It’s all over after a few seconds and I can’t feel anything. It must have broke in the crash.
Turic glares at Tin Tom with heated eyes. “What sorcery are you giving my Avery?” he asks.
My mouth nearly hits the ground. “Turic,” I say breathlessly. “I can understand you.”
“Avery,” he gasps as he stares at me with shock. “You can speak properly. No more of those ridiculous noises.”
I laugh, feeling so light that I’m worried that I’m going to float up to the three moons over my head. “I guess I can.”
Tin Tom blinks, looking satisfied with himself. “That will make communication easier.”
I spin on my heels and shoot him a glare. “You had this the entire time?”
“Yes.”
“Even when you were translating between us and I was trying to understand him?”
“Yes.”
“What is wrong with you?”
“Tom does not understand the question.”
“Ugh.” I roll my eyes and leave him behind. I have more important things to do than argue with a robot who is so stupid that he couldn’t hold a job as a box in a drive-through window. More important things like getting to know my big blue alien boyfriend.
I walk over to him and shyly tuck a strand of loose hair behind my ear. “Hi,” I say, feeling my cheeks turn red. We’ve done way more than talking but I still feel shy. What if he doesn’t like me?
I’ve dealt with a lot of loss in the past few days but I don’t think I could stand losing Turic. He’s all I have left.
“Avery,” he says, taking my hands as he leans down so that his face is level with mine. “Why were you making those absurd noises instead of talking to Turic like this?”
I point to the black dot behind my ear that I can’t even feel anymore. “This is letting me talk. I couldn’t before.”
His head lifts up an inch. “You couldn’t talk this morning or last night when you were screaming Turic’s name?”
I laugh. What a guy. I guess that masculine sexual pride transcends species.
“No,” I say with a laugh. “I couldn’t. But I can now.”
Turic’s face lights up. “We have so much to discuss. Please tell Turic how you will kill all of the dinosaurs. They have been plaguing our land, eating the Roka tribe for years.”
My shoulders slump forward as a heavy sigh escapes my lips. I thought we were past this. “Turic,” I say with a tightening chest. I really don’t want to disappoint him like this. “I’m not the Baku.”
“Saku,” he corrects with a nod.
“Right,” I say with a quick shake of my head. “I’m not the Saku. Look at me,” I say holding up my hands. “I can’t kill a dinosaur. I can’t even catch a football.”
“Football?” he says, tilting his head to the side.
“Never mind,” I say, putting a hand on his arm. “My point is, I’m not the one. This is just a tattoo. Some drunk guy drew it on my skin.”
“Kaleem,” he says, his face lighting up. “That is the marking of the one.”
“No, it’s not,” I say with a hint of frustration in my voice. I feel a headache coming on. I wonder if Tin Tom has anything for that.
“I’m sorry,” I say with a heavy breath. “I’m just not the one you’re looking for.”
His face twists in anguish as it sinks in. “Avery is not the Saku?”
“Avery is not the Saku,” I say with a blush. “I’m sorry.” I don’t know why I feel so guilty for this but I do.
He grabs my body and bends me in half. “Jesus, Turic!” He traces his fingers over my lower back as he studies the tattoo that is definitely not the Kaleem.
“Not Kaleem,” I say. I can see that it’s breaking his heart but I have to do it. I can’t have him going to tell his whole tribe that I’m the one to kill all of the dinosaurs.
“What is the prophecy anyway?” I ask.
He releases me with a sigh. “Loupin says that the savior will come one day to save our people from the many-teethed beasts. The Saku will be known by the marking; the Kaleem. Everyone who sees it will know the savior has come.”
He tries to turn me to see it again but I shrug out of his grip. “It’s not!” Fuck, how many times do I have to repeat it?
I suddenly remember something else that I wanted to mention. “Turic. I have two friends out here that need help.”
He jerks his massive head back. “Is one of them the Saku?”
“No!” I shout. “Definitely not the Saku. None of us are the Saku. We are the opposite of the fucking Saku. Got it?”
He looks hurt and I curse under my breath, feeling bad. “I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s not easy living with dinosaurs but we can’t do anything about that.”
“Your friends,” he says, looking out at the colorful horizon. “Are they Sandroka?”
“You mean women?”
“Yes,” he says, stepping forward. He reaches down and cups my pussy, making me jump. “Do they have a sweet delicious culip that drips nectar from the Gods like my Avery does?”
Tin Tom beeps behind me and I shoot him a dirty look. “Can’t you go take a walk or something?”
The frustrating heap of tin beeps again. “Tom is only manufactured to roll. Tom is incapable of bipedal travel.”