32. Amanda

Chapter 32

Amanda

X ax came back and made breakfast, not mentioning why Tribon was looking for him. I didn't ask. If he wanted to tell me, he would.

After, we left the home with Maverick riding on my shoulder, his bushy tail coiled around the back of my neck. Xax assured me he'd see us as his parents now and wouldn't try to run away. I didn't mind if he wanted to live in the wild, but he was too young to take care of himself for now.

"I'll see you later?" Xax asked, stopping outside my new tea shop. "I have a few things to take care of in the woods."

"Sure."

"Stay within the village," he said. "Don't go near the woods."

He seemed so concerned about me being safe that I didn't chide him for the warning.

" You're going into the woods," I said .

"I've been trained from the time I was little. I know how to protect myself."

"I know how to protect myself too."

"You do, to some extent. I've seen that." He stroked my face. "Please?"

"Alright." I guessed there was no harm in remaining close. It wasn't like I had much to do beyond the village—not yet—though I had some ideas.

"Thank you," he said.

I watched as he strode down the trail and entered the woods before turning back to my tea shop.

I wasn't completely sure what I'd do inside my new business today, but I'd find something to keep me busy. I also wanted to go from one home to the next and introduce myself. If I was going to run a tea shop, I needed customers. This wasn't going to work out the way I'd anticipated back on Earth. I doubted I could charge for my product, though I'd try to make trades eventually. It was common for a business to give away samples at first. Once people realized how much they enjoyed tea and how wonderful it was to sit in my shop while drinking it, they'd start to come on a regular basis.

I still hadn't figured out what I'd do about milk or sugar, let alone baked goods, but without tea leaves and a way to steep them, the rest didn't matter.

"There you are," Gerain said as I strode into my shop. She and Floosar sat on stumps near the back. "We have some wonderful herbs for you to try, and frankly, I'm eager to sample them myself."

Smiling, I strode over to join them .

"Why is a drettire riding on your shoulder?" Floosar asked, squinting at my new pet.

"This is Maverick." I stroked his soft pelt. "Xax and I found him in the woods, and we placed him on a low tree branch. We think his mother was taken, that he's an orphan. Xax went back yesterday, and Maverick's mother hadn't come back for him, so he brought him to the village. He lives with us now."

Gerain studied the drettire. "Why would you want it to live with you?"

"Haven't you ever had a pet?" I asked. "He purrs when I pat him, and he loves to snuggle."

"I'd like to have a drettire as a pet," Floosar said wistfully. "I love to snuggle. No male in the village has shown a mark to prove he's my fated, and I'm not yet ready to choose someone else. I could cuddle a drettire instead."

"He will not offer you meat, daughter," Gerain said with a huff.

"Meat's all well and good, but too often, meat doesn't come with cuddles."

Gerain chuckled. "Then you're not selecting the right meat."

I couldn't stop grinning. I hadn't had many friends on Earth. It was hard to make them when everyone was busy all the time. Being a foster kid could be lonely. My foster parents brought in other kids, but they were all younger than me. I was more a babysitter for them than a friend.

If I stayed here, Floosar and Gerain could be my friends. My heart swelled, pressing against my ribcage, and I couldn't keep the smile off my face.

"I think your mother is right about meat," I said.

"See?" Gerain gave me a nod of approval. "But we didn't come here to discuss meat or drettires or cuddles. We came here to discuss tea."

"Yes, about that," I said. "I'm not sure yet how I'll steep my herbs, let alone serve them. I'm going to ask Alexa for help with that."

Floosar's unibrow lifted. "Alexa?"

"I know it sounds odd, but I've named Xax's house god." Would they be insulted by such a thing? On Earth, many would be, but the Zuldruxians didn't appear to see Alexa in the same way Earthlings did whatever god they worshiped. Alexa was more of a helpmate than a deity.

"Why would you bother?" Gerain asked.

"Why not? I asked if she had a name, and when I got the impression she didn't, I came up with this one." I wasn't going to explain who Alexa was on Earth. "I also opted to call her a she, which she seems to approve of as much as her name."

Gerain's fingers fluttered near her throat. "I can't imagine doing such a thing."

Today, she wore a long tunic belted in at her waist. A smaller version of Xax's vine spear was secured in a sheath at her waist.

Frankly, she looked badass wearing it, and I needed to talk to Xax about how I could commune with the vines to have them make something like that for me. I didn't like feeling defenseless. He'd also have to teach me how to use a knife, but I suspected he'd be happy to do it. He wouldn't always be with me to provide defense, and this world was dangerous.

