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"Humans dye their hair, you know," Devi points out. She wipes her brow, then reaches down and tweaks her mate's braid in an affectionate gesture. "You're killing this, N'dek. Good job, baby."
"I cannot kill this," N'dek says, gesturing at the sand. "I am digging. Did you wish me to kill something?"
"That's true," Sam adds. "We color our hair all the time and we can wear colored contacts to change the way our eyes look. And tattoos change how your skin looks, in a way. You can do all kinds of things to your appearance and they don't matter. They shouldn't matter."
O'jek is silent for a long moment, and we return to our digging. In the distance, I hear Daisy and Pak laughing over something, and Pak's happiness make my heart light. He's the cutest kid. How anyone could look at him and decide he's not quite “enough” doesn't sit right with me. I shove the end of my spear into the still-reddish sand, deep, and I almost miss O'jek's next comment.
"They do not resonate, though." He digs harder, not looking at me, as if he knows his words are petty and unwelcome. "What happened with Pak's mother is a fluke."
I watch him, annoyance breaking through my calm therapist mien. "So let me get this straight. Pak's mom is a fluke. My arrival—and that of every other human on this planet—is a fluke. The volcano erupting and destroying your home is a fluke. These creatures on the beach invading our home is a fluke." I gesture at our surroundings. "To you, everything is a fucking fluke. How about you call it what it really is? You don't have the answers and you don't like it when things don't happen in a predictable way. Maybe you're trying to come up with reasons not to like Juth when really, you're just jealous that he has everything you want."
O'jek scowls at me but doesn't leave. In fact, he stops working and just stares. Hard. The others have stopped working, too. Sam watches me with a surprised expression, as if she can't believe all that anger has erupted from me. N'dek pauses in his digging, grinning. In fact, everyone looks at me for so long that I start to get uncomfortable.
I remind myself that feeling defensive is just an assumption of guilt, and I know I've done nothing wrong. I keep my tone calm and even, and above all, friendly. "You're all staring at me. Did I make you uncomfortable?"
"I think that's the fiercest I've ever seen you," Sam admits, smiling.
"I just…don't like it when things are unfair." And O'jek's opinions definitely feel unfair. More than that, I don't want him to sway the opinions of the others.
I watch as Pak and Daisy get up. Pak is smiling, though, and he races directly toward the trench we're digging and leaps over it. My heart pounds with fright and I reach out to grab him—only for a bigger pair of arms to swoop in and pluck him out of the air right next to me.
Juth.
He's wearing a thick, long, white fur cloak, the hood pushed back. He's also wearing a pair of boots that crisscross up his strong calves and the belt he used to wear at his waist is slung over one shoulder and drapes across his broad chest, his hips covered by the familiar leather kilt. He looks a little bit domesticated, a little bit wild, and good enough to eat. I can't stop staring at him. His hair's tousled in the wind coming off of the sea, and there's a few grains of sand on one strong arm as he holds his son, and I just want to lick Juth all over. All over. Top to bottom.
Slowly.
The big guy just does something to me.
Pak squeals with delight, giggling as his father tosses him into the air again, and Juth is all smiles. He turns to look at me, and his smile grows a bit wider, a bit more possessive. I wonder how long he's been there…and if he heard everything I said to O'jek. I blush, glancing over at Sam. She has a hint of a smile curving her mouth, and I suspect everyone stopped digging because Juth was behind me, not because I spoke up so passionately.
"You are back early, Papa!" Pak says excitedly. "Are you going to help us dig a hole?"
"A hole?" Is that what you are doing?" He tickles his son, then gives us all a guarded look, as if waiting for someone to shame him for speaking aloud when others are around. I'm glad when the uneasy expression fades once more. "I am coming to retrieve Steff. We are going to go hunting together until the evening meal is ready."
My face turns red as both Devi and Sam shoot me knowing looks. The only hunting Juth is going to be doing is under my skirt, hunting for my next orgasm. Still, if we say we're hunting, then we can buy some time alone, and the thought makes me weak in the knees with anticipation.
