Ch. 211..220

Chapter 211

Zev wasn't sure how long they sat there, wrapped in each other, thrumming with love and the effects of their orgasms. But eventually they stopped kissing and Sasha rested her head in the hollow where his jaw met his neck. Neither of them spoke.

Zev felt sated, and happy, and utterly exhausted.

But eventually the cold began to seep through his skin. And even though he felt like he was fine, he worried Sasha would become chilled. So he pulled her head up and kissed her gently. "I think we should go back to the cave and take a nap, or something."

She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Already?"

He snorted. "I meant an actual nap. That's the post-nap festivities. You're getting ahead of yourself."

Sasha sighed but sat back, pulling the jacket back around her legs, then blinking. "Omigosh, you're half naked, you must be freezing!"

She worried, and scrambled off of him, dressing herself and urging him to his feet and to put the jacket back on.

"I'm fine, really, Sash. I can deal with the cold a lot better than you." And their activities had left him flushed and heated. If she hadn't been worried, he wouldn't even have put the jacket back on, but he could see the concern in the lines on her forehead, so after kissing her again, he dutifully put the jacket back on, but left it open and loose, because the cool air felt good on his skin.

As they walked, hand in hand, back up the ravine, he realized he was still sweating a little, which was unusual for him. But that bond… he was going to have to ask around and see if any of the older males had ever spoken with an ardent pair. He hadn't expected his entire body to… reflect hers.

That was going to be fun. And possibly inconvenient at times. He looked at Sasha, who walked, hugging his arm, a small smile on her face.

Her cheeks were pink, but she didn't seem to be feeling the cold either.

Were they somehow heating each other?

Sasha had left her jacket unbuttoned as well, and when they reached the switchback on the trail that would lead them back atop the ravine and into the cave, he stopped, blocking her way.

She looked up, about to ask what he was doing, but he only pushed the fur aside on one side, baring one breast to his eyes, and stroking the side of it with gentle fingers.

Her nipple, already hard, peaked immediately and Zev growled.

"This is… incredible," she breathed.

Tearing his eyes off her beautiful body, he met her gaze and locked in.

Silver lines of tears lined her lids, but she was smiling.

"What—"

"I'm fine," she rasped. "Better than fine. I never thought… I never imagined there'd be a day when I'd feel like I could just let you look at me like that. Naked. In broad daylight!" she marveled. "But I do. I just feel… safe."

A tiny whine broke in his throat at the love and gratitude blazing in her eyes.

"Thank you, Zev," she whispered.

"For what?"

"For making me safe," she said, holding his arms and beaming up at him. "That's a gift. Knowing that you'll never mock me or… I don't know. I can just feel the love inside you and it… it makes me want to cry, it's so beautiful."

Zev swallowed. "You've always been safe with me, Sash."

"I know. And I believed that before you left. I believed it a long time after you left, too. I really did. But… these last couple years were really hard, Zev. Everyone told me I was a fool. I questioned everything."

He looked down at her, eyes locked, willing her to see—to feel his honesty. He was so angry with himself that he fell for such deception at the hands of Nick and the others, that he'd hurt her so badly.

"I can't control what's coming for us in the future, Sash," he said, his voice gruff with emotion. "I can't control what others will do—though I'll try like hell. I'll do anything to keep you safe. But no matter what… no matter what our lives look like, or sounds like… you have to know that I love you. Feel me."

He took her hand and put it to his chest, over his heart, so she could feel it, beating in time with hers.

"We're one. You're literally the other part of me, Sash. I don't care if I get mad, or sad, or busy… I will never stop loving you. They can kill me, but they can't stop my heart beating for you."

She's got tears in her eyes, but she's smiling. "Me too. It's all true, Zev. I feel exactly the same way. Even if I'm wrong. Even if I'm mad, or gone or… it doesn't matter. I'll still love you. I'll only love you."

For a moment he flashed, remembering that they would have to leave the next day. That this cherished alone time, this space to be just with each other and to say these precious things, was about to end. But even as his stomach sank, he shook it off. He still had her for today, all to himself. And he wouldn't let anything steal this time from them.

Dropping his lips to hers, he took her in another kiss—featherlight and slow, a long, gentle trace of his lips on hers, their tongues barely flickering.

Emotion welled in his chest when she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him there. He could feel her emotions swelling too, that reflection spiraling—this time with soft love, rather than demanding heat.

She gave him everything he gave her. And more.

Zev was awed.

With one more gentle kiss, he straightened, combed his fingers through her hair, then said, "Come on." And without another word, he took her hand and led her back to the cave.

 

Chapter 212

That night, Sasha slept deeply. So deeply. She was sucked down into the void, her body heavy and weighted, unable to move.

For a while, as if she was aware of being asleep, she tried to push up and out, out from under this cloud of darkness. But her mind tumbled further and further… and soon she was back… back in that clearing.

The bonfire crackled off to her right. There were Chimeran males everywhere. Yhet stood a few feet behind her, whispering with Kyelle. And Zev, vibrant and strong, stood at the center of the near-circle made by the crowd.

He was straight and proud, naked from the waist up, his body oiled and painted in a garish blue. Images of a wolf and stars.

Sasha frowned. Why did she feel like that was wrong? Like she'd seen this before, but his skin should be painted differently?

She shook her head, her belly tingling because Zev looked so delicious, and he was prowling towards her now, his eyes dark and intent, fixed on her. He was coming for her, and soon they would leave together, and have endless days ahead of them to be alone, to enjoy each other.

Desire flared in her belly and she smiled.

Zev returned the grin, his eyes locked on hers. He opened his mouth like he'd speak to her, but suddenly a bellow from her right caught Sasha's attention and she snapped her head to look—only to find a massive tiger arched in the air, a blade clenched in its teeth, paws outstretched and claws unsheathed.

Sasha screamed as it landed on her, bearing her to the ground, and suddenly it was Xar, hissing that if he couldn't have her, no one could.

But she knew… she knew there was a rock, just under her hand.

When he tried to stab her, she raised her arm, but it was as if the blade didn't even touch her. She braced against the blow, then brought the rock up, cracking it against his temple—and her stomach flipped in disgust as she felt the bone give under its hard surface. Heard the crack.

Watched the light die in Xar's eyes.

