Page 48 of The Delver (The Vrix #2)

Urkot’s strength waned along with the fading sunlight, and by the time the sky had nearly gone dark, he knew he would not be able to continue much farther. Exhaustion, that old, tireless foe, had caught up to him, and he was not foolish enough to believe he could fight it off.

But he could not lose that battle yet, not until he and Callie were as safe as possible. Not until he’d seen to her.

The jungle was only going to be more dangerous once night settled in, and it wasn’t only due to the threat of the spiritstriders coming out to hunt. Many of the most dangerous predators prowled the Tangle under cover of darkness—and the scent of Callie’s blood would be a potent lure.

Though there was a stubborn part of him willing to push onward until he collapsed, he knew that wasn’t helpful for either himself or his mate. He needed to act now…before he became unable to do so.

He’d been moving adjacent to a winding stream for part of the afternoon; he turned toward it now, striding to the water’s edge.

“We will stop here.” He reached a hand back to Callie.

“Okay,” she said quietly, taking his hand and sliding off his hindquarters. When she put weight on her wounded leg, she winced, emitting a cry as she squeezed his hand.

Urkot swept her up into his arms and sat her down on the ground.

He was immediately more aware of the shakiness in his limbs, the raggedness of his breath, and the abrasive dryness in his throat. His body felt far too heavy, as though it was made of stone like Rekosh often joked. Simply remaining upright was a struggle.

Should not have stopped. Might not be able to move on again…

Huffing, Urkot lowered himself beside Callie, cupped his hands, and dipped them into the cool stream. Then he tilted his head back and poured water into his open mouth, drinking deeply.

Once he’d drunk his fill, he lifted his water-filled hands toward Callie. “Drink, female.”

Her hand trembled as she cupped it beneath his, but she pressed her mouth to the side of his finger and drank.

He brought another handful of water to her lips, then another, until she shook her head.

“No more,” she said, nudging his hand away.

Urkot dumped the water into the stream and looked her over.

A low buzz resonated in his chest at how ashen her skin appeared.

There were deep shadows under her eyes, and tiny drops of sweat clung to her forehead.

Scratches and abrasions marred her arms, belly, and legs, her brown hair was a tangled mess, and a few of her nails had been cracked and broken.

Yet worst of all was the blood-soaked silk wrapped around her calf.

He should’ve kept closer to her. Should’ve noticed the spiritstrider lurking in that dark chamber, should’ve acted faster.

Despite his weariness, he shifted upon the ground so his body faced her, brought his forearms together, and sank into as deep a bow as he could. “I am sorry, Callie. I failed to shield you from this harm.”

Callie caught his jaw and lifted it, forcing him to rise. Her eyes were narrowed in a glare. “Don’t you dare apologize. This isn’t your fault, Urkot. You got us out of there. You saved us.”

She leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his headcrest. “And we’re going home. Together.”

“Together, my nyleea .” Urkot cradled the back of her head and closed his eyes, breathing her in, feeling her.

But her shivering and the prominent blood scent interwoven with her fragrance made him pull back. “Your leg.”

Callie offered him a weak smile. “Hurts like a son of a bitch.”

He released another unhappy buzz. As gently as he could, he slipped off her boot and unwound the silk cord he’d tied around her calf. Callie hissed, gripping her thigh with both hands above her knee.

Once the end of the bloody rope fell away, he tossed it into the stream to be swept away with the current.

“Ah, Callie,” Urkot said as he beheld her leg in the final remnants of daylight.

Her calf was swollen, its skin darkened by bruising, with long gouges and punctures from the spiritstrider’s claws.

Blood oozed from some of the wounds he’d hastily patched.

Thankfully, his sticky silk had staunched most of the bleeding, but the wounds…

There were many. Her delicate flesh had offered no resistance to those wicked claws.

He could not imagine how much worse the damage might’ve been had he been even a moment slower in intervening. He refused to.

But there was little he could do for her. She needed Diego, needed the human knowledge and technology he possessed to heal her. All Urkot could do was rebind her wounds and get her back to Kaldarak.

Cupping the back of her foot, he held her leg up and carefully rinsed away the blood.

She flinched, and when he used more sticky silk to seal the open wounds, she curled her lips inward and bit down on them.

He heard the soft cries she attempted to stifle, felt the strain in her body, and saw the tears in her eyes.

All those reactions created pangs in his chest, each one but a tiny sliver of her pain. He hated that he had to hurt her to aid her. Hated the helplessness he felt. But there was also rage, raw and unsatisfied, toward the vrix who’d harmed his mate.

