by Cheree Alsop
A closer look showed that while the wound had lost a lot of blood, it wasn’t as deep as she had first feared. The Ventican cloth had protected her once again from an injury that could have been debilitating, and instead was merely an inconvenience.
As Liora worked the bone needle through her skin, her thoughts strayed to the kind Zamarian woman who had seen merely a young woman in need of help when others could see only her hated Damaclan tattoos and clan marks. Thanks to Chief Obruo, the woman had been killed along with her son and everyone else on Gaulded Zero Twenty-one. Her act of kindness in giving Liora the armored clothing may have proven her doom.
Liora thought of that encounter. The woman’s son had been kind at first, showing empathy for a young woman whose face was bruised and bloody after her encounter with Malivian.
“You could use a place to clean up. No one should walk around the Gaulded like that. It’ll mark you as a target.”
“No, thank you,” Liora had declined.
The Zamarian tipped his head to indicate the shop behind them. A variety of weapons and armored clothing hung from the walls. “You don’t have to trust me. My mother’s in there. She’ll see that you’re taken care of.”
Liora had watched him closely, her guard up. “That sounds ominous.”
The Zamarian grinned. “You don’t trust anyone. Someone as beautiful as you is smart to be wary.” His gaze had then shifted to the tattoos on her neck and his eyes widened in the way that she always expected. Fear was easy to predict. “But you wouldn’t trust people, would you, Damaclan.”
The word had been spoken as an accusation. She remembered the way the Zamarian’s eyes had narrowed with suspicion; he lifted his hands as if expecting an attack.
“Leave her alone, Zran,” his mother had called from the inside shop.
“Mother, she’s a Damaclan,” he stated with obvious distrust.
“She’s a girl,” his mother had replied; Liora remembered the hint of steel in her voice. “Treat her with respect.”
Zran had shaken his head and backed away. “I value my life,” he had muttered before leaving through the back of the shop.
Liora tied the end of the thread and used her teeth to sever the string. The thought that Zran had been right circled her mind, haunting her with other thoughts that threatened to overwhelm her when her guard was down.
“Liora?”
The light tap of knuckles on the Tin Sparrow’s door broke her from her brooding thoughts.
“Can I come in?” Tariq asked.
Liora debated if she could stay silent and pretend she wasn’t inside the starship. She pressed a square piece of bandage to the wound and wrapped it before pulling her sleeve back up.
“Your felis is waiting out here,” Tariq said, his voice a bit tighter. “I know you’re in there.”
Liora sighed and pressed the lock release. The door clicked when Tariq pushed the panel from his side. It slid open to reveal a showdown that struck Liora as hilarious.
Tariq and the felis eyed each other with matching hostility. The cat’s blue glow pulsed ominously, revealing the bones of its jaw and the caverns around its eyes. It looked as though it wouldn’t allow Tariq to enter the ship.
“Why is it protecting me?” Liora asked.
“Don’t ask me,” Tariq replied, his gaze on the creature and muscles tense as though waiting for it to attack. “You’re the one with the army.”
“What does that mean?”
Liora followed Tariq’s gesture toward the edge of the jungle. Her heart slowed. Other felis’ stalked among the trees. Their yellow, orange, and blue glowing forms slipped in and out of the pulsing trees like silent wraiths.
“That makes no sense, unless….”
“Felis are pack animals,” Tariq said, answering her unspoken question. “You saved one. The rest are here. Well done.”
His words stung.
“I couldn’t leave it to die,” Liora retorted.
“Yes, you could have,” Tariq said, his words sharp. “As I said before, you should have left it to die. Instead, you endangered yourself yet again to save something fate threw into that bog because it was supposed to die.”
“Maybe you should have told Devren to leave me in that cage, then,” Liora retorted.
That took some of the rage from Tariq’s face. “I didn’t mean it that way,” he said.
Liora crossed her arms. “Did you come here for a reason?”
“Yes, to check on you,” Tariq replied.
“I’m fine. You can leave.”
She lifted a hand to the door panel. Tariq caught her wrist.
“Wait. Please.”
She glanced at his hand on hers. He let her go.
His voice softened a bit. “Let me check your shoulder.”
“I’ve already stitched it. It’s fine.”
“You say your fine a lot,” Tariq replied, his eyes locked on hers. “Why don’t I believe you?”
She turned her gaze to the felis near the door. Its lips were lifted in a silent snarl. If Tariq wasn’t careful, he was going to lose a limb.
Tariq appeared to realize it at the same time. He took a step back and eyed the cat.
“Uh, can I come inside so your bodyguard doesn’t decide to eat me for dinner?”
Liora debated whether to take pity on him or leave him to the felis’ mercy. Tariq’s eyes widened.
She hid a smile and took a step back. The felis’ eyes narrowed as it watched the human step into the starship. Liora was half-tempted to leave with the cats instead of continue her conversation, but she pressed her hand to the door and watched it close.
Chapter 9
“I’m sorry.”
Tariq’s apology sounded heartfelt. When Liora turned around, she found him leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets and his head lowered.
“I don’t know what came over me. I shouldn’t have treated you or Devren like that.”
“So why did you?”