"You killed me," he whispered, blood flowing suddenly from his mouth, spattering over her face. "You killed me like an animal. Is that all I am to you?"

Then he fell over her and Sasha screamed, trying desperately to push him off.

"Sash… Sash!" Zev voice, warm and urgent, called to her. But she couldn't get the weight off, couldn't stop the blood falling on her skin, into her eyes, blinding her. And Xar, even though he was dead now, whispering in her ear.

"Like an animal. Is that all I am to you?"

"SASHA, WAKE UP!"

Sasha jolted awake in the pure black of night, her breath heaving, lungs sucking at the air, and Zev propped on one arm over her, his eyes wide and glowing in the dark, the only part of him that she could see clearly.

"Babe, are you awake? It was a dream. Sasha, look at me."

"I'm awake," she murmured, pushing up to sit, her heart pounding.

Zev put a hand to her arm, holding her, not as if he was trying to stop her, but as if he needed to touch her. Needed the connection.

"What happened? What did you dream?" he asked her.

Sasha, sitting up, trying to get her breathing back under control, swallowed hard. "I… it was Xar," she said, her stomach twisting and sick. "I just… I saw him again and he… he was questioning me."

Zev cursed and tried to pull her into his chest, but she shook her head. "No, no, I just… I need a minute."

Zev grunted but didn't argue, just took her hand in his and sat there, watching her while she breathed.

A few minutes later, when she felt like she could breathe without iron bands tightening on her chest, she turned to look at him.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Sasha swallowed. "He said… he said I killed him like an animal. And he… he asked if that's all he was to me."

Zev pushed a strand of hair back from her face, curling it behind her ear, then cupped her face. "That's not you, Sash. That's just the devil trying to mess with your mind. You had to kill him. If you hadn't he would have killed you."

"I know. I know…" she said, but there was no strength in her voice. "I just…"

"I get it," he said simply, nodding.

Sasha looked back at him again. "You have nightmares?"

"About a lot of stuff. It's why I can't sleep half the time."

"You've been sleeping here… haven't you?"

He nodded. "Being close to you and in a cave helps."

Sasha's heart was still thumping faster and harder than usual, but she was beginning to calm. And she blinked. That night back at the tree house, when he'd taken wolf form and stayed outside, guarding her.

"What happened to you, Zev?"

He shook his head. "It's not what happened, it's what I did," he said, his voice choked. "But you don't have to worry about that, Sash. It's gone. It's behind me."

Sasha sucked in a breath and ran her hands through her hair. "It doesn't feel like it," she said, her voice trembling. "It feels like… like we're haunted. Like no matter what we do, something comes for us."

She'd never given voice to the thought, but it had been floating in her head ever since that first night he'd shown back up.

It didn't seem to matter what they did, something—someone always came for them.

She wanted Zev to say it was just the dream. Just a bad feeling after a bad night. But instead he nodded.

"But I don't care what they do, Sash. I'm still going to love you. If all I get with you is this life, then… then I'm going to make the most of it."

Sasha's throat closed and she swallowed convulsively. Talk of death had taken on a whole new layer of doom for her since their bond. Even now, she could feel his heart fluttering, right alongside hers.

"It's okay, Sash," he whispered. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

But did he have a choice? Did either of them?

She let him convince her to lay back down though. And to close her eyes.

They held hands under the furs because she suddenly felt trapped. Like she couldn't breathe. She needed to have space.

And he understood.

As her mind slowed again, and her heart began to ease, that was the thought Sasha clung to.

Zev understood.

 

Chapter 213

Sasha rolled over in the furs the next morning feeling like a weight pressed on her chest. It took a moment of thinking to remember… the dream… and they had to leave today. She sighed and opened her eyes, looking for Zev. But she was distracted.

Despite the broken sleep, she'd been woken early because there was more light.

Zev had been right. The storm had passed and the sun had come out for a couple hours before dark the night before, melting off some of the snow.

She felt hot, she realized, throwing the top fur back and breathing more easily without the oppressive heat. The temperature must have really risen from the previous cold.

She turned to look for Zev and found him, laying on his side, facing her, looking very young. The way he'd looked five years ago, when he was nineteen.

He'd been so tired the night before, she didn't want to wake him. But he said they needed to leave early that morning so they'd have time to go to the City. She bit her lip. Should she let him sleep longer or—

But as if he'd felt her thoughts, his eyelids fluttered and his eyes focused right on hers.

Zev smiled. "Hey," he croaked. His voice horribly gruff. How long had they slept?

"Hey," she said softly, scooting closer to him to reach for his body—only to gasp when she touched his skin. "Zev! You're burning up!"

As Zev groaned and rolled onto his back, she sat bolt-upright, heedless of her nakedness and put a hand to his face.

"You're seriously hot!"

"Well, if it took you this long to notice…" he croaked, with a smile.

"Zev! I'm not joking! This is serious. You must have an infection!"

She'd redressed his wound the night before and been glad that the wounds were closed and seemed to be healing. The skin had been red and puffy, but he'd reassured her that was normal for healing.

He'd clearly been wrong.

"Turn over. Now," she snapped.

To her surprise, Zev rolled immediately onto his stomach, leaning his head on his arms and watching her as if he was awaiting new instructions.

When she blinked at him, he grinned. "You used your Alpha voice," he said. "I'm not going to argue with that."

Shaking her head in embarrassed frustration, she pushed the furs down to his waist and started on the dressing, peeling the edge carefully, wincing when it caught on his skin and his breath stopped.

Sure enough, under the dressing the wound was still closed, the lines purple and red where they were closing. But the skin around and under them was even more red and inflamed than it had been the night before.

"You're healing, but you've got something in the wound, or something. It's swollen. Does it hurt when I—"

Zev flinched when she barely brushed it with her fingers, and Sasha's stress shot through the roof, her heart hammering. "We need to get you back."

"Sash, calm down. It's not a big deal. We'll get back tonight and the healers will give me a tonic and I'll rest for a couple days. It'll be fine."

"That's what you said about coming here!" she snapped, angry with herself for not paying more attention to the way he'd been slowing down for the past couple days. For the way he'd slept so much and his skin had felt hot even out in the snow yesterday. She was so na?ve! "You said you'd heal while we were here so you'd be good as new when we got back!"

"Well, that was before Xar left me with a calling card," Zev muttered. "But yeah, it should have healed better. I guess I was a bit distracted."

