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"Why wouldn't I be?" He smiles, all sharp teeth, and I know he is lying. Somewhere out there are more gladiators, then, likely traveling with him, banding together to ensure their success in the game.

"Why are you out here? Why so far away from the beach?"

He smirks. "Hunting, of course."

It sounds like bullshit to me, but it's also obvious he's not going to tell me his real reason for being out here. "Tell me more about this beach you are so fond of, then. You make it sound like we should go there, yet you tell me nothing of it."

"Why do you care if you're not planning on going there?"

"Intel," I say bluntly. "Information is everything in a game like this."

He scrubs clawed a hand down his face. "There's no keffinggame."

"How many live at the beach?" I continue, ignoring his protests. "Five? Ten? Twenty?"

He shifts his weight, trying to get comfortable in the spot where he collapsed, and grimaces in fresh pain. "Look, I'll tell you whatever you'd like, but my ankle is killing me and I don't want it to set crooked. There's not a healer anywhere on this side of the mountains—unless you or your mate know something I don't—so can you give me something to splint it?"

I eye his bad leg. This is not faking, I know. There's a limpness to the injured foot that tells me it is as broken as he says it is. I can only imagine the pain, but he is managing to hide it well, which tells me he is stronger than he wants to let on. I nod and get to my feet, as there is no honor in maiming your opponent so he cannot fight as well. "We have extra bones and some cord."

"Bones and cord. Fantastic. Just what I was hoping." His sarcasm bleeds through his words. "Can totally see why you're hiding out here." He gestures at our surroundings. "Why give up all this?"

I throw the longest bone I can find in his direction. "I didn't ask you."

"In case I only mentioned it about five times, there's a healer at the beach," Valmir continues. "She can heal almost any injury with just a touch of her hands. This ankle would be child's play for her. Whatever is going on with your female would also be no problem."

So there is something wrong with Aidy? More than just bad food? She reassures me that she's fine, but I worry. Always I worry. I rub my chest, the humming increasing when I think of my brave, lovely human. "There is nothing wrong with Aidy."

He doesn't respond. When I move to hand him the cord I promised, both of his triangular ears swivel towards me. "Keffing hells, man. Are you…resonating?"

Resonating? I frown. "I don't understand what you are asking."

He gestures at my chest, eyes wide. "The humming. You and the woman? You…you don't know what that means?" At my scowl, he continues. "How did you know you needed a khui to live?"

"I followed a group of you and watched them take one for themselves."

"But…you don't know what it does." His voice is flat, the words a statement and not a question. "Did you know that you and the woman are clones?"

I guessed as much for myself. And with Aidy's lack of memories, I'm not surprised that she is one, too. I dismiss this with a flick of my hand. "We know. Tell me more about the parasite, the khui. I know it ensures survival. Tell me why."

Again, he doesn't answer me properly. "You are humming when you are around the female?" He rubs his mouth again. "Kef me, I thought you two couldn't get any messier than my situation. Here I am, wrong again."

"What does it mean? The humming?"

The male just eyes me. "You and Aidy…you've mated, I assume?" When I scowl at him, he puts a hand up. "I'm not asking because I want to muscle in. I'm asking because if you have, I think I know why your female is sick."

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FOUR

AIDY

I wake up slowly,a warm body curled around mine. It feels deliciously warm and comfortable to be in Corvak's arms, and I roll over and nuzzle against his chest, content.

Then, my stomach turns at the sudden movement, reminding me that whatever sort of sickness I've picked up is still lingering. I fight back nausea, mentally picturing all the things that could be wrong with me. Giardia, trichinosis, worms of some kind…horrifying. I already know parasites exist on this planet, so it's just a question of what's infected me and how I get rid of it.

"You're awake?" Corvak asks in a low voice, gently stroking my hair back from my face. "Your breathing changed."

It absolutely did. I've found through practice that tilting my head back and taking deep gulps of cold air sometimes helps my stomach calm. "I'll be fine in a moment. Is it dawn yet?"