For the first time in revolutions, Borth was of the same mind as his uthak brother.
Chapter 18
“Are you sure that this is the place you want to meet? A teahouse?” Talimia said as they walked through the dusty streets toward the one familiar sight that was actually welcoming in Crystal’s memory.
“Yes, this is exactly the place,” Crystal confirmed with a thin smile. “It’s a safe place to hold a meeting, which is why I chose it. I commed the proprietress, Nikana, on our way over. She’s expecting us.”
The teahouse was quiet, the afternoon light spilling through the curtained windows near the front. Wisps of perfumed smoke rolled through the air as cups clinked softly. There weren’t many patrons at that hour, the few who were present scattered throughout the dim interior, sipping silently at their cups or engaged in quiet conversations. No one paid attention to the entrance of a human and Wanit, and that was exactly how Crystal wanted it.
At the far end of the room, Nikana glanced up and met her eyes. The Morith nodded in greeting and swept out from behind a long counter painted a deep ruby hue. Her robes, belted to her body with a wide, ornately beaded belt, fluttered loosely around her ankles as she walked over. At her approach, her arms opened to loosely embrace Crystal, the Morith’s warm hands clasping around her shoulders before releasing her. A light musky scent lingered after the female pulled away.
Although Crystal stiffened habitually out of surprise in response to the greeting, she smiled. While it wasn’t normal among many human cultures to be so familiar with virtual strangers, she found the Morith female’s natural friendliness to be as oddly charming as she remembered.
“Crystal, good to see you again. I am sad to hear that you are leaving our planet, but I am glad you chose my establishment for your meeting so that you might say a proper goodbye before you leave.”
“Of course. I couldn’t think of any place more suitable, and I wouldn’t have dreamed of leaving without saying goodbye first. You were very kind to me when I arrived.”
Nikana sighed with a sorrow that seemed a little exaggerated, but the regret in her eyes was genuine as she regarded Crystal sadly. “It is not often we receive females here. I was so certain that everything was going to work between you and that handsome Teril. Perhaps it might have encouraged more mate contracts. This place needs more females—more families.” Straightening, she gave Crystal an understanding smile. “But these things happen. Come with me. I have the perfect table for you. When are you expecting to meet with your…ah, client?”
Crystal glanced at the empty corner that Nikana led them to and shrugged. “I’m not sure. He didn’t give me a definite time for arrival. I may be waiting for some time, I’m afraid. I hope that won’t be too inconvenient.”
The Morith made a small rolling sound in her throat. “Not at all. The midweek is always slow. Take as much time as you need. I shall bring intimbar, and you tell me whatever else you might need.”
“I don’t have much in the way of credits,” Crystal protested.
“Your bill is covered by the house today,” Nikana insisted gently. “Just be sure to tell your lovely human friends about our planet. It is sometimes rowdy in the ports, and perhaps not much to do for some, but there is a good life to be had here.”
Crystal smiled and nodded. She didn’t have much in the way of friends anymore… well, none really, aside from Talimia, since she’d severed all contact with people she knew on Earth, but she agreed with Nikana’s appraisal of Antari Minor. Although it lacked the cosmopolitan excitement of other worlds, she was happier there than she’d been anywhere else for a long time.
“I’ll be sure to mention that it was a very good home while it lasted,” she replied, doing her best to keep her heartache from her voice.
Nikana patted her arm and hurried away to attend to another patron flagging her down at another table with enthusiasm and maternal affection. Crystal chuckled under her breath. Obviously the Morith was very free with her affections as she elegantly sailed around the room.
Sitting on the nearest pillow, Crystal turned just enough so that she had a view of the door. Although she was confident that her contact was who he said he was, she wasn’t going to immediately trust the word of a stranger, sight unseen. Nikana stopped minutes later with a tray and set two cups of intimbar on the table in front of them. Crystal nodded her appreciation, earning her a smile from the Morith before she was hurrying off again. Sighing, Crystal leaned back in her seat and sipped at her drink.
This was likely going to be a long wait.
At her side, Talimia glanced down at her comm and frowned.
“Something wrong?”
The Wanit shook her head, her lips pressing into a hard line. “Not wrong, but Nargis is fussing about having to evade your males. Apparently, they have deduced where you went and have arrived at our property.”
Crystal’s eyebrows rose. “Males? As in both of them?”
Wasn’t Borth just bellowing at her only the evening before? Although she suspected that Grish might try to come after her to make sure she was okay, she hadn’t anticipated Borth searching for her. The reverse hunt idea that Talimia had jumped onto was something that she’d gone along without commentary, but she had never expected it.
Talimia snickered and closed her comm. “Apparently so. Nargis is currently hiding. He says that Terils are notoriously difficult to keep secrets from so he figures that hiding is the better strategy, but he is warning us that our location may not be unknown for long and advises to conclude whatever business you have arranged as soon as possible if you do not want them to catch you too soon.”
Crystal rubbed her temples. This wasn’t what she had planned. She was trying to evade the Calystii and keep the Ugaar brothers safe. How the fuck was it helping them if they were intentionally trying to track her down? Moreover, did she even want to be found? The way her stupid heart soared at the announcement and the little thrill that currently ran through her would suggest yes, but her brain—the sensible one—was hitting the brakes hard.
