Page 8 of The Delver (The Vrix #2)

“Ta da!” Callie held up her first completed grass basket of the morning. “Look upon this masterpiece. It’s perfection.”

The morning sunlight highlighted the basket’s green leaves, setting them aglow as she turned it from side to side.

Lacey, who was weaving her own basket as she sat beside Callie, chuckled. “Remarkable improvement from the first one you ever made.”

“That”—Callie leveled a finger at her—“shall not be discussed. It never existed.”

“Whatever you say.” Lacey coughed into her fist as she said, “It was terrible.”

“I heard that!”

“What was terrible?” Will asked as he approached, carrying a large wooden platter bearing an array of fruits and vegetables, eldernuts, and smoked fish. He wore woven, knee-length shorts, gifted to him by Rekosh, their white fabric complementing his dark brown skin.

Lacey and Callie also wore Rekosh’s creations. Lacey’s was a yellow, sleeveless dress, which was striking against her pale, freckled skin, and Callie’s was a green tank top and shorts with laces on the outer thighs.

Though some of them still had their HWI jumpsuits, all those garments were either worn from heavy usage or had been altered to better suit the climate.

Rekosh had made it his mission to weave clothing for all the humans.

It was a challenge he delighted in. Of course, he saved the best outfits for Ahmya, and she was the only one who wore clothing made with his silk.

“Breakfast, finally.” Callie set her basket aside and reached out to Will with grabby hands. “Gimme, gimme! I’m starving.”

He stopped next to the spread blanket Callie and Lacey were sitting upon and teasingly swung the platter away, his brown eyes narrowing. “Ah-ah. Not until you guys fill me in. The terrible thing?”

“Nothing,” Callie said quickly.

Lacey chuckled. “I was just reminding Callie of her first attempt at basket weaving.”

Will snickered. “Yeah, that was pretty bad.”

“Woooow,” Callie said. “At least I tried , unlike you.”

“Hey! Only because I burned my fingers trying to get extra supplies for us.”

“Which is why you get a pass. Now both of you stop mocking my first basket—may it rest in pieces—and give me food.”

Laughing, Will bent and set the platter down in front of them before sitting atop the blanket. “Bon appétit.”

“You’re a saint.”

Callie plucked up a yellow riverberry and tossed it into her mouth.

The moment she bit down, the sweet yet sour juice burst on her tongue.

She hummed appreciatively. It was delicious, similar to a grape both in flavor and texture, and was easily one of her favorite alien fruits.

Thankfully, they grew in abundance along the nearby river, allowing her to forage them as often as she pleased.

Eating another berry, she drew in a deep breath and swept her gaze to the side, across the suspended rope bridge that connected the humans’ treehouse platforms to the rest of the village.

There was activity all around Kaldarak as its residents prepared for Singer’s Promise.

Thornskull vrix with hides of earthy reds and oranges, yellows, browns, and greens mingled with each other, working in harmony as broodlings played or helped their parents.

The white male thornskulls stood out the most from the rest, though they were far rarer.

Callie spotted Garahk, one of those white thornskulls, just as he drew his mate Nalaki’s headcrest down to his own. Their five broodlings were gathered around their legs.

She smiled at the open affection the leaders of Kaldarak showed one another.

When she’d first met Garahk, he’d been terrifying. The huge, powerfully built vrix had been covered in mud, with wicked spikes on his shoulders and headcrest. But despite his intimidating exterior, he was a compassionate, thoughtful leader, a male of honor with a gentle nature.

As Will and Lacey chatted, their voices seeming far off, Callie searched the platforms, but she didn’t spot any of the black shadowstalker vrix.

Looking for a particular combination of black and blue, Callie?

She smiled.

Perhaps.

The morning breeze, carrying the fresh scent of mist, flowed over her skin. Callie turned her head toward the ancient temple. Sunlight shimmered on the waterfall, breaking into a blooming rainbow on the mist that hung in the air.

Her skin warmed at the memory of what had happened in that temple last night.

She’d bathed in those pools after sunset many times, and never once had anyone walked in on her.

The vrix seemed to visit the temple most often in the morning.

Callie had come to see it as her perfect escape, her little sanctuary, where she could let her guard down for a short while.

Out of everyone in Kaldarak, it had been Urkot who’d walked in on her as she stood naked within the hot springs. Urkot, who had been her friend, who had gifted her precious, pretty stones because he knew she loved them.

