Page 12 of Gemini
Very few unions had chosen the “dark one”, as the humans called the ones like me, as their lead, and now I was terrified. It was not what Baelor and I agreed on. What if I messed it up? I had never planned on taking this role. Never evenimagined, I would become—
My whole body stilled as she gasped, immersing herself deeper under the water until it reached her shoulders, her wide eyes trained on me.This.She was scared of me. How could I—
“Ni-Nitochi?” she asked.
I moved my head the way I saw humans do the few times I went with Baelor on the station—beforethey banned me for being too intense. My brother had called it a “nod” and explained it meant yes.I can do it, I thought.We can communicate like this.
She relaxed instantly, letting out a relieved little breath.
“Oof, I was scared I’d have to explain to one of your neighbors who I was and what I was doing here without being able to understand a single thing,” she said with a breathy little chuckle, her cheeks turning pink.
I pivoted just enough to grab the large purple stone and showed it to her.
“Oh…What does it mean? Is this pool reserved to you and Baelor?”
I shook my head and let it go, thinking of a way to explain without words. As it swung, the little light shining through it from the outside made the walls of the small cave pinkish. I pointed at the stone again and crossed my arms in front of me.
“The stone means people can’t come in?” she asked again. I nodded. “Oh, like an ‘occupied’ sign, then.”
I had no idea what a sign was. Was it what she suggested we used to communicate? What did it have to do with the stone signaling…Oh.A sign. Signaling. Got it.
I made my way to the edge of the pool, not bothering to take off my pants, and walked down the narrowstone steps. The water was cold but not freezing, and I welcomed the cooling feeling on my skin and mind.
“So…did you go?” she asked, anxious.
I shook my head as I kept walking closer to where she was. With each step, I expected her eyes to widen. Her expression to shift. Her fear toshow.
It did not. Instead, shesmiledwhen I stopped next to her, leaning over her small frame to grab a foaming stone behind her.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For not going back there.”
I searched her face.Still no trace of the fear she showed when I rescued her…I gave one slow nod and plunged the stone in the water.
“I guess asking you what made you change your mind would be stupid, considering I won’t understand the answer,” she continued. “So I’ll just say thank you. I—The man out there terrifies me. And the idea of himsomehowfinding a way to hurt you after you saved me it’s…I can’t take it.”
Were all humans this chatty? Or was it justher? Not that I disliked it. Her voice made my too-fast heart settle in my chest. Quieted the anger still pumping through my veins. She was worried about me, and it was not something I was used to. Even amongst the dark Gemins, I was seen as ruthless. The protector of this area. The main hunter and the one people came to when there was an unidentified threat. No one had been worried about me since I was old enough to fly on my own.
And this small human female? She was scared. Notofme butforme.
I had to ask our fathers if it had been the same for them. If the moment they had met our mother, it had made them feel as changed as I felt now.
Wendy was still staring at me as I slid the stone over my arm, rubbing the blood of her captors off. She blushed and turned her eyes away when I caught her.
“Sorry…”Damn with her constant need to apologize.“I didn’t mean to be rude.”
“No apologies.”
“Um…Right. Sor—shit.”
She slapped both of her hands over her face, muttering under her breath and I found myself smiling at the sight.She really is some tiny adorable thing.
She seemed to have washed her face already. I could not tell for the rest of her, hidden under the water, but her hair still had dead leaves and dirt tangled in it.
I pointed at her head and showed her my foaming stone.
Her eyes widened. “Oh…I was going to wash my hair, but then you came in. It’s fine, I’ll wait until you’re done.”
I frowned. Why? Did she think I would leave the pool without bringing her back with me to our nest? My head tilted to the side and I moved my finger in a circular motion. “Turn around.”