With a curse, Sasha pushed the furs back and scooted out of the bed. "We're getting out of here now. And we're going straight to the village—"

"No, Sash. I'm taking you past the City. It'll add an hour at the most. Don't stress, okay? I'm still strong. I'm fine."

They argued—Zev trying hard to reassure her, Sasha on edge because of her dream, but in the end, they packed before they made breakfast—Zev moving much more slowly than usual, she noticed with gritted teeth. She couldn't believe she hadn't been paying attention!

Well, if he was Alpha and he was going to listen to her, she was going to make sure they didn't delay their return at all.

As they finished getting all their clothing back in their bags, she pulled the last of the fruit and jerky out of his. "We're eating, then we're leaving," she said fiercely—glaring at him when he looked like he might argue.

But Zev just smiled and took the jerky she was holding out. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Sasha raised a brow at him.

"What?" he asked, with a snigger. "I told you I was submissive to my Alpha."

Sasha groaned.

*****

~ ZEV ~

He was exhausted. He'd woken because her thoughts were racing. He could feel her stress. He'd thought they would need to talk about the dream again—she needed to talk about it. Because it was going to keep coming back until she faced it. He knew.

But before he'd had a chance to raise it, she'd realized he was hot—and he'd realized why he felt so achy and tired.

Infection. Fuck.

He rolled his shoulders and felt the twinge in his bones. At least it wasn't too bad yet. He'd talk to the healers that night. They'd have stuff to help him. They'd reopen the wound if they had to. But he suspected it wouldn't be that serious.

He'd probably gotten something in it during their bath the first night.

Pity, he'd hoped to squeeze in time for one more bath before they left, but when he stood next to the big pot and raised his brows to Sasha, she just glared.

He raised his hands as if to fend her off, and went back to organizing everything, so the home was clean and ready for whoever visited next.

The thought sent a spear through his gut.

He prayed that the next visitors would be them. Alone again. Living in peace.

Then he snorted.

God didn't hear his prayers.

Zev shook his head and went back to packing the last of his things.

 

Chapter 214

Zev hoped they'd get to come back to the ice cave together before too long. He wished they could just stay now, live there, forget about everyone else. The humans would never dare venture this far without Chimeran guards.

But it didn't matter. He knew those were the thoughts of a child, wishing away responsibility. They had to get back. Sasha especially. He sighed.

So as he tidied the items they'd left out, he finished chewing on the jerky that tasted like sawdust in his mouth, slipped the little apple Sasha had given him into his pocket because his stomach didn't want anymore food, and turned back to find her.

Sasha was bending over her bag, checking through it to make sure she'd gotten all her furs. As he watched, she straightened, dropped her face into her hands and sighed heavily. His heart pinched and he started towards her, to pull her into a hug and reassure her. But before he reached her, she dropped her hands and picked up the bag.

"Let's go." Her voice was dead and flat.

Reluctantly, Zev turned back to pick up his own bag and reached for it—thoughtlessly—with the arm on his bad side.

Stretched out as he was, the lifting caused a jolt of pain that started over his ribs and shot through his shoulder. He gasped and dropped the bag, then growled, reaching for it with the other hand.

"Zev, what—"

Her voice was breathless, afraid. Zev shrugged the straps of the bag over his good shoulder. "I'm fine," he growled. "It'll heal, Sash. Don't worry."

But an image suddenly flashed in his head—himself, laying in a bed, his body twisted in pain—and his eyes wide and unseeing. His skin gray.

A blanket of utter grief and fear accompanied the image and for a moment, Zev was breathless. Where had that come from? He hadn't been thinking—

He sucked in a breath and turned, quickly, to find Sasha. She stood side-on to him, her forehead lined and mouth turned down.

"Sash," he gasped. "Was that you?"

"Was… what?" She frowned at him.

"Did you just think of me… dead?!"

Sasha blinked and her head jerked back. "You could see that?"

Zev's heart raced with excitement this time. He'd thought with the deeper bond he was only hearing her thoughts because he could get into her head, because he was a wolf. But this? She could show him images? Feelings?

"Do it again," he said excitedly, ignoring the pain in his body as he slid the bag off his shoulder and dropped it to the ground again and walked to her. "You must have sent it. Sasha… send me something. Show me what you're thinking."

Sasha stared at him for a moment, the first flash of light and joy in her gaze that he'd seen since she woke. Then she swallowed and blinked.

An image bloomed in his head—himself, at nineteen. His face finer, smoother than it was now. He stood over her in the morning light, green on the edges of his vision—her front yard. He was picking her up for school, but he'd been so eager to see her, he hadn't waited for her to come out, he'd hurried towards the door—only to find her rushing out to him. They met on the little path from her front door to her driveway, and he took her in his arms.

"Good morning," he said, smiling with joy.

"Good morning," she'd whispered back, embarrassed. Her cheeks pink. She was giddy—with love and desire for him. Her stomach churning with the thrill of finally being back in his arms.

The memory faded and Zev blinked, then focused, eyes locking with hers. Sasha gave a hesitant smile.

"It's one of my best memories," she said simply.

He was speechless. The raft of love she'd had for him, even then…

"I still feel that way," she rasped. Then her smile faltered and her eyes went sad. "It scares me that you're hurt. And sick."

Zev flowed across the space between them, pulling her into his chest, his hands shaking with emotion. "It's a little fever, Sash. We'll get back there and the healers will treat me. I'll be better in no time."

"That's what you said about healing while we were here! You said you'd be better by the time we were going back!"

"Well, obviously when I opened the wound again I picked something up. Look, it doesn't matter. It's not a big deal my body's good at this. I'm just… Sasha, you can give me your thoughts. Your feelings. This is incredible. I've never heard of a wolf doing this with someone who wasn't in the pack. This is… it's a gift. We can talk this way, even when we're apart. Send each other information and… pictures."

Sasha sighed and dropped her forehead to his chest. "I just want to get you back to the healers and make sure… can we do that?"

He held her tightly, rubbing her back. "Yes. We'll do that," he said softly. "And just so you know…"

He closed his eyes and brought up the memory—his version of that same morning. He'd dreamed about her, yearned for her. Been impatient to see her. And when she'd come flying out of the house like that, his heart had leaped in his chest.

