Page 3

Chapter Three

Ghenie

My heart hammers against my chest as I weave through the crowd. I don’t know where I’m going, only that I need to be anywhere but here.

The voices in my head are a cacophony of emotions which feed into my own. We’re a soundboard back and forth, feeding each other despite the fact that I need silence. I need time to process everything. I need solitude.

I go to the only place I can think to go; the place I’ve been staying in since Christian left. I hold Maribel against my chest and run, hoping that no one is watching. My people don’t need to see me like this, frazzled and upset over someone. I need to be in control. I need to be above this.

Yet the ache in my chest is unavoidable. It throbs, like an open wound. I can barely pull in a full breath.

“Oh, Maribel,” I whisper into my daughter's hair. “What am I going to do?”

I pull her away from my chest in order to look into her face. She gives me a giant grin. Apparently my run back home was entertaining for her. Some of that ache fades as I look into her face. She has his eyes.

I pull a blanket from the couch, stretching it across the floor before setting Maribel down on it. I set her on her stomach, letting her try to roll over. Then I sit on the floor with her, my back against the couch.

Christian is back. I had hoped he would come back but now that he is here, I can’t stop thinking about what happens now. I was so busy thinking about the what-if’s, I didn’t stop to think about what the reality of that would be like.

Not only is Christian back, but he kissed me. He didn’t say a single word, but his lips met mine. My fingers go to my lips. I swear I can still feel it. Warm tingles run through my skin as I think about it.

Will he be happy? Will Maribel’s presence mean something to him? Or will he hate me for not sending someone to Earth to inform him?

The Ancestors are a mixed bag when it comes to Christian. Some of them favor him, others tell me to stay away. They’re all trying to protect me in their own way. One soft voice tells me they’re happy for me at getting this second chance. That’s the one I hold onto the tightest.

There’s a knock on the back door. Before I can get up and see who it is, the door cracks open and my dad’s voice calls out.

“I’m in here.”

There’s some shuffling before both of my parents walk into the living room.

My father, Plun, comes in first, his dark green brows furrowed in worry.

My dad, Scrintum, comes in second. His skin is a pretty light pink color, his cheeks brighter than the rest of him.

Both of them look like they’re breathing heavily with sweat on their faces.

“Did you two run here?”

“Yes,” my father says, leaning against the back of the couch. “We saw what happened and we rushed to come check on you.”

“By the Ancestors, Ghenie! How the heck did you run so quickly while holding my grandbaby? You’ve had a child recently and you can still outrun us. It’s blasphemous!”

That makes me crack a smile. My dad is always a bit over dramatic in the best possible way. “What’s blasphemous is you taking the Ancestors’ name in vain. Again.”

My dad waves a hand at me. “Like they care. They’re dead!”

I rub my temples. They actually have a lot to say about that but I can’t deny the comfort that comes from a familiar inside joke.

My parents know about the hardship that’s been placed on my shoulders.

They know the basics of what it means to lead our people and be the living vessel for our Ancestors to speak through.

My father sits beside me on the floor and I immediately lean my head against his shoulder. His tail wraps around my back, holding me tight.

“How are you feeling?” My father might not be the most outspoken person but he’s always so gentle with me. He’s always here when I need him.

I let his question settle for a moment before covering my face with my hands and letting out a long groan.

“That bad, huh? I still think you should drag his ass to the maturous trial . Prove that you two belong together in the eyes of the Ancestors. Even if he’s not willing to brave the pit, surely you are, Ghenie.”

“I would run through the gauntlet if I thought that would do anything to win his heart but I fear it would not. Christian has made his feelings about our trial very clear. He believes one cannot win another’s heart, it must be given freely.”

The voices in my head perk up at that. More than half of them agree with Christian’s sentiment.

It’s why there hasn’t been another trial since Maribel was born.

As I piece through the chorus of voices, I know that times are changing and a new way of doing things is about to rise up.

I just have to find the right words in order to properly declare this new way of living.

But that will have to wait. I can only have one crisis at a time.

“Humans,” my dad says with a roll of his eyes. “They’re so strange and they’re tailless ! I just don’t see the appeal.”

I can’t help but smile at my dad’s teasing. “They have their perks,” I tell him with a shrug.

“If you say so.” He reaches down and picks up Maribel. “How is my favorite grandbaby doing? Huh? Are you so happy to see me?”

He takes her into the kitchen and I listen to the way he coos and sings for her.

My chest feels like it could burst with affection.

I don’t know what I would have done without my parents’ help the last few months.

They’ve been my emotional rocks, keeping my head above water when everything threatened to drown me.

My father stays, holding me and running his hand up and down my spine. There’s a long moment where neither of us speaks a word, just content to stay like this.

“Everything will work out in the end,” my father finally says, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I know you feel strongly for Christian. I won’t ask you to hold yourself back.

Part of being a parent is allowing your child to make their own decision and helping them through whatever the fallout may be.

” I look over at my father, seeing his eyes follow my dad, a small smile on his lips.

I want the type of love that they have. “I know what it’s like to have your heart stolen by another.

Fight for him and no matter what happens, you will know you did what you could. That can bring you peace.”

I nod my head slowly. I reach over and take my father’s hand, leaning my head on his shoulder once more.

“Things are changing,” I confide, letting my words solidify in my chest. “The maturous trial will be a thing of the past. The pit will no longer be used for that purpose but instead to demonstrate a person’s resilience before they become a warrior.

Christian isn’t wrong about that trial. It was unfair in a lot of ways.

What if two people love each other but neither can physically handle the trial.

Are they doomed to not mate? That’s not right and the Ancestors agree. ”

My father listens, humming at all the right times.

“I am in awe of all that you do, Ghenie, but as your father, I wish this burden had never fallen to your shoulders. I wish I could protect you more.”

“I know what you mean,” I tell him. “The thought of this happening to Maribel is unthinkable. Some day, I will train our next leader and I, in equal parts, dread and look forward to it.”

“Things are changing,” my father says, mirroring my words. “Maybe this will change as well. Maybe we can find a place to let our Ancestors rest, a place our leaders can go and pray with them instead of having a living vessel.”

“Something to contemplate,” I say, ignoring the volume of the voices inside my head. They are shouting over each other, their emotions rising so hot and high I can’t push them down. That is apparently a subject we’ll be deep diving into in the near future.

“Darling?” My dad walks back into the living room. “Would you like to come stay with us for a bit? Until you’re feeling more settled now that Christian is back? It would be lovely to have you back in the house with us, and it would allow us to see Maribel more often.”

I shake my head. “Thank you for the offer, but I think I am okay staying here.”

My dad raises his perfectly manicured pink brow, popping out his hip. His tail whips back and forth behind himself. “What about Christian?”

“What about him?”

My dad looks at me like it’s obvious. When he realizes I still don’t understand, he explains. “This is his house. Surely he will want to live here again now that he’s back, right?”

My eyes widen. Oh. Oh shit. I completely forgot that this is Christian’s home. I’ve been living here but now that he’s back, my dad is right, he’ll want his home back. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that until right now!

Just then, there’s a knock on the door. Oh, by the Ancestors! How could this possibly be happening?

My dad peeks through the front window. “Yep,” he says. “That’s him.”

“Fuck,” I hiss out, rubbing at my eyes. I stand up and grab Maribel from my dad’s arms. “You two need to get out of here so we can talk.”

“Do you want us to take Maribel?” My father asks softly. I shake my head.

“I think it’s time for Christian and I to have a long conversation. You’re right, it’s time I fight for him.”