Mo’ata, keeping one eye on the piquet cubs, was the one to answer. “Levi has been in contact with his people, but it has been… difficult tracking—” He broke off and shot a look at Levi, brow raised. The dark man nodded, and Mo’ata continued. “It has been difficult tracking the crystal and Phillip and Etu. They have been very good at letting no word leak out. If it was just Phillip, I have no doubt we would have found him by now, but with Etu helping him…” Mo’ata trailed off.
Felix rapped his knuckles on the table. “There is trail. We follow.”
“Yes. A few days ago we heard of some suspicious deaths in the Filiri region, near Firik. We were on our way there when I got the message you had returned.” Mo’ata smiled at this last part before sobering once more as he continued. “It is not much, but the reported condition of the bodies is too similar to what Levi says is the result of a crystal draining someone. He has only seen it once, when one of his Elders was ready to pass, but from what he says, it is distinctive. I wish we had thought to question your friend better when she was here since she saw the others after they were killed.”
“I was hoping it would be over by now,” Blue admitted. She was still struggling with the idea that only a couple months had passed here on Karran, rather than the year she and Forrest had lived through back on Earth. She had expected to find Mo’ata, learn from him how Phillip had been caught—not that Phillip was still out there, still causing death, still dangerous.
“You? How here?” Felix broke into her thoughts. Looked like it was her turn.
“Forrest pretty much said it, though I would have used different words.” She twisted her head and shot him a squinty-eyed look, to which he stuck out his tongue like a five-year-old. She rolled her eyes and continued. “We got back to Earth and things pretty much went according to plan. We adjusted a little, but it worked. It… took some work, but we all were able to move on, mostly. Turns out, my mother totally knew all about Karran, she just hadn’t realized Austin was a portal location. She and my dad had kept their promise to the Ministry and avoided cities with the thin spaces, just in case. Anyway, it’s been a year for us. It was a shock when we got here and found out only a couple months had passed.”
Garfield finished his meal and batted aside the feeding bladder. She set it on the table and rubbed the cub’s belly. Soon little snores came from its small, pink mouth.
“A year?” Moa’ta asked. Then, “How are you here now? Why?”
She met his gaze. “We wanted to come back. To see what may be here for us.”
“Us?” A slight strain entered his tone, and his fists clenched.
“Yes, but—” Filiri. They’d said the Filiri region. Wasn’t that where the Piper Boy had said her dad was from? “We can help!” Blue knew they could. It was perfect. “The dean said that’s where my dad was from, the Filiri region. Forrest and I could help. We can say that we are searching for any family I may have left or history on them or something like that. It’s a great cover for us being there!”
Felix and Levi looked thoughtful, but Mo’ata scowled. “No.”
“What? Why not?”
“I will not have you in danger.” The serious, stubborn set of his face told Blue that he was going to be hard to budge on this.
“You didn’t mind using me last time.” Blue could be stubborn, too.
“That was different. It was unavoidable.”
“It isn’t different. If anything, this time it makes even more sense. Phillip is our responsibility too. He was our friend.” Despite everything she’d learned about him, he had been her friend. More importantly, he had been Forrest’s friend, practically family. She knew Forrest would need to see this settled as much as she did.
She looked to him for support, and he didn’t disappoint. “I’m with Blue on this one. We need to see it through to the end. I can’t… I can’t just abandon him. I still don’t really understand what happened, but if we can help stop this, we will. It sounds like Blue has a good idea.”
“There are issues. Even if I wanted her to come, which I don’t, the story wouldn’t hold up. It would explain you two, but not the rest of us.” Mo’ata crossed his arms.
Pushing aside the hurt of his rejection, Blue persisted. She’d be able to tackle the overly-protective thing with him later. “Why wouldn’t it work?”
The others had been silent through this, but now Felix spoke. “No one believe girl, boy, clansman, guild, and Prizzoli together. It not happen.”
“Why? In the capital, no one questioned it. Well, not that I know of.”
