A wave of dizziness made me sway, despite my ass being flat on the ground.
How stupid. I was pathetic.
Farr’vye stared at my exposed arm with burning intensity. Then, as if with great effort, his gaze flicked to my face shield.
“Is that your skin?” Farr’vye asked.
“Y-yeah.”
“It is pale.”
I winced. Nobody had commented on my appearance for years, so his comment brought back old memories. I’d been teased for being as pasty as uncooked dough. For me, being called pale was never a compliment.
So why did Farr’vye’s words sound like one?
“Thanks?” I said, unsure if that was the correct response. Unfortunately, being a linguist didn’t transform me into a master of conversation.
Farr’vye dropped his gaze to my skin again. I tried to pretend I didn’t notice the heat creeping into my cheeks.
Wanting to shrug off the attention, I cleared my throat. “Farr’vye, what about you? You’re hurt.”
He almost seemed annoyed that I pointed it out. He grunted and half-heartedly licked the wounds on his arm. A few secondswent by before I realized I was staring at his long, forked tongue with more interest than I should’ve been.
Maeleons are scary, but… they’re captivating, too.
As the thought crossed my mind, it didn’t feel right. Farr’vye wasn’t scary. He was weird, and yes, a little creepy sometimes. But not scary.
Which was fucking bizarre because I foundeverythingscary.
“What will you do about this?” Farr’vye asked, gesturing to the hole in my arm sleeve with his tentacle. It was scraped and crisscrossed by the thorns.
He’d stopped caring for his wounds already, as if they didn’t matter to him. A knot of frustration balled in my chest. Why was he so focused on me? Why wouldn’t he take care of his damned self first?
“I don’t know, okay? This is the first time this has happened to me,” I blurted.
I’m talking about the suit. Not anything else.
“When something is damaged, you must assess it,” Farr’vye said.
I rolled my eyes behind the shield. “That’s rich, coming from you. You’re still bleeding all over the place!”
Farr’vye’s tail swayed. It wasn’t lashing like an angry cat. More like a curious one.
“I am more concerned about you,” he said. “But if you assess your wounds, then I will do the same.”
“I’m not hurt,” I insisted.
“Emotional wounds hurt, too.”
My jaw dropped.
What the hell did he just say?
For a few long moments, I was too stunned to speak or even move. I hadn’t expected him to cut to my core so succinctly.
I slowly raised my arms and hugged my chest. As I touched the bare skin of one arm, I shuddered, recalling all the years ofanxiety over this very moment. Of being exposed. I always knew the suit wouldn’t last forever, even with the best of care, and now it was falling apart.
A long, tired breath escaped me.