He sent her the feeling, the way he'd wanted to howl. The sheer joy of finally touching her, even though it had only been twelve hours.

"It's one of my favorite memories, too," he whispered.

Sasha clung to his waist, her face buried in his chest. He could feel her tension, and he stroked her back.

"Can we come back here?" she asked quietly, her voice muffled in his furs. "When things are calmer and the females are back…. Can we come back here together? Do you think Yhet will mind?"

I'm certain he wont, he said in her head.

Sasha lifted her head, her eyes shining and red.

Zev leaned down to kiss her, his entire being humming with love for her. But when Sasha reached up to take his face in her hands, she hissed and pulled back instead of kissing him.

"You're burning up, Zev. We need to leave, now."

He groaned, but let her take his hand and lead him into the tunnel.

The truth was, he didn't have the energy to argue.

 

Chapter 215

Sasha struggled to shake off the dread from the dream. Even when they discovered that she could give Zev her thoughts—and her feelings, something she wasn't quite as sure about—the little lift soon deflated when she touched his face again.

He was hot. Very hot. And not in the good way.

His skin was flushed, and his eyes bright with fever. Part of her wished for a thermometer from home. But then she thought, she didn't know what the normal temperature for a Chimeran was. And what if his temperature was horribly high? What if he was sicker than he was letting on?

As they walked out of the ravine and back into the valley meadow, following the line of the land, back towards the village, she didn't know whether to rush him, or keep the pace slow and save his energy.

Neither of them talked much. Sasha was deep in thought and assumed he was the same, but half an hour later when they were climbing out of the valley to the trail—going more east this time, because he insisted that they pass through the City so she could see it.

"You can't make an educated decision without it, and we don't know how long it will be before we can travel again," he insisted.

She didn't know if was alluding to his own illness stopping them from traveling. Or just that they would be too busy.

Neither sounded great, but she worried more about him. Especially when he pulled himself up over a rock, then reached down for her, and groaned when he took her weight.

"Zev," she said worriedly.

He shook his head. "It's painful, Sasha. That's all. I'm plenty strong and it's only going to be a few more hours. Stop worrying. Please. I wouldn't go on if I wasn't sure I could do it safely. I promise. I don't want to leave you in any position of vulnerability. This is more important than getting back to the village an hour or two earlier, I promise."

She wanted to resist, but the truth was, his conviction and determination helped her feel more confident that maybe the fever really wasn't as bad as she thought.

She swung back and forth, but the truth was, she wouldn't have known how to get back to the village directly without him anyway. So she didn't have a lot of choice.

Another hour in and she was beginning to tire. She was about to suggest they stop for a rest, when Zev paused, dropping his bag to the side of the trail and unbuttoning his jacket.

"What are you doing?!" she hissed, reaching for him.

"I feel hot," he said casually. "Being in the cold air will help take my temperature down."

Sasha fussed and protested, but he stopped moving and held her gaze. "Sash, I'm doing this to help myself. Seriously. This isn't something you need to worry about. I've had way worse injuries. This is a little hiccup, that's all. Okay? I'm strong, and I'm doing the best to help my body. In a few hours, we'll be home and I'll go straight to the healers, and then it'll get better from there. Just relax."

She frowned, but nodded and didn't protest when he shoved the jacket into his bag, then continued.

And he did seem to perk up a little after that, his skin making steam in the air, which was half-terrifying, and half-thrill-inducing.

By the time they reached an intersection of trails and he smiled, pointing her off to the right—deeper into a thick forest, rather than the more open air and rocky landscape they'd follow back to the village.

"We're almost there," he said, the words a touch breathless. But his eyes were sharp and focused, and he was smiling. "I've missed the City a lot."

"Really? Why?"

He shrugged. "It's home."

Sasha could understand that, she supposed. She'd have given her left leg to walk into her own apartment just then, tuck Zev into her bed, and feed him soup, call a doctor, then turn on a movie and lay in bed with him for days.

Zev made a little hum of pleasure. "I'd like that too," he said, his tongue curling around the words.

Sasha groaned. "How is it that I'm sending that to you? I don't mean to."

Zev chuckled and stopped at the side of the trail to offer his hand while she navigated a series of large tree-roots. He didn't answer until she was through, then he smiled. "When you think about a person, or something for them, you're automatically more likely to connect. As wolves, we learn to guard our minds from each other, so we only send what we choose.

"In those moments you're more open to me emotionally, so you're offering yourself without realizing it."

"So I need to be more guarded with you?"

He stopped walking and turned to look at her, his cheeks flushed. "No, Sash," he said quietly. "Please don't do that. I just meant… if you're thinking something you don't want me to see or know, be careful in your thoughts. Hold them to yourself. Don't… reach for me inside."

What did that even mean? Sasha wasn't sure, but before she could ask, Zev turned and started walking again. "We're almost there," he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

She hurried to keep up with him, shifting the weight of the bag on her shoulders as he pushed between bushes and through vines crawling from the tops of the trees, all the way down.

How he knew where they were going when there was no defined trail that she could see, she didn't know.

But soon his eyes sparkled and he nodded to a shaft of light punching through a gap between some trees ahead. "That's the clearing, the Square," he said, then smiled down at her. "Are you ready?"

"Um, sure." She wasn't sure what was so great about this place, why he was anticipating it so excitedly…. Until he pushed a thick branch from a low tree back, and ushered her through and she stepped out from the forest to find thick stones—cobbles, or bricks? She wasn't sure. The grass grew up between them in such uneven lines, she didn't know if it was cobbles that were just overgrown, or if it was natural stone placed to pave the road.

But as soon as she raised her eyes, all those questions fell out of her head.

Her mouth dropped open.

"Oh, Zev," she breathed.. "It's beautiful."

 

Chapter 216

The forest stopped abruptly directly behind her. Zev kept walking, but Sasha stopped for a moment to take it in.

The City was… beautiful.

Looming stone buildings, mostly single-story, but far taller than any single-story in the human world. Many were open to the air, pillars and walls holding heavy, arched ceilings and all of it, even the doorways, carved in patterns of leaves and branches. And all... growing. Sasha blinked to make sure her eyes didn't deceive her. But no…

Every surface—especially the rooves and window frames—were gray and brown weathered stone, but creeping with real vines, mosses, and small plants that covered so much of the thick stone that fooled the eye so the entire structure began to blend with the forest behind.

