Chapter 43

Ihated seeing her hurt in any way. Leodos told us it was a completely normal Tempris thing, but I really didn't like seeing her slump over like that. I acted like I left with the rest of them, but doubled back and stood at the trees, watching. I wished I could fly close enough to hear what was going on.

Sorcha and Esylle had done something that put a look on Sorcha's face like when we mated. Was this the trick to get her to change things like she was supposed to? She looked disappointed when they stopped, then again in surprise when the Tall Man embraced her, and she didn't pull away. Sorcha was actually very affectionate once she decided that was what she wanted.

She relaxed and smiled as the tall man seemed to be joking with her. Something was said that upset her, and she got up to leave. I came from behind my tree and grabbed her arm as she stalked by me. I let go when she got too hot. I blew on my hand and shook it.

"Why'd you burn me, Sorcha?"

I didn't understand. I thought we were becoming friends, and I cared about her. Sorcha looked upset. She grabbed my hand and looked at my injuries.

"I'm sorry. I was so upset by what Esylle said, I wasn't using my nose to realize it was you. I want to try something."

She held my injured hand in both of hers and closed her eyes. I could feel warmth coming off of her, but it was more like warming yourself in the sun and not unpleasant. My hand started itching, and I went to pull it away because I didn't know what she was doing. She gripped my hand tighter and wouldn't let go. Fuck, she was strong.

There were now two small flames flickering in her eyes and the itching sensation got worse. I didn't think she would deliberately hurt me, so I gritted my teeth. Itching on one's palms was worse than when you needed to scratch other areas of your body. It was almost unbearable.

She let go of my hands and looked at me expectantly. I was so puzzled by what she wanted from me that I didn't notice my hand no longer burned and the itching stopped. When I finally realized, I looked at my palm and it was totally healed. There wasn't even a scar.

"How did you?—?"

"My mother showed me there are good things about being Tempris. I may be able to change something if I can work on it. I wanted to see if I could heal someone else the way I heal myself. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Does it itch that badly when you heal yourself?" I asked, pulling her to my chest. She didn't pull away and rested her head against me.

"Yes, it does. It felt like I was covered in ants after I killed the bear."

"You should have told us that it hurt," I said, squeezing her.

"Why? You can't change it."

"No, but we all care about you. We want to know when something hurts or you don't feel well. We might not be able to do anything about it physically, but we can still be there for you."

Sorcha looked up at me with those giant green and violet eyes.

"I like that."

Ugh. If I could have changed that, I would. Why hadn't that idiot Belisarus done that for her? She was his fucking granddaughter. Sorcha would have let me before we were interrupted, but I didn't know if that had changed now that she had met Neptis and Oris. I leaned down to give her a gentle kiss.

I intended to pull away and explain to her again how special she was, but her hand snaked to the back of my neck and she pulled me closer to deepen the kiss. Sorcha let out a feral little growl as she slammed me against a tree and started grinding against me.

"What are you doing?" I asked her, running my hands through her long hair. "You shouldn't be experiencing your next Senso for a year."

Women can and did mate outside their Senso all the time, but they weren't really this aggressive unless it was happening. She was still kissing me as she guided me toward the ground.

"It's not the same as it was before. I just want to right now. What we did the first time was how I figured out how to heal you," she said, licking my Adonis Belt again.

As much as I didn't want her to stop, I gently pushed her away. She looked confused. I groaned because I really wanted to do this.

"We can't. The rest of the tribes are here, and they'd be able to smell what we did. I want you to pick me, but I'm not going to take away your choice. Everyone understands we mated the first time because of your Senso, but if we come back a second time, they are all going to think you've picked and try to marry us."

I knew what I wanted, but I wasn't going to trick her. I thought she would get angry and run away again. I may have blown any chance I had of her choosing me, but she didn't disappear. She snuggled into my side and started tracing my abs with her fingers.

"Thank you. There's a lot I don't understand, and need explained to me. The whole marriage thing is a lot. I don't know if I can give you what you want. I love Frog like a best friend, but I don't even know how to deal with Esylle and Leodos because of Belisarus. How can I be anyone's wife?"

I stroked her back and pulled her closer. I knew we were confusing her with wanting to marry her and all this time, I thought it was because she didn't know she was beautiful and hadn't been around men before.

I couldn't imagine how she had grown up. I couldn't imagine knowing someone was your grandchild and treating her the way he did. I hadn't grown up that way. Before my mother died, we had a close bond. My father was hard on me, but I knew Volaris loved me. If he was hard with me about something, right after, he would try to do something light and fun to take my mind off my punishment.

I would be king one day, so the rest of the Farkhi fawned over me and tried to groom me to rule. I knew Neptis and Fluvis had a similar bond. Terros and Oris seemed to have a tumultuous relationship and argued frequently. Terros was loud and didn't listen to Oris sometimes, but Oris at least knew he loved him.

