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“That’s impossible,” we said in unison, bumping shoulders and laughing.
“Hey, hey, Uncle JayJay. Bye, Uncle JayJay.” YimYim ran ahead to a long table covered in wriggling larvae.
“I missed you, friend.” I polished Sully’s head with my hand. “And I have many questions. But first…” I pulled a cloth-wrapped bundle from my gear bag and passed it to Sully. “Please share these with TeyTey.”
Sully handed me the bag of roast nuttels he was crunching on. “Hiti mushrooms? And these look like tinga.” He held up a long blue fruit. “Where did you find these?” His eyes flashed with interest.
“When it’s safe, all the Rock Dwellers must come to the Starry Volcano.” My gaze grew unfocused as I stared over the sea of species at the market. “It’s as if pieces of home have been shorn off and planted here on Tern. The volcano is lush and warm and feels as if Sola has kissed your skin—the same as the hot springs at the rocky outcrop. They’re like a sister to the Black Rocks of Nara on Yagras. The ancestors’ voices are just as strong.”
Sully knocked my elbow with his, bringing me out of my daze. A couple of Tigs tipped their tawny-furred chins in a greeting as they passed. “How much whiskey have you had this rotation? Or is a certain female addling your brain?” He snorted. “You sound like one of the ancestors’ acolytes. We are many moons from Yagras. Now tell me more of these gifts…” The lunal rings rustled where he played with one.
“No, it truly is a twin planet…” I stopped explaining when Sully rolled his eyes. All he wanted to know was if Ginger had selected me as her male, and I had no easy answers. “Humans view gifts differently. Ginger doesn’t know what she does.” I scanned the crowd as I absently scratched at my wrists. Though taller than everyone here, I still hadn’t spotted her yet. “Where is she?”
“Follow me.” Sully waved to Tino and Sannit, who both did a double-take when they saw me. We dodged a puddle and ducked through an archway formed from potted trees. “She has a booth with TeyTey past all these plants.”
At last, Ginger’s voice carried through the leaves. The itch under my skin eased, the tension in the back of my head shrank, and my breath came easier.
She sat beside TeyTey, hidden in a forest of lacy green fronds, while Sully’s boys nuzzled chirpy yellow fluffs under their chins.The pleasant brown stripe on top of her head had grown, her usual silver-white fading, but my heart stuttered at the shadows under her eyes. Why hadn’t she sought my seed?
Laden with clothes, the table in front of her held packages labeled in an undecipherable script on one side. Beside the peeping crates, strange bumpy packages stood ready for sale.
I watched, unseen, as D’ovey placed a package of baked goods on the table. Ginger rifled through her custom orders before lifting one covered in loopy writing. The weather was much warmer now, but D’ovey quickly opened the paper and placed his linobee hat on, smiling like a youngling.
“No trade necessary, D’ovey.” She tried to give him back his package. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t get this to you while you still needed it.”
“Nonsense. This is the finest hat I’ve ever owned, and I plan to use it as a pillow cover until the cold season returns.” D’ovey patted the white fur.
I laughed out loud. Ginger’s head snapped toward me, and a whorl of black and silver hair fanned around her before she caught my gaze. The sparkle in her eyes drove the rest of the antu’s itch out from under my skin.
She turned to face D’ovey again, but her eyes lingered as if she had to drag herself away. “Here”—she grabbed something off the table and added it to D’ovey’s package—“I’m testing these slippers. You wear them on your feet around your house. Let me know what you think.”
After a quick wave for TeyTey to take over, Ginger pushed her chair out and approached me. Her gait wasn’t as smooth as last week, and when she drew near enough, driven by instinct, I reached out and brushed the dark crescent beneath her eye with the pad of my thumb.
In that moment, everything slid into place. She needed to heal and return to Earth, even if it meant I might never see her again.I couldn’t stomach her suffering, and I definitely didn’t want to stifle her dreams.
“You look amazing.” She trailed a finger along the thigh of my hide pants, stirring my coil to life. It took all of my control not to drag her back to our private cave and give her the medicine she needed and the connection I craved more with each passing rotation.
She stepped back and dropped her hand, as if just noticing she was running her hands over clothes that also happened to contain my body. “What are you doing here? Are Geo and Makir okay?”
I shook out my clenched fists. “They’re fine. I’ve come to help.”
“With what?”
Good question.“To sell your things.”
She glanced over her shoulder. TeyTey was handling the customers with ease in their organized booth. Her shoulders lifted, and I thought she might send me away, but warmth simmered in her gaze. “I suppose you could sell the eggs.”
Ah, the bumpy packages must be eggs. I nodded, relieved for any excuse to stay near, and moved out from behind the plants. Ginger stepped back, her eyes caressing every clothed muscle, inventorying my body in lingering detail. One muscle enjoyed the attention too much, and I shifted to adjust.
I cleared my throat. “Thank you for the armor.”
The gold in her hazel eyes shimmered when she took in the elephant charm necklace still wrapped around my wrist.
Lifting my arm, I gave it a shake, jingling the little charms. “What do you think?”
Her focus jumped to my bicep, which might have been flexing extra hard through the little rings of my shirt.
“Give it a rest, JayJay,” TeyTey called out from her seat at the table. “Do you want every female in Tern pregnant? If so, keep strutting your stuff.”