It should’ve shattered her sense of security, but oddly, it hadn’t. She’d always known there was a chance of someone walking in on her. It wasn’t as though the pools were private, and they certainly didn’t belong to her. But that it had been Urkot? That had sent a rush of exhilaration through her.

How long had he stood there? How long had he been…watching her?

Warmth sparked low in her belly. She liked the thought of him watching her bathe.

Callie ran her fingertips down her cheek. She could almost feel the ghost of Urkot’s finger trailing over her face, could almost feel his rough, possessive touch as he grasped her chin, forcing her to keep her eyes on him.

Had he truly called her his pretty female?

What is happening to me?

She was horny, simple as that, and she’d just experienced one of the most erotic moments of her life with a spider man.

She’d sat astride his hindquarters, had felt the warmth of his body radiating between her thighs.

She had rubbed oil into his hide, had explored his broad back with her hands, learning every plane of his defined muscles, marveling at the strength he’d built over years of labor in the tunnels.

Fuck, he even had dimples on his lower back. Now that was sexy as hell.

And God, was he big…

A sharp snap broke through Callie’s thoughts, dashing away images of nighttime bathing and memories of sensual touches. She jerked back to the present, eyes widening.

“Hello!” Lacey snapped her fingers again beside Callie. “Earth to Callie!”

“We’re not on Earth,” Will said with amusement.

“You know what I mean.”

Callie looked between the two of them with a furrowed brow. “What?”

Lacey chuckled. “We asked what has you biting your lip with that far-off look in your eyes.”

Callie’s skin flushed as she reached forward, picking up a piece of smoked fish. “Nothing.”

Lacey smirked, one red brow arching. “Uh-huh.”

“That definitely wasn’t the expression of someone thinking about nothing ,” Will said before tossing a nut in his mouth.

Callie stuffed the fish into her mouth, grabbed another large, fanned leaf, curled it into a circle, and picked up her knife to cut notches in the stem. “Like I said, it’s nothing. I was just enjoying the riverberries.”

“Callie,” Lacey said, holding out a length of silk string, “We’ve all had riverberries, and I’ve never once seen anyone make the face you just did while eating them.”

“Maybe I just really like riverberries.” Callie took the offered string and tied it around the stem, hooking it in the notches she’d made.

“Okay, okay. Keep your secrets.” Lacey picked up a wedge of moonblossom fruit and leaned back, propping herself up on one hand as she ate.

Callie tied one more string around the stem before she began weaving the fronds.

There weren’t any secrets to spill. Urkot had come upon her while she was bathing; what was the big deal?

It wasn’t like nudity was taboo here. The vrix didn’t care one way or another since they didn’t really wear clothing.

Urkot had probably been staring at her in curiosity because their species were so different, and she was reading too much into it.

I will find more pretty stones for my pretty female.

Or maybe there had been more to his gaze…

“You guys don’t usually drag your asses out of bed this early,” Cole said as he jogged down the stairs from the above platform, where Callie and Lacey lived. Ahmya’s home, tucked between both of theirs, was vacant since she and Rekosh had been given a larger den next to Ketahn and Ivy’s.

Will glanced up from the basket he’d started. “Good morning to you too, Cole.”

“Not everyone wakes up at the ass crack of dawn,” Callie said.

“We’re amazed if you wake up before noon.

” Cole laughed as he hopped off the last step, his boots making a loud thump that vibrated the wooden planks.

He was wearing dark green shorts that were laced low on his hips and a matching vest that showed off his muscled arms and skin that had been bronzed by hours spent in the sun.

A bow was hooked over one of his shoulders, and a quiver of arrows hung from his hand.

Apart from his modern-day boots, he looked like a ranger from a fantasy novel, ready to lead his companions into the depths of a monster infested forest.

“I mean, he is right,” Lacey said with a smirk.

“Hey!” Callie threw one of the long, broken leaves at the red-haired woman. “I’m up when I need to be.”

Lacey caught the leaf with a laugh and extended it to tickle Callie’s arm. “Not always. It can take some coaxing.”

Callie chuckled and scooted out of Lacey’s reach, batting at the leaf. “Okay! Okay! So I’m not a morning person. Sue me.”

“I’ll get my lawyer right on that.”

“Going hunting, Cole?” Will asked.

“Yep.” Cole laid his bow and quiver on the floor, then swung his backpack off to set it beside them. He plopped himself down between Callie and Will and snatched up a couple slices of fish. “Joining Telok with the hunting party. Nalaki wants plenty of meat for tomorrow night.”