“I don’t recall the specifics, but I believe they isolated traits from other creatures living in similar environments on our old planet. My people became better suited for hot, dry climates, while others were altered so they could live in cliffsides or on islands far out to sea. Although the scientists of that time made miraculous progress, they also caused the extinction of many native species on Clecania in the scramble for advancement. Genetic engineering was outlawed before we ever left our old planet. Many believe the experimentation done long ago is in part a cause of our infertility, so maybe you’re right about ‘screwing with Mother Nature.’”
“So you and that winged guy from the underground bunker are really the same species?”
“Me, that winged guy, and you are all the same species.”
Lily pondered this for a long while, her dark brown brows knit in concentration.
As they walked and she asked more questions, he only continued to feel inept.
“Who makes the laws? How many planets are in the Alliance? How many representatives from each species are there? What constitutes each Class?”
As a person who’d never been very interested in politics, he answered as best he could.
Despite himself, Verakko found he enjoyed watching her mind work. She nibbled her bottom lip and furrowed her brows in such an intriguing way. When her features were clear of suspicion or annoyance, he was able to witness her intelligent eyes dart as she worked through the information she was receiving. He recounted the battle at the cabin and their plan to release the trapped humans, casually playing up his role in the rescue in an attempt to win her approval and rebuild his ego. After he’d finished, she remained silent, and a twinge of annoyance ran through him.
“What happened to that crazy guy who carried Alice off? He was obviously unwell, judging by his black eyes.”
“Black…?” Verakko suddenly recalled his lie and realized what Lily must’ve seen. Luka’s eyes black from recognizing Alice. “Yes, he was quite unwell when we found him.”
Not a lie. He’d been unwell at the time, after all, Verakko argued with himself, feeling a twinge of guilt.
“Was he punished for doing that?”
“More like rewarded. They’re now mated.” Verakko chuckled and leapt over a large boulder, landing gracefully at her side. She failed to appear impressed.
She lifted a brow in confusion. “You mean, like, married?”
They’d come to a rocky area of the river, and she kept her head down and concentrated on traversing the slippery boulders. Though impressed by her sure, calculated steps, he still had to fight the urge not to offer her an arm. He hadn’t known her long, but he felt certain she wouldn’t appreciate the gesture.
“Married for life, I suppose,” he hedged, careful not to go into too much detail on the mating bond.
She appeared satisfied with his answer, and he recalled that humans thought of marriage differently than Clecanians, yet he couldn’t remember exactly why. He’d been focused on working through a way to free Insurgent prisoners for the last few months and hadn’t felt it necessary to waste his time researching human customs that didn’t relate to his work. As he watched Lily skip from one rock to the next, a small smile tugging at her mouth, he suddenly wished he had.
“I guess he wasn’t going to eat her, then.” She laughed.
The sound sent a pleasant surge of electricity through his shoulder blades, but then Verakko halted in his tracks and cocked his head. “Eat her?”
Lily slid over a large boulder and began walking along a smooth, moss-lined path. He rushed to catch up with her. “Yeah, some of us guessed that maybe that’s why you guys took us. As a delicacy or something.” She glanced at his mouth sidelong.
Was that why she’d been studying his fangs last night?
He scowled. “We aren’t barbarians. We don’t eat sentient beings.”
“Oh. My apologies. Your kind is okay with stealing defenseless humans and locking them up for God knows what, but they draw the line at eating sentient beings.” She turned to look at him and pulled a long, rounded object, the same length as her forearm, from her bag.
Verakko balled his fists. “Those aren’t my kind. Those were a group of traitors who broke the law.”
Lily pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. She pulled at a round stopper in the top of the object, and he realized she’d somehow crafted a traveling water container. He was torn between praising her ingenuity and throttling her for continued suspicion. How did she know so much about surviving in a place like this? Even if she’d been an expert back home, was Clecania really so similar that her skills translated to this environment? Or was she so resourceful that she’d adapted?
She took a long draw, then handed the makeshift canteen to him. “Water?”
He glared. Had she not been listening to a word he’d said about his role in the rescue mission? “You have to acknowledge that I’m not the same as the cretin who took you.”
When he still made no move to take the proffered water, she released an exhale and returned the canteen to her bag. “I don’t have to acknowledge anything. You’re not human, and I’m just getting to know you. For all I know, you could be lying about everything. I’m not saying you are, but I’m not going to blindly believe a man I’ve known for all of a day. So far, you’ve tossed me around, forced me to fight you off, insulted me, excreted some kind of hypnotizing spell, and tried to use crazy mind powers on me. I trust you enough not to eat me, at least. Does that make you feel better?”
She turned away, and Verakko felt as if his whole body was flushing indigo.
For the