Her hair was soft like Farkhi feathers and even though my sense of smell was not as strong as hers or the Theran, I could smell the resin we burned when we prayed coming off of her. I rested my head on her soft hair.

"If all of you banished Belisarus because of the baby issue, I don't see why he didn't just come back with my father and show all of you that was a myth. I have no culture because he didn't give me any. If he was Theran and married a Tark, it's like he just forgot all that when he kidnapped me to Idric Island. I don't belong with any of you."

"You could and it's not going to be anything hard. It won't happen overnight, but all you really need to do is make friends and party with the tribes. Oris would be so offended and need to wrestle me to prove me wrong, but the Farkhi throw much better parties than the Theran."

Sorcha giggled.

"And what would Neptis say?"

"Neptis would fully admit that the Tarks throw terrible parties and he wants to change that when he's king."

"I don't really know what I want, and I don't know how to feel what you all expect of me. I only found out a few minutes ago that being Tempris could feel good instead of just being angry all the time. Everything is being thrown at me at once. I like talking to you and snuggling with you. I love those dips in your hips. I feel things I don't understand around you, but I also enjoy being with Neptis and Oris. I don't belong with any tribe and no matter who I choose, the rest of you will be hurt."

I held her closer. If she was feeling things she didn't understand around him, maybe it was love and she would come to learn what that meant.

"You smell amazing and I don't know why I keep wanting to bite you. If we can't mate, can I kiss you again?"

I meant to lean down and kiss her when someone roughly yanked me away from her. I expected to see Neptis or Oris and didn't want to fight in front of her, but it was the Tall Man who pulled me away. The look he was giving both of us was the same look Volaris gave me when I had done something wrong.

Sorcha and the Tall Man were both yelling at once. Leodos was yelling at me and asking what I thought I was doing, and Sorcha was furious because this was kind of her idea. I'd never rat her out, but she had no problem speaking her mind.

It was getting pretty tense because Sorcha was furious with Leodos, and he'd switched from yelling at me to trying to convince her she didn't really want to do what we did and she just didn't know better. Esylle was trying to play mediator and get both of them to calm down. I wasn't saying a fucking thing because I was the only person Sorcha wasn't mad at right now and I wanted to keep it that way.

Sorcha finally stopped yelling when Esylle told her if she didn't want her taking her fire, she needed to calm down. It was starting to get uncomfortably warm around her again. If she erupted, we'd all be hurt. I didn't know that was what Esylle had done when she touched her and she fainted.

I didn't get to hear what was said next. Esylle and Sorcha were arguing now. Leodos hauled me away from them where I couldn't hear or see them anymore. Leodos let go of my arm and shoved me forward.

"What do you think you are doing? You're just confusing her."

"If I'd mated with her, I wouldn't be done yet by the time you found us. I'm not terrible at it!" I said, defensively.

I showed him my hand and explained how she had healed me.

"How did she heal you?" Leodos demanded. "Was it because we angered her?"

"No, but we talked about why she was angry. She was upset she hurt me and said she wanted to try what she had just learned. I didn't know what she was doing. She got hot like she was using her Tempris ability, but it wasn't like before. It felt like free flying in the sun. It felt good to stand next to her heat, but I didn't know what she was doing to my hand, and it was uncomfortable. I tried to stop her. She explained to me that's how it feels for her when she is healing."

"Did it hurt when she was healing you? I had no idea this entire time it hurt her to heal herself. She's never acted like it hurt her. I would have tried to protect her better if I knew."

Leodos looked upset that it might hurt. I knew he'd never sired any children, but he treated her like his fledgling. He'd make an amazing stepfather once he and Esylle were married.

"It doesn't hurt her," I reassured. "It itches. It's unpleasant, and I didn't know what she was doing. That's why I stopped her. Whatever you were teaching her out there, you're on the right track. She wasn't sure if she could heal me like she does herself and she figured it out on her own with whatever Esylle taught her. She talks to me. If you're going to talk to her about ruling, don't talk to her like it's expected of her. Try to ease her into the idea. She already doesn't want to do it and she doesn't like that we all expect things from her. She relaxes around me because I don't expect anything from her."

"You're lying to yourself if you're telling yourself you don't expect anything from her. You want her to choose you and she knows that," Leodos snapped, getting angry with me again.

"I expect her to choose who she loves. I want it to be me, but I'm not pressuring her. I already told you I stopped her when she wanted to mate with me."

Leodos asked why I stopped her, and I explained to him the way I explained it to Sorcha. I was surprised when the Tall Man just…wasn't angry with me anymore.

"Don't tell her I told you this, but I hope she picks you," he said, placing his hand on my head. "We should get back. I'm not sure if Esylle was able to calm her down."