She had an opportunity to do something that mattered with her life… Was she going to set that aside to go back to the farm with Borth and Grish after her heart had been trampled all over?
It wasn’t that she didn’t understand how it might have looked if the situation were reversed, but could she trust that they could move on, that she would be able to have a life with Borth and Grish?
Borth had never given her any promises before the trust between them soured. She couldn’t see it happening now. The likelihood of being a family with them after everything that happened felt near impossible now. Even she had to admit that, if she were looking at it from an outside perspective, she would’ve declared it a stupid risk to take.
Her heart, that insisted on giving things a chance and see where they went—that longed for love and a happily ever after—was an idiot.
Licking her lips, Crystal adopted a nonchalant air and shrugged. There was a chance that they would decide not to follow her all the way to Intakfell, much less anywhere else. In any case, she hadn’t even met with the Lorgor yet, so it was too soon to worry about anything.
Taking a sip of her intimbar, she settled more comfortably into her chair. There was absolutely no reason to even try to decide until she had more facts to work with.
Chapter 19
Grish narrowed his eyes on the Wanit male sitting on a tree branch high overhead. Nargis was clearly exhausted, his chest heaving in an attempt to regain control of his breathing. He was also clinging to the tree with a tight grip, no doubt from yet another tiny earthquake that shook the ground. It was stronger than the small tremors they had been having, so he could understand why it would alarm the male, given his precarious place in the tree.
That the male was avoiding them altogether told him all he needed to know.
Nargis knew exactly where their female was.
“Come down!” Borth bellowed, fists balled at his sides.
&nb
sp; The Wanit had good reason not to come down from the tree. Smears of mud streaked down both Borth and Grish’s flanks from the mad chase that Nargis had given them through the property. It was no wonder their tempers were frayed.
Grish had hoped for a reasonable discussion with the male. They had barely gotten out a greeting before the Wanit took off with surprising speed into his orchards. They had managed to corner him at last, but Grish knew that his brother’s knee was likely protesting the activity, despite the brace supporting it. It was no doubt contributing to Borth’s foul mood. In fact, he looked ready to outright kill the male.
“If I come down, you will only harm me!” Nargis called back.
“An accurate observation!” Borth shouted in return. “But if you force me to chop down this tree to remove you, I will definitely kill you and hide your body so well that even a team of excavators will not find it!”
Grish’s brow ridges rose. His brother was angrier than he had surmised. He wasn’t pleased with the male, but it not a good idea to murder one’s neighbors, no matter how vexing they were.
Moving closer to the tree, he eyed the male. For a Wanit, he was remarkably calm in the face of their anger. Usually, the species didn’t handle pressure well, not even males who were accustomed to long periods of aggressive pursuit by females who desired to mate them. Despite his hard grip on the tree, Nargis was composed as he returned his stare.
“Come down, Nargis,” Grish sighed. “There’s no reason for us to be at odds with each other. I do not even understand why you ran. We have always assisted each other in the past and have both benefitted from our friendship.”
“Even if you did betray us,” Borth grumbled.
“I did not betray anyone! You would not understand. It is the law of the hunt,” the testy male growled back.
Grish paused, one large hand coming down on his brother’s shoulder to calm him. Peering through the branches, he met the other male’s eyes. “What do you mean, the law of the hunt?”
“I should not say,” Nargis muttered. “But if I do not say, then you will not know the rules.”
“Yes, tell us the rules,” Grish called out.
A suspicious look flooded the Wanit’s features as he watched Borth. “You swear that you will not harm me or my mate?”
“We swear it,” Grish answered at once.
“Not you. You will swear easily. Borth must swear.”
At his brother’s hesitation, Grish shot him a menacing look. He had tolerated much ill-tempered behavior over the revolutions, had even attempted to soothe Crystal’s worries and stall her until he could calm him—but enough was enough. He wasn’t going to risk any further when it came to their female.
“Borth,” he growled.
“Yes, I swear,” Borth capitulated with a grimace.
The Wanit nodded and dropped down with a graceful ease from the tree. Brushing his hands on his pants, he eyed the pair of them, his lips tightening.
“First let me say this without fear of recompense: you are an idiot. I say this because only an idiot will have to go through the trials of being the hunter.”
Grish frowned in confusion. “I thought the females hunted the males in your species.”
“Yes,” Nargis agreed. “Unless the male is an idiot. Then the female who hunted and worked to capture his affection will be the prey, and he will not have an easy hunt. He must prove himself again and show he’s strong enough, capable enough, and smart enough to regain her affections. Not an easy thing. For this reason, you are an idiot. Doubly so because my female, the keenest of huntresses, is assisting your female. It is the right and duty of friends and sisters to do so for each other in our culture.”
“She took her somewhere,” Borth surmised.
Nargis grimaced. “There is more than that, I am afraid. She allowed her access to our intergalactic comm system. From what information I was able to gather, your female arranged to meet for an opportunity of employment and transport from our world… They are meeting today.”
