Authors: Marla Therron
The planet had a series of glowing rings like Saturn, the gradations of blue crossing the horizon like a far-too-large rainbow that dominated the nighttime sky. Beyond those glowing, heavenly bands of celestial light were unfamiliar constellations.
It would have been one of the most gorgeous moments of Rae’s life if the frigid wind and cold rock weren’t stealing all her body heat, leaving her weak and miserable. The chattering of her teeth filled the air.
As the temperature dropped, Rae wished she could swallow her pride, stand from the pebbled stone, and bed down in Garr’s arms if only just to curl her frozen fingertips and feet into his warmth. She recalled how his hot body felt pressed into her.
But he would take it as a sign she had acquiesced to him. He’d use it against her, or as evidence that someday she might somehow be “his.” And truth told, she didn’t entirely trust the small betrayals of her body in his presence.
Rae drifted into a shallow, restless slumber and was startled awake by his presence. The fear gripped her first—but he was merely curled around her, arms holding her, warm body radiating pleasantly into her. He was asleep, too, and therefore as harmless as he could be.
His otoya was snugged around her like a blanket, and she startled when she realized how naked she was. Somehow, he’d peeled off most of her wet clothes without waking her, having undressed her down to her panties and bra—a thing that should have set off a wave of panic and fury.
But the comfort and her own sleepiness overwhelmed her.
Instead, she felt a weird relief that she could sleep nestled against him and then take the energy gathered from a restful night’s sleep and channel it into fresh outrage come morning.
Chapter Eight
Near dawn, Rae slithered from Garr’s hold and dressed. Her clothes had dried, but she had to put on air-dried socks. It didn’t take long for her to get used to the stiff crustiness that always afflicted them, but there was still nothing worse than pulling on an air-dried sock in the morning. Very few days could move uphill from that state of affairs.
Breakfast was a few scant bites of fruit and a semi-sweet green tuber that might have been good on a salad. Rae, however, would have probably murdered a man for hot, black coffee and a Danish.
Shortly into their march, they arrived at the border between Lyr and Kaython, which was divided by a crag wall that bristled with razor vines. They took an underground passage between them, lit by bioluminescent fungus.
Every step of the way, Rae could feel her home getting farther away from her. Strange how something on the other side of the galaxy could feel so much more distant from just walking two hundred feet.
In Kaython’s territory, Vaya and Garr visibly relaxed, and a curious sense of safety also overcame Rae. Were Kaython’s microbes communicating a feeling of protection? The sensation was akin to finally sealing herself into her apartment after an arduous trip—yet the open, grassy terrain was utterly unfamiliar to Rae. How could she possibly feel like she was “coming home” to a place she’d never been before?
While Vaya explained most of Kaython was also forested, this particular region was a meadowland filled with long grass that tickled Rae’s legs and bare ankles. Bright flowers brushed pollen on her skin and shimmering-winged insects danced between the flowers.
It took another day of travel and they ate at a brook full of submerged mollusks the size of her fist. Baked over a heated squama plate, they tasted like clams—and though Rae hated clams, she was so hungry that she didn’t mind the rubbery consistency.
Their unobstructed view of Ythir’s skies during the day proved that those rings never quite disappeared. She surmised based on their angle relative to the rings and the temperate atmosphere that they were midway between the planet’s equator and one of its poles.
The yellow sun never moved behind the rings, and Rae—creating a model of orbits in her head—concluded it was summer or spring. Near dusk, when the sun tilted toward the far horizon, it caught the ring in a way that made it shimmer like blue steel.
Their journey led to a valley with a mighty river cleaving through it. A forest bordered the valley’s far side, and a waterfall fed the river. It broke apart into three streams at the height of the rocky bluffs, each stream dropping two hundred feet and the water turned soft and misty as it struck the basin.
At the river’s first major bend, there grew a tree thicker than two cars parked end-to-end, crowning branches forming cradles at every elevation.
Structures were built into the enormous tree and, as they neared, she realized the whole tree was likewise sheathed in a cylinder of glass like a greenhouse. The entire tree was indoors, and there were floors built up its trunk like the levels of a lighthouse.
“Is this the tree house you mentioned?” she asked Garr. He still scared the hell out of her, but his relative silence on the trip had allowed her time to adjust to his simple presence.
