Hanna and the Hitman - Honey Phillips Page 0,53
pick nick?” he repeated. Apparently the word did not translate.
“It’s what you described. You take a blanket and a basket of food and go somewhere scenic.” She felt a smile curving her lips as she peeked at him from under her eyelashes. “Sometimes you fool around a little.”
“I am not a fool.” He looked almost offended.
“That’s not what I meant. It’s an expression that means you do some kissing and, um, maybe some other things.”
“In that case, I definitely approve of this pick nick. I will prepare.”
A short time later, he was leading her into the jungle. He had a cloth bag slung across his shoulder, and he still looked happy.
“You don’t really hate Pardor, do you?” she asked.
“I do not like the chains it has on me.”
“I understand how much you resent that. But right now, you seem happy to be here.”
“That is because you are with me.”
Her heart did a funny little skip, but she ignored it, determined to make him see her point.
“And I enjoy being here with you, but I’m not at home here the way that you are.” At least not yet.
“At home?” He looked almost shocked, but then his gaze drifted over the surrounding trees, and his nostrils flared. “It is very familiar to me.”
“So maybe being here is not quite as bad as you thought it was in the past?” Leaving that thought to settle in, she changed the subject. “You promised to teach me about the plants and animals. Can we start now?”
He still looked bemused by her previous statement, but then he shook his head and smiled.
“Of course, saachi.” He bent down and pointed out a cluster of small, fern-like plants half hidden in the roots of one of the giant trees. “These are ynaah. The leaves are not poisonous to touch, but they are deadly to eat.”
“Of course they are,” she muttered.
“But it grows from tubers beneath the ground, and they are both nonpoisonous and delicious.” He dug carefully around the plants with his fingers and emerged with a bunch of small bulbs, rather like blue radishes. “We shall add these to our pick nick.”
“I can eat them?” she asked eagerly.
“As long as they are cooked. Anything that has been cooked or otherwise processed is safe for you to eat. As long as it is not—”
“Poisonous,” she finished for him.
He smiled and tucked her against his side. “You are already learning, my mate.”
The word hung in the air between them, but she refused to think about the future right now. Instead, she returned his hug, then asked him about a golden moss that climbed up one side of the vast trunk.
He spent the rest of the trip pointing out not only the plant life but a surprising amount of animal life. She hadn’t realized how much surrounded them because it was all so well camouflaged. Aidon seemed to have no trouble spotting the bright golden eye of a lizard-like creature sprawled along a tree branch or the twitching tails of what appeared to be tiny red mice.
“They’re adorable!” she exclaimed as she watched them scurrying around in the leaf mold. She took a step toward them, and Aidon firmly drew her back.
“They are also extremely carnivorous. While they are unlikely to bother you while you are upright and walking, if you fell and were injured, they would descend on you.”
As he spoke, two of the tiny creatures snarled, and as they leapt toward each other, she caught a glimpse of what was unmistakably bone beneath them. Her stomach churned.
“Okay. Stay away from the mice. Check.”
“Don’t worry, saachi. I will never let anything happen to you.”
“I know you won’t.” She smiled up at him and wondered if he realized what he was saying. How could Pardor be a danger to her if he was around?
The lessons continued as they made their way to the waterfall, and she gained a whole new appreciation for the jungle. It was both beautiful and terrifying. At first she’d been overwhelmed by how many ways it could kill her, but the more she learned, the more confident she felt. Not that she had any intention of braving it without Aidon at her side.
A loud roaring echoed beneath the other jungle sounds, and she crept a little closer to Aidon.
“What is that noise?” she asked nervously.
“That is your waterfall.”
He pushed aside a curtain of leaves, and she gasped in astonishment. When she had mentioned a waterfall, she had envisioned a trickle of water flowing down over some