“No one questioned it because we did not make it obvious we were all working together. Clansmen were with you as those who had found you and needed to get you home. Levi was someone who had helped you when we became separated. Felix and his men, other than the occasional meeting, were not actually at the inn or seen with us. Even now in our searching, we do not allow others to make that connection between us.”
“Okay, but I still don’t understand why. Explain it to me.” She looked at each of them in turn, even Levi, who had yet to say anything. “I’m here to stay, no matter what happens. We are here to stay,” she gestured to Forrest. “I need to learn this world, all of them actually. I need to understand. Plus, I don’t know why it would be a problem that my friends, who I met when I came here accidentally, wouldn’t be able to help me out as I search for my family.”
MO’ATA
Mo’ata held his silence. He didn’t know what to say to make Blue understand. He had disappointed her somehow; it was there in her eyes when he’d said he didn’t want her to come with them. He hadn’t enjoyed hurting her, but he didn’t want her to come. He didn’t want her in any danger at all.
When he’d gotten the message that his mother needed to see him, he’d been impatient, frustrated. They’d finally gotten a lead on the crystal. He and Felix had put out feelers to all their guild and Order contacts. He’d even gotten a few tips from Trevon. They hadn’t panned out, but he knew the Family head was also working to clean up the rest of his mess.
He’d almost ignored the summons. Then Mo’ran had contacted him. After he’d recovered from the news of her encounter with the piquet and that they’d taken the cubs, he’d decided to detour to the camp.
He almost hadn’t come, afraid this exact thing would happen, but he hadn’t been able to hold himself back. He’d needed to see her with his own eyes, to know she was real. To find out why. They’d reached the camp, and he’d seen Forrest standing outside his mother’s tent. He looked older, taller and more filled out. The boy was turning into a man.
He’d rushed into the tent, and there she was, sitting at the low table with his mother. Her back had been to him. Her hair was longer, hitting her mid-back, but those blue streaks were still there. He still hadn’t quite believed. Then she’d turned.
It had been her. His Blue was here.
Now she wanted to put herself in danger. Again. He couldn’t allow it. He’d just gotten her back.
“It would attract too much attention, especially in the Filiri region. In the capital there are many travelers, many cultures mixing, and it is easy to blend in. In Filiri we would stand out badly. Additionally, there is some… prejudice against the clans.”
“Then what were you going to do?” Her brows were furrowed, he could see she still didn’t understand.
“We were going to go in separately,” he admitted.
A small smile formed on her lips. Forrest had been watching her as well, and his eyes narrowed. “What are you thinking?”
“I just had the best idea.” Blue’s smile widened into a grin, and she bounced a little in her seat.
Forrest stiffened, alerting Mo’ata that he should tread carefully. “What?”
“You could all be undercover as my potential prida!”
Mo’ata jumped from his seat. Around him other clansmen froze, not daring to move a muscle, wary gazes trained on him. Forrest groaned and dropped his head to the table, his shoulders shak
ing.
“This is not something to joke about.” Mo’ata’s voice was a low growl. He could not believe she would say such a thing. Did she know what she suggested?
Her eyes grew wide, a hint of disappointment and hurt creeping in. “Who said I was joking?”
Mo’ata stilled, his heart pounding. “Do you know what it even means?”
“Yes.” He waited for her to continue, needing more. “I know what it means. This isn’t how I had really planned to bring this up with you, but my mouth ran away with me again.”
This last part didn’t make sense to him, and the confusion threw him off. Then Forrest’s shaking grew, and the laughter leaked out. Blue turned to him, hitting his shoulder. “Hush.” Forrest nudged her gently with his shoulder, still laughing, and Blue huffed.
It was small, this interaction, but Mo’ata saw how close they’d grown. Part of him was jealous of the time Forrest had had with her, but a larger part was glad the other man had been there for her. Had a year really passed for them? He could believe it when studying their appearances, but it didn’t seem real to him.
