Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
I’m stunned into silence, contemplating the meaning behind his declaration. Could he actually care about me for who I am and not just because I’m his mate?
The breeze picks up, blowing wisps of his hair that came loose around his face.
Glancing at the horizon, he says, “We’ll have time to come back here.” He pulls me behind him toward the white cliff. “The eastern wind is rising.”
I recognize a few of the creepy-crawlies from Lona. A long line of the same spidery ants I saw in the jungle cross our path. The giant tube worms are everywhere, but I’m not worried, knowing I can control them. Anyway, Aruan will melt them if they snap their fanged maws in our direction. A colony of those prawn-like insects are hard at work in the trees, cutting larvae from their cocoons.
As we round the foot of the cliff, a gap appears like a dark distorted mouth in the rockface, giving the impression of a grimacing mask. We go inside. Light comes from the other end, so it must be some kind of tunnel running through the mountain.
Hissing reaches my ears. I access the map in my mind, but there’s no animal life around us. I’m about to ask Aruan what’s making that noise when my gaze falls on movement in the shadows. When my eyes adjust to the dark, I almost jump out of my skin.
A creature that looks like a giant snake slithers from behind a rock. Beady little eyes shine like black marble from a triangular head. It pushes up onto two front paws, observing us slyly. I nearly fall onto my back when the human-sized snake opens its mouth and speaks with hissing and clicking sounds.
I cling to Aruan’s hand as he listens attentively. When the creature falls quiet, I whisper, “What the hell is that?”
“They’re one of the intelligent species on Zerra. We call them Slitheax. They’re stealthy assassins.”
The Slitheax says something, its red forked tongue peeking out as it spits and hisses more foreign words.
I suppress an urge to jump behind Aruan’s back as it slides through the sand toward us. “What did he say? Or is it a she?”
“They’re hermaphrodites. It was asking what our business is here. Your aunt employs them as guardians for the palace. That way, the Alit and Slitheax live together in peace.”
A whole army of Slitheax crawl out from behind the rocks, hissing and clicking their tongues as they surround us.
I swallow. “What did you tell them?”
“They know who I am.” Aruan pulls me closer with an arm around my shoulders. “They’re curious about you.”
Unable to stop myself, I yelp when they narrow their circle around us.
“Just keep still.” Aruan’s tone is reassuring. “They only want to get to know you.”
It’s difficult to stay still when “getting to know me” means licking my face with their sandpapery tongues.
“It’s their way of smelling you,” Aruan says with a grin I can’t see, as I’m currently being blinded by tens of licking tongues and snake-ish saliva, but that I can hear clearly.
They’re only happy when my entire face is covered in glob, and sticky slime is dripping from my chin.
Wiping a hand over my eyes to clear the muck that glues my eyelashes together, I swallow down the need to throw up and ask with sarcasm, “Do they know me now?”
Laughter is thick in Aruan’s voice. “They’ve certainly made your acquaintance.”
“Great,” I grumble, wiping my sleeve over my face. Long dregs of slime stick to the fabric. “Eww.”
The Slitheax who addressed Aruan first says something in its lisping language, and then they retreat to let us through. They push up onto their front paws, watching us with their long tongues flicking from their mouths. In the light spilling from the exit on the other side of the tunnel, I can make out the vibrant orange scales on the undersides of their otherwise black bodies.
Outside, I shake the hand I cleaned my eyes with, trying to dislodge the slime, but it only stretches like melted cheese before bouncing back to my splayed fingers.
“Come here,” Aruan says, chuckling as he guides me to a pond in a hollow of the rock slab.
He crouches down in front of me, pulling me with him onto my haunches. He scoops up a handful of water and gently rinses my face. I don’t miss the quirk of his lips as he tries hard to suppress his laughter.
I narrow my eyes. “You think this is funny, don’t you?”
He flashes me a grin. “Don’t worry. The price is worth the gain. They never forget a scent. Once they’ve smelled you, they’ll never mistake you for an enemy. You’ll always have a guaranteed passage through their terrain.”
“Did Kian give you the ability to understand them?”
He nods.
“So there are Slitheax in Lona too?”
“No.” He pauses. “On one of my visits, I crossed one that was injured. A dragon had chewed off his tail before he managed to get away.”