his hands. I wanted to feel it.
I shuddered. “That’s new,” I muttered, and I put my hand to my throat as I watched him stomp from the camp, and I realized abruptly that Bo was watching me with a strange expression in his eyes.
He shook his head when I looked at him. “You’re no boy,” he murmured, wonder in his voice. “You’re no boy at all.”
I swayed, dark spots dancing before my eyes as I fought not to faint. I didn’t say a word. I couldn’t. It wouldn’t have mattered. He’d seen something in my unguarded face as I’d watched Dexx, and he simply knew.
“Kreia,” Vihn said, his voice thick. “What’s happening?”
“Kreia.” A pleased smile spread across Bo’s face. “Not a boy’s name.”
Vihn realized what he’d done. “No,” he cried. “Don’t hurt her.”
Bo frowned down at him. “I’m not going to hurt her, kid,” he said, surprisingly gentle. “But this will relieve the fuck out of Dexx.”
“You can’t tell him,” I pleaded, keeping my voice quiet for fear of being overheard. “He’ll send me away.”
“He would that,” he agreed, rubbing his chin. “He would.” He pursed his lips, then nodded. “I have a feeling this needs to play out, and I always trust my gut.” He grinned. “If Dexx finds out I kept it from him, he’ll kill me—so I’d appreciate you keeping your mouth shut when the time comes to fess up. Yeah?”
I gaped at him. “I will never give you up. I owe you.”
“Hmm.” He nodded again. “Yes, yes you do.” Then he walked away, humming.
It seemed as though Bo had a wicked sense of humor, and he was very, very amused. Vihn and I gazed at each other, and then, we both started snickering quietly, half hysterical.
“What’s happening?” he asked again, after we’d stopped laughing.
“Things have turned around,” I told him. “Thanks to your fits and Dexx being a decent sort who won’t send us away now, not after he thinks he caused you to seize…”
He sat up. “Why would he want to send us away? We barely just got here.”
I couldn’t meet his quizzical stare. It wasn’t like Vihn didn’t know about sex. Street kids learned about, watched, and participated in—sometimes against their will—a lot of sex. It was part of the life. But I didn’t want to tell him that Dexx was attracted not to me, but to Krey, because I didn’t want it to be true, I suppose.
I leaned toward him and murmured, “The important thing is, I don’t think he’ll send us back, and Bo knows my secret and isn’t going to tell. What do you think about that?” I gave him a satisfied smile and a nod.
“It’s weird,” he muttered. “Get me some water, Kreia. I’m thirsty.”
With a buoyant heart and a relief that included not having to be dragged to the cold stream to bathe, I fetched Vihn some water and waited for Dexx to return. Not that I should have been waiting for Dexx to do anything, because Dexx Tavin wasn’t the least bit interested in Kreia Blu. He wasn’t even interested in Krey—although apparently his body was.
My relief soon ended when Bo came back and gestured at me to get up and follow him. “Where are we going?” I asked.
“You’re getting a bath,” he said, somewhat grimly. “Knowing what I know, it’s better that I take you to it instead of one of the others, and at the moment, Dexx won’t get near you.”
“But…” I wanted to get clean, I really did. But not in cold water in the middle of a cold damn day with a big Craeshen male watching my every move. “What about Vihn?”
“Hey,” Vihn squeaked. “Shut up. I’m sick.”
Bo sighed. “Vihn’s journey into manhood is going to be delayed until Dexx gets past his guilt. You, on the other hand, can continue on as planned—the boss’s orders.” He snatched up the bundle of towels and soaps and grabbed my upper arm, giving me no choice but to go with him.
“You’re going to give me some privacy, right?” I asked as he pulled me along.
“Oh no. I want to see what you look like under the grime and street boy rags.” He grinned.
“Asshole,” I muttered.
“Maybe,” he agreed, “but if you’re Dexx’s fated mate, I have an obligation to my friend to make sure you’re really what I think you are. If you’re a male, I’m not having you hang around here tormenting him.”
“Fated mate?” I said, a little too loudly. “You think I’m Dexx’s fated mate?”
“He