help. Haven't I proven that?"

Veda had become invested in this, and she wasn't about to let Traze have all of the fun while she hung back and waited. She wanted nothing more than to satisfy her thirst for adventure by traveling through the healing sands and observing their flow.

But Traze seemed unwavering. "It is not about how helpful you may be. It is about keeping you safe while you are weak."

"But I'm not weak! I feel great! Thanks to your healing sands. You acknowledge they work like a miracle."

"I also acknowledged you needed one more session in the healing sands," Traze argued, "and it does not appear you want to do that now."

Veda was hesitant to get naked in front of all these Ateran men—that was true—but not so hesitant that she wouldn't do it if it meant she could continue to explore.

"I'll do it. I'm happy to do it if it means you'll trust me to do this venture with you."

But Traze still seemed unsure. "I only wish for you to remain safe, Veda."

"And I'm safest when I'm next to you," Veda tried appealing to his ego. "Who better to make sure I'm okay than you? I trust you will protect me."

Traze sighed. "Fine, if you will do one session in the healing sands, you may go with us."

Veda could not contain her excitement. She squealed and gave him a tight squeeze around the waist. He reciprocated with a hesitant hand on her back.