Structures, she corrected herself. Yet, it didn't feel that way. The stone walls were so broad and thick, the towering ceilings so majestic, each room and structure blending into the next through natural gaps that allowed sunlight and air… it was impossible to tell where one building ended and another began—or whether it had merely opened itself to the forest there, for a moment.

"Do you like it?" Zev's voice was oddly vulnerable. He'd stopped ten feet from the edge of the forest and looked back at her, waiting for her verdict.

"Zev, this is… incredible."

She walked forward to join him, turning a complete circle slowly to find buildings spreading at every side—two with massive trees growing atop them, the root structures so huge and ancient, they had grown over the sides of the building to become like pillars, each a trunk all its own, over a foot thick and blending seamlessly into the dirt like streams of water into a lake.

Then Sasha turned again and her jaw dropped further.

In the gap between two buildings she could see further light and air as the earth fell away on their other side into what, at first look appeared to be a huge bowl carved out of the earth. But when Zev saw her catch sight of it, he smiled and led her forward.

The buildings were even larger close up and as they passed between the two she could see that the roofs of the single-story structures were easily twenty feet tall, if not more. But before she could examine how these huge buildings had been created with such intricacy and beauty, despite their huge size, they passed through the two and to the edge of the bowl.

The stone walkway they'd been following spilled over the edge into a rolling, circular area that was, indeed, bowl shaped. But the smooth ramps down its sides were only to navigate it. The bowl was an amphitheater, each level ten feet deep, at least, the lip rounded and falling into the next—like a waterfall of earth and grass, bubbling over the lay of the land.

All the way around the top of the bowl more of those massive trees grew, shielding the sight of further buildings, spreading through the forest.

She'd thought they'd done a good job of camouflaging the village, making it look like a piece of the landscape. But she could see that had been a poor cousin to the job done here. This city had been built with love—not only for the inhabitants, but for the nature surrounding it—by master hands. And here it stood, who knew how many centuries later, even more magnificent than the day it was built.

Sasha covered her mouth, strangely moved by the arresting beauty of this obviously ancient place.

She blinked and blinked.

It seemed unreal.

"This is the square," Zev said wryly, given the shape of the space. "It's where we used to meet in the evenings and… entertain each other."

"Zev, this is breathtaking. It's so huge!"

"It was originally built by Sasquatch, for Sasquatch," he said softly. "They're all gone now, except for Yhet. But… they were here."

"For a really long time, I guess?" Sasha said, swallowing hard. She felt very small here—not just in stature, but in the span of life. This place had so obviously seen the world turn so many times… perhaps much longer than anywhere in her world.

"Yes. There are places that need repairs, and buildings we haven't used because we aren't certain how much longer they'll stand. But most of this place is exactly as you see it here.

There was a strange beauty even to the places where the stone was bare. Huge hands had obviously carved and molded it with the intention of creating the very effect she'd noticed the moment she arrived—as if it had grown there, rather than being built.

Sasha nodded to herself. That was it, the reason she found it so appealing. The carvers and stonemasons had clearly understood how the world grew, and fashioned their work after the trees, water, and earth around them.

It was stunning. And humbling.

She turned to Zev. "Why would they have left this place?" she asked bluntly. "I mean, even forgetting how lovely it is… there's so much more to it than the village. Surely it must keep the Chimera safer and dryer and… just better?"

Zev sucked in a deep breath and looked around, his eyes pinched and distant. "That's exactly what I asked them. No one seems to have a good answer. Xar called for it. There was a need for access to the humans. And a temporary move became… home."

Then he turned back to her. "This is why I wanted to bring you here, so you could see why I think we should come back. You're right that there's more here. More we can use, and more safety. But even aside from that, the humans are far more reluctant to come here because of how long they have to travel from the gateway. It will give us more time. More warning when they do show up. And more… I don't even know how to say it. But the village feels…"

"Belitttling," Sasha ended for him.

"Yes!" he looked at her surprised.

"I noticed it when the humans came and we were watching from the foxhole," she said, walking to his side. "It felt like they were so much more…. capable. As if the Chimera were more…"

"Savage," he said darkly.

"Yes. As if you all were simpler than you actually are.. I don't know how to explain it, but I could feel it."

 

Chapter 217

Sasha turned to stand next to him and look around again. "I'm willing to bet all this stone makes their technology less effective too," she said.

Zev frowned. What could she mean? "How can that be? The tech we used always worked best in the cities, and they were far larger than this—far more stone, bigger structures."

"Yes, but they had the technology in place—the wires and signals—to make them work through those huge buildings. The structures and cabling under the streets… You have to figure everything they bring here is working on battery or solar power. Those little devices won't have the same reach something in my world would have because they don't have the larger, powered devices and towers to connect to."

Zev shook his head. "See, I would never have thought of that. I always experienced technology problems out in the remote areas in your world. It wouldn't have occurred to me that they might struggle here."

Sasha muttered something under her breath and shook her head. "There's also just the demoralization of living so primitively," she said, "especially if you all were accustomed to this." She shook her head again. "They play mind games with you, on every level."

Zev let a growl putter in his throat. "You have no idea."

She turned to face him again, standing close enough to put her arms around his waist—very carefully, he noticed, she was doing her best not to aggravate his wound—she looked up at him earnestly. "We have to bring them back here, Zev. Like, now."

Zev chuckled. "Let's wait until we've got a little more information and know which way we're going—"

"No, Zev, I'm serious. Those men have been depowered for so long, they don't even realize it anymore. They're obedient and fearful and… they need to feel strong. Not just strong to hunt and protect themselves, they need to feel strong as a people. As if they belong. As if they're… as valuable as they are. This place," she opened her hand to gesture to the buildings and trees around them, "this is the home of a valuable people with history and… guts. We have to get them out of that village."

Zev smiled down at her, rubbing her upper arms. "You're beautiful when you're being Alpha," he said happily.

Sasha snorted. "That's not being Alpha, that's knowing about the psychology of people and why they do things they do. And how it affects their targets. We have to get them here, Zev. As quickly as we can."

"I'm in," he said softly, staring at her while she stared at the buildings. "Let's have some lunch, then I'll show you around a little before we leave. You need to understand what's here, and what's not."

