Page 119 of Tempting Fate

She had a dour face on, and despite there being multiple things that could be on the leader’s mind, something churned in my gut. “Have either of you thought about what you will do yet?”

A stone sat in my gut, an uncomfortable weight. “We’re working on it.”

“So are we. There is one solution we hadn’t considered. How is his kalidi?”

I pursed my lips, frowning. “It’s… well, it’s kalidi.”

“Is he still completely weak during it, or does he have some strength?”

Like the strength to buck his hips, to rub his hands over his chest, to tease his ridgetips as he came, pulling those deep, guttural moans out of him? “It’s much improved.”

“As I thought. He can handle it on his own.”

“What?”

“His kalidi is advanced enough now, and he won’t need help for all of it. You can help him transition to doing it himself.”

My brain buzzed with static.

“It is a little sooner than we might like, but it will mean he can come with us and stay safe.”

“You want me to... teach him how to pleasure himself?” Without me.

Daiytak regarded me from under one raised brow. “Will that be a problem?”

Well, it wasn’t like I could do anything about it if it was. “I guess not.”

She gripped my shoulder, turning me to face her. “This is for his safety, Imani. I know how you feel about him. You can be selfish with his pleasure when he gets back.”

She knew how I felt? Well that made one of us.

“He might struggle at first, so you should start as soon as possible.”

Right.

“We leave in five days. And with the influx of new rescued ones from Orith… Fenn said you might have a place lined up in town?”

My world dropped away, the implications hitting me like a gut punch. “Not yet. But I’m working on it. When do we need to leave by?”

“By the time we return.” She put a hand on my arm. “I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, I’ve loved having you both here. And I’m sure you’ll return.”

I couldn’t stop my scoff. What did I have to come back for if he wasn’t in kalidi? Though they couldn’t stop me seeing him. We were adults, after all. We could do what we wanted.

But that would mean…

Mind spinning, I paced to the garden on autopilot, past the flowers, past the ruins, all the way to the bottom until I reached the tiny lakeshore. As I watched the waves, I held onto all the memories of the time we’d spent together.

The sun rode low in the sky, bathing the mountains in an orange glow. I’d known from the outset this was not a conventional arrangement. And okay, maybe I'd been a bit naive thinking I could walk away without any repercussions. But… now what?

My tears hit the sand in wet splats. It was easy being with him in kalidi—until faced with the reality that it had to end. Airida had to leave. Without me. And I had to leave without him.

I wiped my eyes and marched up to the village, comming Fenn as I went. This was all wrong, all of it.

They met me at the top of the path, took one look, and wrapped me in a hug. “What’s up?”

“He’s got to leave with the others. Five days.”

“I thought you had a plan?”