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“I thought we’d just go home,” Amaru said.
Silence slammed down on the entire tent, causing Amaru to flinch. Apparently, he was the only one with that idea.
He swallowed hard and took another step forward. “It makes the most sense. It’s our home. The place we know after everything that has happened.”
“But…Amaru…” Sam said haltingly. “Your village, it’s ruins now. Most of the buildings are standing, but the roofs have all caved in. The jungle has overgrown parts. There are no supplies.”
Amaru nodded. “I know. We can set up temporary places like these tents until we can get the homes repaired, and I’m sure our ice dragon neighbors wouldn’t mind helping us with supplies until we get on our feet.”
“It would make the most sense,” Ha Na said. She placed her hand on Rodrigo’s and squeezed. “The younger ones like Amaru might be able to adapt to five hundred years of technology in the blink of an eye, but the older folks would need more time and space to make the transition gradually. A familiar place will help.”
Evora grunted. “Also, keep in mind they will be waking to the news that most of their clan was lost. Those deaths will be fresh for them. Home is the best place to soothe those wounds.”
Everyone fell to talking out the logistics. Amaru, of course, pitched in with his own ideas, but it was difficult to make decisions on his own because he did not know what supplies or technology could help with all this.
He turned to ask either Vasily or Luka a question, only to find that neither of them were there. What the hell? Where did they go? They had been there not two seconds ago. Had they seriously left him alone again?
All right, that tore it. His frustration shot up to the max. It was so strong that he felt his nails biting into his palms, literally fighting with himself to keep from chasing those two down and bonking their heads together. He had no idea why they were so conflicted and constantly disappearing on him, but his patience in figuring it out had packed up a suitcase and fled.
As soon as this was over, he was chasing them down and getting to the bottom of this. They would not be allowed to escape. And if they knew what was good for them, they would not try to escape either.
The very second that the meeting ended, Amaru was out of the tent and looking for his mates. He was somewhere between a speed walk and a jog as he canvassed the area, but with no luck. Wherever Luka and Vasily had gotten off to, it did not seem they’d stayed in the camp.
Fuck. Now what? He didn’t know where to look from here.
Gregori wandered past, looking at his phone.
Oooh. Now there was a person who would know all. They were buddies too, so he had no doubt he would get answers if he asked questions.
“Gregori!”
Gregori paused midstep, head coming up and around before he spotted Amaru. “Oh, hey. What did you do to Vas and Luka? They shot out of here like bats out of hell.”
Amaru’s ire increased a notch. So others had seen this too? Wonderful. “Yeah, about that. They keep abandoning me at random moments. And it makes no fucking sense. That is how to use fucking right, right?”
“Uhhh…yes, it is.” Gregori looked warily at him.
Amaru blew out an irritated breath and stopped just shy of being right in Gregori’s personal space. “Look. I am confused. Also irate. I should be between both my mates and I’m not, and this isn’t right.”
Gregori’s caution disappeared and he relaxed into a grin. “So you do want both of them?”
“Of course I do. They’re both my mates, and I thought they both knew that. Now, it looks like Luka is convinced he’s not, and I don’t understand why. I need details. ALL THE DETAILS.”
Gregori’s grin slid into impish territory, eyes narrowed slightly. “Oh, I can give you details. How about you come to my tent and I’ll tell all.”
“Sounds perfect.”
Gregori’s tent wasn’t far; he’d landed in a tent just near the tree line. No one put a tent right on the shoreline of the lake for obvious reasons. Amaru followed him right in, noting that Gregori had not only a cot set up, but a folding table and three chairs. With a deck of cards on the table. Game night? Or something.
“I feel like we need booze for this conversation.”
“Gods above and below, yes.” Amaru dropped into a chair and took the glass Gregori offered him.
Gregori joined him, opening a bottle of clear liquid with a very strong smell. “You tried vodka yet?”
“Not yet.” Amaru frankly didn’t care what it was.
Gregori poured him half a glass.
Amaru sniffed it, tried a sip, and was pleasantly surprised. It had a nice bold flavor. He knocked it back with a sigh. “All right, I’m less inclined to murder those two chucklefucks.”
