that she died,” he said finally. “But that wasn’t the entire truth. She left when I was ten years old.”
This time she couldn’t help herself. “She left you? What kind of mother leaves her child?”
“I asked myself the same thing for a long time. It wasn’t until after I left Pardor that I decided to investigate.” His arms tightened around her. “I didn’t know she had been a spaceship pilot. I did know that she had landed here and apparently fell in love with my father. She moved to our village to be with him, but I don’t think she was ever truly happy. I remember so many nights when I would see her staring up at the stars. She knew every one of them. I think she just couldn’t take being grounded anymore, and when she decided I was old enough to take care of myself, she left.”
“Did you go looking for her?”
“I did, but she died in a revolution on Russalt, trying to fly refugees off the planet.”
“I’m so sorry.” She put her hands over his, holding him against her. Only the sounds of the river filled the air as they stood in silence. Eventually she asked, “What about your father?”
“He didn’t even last a year after she left. Which meant that I was left with my grandfather. I knew he never liked my mother, and I never thought he liked me.”
“I don’t believe that for a minute. You know that he comes to watch every time your ship sets down? Just so he can see you?”
His muscles turned to iron beneath her hands. “You must be mistaken.”
“That’s what he told me, and I believe him.”
“He was always so hard on me. I thought it was because I couldn’t shift, because I wasn’t a true Pardorian.”
“Do you remember what he said? That he wanted you to know that you were strong? I know he didn’t go about it the right way, but maybe he was trying to prove to you that you were as good as any other Pardorian.”
“I don’t know.” He sighed, and his muscles relaxed. “When I think back on that time, I just remember feeling angry and hurt all the time.”
“I don’t know about Pardor, but on Earth, that’s pretty common when you’re a teenager,” she said gently. “You feel like the whole world is against you.”
He gave a half laugh. “You make me sound very foolish.”
“Oh no.” She turned in his arms and reached up to cup his face. “Never foolish. It may not be uncommon to feel that way, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”
“What about you, my ma—my saachi? Did you feel like that?”
Her heart thudded. He had been about to say “my mate,” she was sure of it. Maybe the bond between them was like his relationship with his grandfather—he just needed time to accept it. Ignoring the sudden swelling of hope, she smiled up at him.
“Of course I did. My aunt was a wonderful woman, and I never doubted that she loved me, but she was also very strict and very old-fashioned. I used to hide out in my room and listen to moody female singers and write depressing poetry.”
“I’m glad you eventually left your room. I’m sorry that you were taken from your home, but I’m not sorry that we met.”
“Neither am I.” Remembering the success of her earlier attempts at seduction, she ran a teasing finger down his chest and along the edge of his loincloth. The fact that his cock responded emboldened her. “You know what, I’ve never made love outside.”
Black flames danced in his eyes. “I believe we should remedy that situation.”
He started to spin her around, and as he did, her elbow caught her wine glass and sent it shooting over the rail and toward the river below. She looked on in shocked horror as a giant mouth emerged from the water to seize the glass. It disappeared into a huge cavity lined with teeth before the head submerged once more. It had happened so quickly, but she hadn’t even gotten a good look at the monster. All she had seen were those rows and rows of teeth.
“What was that?” she whispered.
“An akul.”
“It was so big. And it had so many teeth.”
“It’s the biggest predator in the water, or at least the largest found in fresh water. I keep trying to tell you that Pardor is—”
“Dangerous. I know.” She stared at the water below, dark now that the sun had dipped below the horizon,