Forrest got himself under control. “Tell him, Blue.” His voice took on a stern note.
Blue took a deep breath, and a rush of words flooded from her, just like they always had when she was nervous. It had been cute the first time it’d happened. It still was. “Forrest didn’t lie when he said I’ve been pining for you—I really have—and I wanted to see if we could make this work, but I didn’t know how you would still feel after a year, well, I thought it was a year. Anyway, I decided to come back. Even if you didn’t still feel the same, I could learn about portals and controlling my ability and explore the worlds and Forrest could learn more for his art, but I wanted to try—I did—only I hadn’t planned to bring it up like this.” Her shoulders slumped.
An emptiness in Mo’ata filled. She really wanted to be with him? “A prida with all of us.” It wasn’t a question, really, but he needed to hear it again.
BLUE
Blue was panicking. This had not been how she’d wanted to approach this. Forrest’s earlier laughter hadn’t helped, and now Mo’ata was looking at her like she was crazy. He was also still standing, towering over her, making her nerves run wild again.
“Sit, please. Crap, this really wasn’t how I wanted to bring this up.” She nudged Forrest again. “You are not helping.”
As Mo’ata took his seat, Levi spoke. Felix laughed that booming laugh of his, then said, “Levi not know English. He want know what is going on,” he got out between his chuckles.
Blue looked to where Levi sat, a small furrow between his brows and a frown on his lips. She really had made a mess of this.
“Can you guys give me a minute with Mo’ata, please?” She glanced around, seeing the gazes trained on their table like they were some sort of live-action soap opera. “Actually, maybe we could go somewhere with fewer… observers?”
Forrest was the first to rise. He took Garfield from her, holding him and Vivi in one arm while he pulled the mercenary and Levi to their feet with the other. “Come on, you guys. Blue needs to sort this out. Felix, stop laughing and tell Levi what’s going on.” He shot her a brief smile on his way out of the tent.
Forrest knew her better than anyone at this point, knew she needed this time to sort things out, and she was grateful for his quiet support. That last smile told her he would be there when she was done.
Mo’ata rounded the table and held his hand out to her, calm, steady. Gathering her courage, she took that hand and allowed him to pull her up.
“Where have you been sleeping?”
“With T’ram and her prida. Your mother put us there.”
“You and Forrest both, hmmm? And T’ram? Well, never let it be said my mother is subtle.”
Blue chuckled. “No, I wouldn’t say so. Sly, sometimes, but not subtle.” He led her out of the tent, but when they exited, he turned left, away from the pridas’ tents. “Where are we going?”
“I assume we need more privacy than we’ll get at T’ram’s. We’ll go to mine.” Her steps faltered, and he tightened his grip on her hand. “Hopefully it is still there. Though my mother has said nothing yet about disowning me, so we should be safe.”
“Are you still the War Chief? I don’t really even know what that entails if there is no war.”
He shrugged. “It is more of an honorary title. But I am in charge of defense and protection of the clan. Mo’ran is my second, my lieutenant, and he has done the job well in my absence.”
Curiosity got the better of her. “What is the deal with him and T’ram? All I’ve been able to gather is vague comments and hints.” A gust of wind set strands of glass tinkling and ribbons streaming. She brushed loose strands of hair from her face. When he didn’t answer, she looked up.
He looked straight ahead. “It is not my story to tell.”
“Yeah, those are the answers I’ve been getting.” She licked her lips. “I guess I just want to know what went wrong.”
They stopped before a tent slightly larger than the others, and Mo’ata pushed aside the entrance flap. A high table sat in the middle of the main chamber, chairs arranged around it. To the right was a sleeping area, a cloth partition only partially closed.
Mo’ata hesitated, then led her to the cot. They settled next to each other, and her stomach jumped. Like a pole vaulter. He was close enough that if she shifted her leg a little, she would be touching him. Her head came up to his shoulder, and heat radiated from him. She breathed in pine and herbs, and something lower than her stomach tightened. Desire. She wanted this man, wanted to be close to him. “You know how I feel about you,” she said. It wasn’t a question.
