Page 24

24

Dumb Joke

*Ren*

I t was just supposed to be a dumb joke.

Yeah, when I first told Jalen riding bitch meant being in the back, I snickered a little. And when he told me he’d be my bitch walker, I had a good laugh. But I never imagined he’d dub me his bitch while staring down my brother like he wanted to do unholy things to his corpse.

Yep, color me surprised when the suspected poacher turned out to be none other than my foster brother, Demetri. Only now the joy that had overcome me when I first heard his voice had melted away, replaced with enough embarrassment I wanted to stuff my head in the jungle dirt and hide for, oh, about a century.

Alas, that was not in the cards for me. Instead, I was cursed to watch the awful scene I’d unwittingly orchestrated unfold in slow-mo.

The righteous anger slipped from Jalen’s face as he clocked my horrified expression. His brows squished together, and he glanced around as if looking for answers, completely baffled by what was happening.

At the same time, Demi marched across the path, his fist pulled back, clearly seeing red.

I lifted a hand and took a step, my mouth falling open. But before I could hop in between them or spit out, No , the crack of flesh hitting flesh reached my ears.

The men collided in a mad tumble, punching, kicking, and rolling around like a pair of wolves fighting to see who was the alpha.

“Stop!” I shouted, my heart in my throat. “Jalen, stop! He’s my brother.”

Jalen stilled, but Demi didn’t. He landed a blow to Jalen’s gut, making him grunt and double over.

“Demi, you too! He’s with me. Jalen’s my guide. Stop hurting him. Please!”

Demi blinked, pausing with his fist in the air. “Your guide? Then why’d he call you his bitch?”

I cringed. “I’ll explain, I promise. Just let him go.”

Demi released his grip on Jalen’s vest. “Fine.” He stood, brushing the dirt off his long shorts. “What are you doing out here, Ren?” He tentatively reached down, and Jalen clasped his hand, letting Demi help him to his feet.

“It’s a long story.” I winced as Jalen turned to me. The skin around his eye had already begun to bruise, and I suspected he’d end up with an awful shiner. “Are you okay?”

He forced a smile. “I think so. I’ll be better once I understand what just happened. I don’t recall learning that Terrans start family introductions with a brawl…”

Demi laughed humorlessly. “No. That wasn’t normal at all.” His eyes narrowed at me. “Spill, Sis. What was that?”

I twisted my hands. “I may have told Jalen the other day that riding bitch meant you were the one in back.”

As understanding dawned on Demi, his brows lifted, and then his lips pressed together into a thin line. “Why would you say that?”

Jalen cocked his head. “Wait, what does it mean?”

Demi, always the linguist, couldn’t resist jumping in to explain. “It’s a Terran word that has several meanings. It’s sometimes used to refer to a female dog. It can also be spoken as an insult, usually to a woman. But I believe our dear Ren used it in that context to imply that you were subservient to her. You know, like a servant, or a minion.”

By the time he finished, my face burned. “It was just a dumb joke. I’m sorry, okay?” My voice rose, sounding far shriller than I’d intended it to.

Jalen split a glance between Demi and me, his expression unreadable. My stomach clenched.

He scrubbed a hand down his face, and for half a heartbeat, I worried that this was the end. The universe had given me the sexiest, most easy-going man that existed, and I’d pushed him too far with my stupidity.

Jalen would tell me—nicely, of course—to get lost. He’d go home and find some sweet little thing who’d never trick him into getting sucker punched. Some perfect Dionion woman who’d smile at his jokes and let him use his hands when they fucked.

Ugh… Please say something, Jalen!

Then Jalen’s hand fell to his side, and a huge belly laugh exploded from him.

I couldn’t help it. I scowled. “I’m glad you find this funny.”

He met my gaze, his green eyes shining with glee. “Don’t you?”

“Well…” I poked his side. “Now that you guys aren’t trying to murder each other, I guess it is kind of funny.”

Jalen’s laughter subsided, and he turned to Demi, raising a fist. I tensed until I realized he was only offering a Dionion greeting.

Demi caught on instantly, pressing the side of his fist to Jalen’s. “Sorry, I know Ren said it, but I seem to have forgotten your name.”

“It’s Jalen. And you’re…”

“Demi.”

They retracted their fists and stared at each other warily.

“You’re Ren’s brother?” Jalen gave Demi a cool once-over. “I don’t see the resemblance.”

“He’s my foster brother.”

Jalen glanced at me, his eyes widening. “You’re an orphan?”

I nodded, my gaze downcast.

Demi cut in. “Ren and I met at an orphanage when we were teens. We’ve been best friends ever since.”

Jalen grunted, and I got the feeling he wasn’t too happy with that answer.

Time to change the subject. “Demi, you still haven’t explained why you’re out here.”

Demi sighed. “Okay, fine. But then you better tell me what you’re doing here. After what you said when Cassidy invited us, you were the last person I expected to meet in a Dionion jungle.”

“I’ll tell you everything. Promise. You first.”

Demi started, “I’ve been out here for a few months, traveling from village to village so I can incorporate any regional phrases into the Dionion translator upgrades.” He frowned, scratching his chin. “Remind me to add some Terran slang in there too. Maybe we can avoid more miscommunications like—”

“You’re getting off track, Demi,” I said.

“Oh, sorry. I left my last village yesterday, but just after sunset, I ran into a problem. Smugglers.”

Jalen’s nostrils flared. “How did you know they were smugglers?”

He shrugged. “I caught them red-handed digging up these pretty flowers. What are they called again…”

“Ellbright?” I guessed.

“That’s it! I knew they were trouble, so I hid until they took off. But by then it was nearly full dark. So I hunkered down for the night, and now I’m back on the road. I should make it to my destination tomorrow morning, barring more complications.”

“Where are you headed?” Jalen asked.

“Onatel Village.”

I spied recognition on Jalen’s face. “Is that where we’re going, too?” I couldn’t contain the hint of hope in my voice.

Jalen shook his head. “It’s not.”

“Oh.” My shoulders slumped. It’d been years since I’d hung out with Demi in person. But it looked like we’d have to go our separate ways after this chat.

Jalen’s brows dipped. He opened his mouth, but before he got in a word, Demi said, “All right, I’ve told you my story. What about you, Ren?”

I faced Demi and quickly filled him in, explaining enough about Arda’s genetic mystery to have him intrigued, and a brief recounting of where we’d traveled so far. I left out my weird collapse, since I didn’t want to worry him. And of course, he didn’t need to know how I’d been sleepwalking in just my panties, or that I’d rubbed myself to completion on Jalen’s vibrating cocks last night.

“Huh, you’ve been through a lot. Sounds like you need a hug.” He threw out his arms, and I leaned in without hesitation.

“Thanks, Demi.” I sighed, taking comfort in his embrace like I could with hardly anyone else. But then my gaze slid to Jalen, and I spotted a scowl flash where his smile was usually plastered. I pulled away. “I guess this is goodbye. Since we’re headed in different—”

Jalen cut me off. “We should go with him.”

My jaw fell open. “Really? Why?”

“If there are poachers about, it’s not safe to travel alone. We’ll drop Demi at Onatel and continue our hike from there. Since we made it so far on the rider yesterday, we’re ahead of schedule, anyway.”

I clapped my hands together. “This is great! I’ll feel so much better knowing my bro won’t be all alone.”

Demi grinned. “I’m glad too.” He glanced at Jalen. “Should give us a chance to get to know each other a lot better.” He slung an arm over my shoulder. “Come on. It’s this way.”

I sent Jalen a smile and mouthed, Thank you . He smiled back, but I couldn’t help worrying that his expression was a little off.