"Yes, please," she said, but her eyes were still on the City and the forest surrounding them. "I can't believe this has just been sitting her all this time. How did they get the females out of here? Even if they had guns or tasers… there are so many places to hide. So much protection."

Zev frowned. "I know, it bothers me, too. The story that the females went by choice has to be real. The question is, were they drugged, or coerced, or both? I can't imagine the females I know just walking out—especially those with mates."

"We'll find out," she said, laying her temple against his chest as she continued looking around. "But for now, let's rest and get some food in you. I know having your jacket off has been good for you, but I'm worried. It's not natural. We need to get out of here."

"Soon," Zev said. The truth was, he was tired already—and he loved the City. He didn't want to leave. But he'd promised her he'd go straight to the healers. So he would. But she was right, it would be good for him to get a rest first.

*****

~ SASHA ~

Zev led her back into the city proper, through one of the grand, mostly-open buildings she'd noticed as soon as they walked in, to a smallish courtyard on its other side.

The Courtyard—garden, whatever it was—was almost square shaped, and hemmed by four, two story buildings, each with a wide open level at the ground, then stairs leading to closed in rooms and areas on the second level.

But there, in the courtyard, what little snow had reached between the buildings and past the trees was mostly already melted off. There was a massive stone table at its center, and several smaller stone tables scattered around it. From the stonework in the ground that kept their feet from getting muddy on the wet ground, to the masterwork of the stonemasons, the tables each looked as if they'd grown into those positions.

There were benches and round stones near most, but everything was too large even for Zev, let alone Sasha. So he led her to a small, raised garden on the side, where broad, smooth stone rails, fat and squatting at knee height for Zev, encircled the base of what must once have been carefully selected trees and bushes, but had become massive root and branch structures as many plants over many years, competed for the sunlight and rain, growing into and around each other, until it was impossible to tell where one plant ended and another began.

Zev pulled more dried meat out of his bag and handed her a strip.

She watched him, growing more worried as her fears were realized.

He wasn't eating.

He tried to cover it by looking for flint in his pack, and clearing a spot on the ground to light a fire, locating dry branches underneath the taller trees, and carrying them to the spot he'd cleared, all while carrying a piece of meat in his hand.

But he put the meat down to light the fire, and he didn't pick it back up again.

He needed his strength. But he also needed his hydration, and if he was feeling sick, might throw up if he ate…

She was scared to ask him. Especially after he laid down on his side next to the fire, urging her to sit with her back to his stomach, and rested his head on his fist.

And when she stopped making nervous chatter, he didn't pick up the conversation.

Within minutes he was asleep.

Sasha sat there, curled into his stomach, his arm around her waist, and she prayed.. She prayed and prayed that letting him rest was the right thing to do.

 

Chapter 218

He woke with a start when the fire popped, pushing himself up to sit, wincing as his side sent a lightening jolt of heat through his side and ribs.

His heart was thumping. Sasha was gone. Where was she?

"Sasha? SASH?" he called, pushing to his feet, frantic.

But then the most beautiful sound in the world bloomed in his mind.

Just relax. I'm coming. I just needed to find a place to pee.

Zev winced again—not because he cared about her peeing, but because she had no idea how that scent would be a red flag to any Chimera who came through the City. He would have to tell her to make sure and show her the bathing pools and toilets… well, they weren't toilets. He prayed she come become accustomed to straddling a water stream when they moved here. The city wasn't equipped with the more-human amenities that her tree house had.

Where are you? he asked carefully in her head, trying not to communicate his fear about how far away she was. He heard her as clearly as if she stood beside him.

Just a few buildings away, she replied. I didn't want to get out of sight. How are you feeling?

Better now that I've had a rest, he said quickly, and mostly honestly. He did feel better in the sense that he didn't feel as exhausted as he had. Not quite.

But the pain… the pain was getting worse. His side felt like his bones burned. And his heart rate was up, his blood pressure high. He could tell. His head throbbed slightly in time with his pulse—which he heard as a rushing in his ears.

They were going to have to make this a quick tour so that he could see a healer before dinner. The idea of eating made his stomach turn. That wasn't a good sign—especially when he still had an hour's hike ahead of him.

Listening carefully he could hear Sasha approaching from the north, and he turned, looking for her, waiting for her to emerge from the shadows of the building or out from behind a tree.

Sure enough, her foot scraped on the stone of the open building in that direction, and then he could see her, smiling and waving, though she looked a little pale.

"You know," she said as she crossed the grassy stones toward him, "the more I see of this place, the more I wonder how Xar convinced everyone to leave."

"Maybe he didn't," Zev said as she stepped up close to him and hugged his waist. "Maybe the humans—"

"They left because they were lonely and afraid, and false promises were made. They all wanted to be closer to the place where their mates and mothers and sisters would appear."

Zev whirled, shoving Sasha behind him, Zev cursing himself for not paying closer attention beyond the thudding in his ears, as a young male appeared from the direction they'd entered, his chin low and eyes intent on Zev.

He had blond hair and golden eyes, his skin where it poked out of the furs, tanned and weathered. But his face was still fine. He hadn't found his fullness as a male yet, though he could look Zev in the eye if they stood toe-to-toe.

He was handsome, and graceful as he approached cautiously. But his finer bones and nearly-smooth cheeks gave away that he hadn't yet celebrated twenty summers.

That didn't mean he wasn't deadly.

Zev's heart throbbed and Sasha's too. He could feel hers pattering away at his chest—feel it echo in his chest.

Zev stood, wary. As Sasha peered carefully around him.

Who is that? She asked in his head.

Xar's son.

"Where's your sister, Axe?" he asked as the male stopped fifteen or twenty feet from them, his hands at his sides.

"She's not far away," he said carefully, examining Zev.

Zev's jaw tightened and he raised his voice so it could be heard in all the surrounding buildings. "You tell her if she touches a hair on my mate's head I will take her throat."

Axe's expression didn't change. For good or ill. "Your mate killed our father," he said bluntly.

Well, he was obviously too late to take the sting out of that news.

Zev nodded slowly. "Your father tried to take her from me when he already had a mate. During our fight for Alpha, he attacked her with a knife."

"Your fight for Alpha?" Axe asked, the first expression finally passing his handsome features—anger, but hesitation as well.

Zev nodded. "When he tried to take my mate by his claim as Alpha, I challenged him for Alpha."

