Page 42 of Evan and the Alpha

Darwin pauses, turning to me slowly. His brows knit together; he frowns as he runs his gaze up and down me critically. He doesn’t rebuke me though. He just looks at the item, then shrugs his shoulders and chuckles, tossing his head. “Well, when you’re right, you’re right. Ah, excuse me, sir? How many pebbles for this one?”

“For you,” the vendor says, “it is free. It is an honor to have a sun spirit shop with us and favor our wares.”

Oh,gag. The kroakka are driving me a little bit nuts with that act. We can’t convince them that we’re not divine spirits descended from the sun gods. Everything we tell them just seems to convince them more—that we make our own heat (“from the divine power of the sun inside you”), that we come from another planet from beyond the stars (“the celestial sphere, the world beyond”).

I sigh. I’m suddenly very tired. I glance up to see Terek giving me a strange look. He turns away quickly though. I frown. What was that about?

I find out soon enough. Sobek is waiting for us on the steps outside the house, spear in hand. He uses it to heft himself into a standing position, then leans part of his weight on it.

“Hey,” I say, “are you sure you should be up?” He hasn’t been out of bed much since the fight three, four weeks ago; moving pulls on the stitches still holding his belly together. I grit my teeth at the unwanted thought of him lying in the sand, bleeding everywhere, his insides peeking out through the ragged slash.

I feel sick.

Sobek turns his golden gaze on me, then looks back at Terek. “There is no more time,” he says.

“Mm.” Terek glances around. A frown graces his mien. “I wish that it were not so, but you speak the truth, my child.”

Sobek lifts his spear, then butts it against the ground. He leans on it more firmly. “We meet under the moon.”

I frown, glancing between the two of them. Terek shakes his head. “To meet under cover of darkness, under the moon, is cowardly. We must face the illumination of the sun gods in this deed.”

“What are you planning to do?” I ask.

My gaze rests on Sobek for a moment. I look at Terek, but I can’t make heads or tails of his expression either. “Guys?”

Sobek looks away. “Dawn,” he says. “Let the rising suns cast their judgment.”

“What is going on?” I feel like they’re talking in riddles.

Darwin chuckles beside me. “Pistols at dawn?” he asks, grinning.

“What’s a pistol?” Terek asks.

“A gun. Er—ah, sorry. A weapon,” he clarifies with a nod. “Of course, they’re considered completely ineffective and outmoded now, but they used to be quite popular, especially when men had to duel for their honor.”

“Duel?” I echo.

Terek nods. “Yes, that sounds right then.”

“The heck do you two have to fight about?” I cry, feeling suddenly both nervous and desperate. Aren’t they parent and child? Why would they be dueling?

And Sobek’s hardly healed. He can barely stand up straight.

“Plenty,” Sobek murmurs, his gaze fixed on his alpha parent.

Terek sighs. “I wish we could leave it longer,” he says.

“Then do it!” I cry, but they ignore me.

“I do not expect pity from you,” Sobek says.

Terek bares his teeth. “I offer you no pity. I am merely disappointed that I will fight you in such a weakened state.”

“Then don’t fight! Seriously!”

Terek continues, “It will be an easy victory, not an honorable one. An honorable victory can only come of a challenge—and you present no challenge in your current state.”

“Then what the heck are you fighting for? Why not wait until he’s better?” I really wish one of them would pay attention to me here. I glance between the two of them, trying to get some sense of what’s going on.