few more good pokes to keep the air circulating, she took the time to regain her composure before turning to face him.
“We save your water.” Rising, she went to free Sharluff from where she’d tied him. “He want to stop here, so water near. He good at find it.”
Calm. Reasonable. Commanding. She might have little experience with being in charge, but she was going to learn.
Grif wasn’t sure how much longer he could do this. He wanted to hold her. Touch her. Ease the ache he could tell was making her squirm, even now.
But that wasn’t happening anytime soon, especially with Nayla’s mountain-sized bodyguard nearby, watching his every move. He was going to have to do something about that animal at some point. But for now, his sole focus was on taming the other wild creature in his midst.
This caretaking business was as complicated as expected. He had no clue what she really wanted. Only that he was doing it wrong.
He hadn’t been able to get through to his sister, either. After that first time with their father, she’d just drifted farther and farther away. No matter how much he tried to take care of her. Near the end, she’d been like a walking zombie. He’d brushed her hair, fed her. It didn’t matter. Nothing roused her. Nothing brought her back to him. She’d been lost to him.
He could not allow that to happen with Nayla.
Panic rose, a feral beast that clawed up his chest and into his throat. He shoved it back down. Nayla wasn’t his sister and he wasn’t the weak young boy he’d been back then. He was stronger now, harder, more ruthless. He could take care of Nayla far better than he ever had his sister.
He just had to make her see that.
At Nayla’s command, the creature squawked and shied to the side, sticking his long, sharp beak between two rock crevices, rooting back and forth.
Squawk. The sharp sound drew his full attention. A few more pokes with that long beak and a small bubble of dirt shot upward, followed by a stream of pink water. It gushed upward, far above his head, sending moon-kissed water droplets shimmering in the air before arcing downward to soak new ground.
“Holy hells.” Grif’s resentment toward the feathered beast lessened. After the fight, Nayla was covered in dirt and bruises and he suspected he had splatters of blood on him, too. A real shower would be amazing.
He shoved to his feet. “He really is good at that.” It had to be an underground well, close enough to the surface for the beast to smell. A neat trick, especially in an environment like Dragath25. He and his crew had assumed this place was dry as a desert. Turns out they hadn’t been looking in the right places, or known there were animals that were useful for more than food.
“Yes.” Nayla looked proud. “Sharluff clever.”
They both watched Mr. Clever pace through the self-made fountain, feathers ruffling, his beak poking at the air. Then, with a sharp series of clicks, Nayla called her beast to heel and turned to him. “You go.”
“You first.”
She gave him another look, but this time she didn’t argue. Instead, she limped her way to the stream of liquid and, turning so that her side was to him, she cupped her hands directly in it, splashing herself while the spray from the jet cascaded downward, falling on her like an Old Earth shower he’d seen in history vids.
Ingenious. There was a lot to be learned from this female about surviving on this planet.
Such thoughts were soon forgotten.
The water turned her shirt near transparent, making it cleave to her golden skin, offering him a perfect view of a tight, honeyed nipple and sloping breast bathed in moonlight.
He’d never envied a drop of water before. He did now.
Until he noticed how hard she was scrubbing, even after the dirt was gone.
“You look pretty clean to me.” He kept his voice low and soothing as he approached.
She didn’t stop. Or look his way.
“They’re dead. They can’t hurt you anymore.”
She shrugged and he realized he’d guessed wrong.
“Was that the first time you’ve killed?”
Her breathing hitched.
“I remember my first kill.” He moved around the jet of water until he was facing her head-on. “It haunted me for a long time. But it had to be done. Same with yours. You did what you had to do to survive, and that’s a good thing. You can’t imagine the shitstorm I will reign down on this