Axe frowned and looked at Sasha, then back at Zev. "But… she's Alpha."

*****

~ SASHA ~

Her heart pounded in her ears. She could feel her pulse throbbing in her skin. This male had appeared from nowhere in that silent way the Chimera had. She was having trouble reading Zev, and she didn't want to distract him by talking in his head if this guy was dangerous.

But fear bubbled in her chest and she kept her eyes on this kid who was, apparently, Xar's son.

The question was, where was his twin sister?

The skin on the back of Sasha's neck crawled, feeling eyes on her that she couldn't see. She whirled, still gripping Zev's shirt, but trying desperately to see anything that might help identify the woman.

But Zev kept his focus on the guy. He nodded again, one hand sliding back to hold Sasha's waist, to push her behind him, she was sure, if this guy decided to attack with the knife hanging in a sheath at his belt.

"Sasha's Alpha because Xar ran from me to attack her. She defended herself and killed him. I'm sorry, Axe. I take no pleasure in it, but your father was… there was something wrong. He had lost his mind. Everything he'd done… it broke every tradition of our people."

Sasha's heart went out to the young man when his shoulders slumped and his chin dropped further, as if grief had suddenly weighed his shoulders. But his eyes snapped right back up. Sasha thought he was looking at her, but his gaze shifted, past her, higher than her shoulder.

"I knew it," a soft, female voice hissed from behind them.

Sasha whirled as a female appeared on the second story of the building behind them, holding a long bow, with an arrow nocked and ready to fire. She stared down it at Sasha.

Zev turned quickly, trying to put Sasha behind him while positioning both of them so there was a twin on either side of them. She didn't think he could protect her from both that arrow, and the knife though. Her heart hammered mercilessly.

But they'd barely backed up before the woman's voice rang out.

"One more step and I'll take her heart!"

Zev stopped dead, his hands still back, boxing Sasha in behind him.

"You really, really shouldn't have killed him," the young man said from their right.. "She's been waiting for you."

 

Chapter 219

Head throbbing, Sasha looked at the woman in the building, on the inside of a massive, open window, the frame of which was as tall as her thighs. She looked small inside such a huge structured, yet, with impossible grace, keeping the arrow knocked and her head tilted to aim it, she stepped up onto the window frame, then dropped into the courtyard.

Sasha gasped—it had to be a thirty foot drop—but before she could do more than tense, the woman landed easily on the balls of her feet, her legs taking the impact smoothly.

She didn't even lose the knock on the arrow.

Sasha stared at her, one hand still fisted in Zev's waistband.

The woman had beautiful, amber-colored, eyes, catlike in their shape, though as human as Sasha's—and filled with tears.

"Let him go," she said through her teeth, and Sasha dropped her grip on Zev, putting her hands up, palms towards the woman. "I'm sor—"

Zev screamed in her mind, DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR TAKING ALPHA! Listen, Sasha! Claim it. OWN IT. She'll kill you if she senses any weakness.

His breath was panting in short, heavy puffs.

Sasha froze, swallowing hard as the woman came to a stop twenty feet away, the arrow aimed directly for Sasha's chest.

She could feel Zev quivering next to her.

"What's your name?" she said as clearly and boldly as she could.

The woman didn't answer, but the point of the arrow shivered.

"Her name is Aurelia," Zev said softly, one hand raised towards the woman, as if he could stop the arrow's path. "She's Xar's daughter."

Sasha nodded, licking her lips. She'd heard Zev and the others talk about the twins. They had been rebelling the night the females were taken, so Aurelia wasn't taken with the other females. The two had been hiding from the humans ever since.

"You've been living here with your brother for three years?" Sasha said to her. "Must be lonely."

"Don't speak to me, murderer."

"Murderer? I'm still getting to understand Chimeran tradition, but… is killing a male to take Alpha murder?"

No, it's not, Zev said in her head. Keep going.

The girl didn't answer. Her knuckles were turning white on the bow.

She was clearly younger than Sasha, late teens, Sasha guessed. She was tall—much taller than she'd looked standing in that massive window above. Her hair was a rosy blond and fell in waves to her shoulders. Her eyes were striking, and her body clearly strong.

And she was emotional. A daughter who loved her father and had lost him.

Sasha swallowed. How did you comfort a child without apologizing for what happened?

"I took no joy in removing him," Sasha said honestly. "I didn't want to kill him. But he attacked me. I have no reason to fight with you."

"I have reason to fight you. You killed my father."

"'Lia, we talked about this," her brother said, his voice heavy with grief. "If I had challenged her mate and killed him, would you expect her to come for you?"

"I am not a human! I am not the one who betrayed all of us and deceived my father! I am not to blame for the death of our race!" she shrieked suddenly. Sasha startled, but managed not to make a sound.

"No," Sasha said carefully. "You're not. And neither am I. The same men who are killing the Chimera tried to kill me. I don't work with them, I want to defeat them."

"Bullshit! Another human lie for human purposes, and I am DONE WITH YOUR LIES!" She jerked the arrow back farther, until the string was vibrating.

Zev snarled, his hands twitching towards her, and Sasha—stunned, but finding impossible calm—put her hand up to stop him moving.

"I'm not lying," she said to Aurelia. "Ask me anything. I'll tell you the truth."

The woman's eyes narrowed over that arrow. "Was my father crazy?"

"I don't know. But from what I gather, he wasn't crazy when he took Alpha. It sounds like the grief of losing his mate and… I heard that he was being given medication by the human team. If that's true, I suspect they were giving him something that made him… see the world differently."

The girl blinked. Then bared her teeth. "They said it would help him."

Sasha frowned. "Maybe it helped in some ways. But I think it also… also made him suggestible, or something. There were decisions he made that made no sense."

The girl tensed and adrenalin shot through Sasha's system when she tugged on that arrow. "He was a good king! He was trying to keep everyone safe!"

Sasha kept her hands up and nodded tightly. "I'm sure in his mind, that's what he wanted. But he couldn't see that he was ushering in his enemy. I'm sure he was desperate and well-intended. But he was wrong."

Aurelia snorted. "But you have the right of it? You? The human? You expect me to believe you're the one who can see everything clearly?"

"Yes, because I'm one of them. I know how they think, and I understand the way they're motivated. I disagree with what they're doing, and I'm going to do everything I can to stop them."

