Mari's Mistake - Ruby Dixon Page 0,28
some of my anxiety calms. It doesn’t matter how threatening this other guy looks—T’chai won’t let anything happen to me.
Lauren stares up at T’chai with a frown on her face. “Okay, this is weird. Do your guys all have horns like that?”
My guys? I guess they are, in a way. “And I guess all of yours have four arms?”
“Right down to the baby.”
“There’s a baby?” I’m shocked. How is there a baby in this volcanic hellscape? Then again, why wouldn’t there be? I’m not sure if T’chai realizes they’re living at the base of a volcano, or if he’s even aware that it’s a problem. Their lives are simple. If there are other tribes here—and it sounds like there are—why wouldn’t they have babies? “There are only four guys here,” I tell Lauren. “I think their tribe has been wiped out. I get the impression there used to be a lot more people here.”
Her expression changes to a wary one. “I know. K’thar’s people live in a big tree home, but it’s nearly empty.”
Oh god. That means bad things have happened, and judging from the earthquakes, I don’t think it’s a bad guess to assume that they’re going to happen again. I grab her hands. “Lauren, we have to get out of here. Do you know what this island is?”
“A volcano caldera,” she tells me, nodding. “And we’re right on the edge of what’s left.”
“It’s not dormant, though. It can’t be. There are parts of it that are still smoking. And the ground shakes every day. It’s like this thing is just waiting to explode again and go all Krakatoa on us.”
“Kraka-what?”
“Do you remember your history? Krakatoa was a volcano that was so big that when it exploded back in the nineteenth century it could be heard from thousands of miles away.” I squeeze her hands tightly. “And it took the entire island and all its inhabitants out with it.”
Lauren pales. “Oh. That’s really, really not good.”
“We have to get back to the others on the mainland. I’m trying to talk to T’chai about it, but he won’t listen to me.”
“Is he the one that kidnapped you?” She scowls. “We’re here now, Mari. Let us help protect you. K’thar is a good guy, I promise.”
Kidnapped? I pull my hands free from hers, surprised. “R’jaal is the one that took me here. When I met the others, though, things changed.” I put a hand to my chest. “I resonated, Lauren. Can you believe that?”
“Yes, actually. I did the same.”
I’m shocked. “You did?”
She nods proudly. “To K’thar. And you did to R’jaal? The one that stole you?”
Eek. No wonder R’jaal looks so sad lately. He probably thought I was supposed to be his. I grimace. “Actually, no. I didn’t resonate to him. He brought me back to the group and I resonated to his buddy. It’s been…an interesting few days.”
“Is that why you’re going nude? Did we interrupt something?”
I giggle, even though I’m blushing. “No. Everyone here goes naked. It just seemed weird to demand clothing and they wouldn’t have understood it anyhow.” Impulsively, I reach out and squeeze her hand again. “You want to come eat lunch? It’s like a constant sushi buffet around here. Lots of raw, fresh fish.”
Lauren is slow to follow me, though, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why. T’chai glares at Lauren from nearby, and Lauren’s new mate moves to her other side protectively. “I’m not sure we’re welcome, Mari. They don’t seem thrilled to see us.”
I glance back at my mate. “That’s just T’chai. Ignore him. He follows me like an angry puppy ever since we resonated.”
Well, today he’s angry because I’m talking to Lauren. And earlier he was angry because S’bren gave me some food. But otherwise…he’s pretty sweet. I immediately feel guilty for calling him an “angry puppy,” but it’s not like he could hear me, anyhow.
“So you resonated to him.” She looks over at my mate and then back at me. “Are you…happy?”
“I’ll be happy once we get off this death trap of an island,” I tell her, leading her toward the others in the tribe. They don’t look happy, like Lauren said, but I don’t give a shit. This is my friend and we need to be gracious hosts while they visit…because I don’t want Lauren to leave. I don’t care if she and her weird four-armed mate have to stay in the same hut as me and T’chai, but I don’t want her leaving. I’m too