"There's no reason you need to call her Alexa," I said.

Floosar's head tilted, and she rose from her stool. Like all the other Zuldruxians, she towered over me, and I was five-eight. The two females were a little shorter than the males I'd met so far, but on Earth, everyone would stare at their majestic height. Well, they'd also stare at their blue skin and gorgeous silver hair. "I like this. I'm going to address her in this way from now on."

"The young," Gerain said with a sigh. "Traditions are falling away much too quickly. We must treat our god with respect, daughter."

"Having a way to address her is showing her respect, don't you think?" Floosar shot a shy smile my way.

"I believe it does."

"Hmm." Gerain continued to frown. "I'll consider this. Until then . . ." She lifted a basket from the ground near her feet and placed it on the table. "We gathered four different herbs for you to try."

"I need to dry them first," I said, leaning close to examine them. Plucking a leaf off one of the stalks, I rubbed it between my fingers and sniffed the pungent aroma it released. "It smells wonderful. They're all edible?"

"Of course." At least Gerain didn't sound affronted. "We'd never bring you anything we couldn't consume. This one," she waved to the leaf I still held, "is a savory herb we use to flavor meat, but this one . . ." She pulled a stalk from the basket and held it out. "It has a sweeter flavor you might enjoy for a tea."

"What do you use it for otherwise?" I sniffed the stalk, taking in the minty scent. "It's lovely."

Gerain beamed. "We will only bring you the best. We use that one to add a subtle flavor to fruit for a dessert."

"I'll dry these and make tea soon. Would you like to be here to sample my first batches?"

"Yes, I believe that would be good." Gerain rose. "We have things to gather in the woods today. If we come across other herbs we feel would be suitable for a drink, we'll collect them. Please tell Xax we appreciate his meat offering. He's paid enough for at least three more herb gatherings, don't you think, Floosar?"

The younger female nodded. "Yes, three or even four."

"We must be frugal with the supply," Gerain said sternly, though her eyes twinkled when she turned them my way. "Nothing beats good meat. Wouldn't you agree?"

"You're right. I love good meat."

As the left, it was all I could do not to burst out in laughter.

The elder didn't return that day.

Xax and I spent the night together, and the next morning, I returned to my tea shop while he walked into the woods. He returned in the afternoon, his skin gleaming with sweat and a sparkle of excitement in his eyes.

"Could you come with me?" Xax asked.

"Sure. Where are we going?" Standing, I scooped Maverick up off the table where I'd placed him. He was munching on grass, something Alexa said he enjoyed, but he seemed happy to be perched on my shoulder once more.

"I have a surprise for you."

We left my shop and strode around to the back, entering the woods on the trail we'd taken a few days before with Gerain and Floosar. The path was wide enough for us to walk side-by side. Sunlight peeked through the purple canopy overhead, and it was warm enough here that I was thinking of asking Alexa to make me some tank top style sundresses. Crisp, clean air filled my lungs, and I couldn't imagine a better day than this one.

"Are we going to the pretty rock formation you made?" I asked, taking his hand.

"Not this time."

"After Gerain and Floosar left yesterday, it occurred to me that I should try again to talk them into taking me into the woods with them. I know you don't mind hunting for meat to trade for herbs, but I'd like to forage myself. It might be fun."

"Don't go into the woods alone."

"I'd take Maverick with me."

He smiled down at me, stroking the drettire's spine. " He would be useless in a fight, and you can't protect yourself. You're tiny and fragile."

"I'm stronger than you think. I'd be careful. I'd hear the triceratops coming long before they arrived and could hide. I could climb a tree or slide beneath one like you and I did the day we met."

He appeared skeptical.

"Teach me how to form a weapon," I said. "You've already seen I'm good at protecting myself."

"It would take time for you to learn how to use such a blade, but I plan to." His gaze scanned the area.

"I can understand why you're hesitant about this, but I don't want someone hovering over me all the time. I love that you're protective. My foster parents did what they could, but I learned long ago that I had to watch out for myself, that I couldn't rely on anyone to do this for me."

"I can't help it. I love you, and I want to make sure you're safe. Please let me do this for you."

His words made me feel melty inside, but I had to stand up for myself.

"I'm going with Gerain and Floosar soon to learn all I can from them, and then I'm going to take short trips into the woods alone."

His eyes widened, and his lips twitched—not with humor—and I could tell he was struggling not to forbid this. "Alright," he ground out.

