Page 49 of 80% Beef 20%
My heart sank.Please don’t let it be the Rowtees.They had a newborn, the first youngling born on Tern.
“I’ve notified Mayor Yurst. He’s requested your presence in town to assist with securing the fungus.”
“What?” Frowning, I raked my dull nails over the sudden itch beneath my wrists. An unfamiliar restlessness stirred in my bones. “I’ll be useless in convincing the Yagras representative, and Yurst knows that. I’m needed here.”
Sisip shrugged. “My hands are tied on this matter. But I can give you Hill, Saluda, Efred and D’unter for support. Your team can assess the immediate risk to Yurstille while you deal with this absurd request. Report back with the findings.”
Blant! I scowled at the flashing dot where the Nacers had been killed. “This should never have happened.”
My fists clenched at my sides. In my current mood, dealing with Yurst would be a huge problem. My team hovered in the background, one eye on me and one eye on the flashing red zone where the sleeping Nacers had met their demise.
“You heard Lead Enforcer Sisip. Pack an overnight bag and eat breakfast.” I glanced at my wristport. “Meet at the hovee bay in half a sun.” They dispersed with a mix of grumbles.
“Why do we have to miss all the action?” Efred asked as he tested his healing wing, flapping it against his side.
“We’re supposed to be the first team on the front line,” Saluda whined.
D’unter dodged a stalactite. “Yurst is a rocksucker.” I laughed at that one.
Covered in wood chips, Geo approached while I stood debating whether I should tell Ginger I’d be gone until the next rotation.
“Hey, bossman.” I wrapped an arm around his shoulders, though technically, he wasn’t my boss at the moment.
Geo eyeballed me. “You look rather shimmery this morning, JayJay.”
I needed a moment in front of a mirror. The itch under my skin grew, and I unslung my arm and rubbed at my wrists.
“Blanting Mayor Yurst has requested I attend a meeting with the Yagras representative to help negotiate the transfer of the bloodroot fungus. I’ll be away tonight. Can you tell Ginger?” I barked.
Geo ran one hand over his beard, his gaze assessing. “Okay, but are you all right?”
“No, I’m not all right.” My voice echoed through the command center. “We’re in the middle of a blanting war, and I don’t have time to deal with Yurst.” I fought against the ferocious need to be at Ginger’s side, scratching at my wrists.
Geo tentatively reached out and squeezed my elbow. “That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Just tell her.” My voice sounded harsh even to my ears as I shook him off. I leaned over and stole a sandwich and tinga from the table before me, trying to tamp down the restless agitation. Maybe food would help my cracking composure. I’d just get some new clothes from my bunk in the Rock Dweller sono tonight. No need to wake Ginger.
“Tell me what?” Ginger’s linnea scent swamped me, stopping me in my tracks. My skin seethed, and I dragged my nails over my forearms. She leaned into my space and rubbed the dark marks on my forearm. “Are you having an allergic reaction?”
Her soft touch cooled the itch that burned under my skin, and a sense of peace calmed the restlessness, except for the loud inner voice that bellowed,She’s mine! Take her!
“What did you need Geo to tell me?” She continued to rub soothing circles over my forearm.
In the much brighter light, her hair shone. A glossy dark brown seam showed near her scalp. Did humans shed?
“JayJay?” she prompted, and a smile twisted her lips up on one side.
I shook my hands loose, snapping out of the trance she placed me under. The itch returned with a vengeance. “I’ll be gone until new rotation.”
The disappointment that flared in her eyes stopped me in my tracks. I would’ve missed it, but it highlighted the green. The color of my favorite swimming hole back home. As I studied her face, I grew more agitated when a forced smile appeared. I had no patience for it.
“I will attend to you then.” She jolted at my rough voice before I stormed off to the hovee bay. I kept my focus locked forward. If I turned around, instincts would prevail, and I’d be forced togather Ginger into my arms, return to my cave and claim her as mine.
Instead, I formed another image I desired in my mind. On my back, I floated in green water. Humid air filled my lungs. A sleek jungle cat lurked in a treetop perch above me. Equally still, we stared at one another. One day, we would face off.
My illusion shattered as Ginger’s words drove into my back like a spear. “Goddamn gorilla-sized asshole.”
As expected, my crew were waiting at the hovee bay. Their snarky comments quieted and disappeared altogether as I stormed toward them. It took two suns to return to Yurstille. When we arrived at the enforcers’ headquarters, anger’s hold still had a grip on me. I’d sent my team to assess the risk to the town and now stood bristling at Mayor Yurst’s door.