“It’s the nearest lodge to Lyr’s borders. Also: a common destination for recently mated pairs spending their first lunar cycle together.”
Rae scowled. “We are not on our honeymoon.”
“If it comforts you, we won’t be alone. Sylla, my maidservant, wasn’t qualified to traverse Lyr. She’s staying inside.” He gestured to the tree house. “There’s also food, a warm bed, and a shower.”
She wanted to fight him on it, but Rae’s feet were sore—ravaged from hiking two days, much of it with wet shoes. She didn’t even want to know what was beneath her disgusting socks. “How many beds?” she asked, suspicious.
Garr didn’t answer, but led them across the meadow toward the tree, which loomed ever larger. Stairs connected the many individual floors that ringed the tree.
Each floor was partitioned into rooms—though nearly all stretched back to the tree’s trunk, so that in any room of the house there were massive windows making up the circular outer wall.
There was a circular door at ground level and, inside, a foyer with chairs and tables made from wood, carved marble, and soft padding.
Easing off her feet, Rae let out a groan of satisfaction. The burning of blisters and sores eased off, and she suddenly doubted her ability to stand again.
Vaya never sat. She assured Garr she’d march through the night and get the sample directly to Kaython’s Mouth. Before departing, she winked at Rae. “Enjoy the amenities. When I’m back, maybe you’ll be in a more pleasant mood.”
Rae glared at Vaya’s retreating back, realizing she had been left alone.
With Garr.
Her mind flashed with the image of him ripping the squid monster in half and Rae sank deeper into her chair, staring, pulse suddenly quickened.
The prime watched from his throne of stone and velvet, relaxed. His powerful shoulders and casual pose worked together to give Rae the impression of a lazing tiger.
He considered her as though she were a morsel and he didn’t know if he had the energy to stalk over and devour her.
Rae worked her dry mouth. Her skin prickled all over and she reflexively drew her heels up beneath her, hugging her knees.
He’s never hurt you before,
she insisted.
He’s safe.
Examining the room to avoid his predatory gaze, Rae thought it had some charm. The furnishings were wood, but not made from boards—many tables, mantles, and shelves appeared to have grown from the tree itself.
The interior doors were round like hobbit doors, but with rustic metal latches instead of the traditional central doorknob.
One of those doors creaked open and a slender, raven-haired creature with glittering, solid amber eyes toed cautiously into the room. Her insubstantial demeanor and the fact she’d come from the old wooden door made her appear as though she were a dryad who lived inside the tree.
“Prime Garr.” She bowed until her glossy hair fell over her face and pooled on the floor. Then a second bow, just as deep, to Rae. “And his taliyar.”
“Dr. Rae Ashburn, meet one of my homestead’s maidservants, Sylla.” Garr made the introductions without quite peeling his eyes off Rae.
The girl stooped a third time. “I am at your service.” It seemed servile and overdone. Rae wondered if she would have to behave like this in Ythirian society. God, she hoped not.
Garr showed neither approval nor disapproval. He gestured at Sylla with one hand. “Stand. You may leave us. Tomorrow, see to my mate’s needs.”
Again with the bowing. Vaya had never displayed this level of deference, and from the slight annoyance that graced Garr’s face, she realized Sylla might be overdoing it a little.
“You’re certain you don’t require me for any purpose?” Sylla asked in a breathless way that kind of bothered Rae.
“I do not. Good night, Sylla.”
She faded through the door, disappearing from sight without having made a sound beyond the words she’d spoken. Rae stared after her, trying to assess why the girl’s behavior had irritated her so deeply.
I’ve met two Ythirian females,
she realized.
If they turn out to be more like Sylla than Vaya, I’ll wind up a very bored prisoner.
The realization left Rae cold on the inside. She hugged her knees tighter and shivered. In the comfort of the tree house, far from Lyr and her portals, Rae now knew she would never go home again.
The terrible sense of loneliness worked through her, leaving a yawning emptiness inside her that was colder than the twilight dark outside the tree house.
“Are you feeling ill?” Garr asked.
“No.” Rae settled her jaw onto her knee and suddenly realized how little any of this mattered. Her fate was finally sealed. “I miss home.” A tear burned from the corner of her eye and she swiped it away, embarrassed for crying in front of Garr.