He produced another silk rope, wrapping it neatly and firmly around her calf to protect her wounds.

When he finished, her body was trembling, she was panting shallowly, and sweat was trickling down her temples. He could still smell blood from her leg, though it was fainter.

Granting her a few moments to recover, he forced himself to rise and searched nearby until he found a plant with broad, potent smelling leaves. He tore a few off and returned to Callie, wrapping them around her calf and tying them into place with strands of silk. It would help mask her blood scent.

After washing the blood from her boot in the water, Urkot carefully slipped it back onto her foot before turning his attention to his own wounds. Though they were many, most were minor and had already stopped bleeding. He packed the rest with silk, grunting softly at the twinges of pain.

This would not be a comfortable night for either himself or his mate.

“Come, my suncrest,” he said as he picked Callie up and gently set her on her feet. “We must go high to rest.” He lowered himself and held his hand out to her.

Callie chuckled as she accepted his assistance in climbing onto his hindquarters. “Think we’ll see Kaldarak from above?”

Urkot drew more silk strand from his spinnerets. “We can look for it.”

He passed the rope to Callie, and they bound themselves to one another, Urkot tying it securely across his abdomen. Then he strode to the base of a large tree and looked up.

Though he’d not spent nearly as long in the Tangle as Ketahn or Telok, Urkot had climbed many, many trees in his time outside Takarahl.

But none had seemed quite so large and imposing as this one.

He knew it was weariness weighing down his limbs, knew it was exhaustion teasing every side of his mind.

A little farther, and we can rest.

Callie slipped her arms around him, and Urkot gently patted them with his lower hand. “Hold tight, female.”

“Not letting go.”

If he had ever doubted the power of words, those doubts were laid to rest in that moment. Cally’s reply burrowed into his heart, flooded his chest with warmth, and lent him strength when so little of his own remained.

“And I will never let you go, my heartsthread,” Urkot rumbled.

Sinking his claws into the bark, he climbed.

He found a wide branch midway up the tree and hauled himself onto it.

Untying the rope, he helped Callie down with extreme care.

After guiding her in front of him, he sank down next to the trunk and sat her upon his folded forelegs.

She leaned back against him, and he wound his arms around her, holding her close as his claspers curled around her hips.

He did not like the way her body continued shivering.

Crooning, he rubbed his palm up and down her arms.

“It’s strange being so high up again after being underground for so long,” Callie said.

Urkot glanced around; the shadows were deep, the sky almost fully dark, but he could see the leaves swaying in the breeze, could smell everything around him, so earthy and alive. “Strange but good. Much good, to be here with you.”

“Much good.” She rested her head on his shoulder and snuggled closer. For a time, she was quiet, and the sounds of insects and rustling leaves filled the silence as the night deepened around them.

“Do you think they’ll find us?” Callie asked.

“Why hunt us? We gave food to them.”

“Huh? We didn’t give them— Oh. Ugh.” She weakly swatted his forearm. “Not funny, Urkot.”

He chittered, but his humor was fleeting. He tightened his lower arm around her and nuzzled her hair. “I do not know if they will come, or how far. But I will keep watch.”

Over time, her body stopped shivering, and she relaxed. The sounds of the night created a song unique to the Tangle. Below, plants and mushrooms began to glow as the moons rose and the stars sparkled into view through gaps in the canopy.

Urkot turned his gaze skyward, to a large break in the boughs above.

So many tiny dots of light, glittering like countless crystals viewed from afar, scattered against splotches of subtle blues, purples, and blacks.

It was still strange to him to spend so much time beneath the open sky.

When he’d first ventured out of Takarahl to fight the thornskulls in Zurvashi’s war, he’d gazed at the stars every night, wondering what they were, wondering if one could reach them somehow.

Knowing that Callie’s kind had traveled from those very stars only made them more wondrous to him.

“Do you know which is your world, Callie?”

“Hmm?” she asked sleepily.

“The stars.”

She turned her face toward the gap in the boughs, head lolling upon him. “They’re different here than they were on Earth. Where I’m from, you could barely see them at night because of all the artificial light. They’re prettier here. But my world…it’s not up there.”

Urkot cocked his head, mandibles twitching. “What do you mean? You are from the stars, yes?”

“I am. But my world is no longer out there. My world is here. With you.” She tipped her head back and turned her face toward him, pressing a light kiss to his jaw. “You are my world, Urkot.”

He trilled, shifting his head to brush his lips across hers. “Ah, my heartsthread. My world will never be dark as long as you are in it.”