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“Okay. Let’s do this.”
No one came rushing out of the houses as they cautiously began the trek toward the campfire in the middle of the village. Evie didn’t even see a villager, but based on the way both Cazar and Kylok stiffened at the exact same time, theydid. She glanced around more warily, hoping to catch a glimpse.
There!
Standing just behind the fire, a silhouette was illuminated for a brief moment, disappearing again when she blinked.
“Get behind me,” Cazar said quietly, and Evie obeyed him immediately.
“Greetings,” he called loudly. The four of them paused, expecting some sort of voice to answer, but only the crackling of the fire responded.
The silence around them was eerie at first, but the villagers nearby were probably nervous. Evie would be, too, if four strangers just popped out of nowhere outside her home.
“What do you want,” a voice hissed from behind Evie and she shrieked, jumping a foot in the air as she spun around. Cazar was in front of her in an instant, blocking her body with his as a deep growl emitted from him.
“Relax,” the voice hissed, exaggerating the last letter, reminding her of a snake. “I have no desire to quarrel with an Aragnokan or his petfhulto.”
Cazar was tense in front of her, the growl in his chest rumbling loudly as she quickly poked her head around his frame, eager to see the villager.
Her eyes widened to the size of saucers and she regretted her actions immediately when its head rolled to the side, a large, reptilian face staring right at her. Its scaly skin was orange and green, and its snout jutted forward. Its eyes were gold, with black slits for pupils.
A long, thin tongue slithered out, reaching toward her before Cazar caught it roughly. Cazar spoke then, but his voice wasn’t his own in the slightest, and whatever he was saying to the Lorshnan, the translator embedded in Evie’s ear didn’t understand a word of it.
Toroq had taken over her mate and was speaking with the villager in sharp clicks and rasps that sent a chill down her spine.
“I think my translator is malfunctioning,” she whispered to Alex.
“It’s not,” Kylok responded. “I cannot understand what they’re saying, either, and I have several hundred more languages downloaded on my device. This is something else. An old language.”
“Like Latin?”
Kylok grunted in answer, his focus trained primarily on Cazar and the villager. Evie followed suit, popping her head back around her mate to watch what happened next.
Cazar released its tongue, and immediately it rolled back into the villager’s mouth.
“Thefhultotells me you are seeking to be rid of it,“ it hissed, nodding its head hypnotically. “This is a wise choice.”
Cazar shook his head once as if to clear it before he spoke.
“Why would it tell you that?”
“It knows your resolve to be rid of it is weakening, and it grows tired of you. It wishes to be free without harming the woman, but it cannot leave now that it is partially bonded to her. A ceremony must be performed.” It pointed to Evie. “She must cast it out.”
Cazar was silent, but Evie wasn’t.
“What do you mean, ‘cast it out’?”
Chapter 20
“Whatdoyoumean?”his mate asked again, staring in confusion at the villager.
Cazar didn’t blame her as he was equally as perplexed. Only last night Toroq had been taunting him, claiming that Cazar would never be rid of it, but now it was resolved to leave?
The mention of casting it out put Cazar immediately on edge, which was ridiculous. His sole purpose of arriving here had been to remove the parasite. But now that reality was staring him in the face, Cazar found himself extremely reluctant to meet with it.
The past week had been the most relaxed Cazar had felt since the attack. But it wasn’t just his peace of mind that made him feel more carefree. He was stronger. Sharper. Happier.
He finally felt comfortable with himself, confident in who he was as a male and a mate. He knew some of his feelings were due to forming a stronger connection with Toroq. And while the parasite was a nuisance, it had been honest with Cazar.