***
Her voice was distant and sad. Garr realized she’d abandoned her plans to escape, and finally accepted her place on Ythir. He should have been thrilled.
Instead, witnessing how complete her misery was, his heart ached. Her once vibrant, strong voice was small now, a spark snuffed out, and for the first time he doubted his plans.
How do I keep her without destroying her?
He’d stumbled into a paradox like one from the Old Songs.
He opened his mouth to say something comforting, and then shut it. What was there to say? He wanted her here.
Garr brooded on his conquest, his chin resting on a fist. The idea that came to him prickled him with fear.
No, I shouldn’t. What if I lost her?
But then again, he was prime, and he refused to rule from a place of fear.
He would meet this challenge and exceed it, as he always had. If he failed, it would mean the ruination of his lineage. But then, he’d risked that before.
***
“I have a proposal.” Garr watched her from his seat.
Rae pushed her palms into her eye sockets, willing herself not to cry. She nodded, knowing her voice would betray her. Somehow, trying to talk when she needed to cry—and hearing the pinch in her own throat—always broke the dam wide open.
She tried for levity, hoping it would keep that from happening. “Fire away, big guy. Consider me a captive audience.” It didn’t entirely work, and her shoulders quaked.
“Humans have elaborate courtship rituals. What are they called? ‘Dates’?”
She nodded, a hand still over her eyes. Where was he going with this?
“In these dates, the female may turn down the male without finding a defender to fight him.”
“We’re big on the not-fighting part. Only females at places called ‘fraternity parties’ or ‘Boston sporting events’ require fighting before they’ll mate.” A little better. She had control of her voice again.
“Tell me about dates.”
Rae shrugged helplessly. “It’s just dinner and a show. Feeling each other out. Minimal kidnapping. Look, it won’t work. You can’t drag me away from everything I know and then ask to take me out.” She lowered her hand, though only to glare at him.
He settled into that tall marble chair. “Date me for one week. If you don’t wish to be my mate when it’s done, I will take you home.”
Rae stared at him. The floor seemed to have dropped out from under her. She scrabbled for a thought, her heart hammering in her chest. Leaning forward, searching him for the lie, she asked, “Seriously?”
“One week,” he said resolutely.
That stalled her. She took the moment to look at Garr. To really look at him, and to wonder what he’d planned.
In a week, there was no way he could change her mind. He should have known as much. “You’re lying.” He had to be.
“I am prime. I do
not
lie. Especially to my mate.”
That was why he’d offered the deal. It was his arrogance! He thought she’d fall for him if he just loosened his grip a little. Rae narrowed her eyes. “One week and then I go home.”
“If you choose to.”
“What do I have to do for the week?” she asked, stomach turning when she realized he might not apprehend that dates weren’t necessarily going to end in sex.
“Dinner. And a show.”
No, she did not like his smile one bit. It sent goose bumps all over her body.
Garr stood abruptly and prowled toward her. She squirmed back into her seat, suddenly unsure, but he scooped her from the chair into his arms.
Her hands gripped the first thing she could to balance herself—steeling one against his shoulder, the other his ridiculously thick forearm. The ease with which he carried through a threshold and up the stairs made her flush. “Where are we going?”
“To bed. You’re exhausted.”
“I’m
not
sleeping with you.”
He didn’t answer, and she scowled, deciding his attempt to woo her was off to a sore start.
The bedroom was nice, though. The glass encasement of its walls hid none of the natural beauty of the tree. The trunk itself made up one wall, the bark composed of dark, sleek squama.
One branch formed a beam that supported the ceiling. The bed was at the room’s center, circular, and massive enough that she could sleep without ever touching Garr.
There were two adjoined chambers: the shower and a separate bathroom. While the bathroom’s walls were opaque, the shower… well, that was entirely translucent.
“Not much privacy,” she worried.
“As I said, it’s a common destination for mated Kaythonians.”
He laid her on the bed, the blankets and sheets made from otoya. It reacted to her nestling into the fabric by swelling into a pillow beneath her head and softening at the touch of her skin. Garr, kneeling into the mattress beneath her, lifted one of her feet and untied her laces.