Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
“We go with the strangers,” Set’nef says, indicating me. “Our path leads to them.”
“Spoken like a true wanderer,” Rem’eb says, a wry smile on his face. “I should have known.”
He turns to Noj’me, and before he can speak, T’ia raises her club and swings it over his head, crashing it down on his skull. The male staggers, a startled expression on his face, and she lets out an equally startled squeak. She steps backward, and when he turns to reach for her, she blows a handful of golden powder in his face. His eyes roll back in his head and he slumps to the ground at her feet, motionless.
T’ia gasps, wiping the powder on her clothes. “That didn’t work! You guys have really hard heads.” She presses the flat of her hand to her chest. “That scared the shit out of me for a second there. Jesus.”
I stare at her. The others stare at her as well.
“Don’t look at me like that.” She waves a hand at Rem’eb. “We can’t let him go back there and tell them where we are. It’s better that we leave them guessing. He has to come with us.”
“Why?” Noj’me asks, turning to look at me. “Why would she do such a thing?”
But I can already guess, judging by the way T’ia’s hand between her teats turns into a fist and the tender, conflicted way she gazes down at the fallen Rem’eb. If she is not resonating yet, she will be soon.
And she knows this.
Twenty-One
ROSALIND
Things are getting worse by the moment. I’m trying not to panic, but now we’ve recruited their oracle, kidnapped the chief’s son, and the vibrating in my chest is getting so insistent that I’m tempted to straddle R’jaal’s thigh and rub myself against him until I come a half-dozen times. As it is, there are too many people around and there’s zero privacy.
Oh, and someone just got clubbed over the head.
I cross my arms under my breasts, shivering despite the humid heat of the new place that we find ourselves. This new cavern is like a massive atrium and as far as the eye can see, there’s bright artificial light and green vines that cover every inch of surface except the stone floor at our feet. There’s a lake that looks like an artificial swimming pool and even a waterfall, and I’m tempted to ask if we can bathe before we take off. Something tells me there’s no time, though. They’re tying Rem’eb up with rope and everyone seems nervous and on edge.
Everyone except R’jaal, that is. Now that we’re above, he’s taking control of the situation. He directs the others, ensuring that the water supplies are refilled and Rem’eb is securely and comfortably tied. He checks in on Tia, and then she and Tal’nef scrounge for supplies that might have been left behind by others. Once everyone is readied, he and the two brothers drag a heavy stone away from the waterfall and cover the spot we entered from, hoping to slow any pursuers down.
I feel a little useless, because I’m not sure what to do with myself. I don’t know this place like Tia does. I can’t talk to the others. I’m just a fat, half-dressed librarian in a jungle cave who’s completely unsure of herself. I fill up the water supplies and drink my fill, even though it feels a bit like drinking from someone’s backyard pool. It’s clear that this wasn’t naturally made, but since everyone else is drinking from it, I might as well, too.
I wash up a bit and then sit patiently, waiting as the others get ready. When the brothers slowly hoist the captured Rem’eb between the two of them, climbing yet another damn cliff, I realize we’re going to have to go up again. And when Tia and Noj’me go after them, climbing on their own, I move to the vines and test them myself.
“R’slind, wait!” R’jaal is immediately at my side, frowning at me. “You should let me carry you.”
I tug on the vines. “If they can hold Set’nef and Tal’nef, I’m pretty sure they can hold me. I can manage.”
He glances at the vines, and then back at me. “I know you can manage. I just…I would like to carry you.”
His tail flicks, and I would swear that his skin darkens on his forehead, right where his horns are. Is he…blushing? It brings out the flirt in me. I casually lean against the vines, thrusting my tits out for all they’re worth. “You sure you don’t want to stay below and just watch the view?”
“I am sure.” R’jaal’s answer is immediate and deflates my bubble.
So much for flirting. I bite back a sigh. “Sure. Fine.”
Immediately, his hand is at my waist and he pulls me against him and his erection. His gaze locks on mine and his hand slides down my thigh, lifting it around his hips. My balance tilts and I grab him for support, staring up in surprise at this bold move.