Page 32 of Caveman Alien's Heat
For a second, neither of us speaks. Then I let out a shaky laugh. “Yes, warrior,” I whisper. “That helped.”
He lies down beside me. “It really did. I can face my Ancestors now. I didn’t abduct you, and I didn’t cause you any harm. My oath is intact.”
“Clever man,” I murmur into his ear.
“Tomorrow we’ll see how clever I really am,” he says. “I have an idea.”
“Good,” I coo as I get comfortable next to him, enjoying the heat from his immense body. “Very clever. Don’t tell me now.”
9
- Nator’ax-
Morning comes slowly to the ice, but I wake before it.
For a time I don’t move. The furs hold the warmth of the night, and Riley lies close against me, her breathing slow and even. I rest my hand lightly at her side, feeling the rise and fall, grounding myself in it. Outside, the glacier is silent, the kind of silence that belongs only to cold places.
I look at her. Even in this dim light, she draws the eye. Strange, and soft. Alive in a way this land is not. Her hair is dark against the pale furs, her face unguarded in sleep.
If I die today,I think,I die content.I Worshipped her, and it was magnificent. The thought brings me calm, not fear.
She stirs beneath my arm, her brow tightening before her eyes open. For a moment she looks as if she does not know where she is. Then she sees me, and her expression changes, easing.
“You still here,” she murmurs.
“I said I would be close,” I reply.
“That not the same thing,” she says, though her voice is soft. She stretches under the furs, then exhales. “What time is it?”
“Early. The tribe still mostly sleeps.”
“Good,” she says, closing her eyes again for a moment. “Yesterday was… a lot.”
“It was a full day, certainly.” I study her a moment longer, then pull the furs back. The cold bites immediately, sharp against my skin, but I welcome it. It clears the mind. I dress quickly, fastening my gear, checking my blade by habit, even though I know it rests where I left it.
“We shouldn’t be seen like this when they wake,” I say.
She groans and sits up, clutching the furs around herself. “Reality returns.”
I stretch. “It’s been my experience that it usually does. Sooner or later.”
Her gaze sharpens. “You have a plan, right?”
“There’s a plan,” I say airily. “Plans can change. You and I both know what the tribe will want. We must make sure they don’t choose that.”
“What they want is to get rid of you, so they can use me as they want.”
I shrug. “It’s what any tribe would want: a woman.”
“The Borok tribe, too. That’s why they need you to guard us.”
“That’s why,” I agree. “And we shall tell them that, so that they see that no killing is necessary.”
She watches me, searching my face as if she can pull the truth from it. After a moment, she nods once. “Good,” she says. “I trust you.”
The words settle into me with weight. I incline my head. “Your speech has improved.”
“I think I should learn fast,” Riley says. “This could get difficult.”