Tariq was silent for so long Liora wondered whether he would answer. She fiddled with the bandages around her hand until she caught herself doing it. She had never been a fiddler. What was it about Tariq that threw her off so completely?
Tariq sucked in a breath and looked at her. “I guess I told myself that you called me on that ship because I was the one you wanted to come find you.”
“That is why I called to you,” Liora replied, confused by the direction of his thoughts.
Tariq shook his head and ran a hand through his mussed black hair to push it from his eyes.
“You told Devren it didn’t make sense that you called me.”
Liora watched him closely, trying to figure out why it bothered him so much. “Half the time I think you hate me because of what I am. The other half; I don’t know. It’s like…” She hesitated to say the words.
“What?” Tariq pressed.
Liora gave in. “It’s like you don’t know whether to strangle me or,” her voice dropped to just above a whisper, “kiss me.”
“Do you want me to kiss you?”
There was surprise in Tariq’s voice along with something else that made Liora meet his eyes again. There was want in his piercing blue gaze when he looked at her. It was bare and bright. His hands clenched and unclenched as though he could barely hold himself back.
The pent-up emotions and frustration she read on his face gripped her so tight she could barely breathe.
“I-I don’t know what I want.”
Tariq’s hand was in Liora’s hair and his lips pressed against hers before she could draw another breath. The kiss was short and rough. When they parted, Liora’s chest heaved as though she had run for miles. Tariq drew back and stared at her as if amazed at what he had done. He leaned forward to kiss her again when a knock sounded on the door.
“Tariq?”
Kiari’s voice shattered the moment.
Tariq backed away from Liora. Her heart pounded and she fought to regain control of her thoughts.
“Uh, yeah, hold on,” Tariq replied. He raised a hand to the door panel, hesitated with a glance at Liora, then pressed it. The door slid open.
“Mama said I would find you in here,” Kiari told him. Her cheeks were bright and the smile that lit her features was difficult for Liora to ignore. “Are you hungry?” Kiari glanced at Liora as if just noticing she was there. “I mean, both of you. Temla and several of the others made food. They’ve set tables near the church so the wounded won’t have to go far. I was sent to round you up.” Her eyes sparkled when she said, “Like old times, right?”
“Like old times,” Tariq repeated. He looked back at Liora, his expression unreadable. His brows pulled together and he nodded. “On my way.”
“I’ll walk with you, if you don’t mind,” Kiari said. “There’s a lot of felis’ about, and I don’t seem to have Liora’s way with them.”
“Uh, right.” Tariq cleared his throat and nodded. “Of course.” He took a step toward the door and then seemed to remember Liora. He met her gaze. “Do you want to walk with us?”
Liora was still trying to come to terms with what had happened. She shook her head. “Go on. I’ll be fine.”
“Fine,” Tariq repeated. He followed Kiari out of the door, his gaze vacant as if he didn’t see what was ahead of him.
The door closed and Liora immediately felt his absence. The taste of his lips lingered on hers. Liora brought a hand to her mouth.
She had never been kissed before. It was both better and worse than she had imagined. His lips were soft, but the stubble from two days’ growth of facial hair had prickled. His hand in her hair had sent tingles down her spine; she imagined she could still feel his fingers there. She had to admit that the kiss had been wonderful, but it had been short, cut off as if he had regretted it. Had he meant to kiss her, or done it as an impulse from his question? Had he forgotten she was a Damaclan, only to remember when it was already too late? Did he regret kissing her?
She tried to remind herself that he had almost kissed her again before Kiari interrupted them, then chided herself with the thought that she didn’t care for Tariq in that way, and so it really didn’t matter.
Yet for some reason, she couldn’t stand being inside the Tin Sparrow any longer by herself. It felt smaller without Tariq in it, even though he was a full foot taller than she was and so the thought didn’t make any sense. But she felt claustrophobic just the same.
Liora pressed the button on the door panel. When it slid open, half a dozen pairs of eyes reflected the light, adding to the glow of the felis’ bodies.
Each cat’s head reached Liora’s waist level, and she was reminded again of Kiari’s comment that they could tear a limb from a human. The thought of Kiari sent Liora stepping out into the darkness. The felis she had saved brushed up against her leg with enough strength that she had to put a hand to the door to steady herself.
“It’s good to see you, too,” she said aloud. The fact that she was talking to a creature that couldn’t understand her made her feel self-conscious. She dropped to one knee.
The cat’s green eyes closed when she ran a hand across the soft fur of its neck. A purr rose from its chest. Another felis nudged her arm, and when she pet it, a third nuzzled her neck. Within minutes, Liora was sitting with her back against the door and all six of the cats lounging against her in various states of contentment. As soon as she switched from one to the next, the felis she left would give an unhappy harrumph and nuzzle her with the demand of being petted again.
“This may have gone too far.”
Liora quieted the softly growling felises with her hands. The rumbles that emanated from their deep chests quieted, but they stuck protectively close to her.
She tipped her head at Devren. “They haven’t killed me yet; I’m considering it a win.”
Devren shook his head and kept his careful distance. “I’ve never seen felis act like that. It’s like they think you’re one of them.”