Borth stalked forward and likely would have snatched the male up in his huge hands, but Grish grabbed his brother’s arm, pulling the male up short. The frustrated growl was understandable, but Grish ignored the tempest of emotions that washed over him and focused on the Wanit before them. The haze of despair, fear, and anger toward any male that would even dare approach their mate and take her away continued to linger on the periphery of his mind, but it was at least manageable, for the time being.
“Where?”
A mutinous look appeared on the male’s face. “I am certain telling you outright is against the laws of the hunt. Wouldn’t be much of a hunt if you were provided everything and she were just handed over to you.”
“Blessed gods, save me from unreasonable rules and regulations,” Borth muttered. “I was certain that we left that life behind with our retirement from the Fleet!” Running his hand over his face, he stilled and regarded the male with a cool calm that Grish hadn’t seen in his brother since their days of battling side by side. The sight of it elated him. “Can you answer yes or no so that we may gather clues?”
The Wanit paused, a speculative look in his eye as he thought it over. “Yes, I believe there is no law against that.”
“Good… Did she leave here at an early hour in the company of your mate?”
“Yes, the sun had just risen.”
“So just after she sent that message,” Grish muttered to his brother.
Borth nodded as he jerked free from Grish’s hold only to pace in front of the male, his large frame shadowing the smaller male. Although he did not attack, Grish bit back a smile at the subtle dominance his brother was exuding as he posed his queries.
“Did they take one of your land vessels to town?”
“No, the rover is stationed in the docking unit on our home.”
“A flyer then. She went far with our female… to Intakfell perhaps? If she is traveling for a distance, the port would be the most obvious destination.” The last was said more in aside to Grish, and he nodded in agreement with his brother.
“Yes,” the male sighed with an obvious measure of relief. “They would have arrived just a short time ago.”
“Do you know where she is meeting her contact?”
Nargis shook his head. “I did not hear that information. All I know was that it was a place she considered a safe spot within the port city. I think she knew someone there.”
Borth snarled out his frustration and increased his pacing, one hand tugging at his horn in frustration. “What had she said of Intakfell… Does she know anyone?” he muttered to himself.
Grish frowned. Crystal had only been to Intakfell once, when she waited for him to pick her up. She had not seemed comfortable and familiar with her surroundings when they met. In fact, just the opposite. If it weren’t for the kindly watchful eye of Nikana and the heavily enforced peaceful sanctuary that the teahouse provided, there was little doubt in his mind that she would have been absolutely terrified by the time he arrived to collect her.
He froze, his mind quieting in surprise.
“Brother, I know where she is,” he said, his voice unnaturally loud in the silence that had fallen.
Borth spun around to face him, his eyes widening. Only the slightest limp was evident as he hurried over to Grish, something painfully too much like hope brightening his expression.
“Where?”
The word was spoken quietly but with such heartfelt intensity that Grish smiled, the tension easing from him. Their mate was safe for the time being, and Borth was obviously mellowing, his thoughts entirely on their female rather than rankling with unspent aggression toward an unknown male.
“The teahouse,” Grish announced with a pleased grin. “I was delayed in meeting her and the Itashvanda had to continue on their route, and so they had her wait for me at the teahouse. Nikana kept an eye on her.”
“What will you do if the male contests your claim on her?” the Wanit asked curiously, followin
g after them as they turned to stalk out of the orchard. “Many species are lacking in females. To have one as skilled as herself would be considered a boon to many who might seek to use her abilities.”
A hard smile curled Borth’s mouth. “Then we will have to convince him otherwise.”
“And convince our female that we are the better choice,” Grish added.
Borth inclined his head in agreement, his expression sobering.
“Not a very sound strategy,” Nargis muttered. “Do huntresses pursue with such little planning? It would seem foolhardy at best.”
“I have to trust that our female is receptive. The heart is not logical. If she still holds some affection for us, I must trust that it is all we will require,” Borth replied as he increased his pace.
“And if that does not work?” Nargis panted as he struggled to keep up.
Grish turned to grin at the male. “Then we go where she goes.”
“The farm—all of this—it means nothing without her. If I must, I will have my entire leg refashioned so I can move fast enough to chase across the sectors.”
Nargis stumbled to a stop, his mouth gaping in horror. “You would leave your farm? But this is all you have. You put everything into your farm—you have said so yourselves. You would have nothing without it.”
“Wrong,” Borth snarled. “I have had nothing before, and the farm did not provide me with anything other than simple comforts met. With her, I stand a chance of having everything, regardless of where we are.”
Borth glanced back at Grish, and they exchanged a long look as he raised a brow ridge in silent inquiry of whether Grish would contest his statement. There was nothing to contest. What they had on their farm could easily be taken away and replaced, as the earthquake proved.
Their female was necessary for both of their happiness.
As Grish grinned in agreement, Borth’s shoulders visibly relaxed, and an old, comfortable solidarity clicked into place between them once more. They were uthak brothers, their destinies entwined. All they were missing now was their mate, the final link to complete them.
Teril's Fire: A Mate Index Alien Romance (The Mate Index Book 12) Page 14