“A fighting tater,” I explain. “Like T’rand and V’dis.”
Her shoulders shake and I do not understand why her face gets red.
ChapterTwenty-One
I’REC
A’tar looks shocked at the sight of all the pods and the strange people clustered near the fire. I can imagine the newcomers feel the same, as they stare at the naked golden male with equal astonishment. I am used to him shifting forms, though. It no longer startles me like it once did.
I do get annoyed when F’lor hugs A’tar and exclaims over him. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she gushes. “We can absolutely use more hands to help out. Me and I’rec are absolutely swamped.”
“I can see that.” He rubs his chin, a dappled hint of scales on his skin. I compare him to the scaly newcomer, but they are very different. The other male’s scales are raised along his arms and back, and he has a long, scaly tail. A’tar has no tail, and he is not the green of the other male. He is golden all over, and I have seen him breathe fire. I do not think the newcomer can, or else he would not have been shoving his way so close to the fire pit last night, his hands outstretched.
“O’jek and Daisy are meeting us back here in the next day or so,” F’lor continues. “But until then, we need to start getting these people khuis, and we need shelters and supplies. Clothing, shoes…” She snaps her fingers. “And we need to make sure there are no stragglers hiding out in the snow somewhere. We have more pods than people. I’m almost positive someone has wandered off.”
“These are all indeed problems,” A’tar says, but then shakes his head, his golden mane drifting in the breeze. “But they are not problems I can help with. I cannot stay. I came to ask if you had seen R’jaal and Tia. They have gone missing.”
F’lor gives me an uneasy look, her expression falling. “Gone…missing?”
A’tar nods, hands on his hips as he surveys our newcomers. “Indeed. We were at the fruit cave…or should we call it the leaf cave, since there is no longer any fruit. Anyhow, we were there and when we awoke the next morning, both Tia and R’jaal were gone.”
“Tia?” F’lor exclaims. “I thought women weren’t supposed to go?”
A’tar nods. “She snuck away and joined us. R’jaal allowed it. I think she cried a lot.” He does not look in my direction, but I know why she cried. “It was a mistake. We thought it would be harmless after all since the cave was empty.”
F’lor cocks her head. “Wait, I thought the fruit cave was full of bats?”
“Bats?” A’tar looks confused. He glances over at me, and I shrug. “No, no bats. Just leaves and nothing else. No Tia or R’jaal, either. I have searched high and low for them. I even circled the valley from above, but there is no sign of either of them. Perhaps they did not wish to be found. Still, I feel they would have told us something if they wished to sneak off together. That is the part that concerns me.”
“Do you think it was resonance?” I ask. I know the moment F’lor and I resonated, we immediately went to the closest cave and attacked one another with enthusiasm. Perhaps T’ia is doing the same to R’jaal. The thought does not upset me. Instead, it fills me with relief. If T’ia is happy with a mate, then I no longer have to worry that F’lor will think I want the other female.
A’tar shrugs. “If it was, why would they not say anything to us? We were sleeping nearby. It would have been a small thing to alert us that they were leaving. But they left all their gear behind and said nothing, and this concerns me.” He gestures. “So I am out here searching, and instead I find you with twenty newcomers. Are they Daisy’s friends?”
“Fifteen,” F’lor corrects, a thoughtful look on her face. “And no, I don’t think so. Niri dropped them off. They’re all apparently illegal clones.”
“Ooof, that’s rough,” A’tar says with a shake of his head. “I’m guessing they hid them here so they won’t be euthanized?” When F’lor nods, he brightens. “Well, I am positive they will be welcome here. There’s always a friendly helping hand to be found.” He pauses. “Has anyone told the Croatoan chief?”
I grimace, imagining V’tal and his reaction. He will not be happy. He likes things neat and tidy and every new person on the planet fills him with stress. He will not take this well at all. “He will learn soon enough. Our priority is getting these people a khui and bringing them back to the beach.”
“No, that’smypriority,” F’lor says, glancing over at me. “You should probably go help look for Tia.”
I frown at her, confused as to why she thinks I would abandon her when she is in need. “Why would I go look for T’ia?”
“Because you love her? And because she might need you? If she’s in danger?” F’lor gives me a determined stare. “You should go. I’ll handle things here.”
I run a hand down my face. Again with this? A’tar pretends to examine his claws, avoiding looking in our direction.
Marching over to my mate’s side, I put a hand on F’lor’s arm. Part of me wants to grab her and shake her until she talks sense. Instead, I lean in and wait.
She blinks up at me, confused. “What are you doing?”
“Waiting for you to kiss me.”
“Why?”
“Because it will remind you that you are my mate, and you are my priority. That you are mine and I am yours,” I continue, my voice even and calm. “And that if you think I am going to leave you alone with a bunch of males and females who are worse at survival than D’see and expect you to take care of them, you are very, very wrong.”
F’lor glares up at me. “Because,” she hisses. “You love T’ia—”