"Thank you," I said. I didn't need to thank him for something he should give freely, but he was motivated by his caring for me. If our positions were reversed, I'd want to follow him around everywhere to make sure he was safe on Earth too. I was as unfamiliar with how to survive here as he would be on the streets of the city I'd grown up in.

Facing me fully, he took both my hands and squeezed them before kissing each of my knuckles. "This isn't easy for me."

"I can tell. I appreciate it, though. I promise I won't do anything foolish, and I won't take chances. I want to stay safe too."

"I'll take you into the woods daily and teach you what to watch out for, and . . ." He sucked in a breath and released it. "And I'll leave you alone each time and allow you to make your way back to where I'll be waiting in the village. I'll be terrified until I see you, but I'll wait as patiently as I can."

Probably not as patiently as I'd like, but I wasn't going to call him out on this. I appreciated that he was willing to listen to me and give this a chance.

I smiled up at him.

"Anyway, your surprise awaits," he said, taking one of my hands and urging me through the forest.

We walked about five minutes before light bloomed ahead through the vegetation.

Emerging from the woods, we walked out into a big open area.

He took me over to the edge of a fence. "I've been working on this for you."

"A corral?" There were no creatures inside the enclosure, but I could tell he'd worked hard on this, and he'd done an amazing job. I pushed on the railing, and it held solid. "What will you put here?" And why was this a surprise for me?

"I'm going to travel to the Indigan Clan and trade communication stones for a mated hepadon pair."

I fingered the stone I wore at all times. "What's a hepadon, and why do you want to trade some of your precious stones for a pair?"

"The Indigan Clan have tamed many hepadons. They use them for travel and ride on their backs."

If Zuldruxians rode hepadons, the creatures must be huge. "Are we going riding?" Where would we travel to?

"We might. I think you'd enjoy seeing the Veerenad city, and we could see much of the area around my clan, but the main reason for trading is to obtain a mated pair. They'll have young."

"Are you planning to start a herd?" I still couldn't see how this related to me.

"Slowly, perhaps. This is something I've long thought of doing. Hepadons are strong and fierce. They're protective and would sound the alert if predators come near. Being able to travel quickly through the forest would have value as well. Imagine the amount of meat I could bring to the village if I could place most of it on a hepadon's back."

"I can see they'll be an asset to our village."

He grinned. "I like that you said our village."

"I feel at home here, but it's not just because almost everyone has welcomed me. It's you, Xax. I'm happy here because I can be with you. "

Would the elder separate us? That was the only dark cloud looming in the distance. I wanted her to return, but not if she was going to say their gods thought I should mate with Tribon.

Xax tugged me into his arms. "Your home is in my heart."

I kissed his chest and soaked up his warmth and the wonder of being nestled in his arms.

"After a hepadon youngling is born, I'm going to try to milk the female."

Ohhhh. Leaning back in his embrace, I smiled so widely, my cheeks ached. "I can't believe you've gone to all this effort just to make sure I'll have milk for my tea shop."

"Anything you want. Anything you need, mate, I live to deliver."

"And that's why I love you, Xax." There, I'd said it. The feelings crept up on me when I wasn't looking but when they pounced, I rolled over and let them consume me.

"Mate," he said. He gently removed Maverick from my shoulder, placing him on the ground, then swept me up and kissed me.

I wanted to roll around in the grass, but he was right that we weren't safe doing something like that here. We couldn't afford to be distracted. He must've had the same thought, because he lowered me to my feet, his mouth still connected to mine.

When he lifted his head, he gave me a tusky grin. " Mate."

I nodded. "Mate."

"I love your surprise," I said as we walked back to the village, Maverick bobbing on my shoulder with his tail resting on the back of my neck. Xax held my hand, his spear in the other. "I understand why you're worried about me going into the woods alone." I looked up at him. "We were both abandoned. I used my sadness to make myself stronger, and I suspect you found it easier to cling."

"You're right," he said with a sigh. He squeezed my hand. "Knowing you love me gives me the strength to step away from what makes me comfortable."

"It won't be easy, but the more you do it, the easier it gets."

We left the forest and approached the village. A bunch of Zuldruxians had gathered near the firepit, so when we rounded my tea shop, we continued over to join them.

As we approached, some turned toward us.

They all appeared so solemn. What was going on?

They parted and a lean Zuldruxian female strode through them, aiming for us. Digaray halted close by, her head tilting. She took in our clasped hands, our fading smiles.

I didn't like how grim she appeared.