"Why should we believe you?"

"Because your people are dying and if something doesn't change, you can't stop that."

Aurelia lifted her head from the arrow, slowly, both eyes now fixed on Sasha. "I don't trust you."

"I don't trust you either, but there's a saying in my world… the enemy of my enemy is my friend. If you want to see the humans taken out of Thana, we're on the same side, because we're both opposing them."

Aurelia kept staring, her fingers shaking on the arrow so that Sasha was afraid she might loose it by accident.

When no one spoke or moved, Zev growled.

Axe, behind them, sighed. "Please, Aurelia, she's Zev's mate. We can't afford to lose more females."

Everyone held their breaths except Aurelia as she shifted her feet and tightened her grip and pulled the arrow back until the string creaked.

 

Chapter 220

No one moved or breathed. Sasha knew without Zev telling her that her response here was critical. She could give this woman no reason to snap—and no reason to see her as weak.

Dear Lord, how was she supposed to walk that line?

Sasha swallowed her fear. "The humans came looking for me, Aurelia. They wanted to take me out of here because they understand that I'm dangerous to them."

"How are you dangerous to them?"

"Because I can walk in their world, and reveal their secrets without being a secret myself, because I'm just a plain human."

Zev sucked in hard like he'd been sucker-punched and Sasha froze again. She wondered what he saw that she didn't, but she was too scared to take her eyes off the young woman to find out.

"Plain is right," Aurelia sneered.

Sasha raised her eyebrows. "I'm guessing if you're taking the time to be mean… maybe you want to drop that arrow so we can talk?"

"Lia… please," Axe said softly. "No more death."

The woman's lips pulled back from her teeth and Sasha braced, certain there would be a twang and she'd feel the slide of that stone arrowhead in her skin.

"I don't want to talk to you," Aurelia growled. But then, without warning, she sighed and slumped her shoulders. The arrow wavered, then swung down to point at the ground, and she loosened the tension on the string. "But I also don't want to kill another female."

Sasha blew out a breath as the calm she'd felt whooshed out of her. She began to tremble. Zev was at her side immediately, babbling in her mind, demanding to know if she was safe. But Sasha couldn't focus.

She could feel the heat of him through his furs.

"Zev," she whispered, alarmed.

Are you okay? Fuck, Sash, I was ready to shift and tear out her throat…

He didn't stop babbling in her head, checking her, running his hands over her hair, her body, checking her for injury or… she wasn't sure what he thought he'd find. All she knew was that he was sick, and they were wasting time.

Still trembling, she made herself turn to him. "Zev, we need to go. You need to get to a—"

Zev grabbed her face and forced her to look at him. KEEP THAT QUIET! He hissed in her head. Then he looked at the twins over her shoulder, then back to her.

They can't be trusted. Not yet. Don't tell them I'm weak. They'll smell the infection, but if they can't see my weakness, they'll think I'm fighting it off.

Okay. Okay. Sasha reached up with a shaking hand to kiss him, then every alarm in her head began to scream. His skin was hot—hot!

But his eyes flashed with the warning and he didn't let go of her face until she nodded, then he turned back to the twins—Axe was comforting Aurelia, who still looked very angry. Sasha was glad they'd been distracted too.

Zev worked hard to stand casually, but she could see the pinch of weariness and pain around his eyes. And she could feel the heat coming off him in waves.

She was no longer concerned that he might be seriously ill. She was convinced. They had to get away from there and get him to the healers. But Zev turned back to the twins like they were there on a visit. Being social!

"Sasha's never seen the City before. I was showing her—but you two would know better what kind of shape everything's in now. We're talking about bringing everyone back. Can you see any issues with that?"

Axe's eyes widened. "No. That would be… great."

"Have you two really been here alone for three years?" Sasha asked. "And the humans didn't come for you?"

"They came a couple of times, but always with Dad and Lhars and… they never found us," Axe shrugged.

"Xar and Lhars would have made sure of that," Zev said, just loud enough for her to hear.

Sasha shook her head. "Why would they trust him to find his own children for them? Why wouldn't they keep him out of the search?"

"I don't think they really cared about the twins," Zev said. "When they're determined, they don't give up. I think it was just… just to keep Xar on his toes. Keep him working to keep them happy."

Sasha needed to move this along, to get them out there. She sighed and turned to face Aurelia personally. "It has to have been hard, being alone that long. I'm sorry it's… I'm sorry it ended this way."

Aurelia blinked several times, but nodded once, tightly, her jaw twitching.

"I want to bring everyone back here. Immediately. Or, as immediately as we can. Before the humans return. Is there enough food and resources here? Anything we'll need to make sure and bring or be prepared to deal with when they come?"

Axe looked at Aurelia, who was still blinking, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Then he answered for her.

"There's plenty of space. A couple of the buildings are caving in, but even without them there's more than enough space for the current population. And food. There's more now, actually, since there's fewer hunters this far out."

Sasha asked a few more questions—things they needed to know, but her mind was only half on the answers. Now that the tension of the danger from Aurelia had passed, Zev seemed to be sagging and she worried that the twins would notice. They needed to get moving.

"Well, thank you, that's all really helpful. If there's nothing else that you think we need to know—"

"What about the humans?" Aurelia asked sullenly.

Sasha blinked. "The whole point of coming here is to avoid them."

The woman snorted. "You think they won't follow you? They dealt with us here for generations before…"

The specter of Xar and his death made everyone tense. Zev's eyes went wolf, zeroing in on Aurelia as he shifted his weight so he half-blocked Sasha from her line of sight.

The woman gave him a flat look. "I'm talking about when everyone's here," she snarled. "We don't want everyone coming back if they're bringing the humans with them. We want to keep our freedom!"

"You think you have a right to tell the Alpha what she can and can't do with the City?" Zev asked, his voice low and threatening.

Sasha put a hand to his arm and almost sobbed. Even his forearm was burning.

"We want you to keep your freedom too, Aurelia," she said quietly. "So help me. Help me understand how we make it hard for them. And how we keep everyone else safe. The only human that will be here, if I have anything to do with it, is me."

Zev snapped his head to look at her, and his voice bloomed in her head.

How exactly do you propose to do that when the gateway's still open?

I don't know yet, she admitted. But we're going to figure it out.