Liora rose from the ground and the big cats dispersed. The one she had saved stayed close to her side. Devren eyed it when they drew near.
“Did you come here for a reason?”
“I didn’t want you to miss the chance to eat. Once the Darvinshin brothers start in, there won’t be much left,” Devren told her. He hesitated then said, “Also, I want to apologize for not patching your shoulder up first. Tariq was right to be upset. I should have evaluated you beforehand.”
Liora walked at his side toward Echo. “It’s alright. I took care of it. I’m not your responsibility.”
“You’re an officer of the Kratos,” Devren reminded her.
Liora conceded. “That’s true, but from what I’ve seen, your officers can take care of themselves.”
“We take care of each other,” Devren replied.
Liora’s hand strayed to the cat at her side. A glance over her shoulder showed the others trailing behind.
“What will happen to the felis when we leave?” she asked.
Devren followed her gaze. “I’m not sure. They’ve never acted like this. Some of the citizens have been talking about how one fought beside you. My sister thinks we should tame them. We’ve never tried before.”
“What do you think should be done?”
Devren met her gaze, his dark eyes holding hers. “I think that wherever you go, you change things.”
A shudder ran down Liora’s spine. She glanced away. “I’m not entirely sure that’s a good thing.”
“That’s left to be seen.” Devren paused, then said, “In my opinion, it’s a very good thing.”
A smile quirked at the corners of Liora’s mouth.
The felis left them at the edge of town. Liora and Devren continued to the tables spread above the glowing grass near the church house. Bandaged citizens were being helped to chairs while others filled platters with aromatic foods that made Liora’s stomach growl.
“They welcomed the Kratos crew to the front of the line,” Devren suggested.
“I prefer to wait at the back,” Liora replied. “I don’t mind standing for a while. The citizens deserve to eat first after the bravery they showed during the fight.”
She caught Devren’s look.
“What?” she asked self-consciously.
He gave her a warm smile. “Nothing. You just continue to surprise me.”
Devren followed her silently to the end of the line. Talking at several of the tables they passed stopped, and Liora felt their gazes on her back. She thought she was used to being stared at from her time in Malivian’s circus, but this was different. Instead of bars separating her from the crowd, she walked among them, and the fear she was used to seeing from pushing in the minds of spectators was instead caused by the blood rage and mindless killing from her Damaclan heritage.
Liora’s appetite disappeared.
“I think I’ll go back to the Sparrow,” she told Devren.
He caught her arm. “Why are you leaving?”
Liora knew those eating closest to them could hear their words. She didn’t want to say anything that would upset the citizens further.
She lowered her voice. “I don’t belong here.”
The expression on Devren’s face said he guessed exactly why she wanted to go. His voice was firm and carried when he said, “You bled for us, Liora. If it wasn’t for you, many more Echo citizens would be in that church or preparing to rest below ground. I’m grateful for your Damaclan blood and your training. You saved lives today. Stay and eat with us.”
Devren met the gazes of several men at the closest table. Caught staring, they turned back to their food and pretended to ignore the pair.
Liora stayed in line, but only because leaving after Devren’s words would be far more rude. Talking returned to the clearing, and she let her gaze wander through the crowd.
Liora’s heart gave a little backflip when she spotted Tariq eating at a table near Mrs. Metis. A hand touched the human�
�s shoulder. He smiled at Kiari. The young woman set what looked like a pie near Tariq’s elbow. He said something and she laughed loud enough that it carried over the commotion of the clearing. Her hand slid to the back of his neck and she began to massage his shoulders.
Tariq stilled. Liora couldn’t tell if he was happy about Kiari’s attention or not. Tariq glanced up and met Liora’s gaze. She wanted to leave, to run, to hide, to do anything but be standing there at that moment, but it was too late.
Tariq caught Kiari’s hand and said something quietly to her. She nodded and turned away. Liora couldn’t see her expression to know how she felt about whatever he had told her.
“We’ll fly out in the morning,” Devren said, tearing Liora’s attention from the pair. “The sooner we can get back to the Atlas, the better. I don’t like leaving them for that long.”
“I’m just glad you knew where to find us,” Liora told him.
“I figured Tariq would head here.” Devren gave her a questioning look. “Where did you go? When we got back to the ship on the Gaulded, you were gone. There was a certain Calypsan who was convinced you had taken his ship. Unfortunately, the video surveillance at the docks went out at just that moment, so they couldn’t tell for sure.”
Liora caught his smile. “Hyrin?”
Devren nodded. “He said he needed the practice. Besides, I knew if Tariq went with you, it was for a good reason.”
Liora tried to ignore the slight question in his voice when he mentioned his friend. “We had a lead on Chief Obruo. I couldn’t pass up the chance to stop him.”
“Did you?”
Liora shook her head. “He got away, but he shot Malivian.”
“I can’t say I’m sorry about that,” Devren replied. “He deserved to pay for keeping you in a cage.”
“Apparently he got paid for keeping me in that cage.” Liora could tell Devren wanted more information, but she didn’t feel like talking about it. “We’ve reached the food.”
“Dish up whatever you’d like,” a rotund woman with a kind smile invited. “We’ve plenty where that came from.”