“I know what you told me before you left. That was a year ago for you.” His voice rumbled through her, and her blood raced.
“Yes.” Blue shifted until she was touching him, and she relaxed. “I still feel the same. It’s been eating at me this whole time. I missed you. I missed you, and I missed this.” Blue gestured to the camp and beyond. “Did you know your mom talked to me that last time I was here?”
He stiffened, and she could have sworn she heard him growl. “My mother meddles.”
“Well, yes, but we’ve already established that. However, what she told me was very enlightening. Want to know what it was?”
“I can guess.” There was still a growl in his words. It was kind of adorable.
“She told me a little about your pridas. It was a thought that stuck with me. Even after I left. I couldn’t stop thinking of you. But I also have feelings for Forrest. And maybe…” Her courage deserted her at this next part.
“And maybe others. You never told me what happened between you and Trevon Zeynar.”
Blue stilled next to him, her heart pounding. “I…”
“I know something happened.” His voice was gentle, just a hint of rumble remaining.
“He kissed me.” Her voice was small, quiet, and she looked away.
Mo’ata shifted, pulling her from his side and into his lap. His warmth and the pine-and-herb scent of him surrounded her. She could feel the strong muscles of his thighs shifting under her as he pulled her closer to his chest, one arm around her waist, holding her close, unmoving. His other hand dove into her hair, cradling her head, his fingers flexing rhythmically. She saw his eyes briefly, their expression fierce and determined, before his lips descended on hers.
This wasn’t like the kiss Trevon had given her. That had been brief, over too quickly for her to even react. It was definitely nothing like the brief pecks she’d shared with other boys after school dances. This was heat and joy, like coming home. It was something she’d been needing for too long. Her mouth opened, welcoming him in.
Her hands came up to his chest, moving over the muscles there before sliding to his shoulders, trying to pull him closer. He complied, picking her up and shifting just enough that she was now straddling him, and her legs tightened on his sides, her hands diving into his hair to hold
him closer.
Finally, when she needed to breathe more than she needed to keep kissing him, Blue tore her mouth away, taking in a lungful of air. “Well, that broke the ice,” she said when she had the breath to speak.
Mo’ata’s chuckle vibrated through her. “That it did. I accept, little shopa.”
“Wait, what?”
“Your proposal. I have decided. I accept. It would be my honor to be your First Priden. I believe I know who will be your second, and the rest we will sort out. We have time now, do we not?”
Her thoughts were admittedly scattered after that kiss, but was he saying she had proposed? She hadn’t, not really. Well, she hadn’t meant to. This was moving faster than she’d anticipated. She pushed off of his chest and angled back, studying him.
“I… think that’s a little fast,” she said, her voice cautious. She shifted to the side, trying to get off his lap, but he moved at the same time and she half-slid, half-fell to the cot where she had been sitting, one leg still caught over his. Blood rushed to her face, and she concentrated on untangling herself.
“Blue.” Mo’ata reached for her, his voice now cautious as well.
“I really don’t know what to say.” Blue decided the truth was best. “I came back because I wanted to see what there could be between us, but I’m not ready for… I mean, I’ve kissed a couple other boys, but nothing like that. I have no idea where that came from. I haven’t even kissed Forrest yet. It’s just…”
“Too soon,” he finished for her, his hand caressing her shoulder before moving to playing with her hair.
“Too soon,” she agreed. “I want this, I do, but can we just date for a little bit? Get to know each other better? Everything that happened was such a whirlwind.”
“Date?”
He didn’t know what dating was? How was it possible that word hadn’t made it into his vocabulary? Blue peeked at him. His lips were held in a serious line, but his eyes crinkled slightly at the corners.
Beyond Blue Frontiers (The Adventures of Blue Faust Book 3) Page 6