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“Cato.” Akuji nods, seemingly happy with the other monster, despite the fact that they are not tribe. Even his warriors haven’t gotten to their feet, like they don’t consider him a threat. “I was going to make sure the human is okay—”
I smack him in the side. Grunting, he peers down at me in shock. “Talia, not human, Red. It’s Talia.”
Grinning at me, he strokes my face with a wicked look in his eyes before twisting his head back to Cato, who looks shocked. “That Talia is okay, but I can see for myself she seems unharmed. May I ask why you took her?”
“To protect her of course,” Cato answers smoothly, making my eyes narrow. He could have protected her in many ways that didn’t involve kidnapping. I am curious as to what they have been doing to her, but she seems comfortable with him, so I don’t worry too much. Hell, this is the most relaxed I’ve seen her, well, ever.
“Of course.” Akuji grunts and looks around, scanning the area for threats.
“And you? You have Talia’s friend, Aria?”
Hearing my name on the monster’s lips provokes a growl from Akuji. He steps before me, his head tilted down and teeth bared, and his tail comes up like a weapon. His warriors don’t get to their feet, but I see them stiffen. “You do not speak her name.”
“I meant no offence,” Cato says slowly, holding his hands out in a gesture of peace, but I see the monsters behind him shift uncomfortably.
I realise they fear Akuji.
Rolling my eyes, I slide in front of him and pinch his chin. “Stop being an ass,” I tell him before looking back and smiling at Talia. “Fuck this,” I mutter and, evading Red’s arms, I slip across the distance. She hurries a few steps to meet me, our arms going around each other.
Events like this have a way of bonding people, and outside of these walls, Talia and I wouldn’t have run in the same circles or even spared each other a look. We are the only humans here, however, and that creates a bond between us. Pulling away, I look her over, noticing the tears in her eyes.
“I thought you were dead,” she whispers.
“Nah, I did adopt a monster and a tiger though.” Just then, there’s a purr, and I notice my tiger winding through the monsters, who looked shocked.
She sighs. “Of course you did.”
“And you?” I demand. “Do I need to kill them?”
There’s a clearing of a throat, no doubt it’s Cato, but I ignore him. If she’s uncomfortable or scared, I will do just that. “No, no, they have been…nice,” she hedges and then smiles when I narrow my eyes. “I promise I’m okay. I’m working, actually.”
“Of course you are,” I echo, making us both grin.
“You have a brave human there, Akuji. I truly meant no offence. I know names are important to warriors and their mates. I did not know,” Cato murmurs.
“Well, now you do,” Akuji replies, winding his arms around me and pulling me away. “You are my human’s friend. I am glad you are not dead. She’s quite crazy, so I fear she might have killed them.”
Talia’s eyebrows rise as she grins at Akuji behind me. “Yeah, I’ve noticed that about her. The same goes for her though. I might not be as strong or as capable as her—”
There’s a growl coming from Cato, which she rolls her eyes at.
“But I care for her. If you hurt her, then I will try my very hardest to do some damage.”
I feel him shaking with silent laughter behind me, and I am sure we are undoubtedly wearing matching smirks. “Understood, human,” he says softly with a respectful bow. Pulling from his arms, I sling mine around Talia.
“You need to tell us everything that happened. Seriously, I was so worried, and I don’t like that feeling,” I tell her.
She nods. “This is about more than you and me, Aria.”
“What do you mean?” I ask with a frown, ignoring the stirring of people behind me. She lowers her voice and speaks quickly as Cato converges on us, but he supports her instead of stopping her. The serious expression on his face makes me swallow my sudden nerves. “The research they sent me to get was gone for a reason. Cato had taken it. He feared what it contained and the ramifications of the humans getting their hands on it again.” That makes me raise my eyebrows, but I have no time to ask questions as she quickly surges ahead in one long breath. “The information contained, Aria… It shocked me to my core. The humans did this, Aria. They made them.”
“I know.”
“But it’s more than that,” she says in a rush, as if said humans might come down and kill her for speaking and spilling their secrets. “No wonder they want this information back. They would go to any lengths to protect it.”
“Talia, tell me,” I demand. I don’t like being used or lied to, and if the government who hired us to get this research was up to nefarious shit? Well, let’s just say they won’t like the results they will get from me.
“It’s so much more, Aria.” Talia shakes her head, and she looks scared, truly scared, for the first time since I met her. “What they did to them, what they are continuing to do—”
