inadequate for what you went through, but I am sorry. I’m glad the truth is now known.”
Merr-anda hugged Reba, murmuring some words in her ear. Reba pulled away, wiping her eyes before nudging Ward forward with a strong elbow jab. He jolted forward, shooting her an annoyed glare before meeting my gaze.
“Drak,” he said softly.
I didn’t respond.
He sighed heavily and scratched his head, a pained twist to his lips.
Reba tugged on Merr-anda’s arm. “Why don’t you two talk? We’ll be in the kitchens when you’re through catching up … and all.” She turned big eyes to Merr-anda, who was watching me closely. I gave her a nod, and with a swift smile, turned and hurried away with her friend.
Ward watched them go longingly, then straightened his spine with a determined clench to his jaw. “I don’t know where to start. But Reba is right—thank you for what you did when we were under attack from the hunner horde. When I spotted you, I could barely believe my eyes. Why did you help?”
“Female,” I rasped. “Didn’t remember much … but that … She is All … I remembered.”
He shook his head. “I should have known. I never thought it made sense that you would betray us, but Crius had been so convincing, and you wouldn’t deny it. I don’t think I ever got over it. We were close. I don’t know if you remember, but you used to give all your scouting reports to me. While Gar was off being Gar and Sax and Xavy were getting into trouble, we’d sit by the fire with some spirits and fantasize about what we’d do if we ever got back to Corin.” He cocked his head and his eyes held a bit of hope. “Do you remember?”
I swallowed, searching hard in the bright light of my mind. I wanted to remember, more than anything. I had a glimpse of the clavas fire flickering in his eyes as he sat beside me, but that was it.
“Maybe … with time,” I said.
Ward’s face fell, but he quickly wiped it clean.
“I’m sorry, I—”
“Don’t be sorry,” Ward bit off, his eyes turning stormy. “Don’t you flecking be sorry for anything. You never betrayed this clavas. When it mattered, you saved me, Reba, and Merr-anda. Crius has the blood of his own on his hands, but yours are clean.”
He reached out and clasped me around the back of the neck, drawing our foreheads together. When they touched, he exhaled, and I closed my eyes.
“A lot has changed, Drak,” he said softly. “But my loyalty to you remains. If you need anything, you just ask me. I don’t blame you if you don’t feel like you can trust us again, but I hope you find it in yourself to forgive us.” He pulled back to stare me in the eyes. “I’ll never forgive myself for not fighting for you harder. All I can say is I’ll spend the rest of my life at your side.”
Miranda
I was elbow-deep in a type of biscuit dough when Drak strode into the kitchens. His eyes came to me immediately, and he came to my side. His nostrils flared as he drew closer, and immediately dipped his head to sniff the mixture. He jerked back and his eyes went wide, a small smile tilting his lips.
“It smells good, right?” I asked. “We use antella fat and your harriker seeds which taste a lot like our wheat when ground down in a powder. That’s how we make flour.”
“It was Justine’s idea,” Naomi said, placing a tray near me so I started assembling the biscuits. “Nero sneaks in and steals them all the time. They are his favorite, and since the guy makes zero noise, he gets away with it.”
“Wait until you try them,” I told Drak. “We flavor them with a little guara rind and some other herbs.”
Drak reached his hand inside the bowl and I smacked it. “No way.”
He frowned at me and gestured to my hands. “But you.”
“Yeah, but I cleaned them first,” I said.
Drak looked so hurt and I nearly laughed. “Just wait until their baked. They taste better that way. I promise.” I tempered my words with a kiss on the cheek. That seemed to appease him.
“I wasn’t … interested in this,” he said, waving a hand around the kitchen bustling with the women and a few males. “But the food … different.”
It had been clear when we arrived that while the males could cook, they certainly didn’t experiment. They ate