Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 91775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“And then we have to eat it because Daisy cries otherwise,” Aayla whispers to me. “Because she tries real hard.”
Eek. I pat Aayla’s small arm and look over at her sister. “I bet Daisy can do an amazing job with these fish. Raashel, you know exactly how they should be cooked, right? Maybe you should go tell her to ensure she does it right.”
Am I foisting Raashel off on an unsuspecting Daisy? Absolutely. But I’ve had enough of both fishing and the kids today. My breast has started humming louder and louder as the hours have gone by, and I’m starting to think wildly lascivious thoughts about Rem’eb.
Being alone with Rem’eb.
Licking the sea salt off his skin. Coaxing the umbrella-like frill out—
“Oh, fine. If I must,” Raashel declares dramatically and tosses her hair. “Give me the fish.”
Rem’eb’s mouth quirks with amusement, and he silently hands his catch over to the girl, even as he glances over at me for approval. I nod, because I remember him saying his people had a communal food pot, too. Plus, we still have our clams and mussels from earlier, and I know the perfect spice that goes with them. Fish, I can get back in Croatoan, but the mussels are a treat I intend on gorging myself on while I’m here—
And…wait.
Because I’m not going back to Croatoan, am I? This is supposed to be my home. Where I’m supposed to belong. So why does it still feel as if I’m just visiting? When does this feel like home?
Or am I doomed to always feel in between places and at home nowhere?
Chapter
Twenty-Five
REM’EB
Tia is quiet as we return to her hut. My thoughts are strangely content despite all the strangeness of the day.
It has been a good day. I got to fish in the strange, roiling waters and provide for these people. I got to meet several of the children who live here—males and females together. The children escort me to the main cookfire, where more people greet us and take our catches. I watch everyone. There is no wall separating their peoples. Strange-looking sorts of all kinds— from green males to brown females and ones with orange manes and strange speckles on their skin. The young and the old all gather together. Other than some good-natured arguing, they get along. Everyone does their share.
The women mingle amongst the men as easily as they breathe. They pass kisses to mates, chat with each other, and offer me cheerful greetings when I pass by. The children of the tribe—as varied in appearance as their parents—race happily along the beach, and I cannot help but compare to the echoing quiet of my own people’s existence.
It makes my people’s existence feel more and more fractured. It also makes me even more determined that I must be the one to change it.
“I like this place,” I admit to Tia when we are back in her hut. “Everyone is kind and welcoming. I do not care for the weather, but I can see why your people seem so happy.”
She nods, setting a tripod with a leather pouch over the firepit. She has brought a coal back from the main fire, and uses it to refresh hers. When the fire is blazing, she sets rocks down into the coals and adds the clahms to the heating water. Her movements are industrious and busy, but the sparkle is not in her eyes. Something troubles her.
I can guess what that something is.
“You are quiet,” I point out. “Will you tell me what makes you so withdrawn?”
She gives me a frustrated look, gesturing at her mouth and then the two of us. She cannot tell me what bothers her. We do not have the shared words.
I reach for her hand. “It was foolish of me to ask. My apologies.”
Tia shakes her head and lets me pull her over to my side. I tuck her against me, stroking her back. Holding her close, breathing in her scent, my khui song sings loudly, making my cock stiffen in response. I ignore it as best I can, but it is difficult, especially when Tia is here in my arms, her khui singing to mine. I wish I could tell her how much I both love and hate this moment. That I love being here with her, and I am full of dread knowing that I will not have these moments for much longer.
“I hate that we do not have words,” I admit.
She makes a noise of assent, turning her face in against my neck.
“Should I get Noj’me? I would truly like to know why you are sad. I can see it on your face. I do not need shared words to understand it.”
“No.” Tia’s voice is soft, and she says one of the few words I understand well.
“Then share with me what you can. Please.”