He darts off as fast as one of the feathered arrows strapped to his back and suddenly I’m alone with Turic.
His big hulking body slowly heaves up and down with heavy breaths, his shoulders drooping forward, his spine bowed and curved. His eyes are closed like it’s too painful to open them.
I step forward quietly, watching him with my chest aching. He looks like he’s lost all of his will to live and it’s in that moment when I realize what I mean to him.
What he means to me.
I think I’ve fallen for my big Sweet Smurf.
My breath is caught in my throat as I step forward, reach up, and stroke the back of my hand down his cheek. His eyes are dull as he opens them. His expression slack.
Until he sees me.
“My Avery,” he whispers, his eyes widening as that sparkle that I love so much comes back. He’s staring down at me with wonder and admiration.
I answer him with a soft kiss. I stroke his face as I study the hard, angular curve of his jaw, the chiseled lines of his mouth, his strong masculine nose, his smoky blue eyes. He’s the most gorgeous thing that I’ve ever seen.
“My Turic,” I whisper as I trace my fingertip over his soft damp lips. “I love you.”
I say it in English so he doesn’t say it back but I can tell with the way he’s looking at me, with every movement in his body, that he feels it too. He’s in love with me as well.
“You’re alive?” he asks, straightening his shoulders back. He’s tied to the tree behind him with strong ropes that feel like metal, only they’re not. “You killed the many fanged beast?”
“Uh,” I say, pressing my index finger to my bottom lip. “Technically, no. But she is dead.”
I can still picture the bitch’s stiff tail sticking out from under the meteor. She’s dead.
His blue eyes light up. “The prophecy was true. My Avery is the Saku.”
“This is kind of awkward,” I say holding my elbow as I swing back and forth. “That’s what everyone thinks but it’s still just a shitty tattoo.”
“My Avery is the Saku,” he says, raising his chin with beautiful pride all over his stunning face.
I shrug. “We can talk about this later.” After I bask in that admiration for a bit.
I call in a Drandroka and order him to cut down my Turic. The first thing Turic does is yank out his bone dagger with pure murder on his face. I know he would never harm me but I take a step back anyway. He looks scary as hell when he’s in his blue berserker mode.
“The mighty Turic will slay every last Drandroka who laid their hands on my Avery,” he growls, flexing his muscles as he stares ahead.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I say rushing over and placing my palm on his chest. His heart is pounding like crazy.
“It’s fine, Turic,” I say, giving him a firm stare. “No more violence. I mean it.”
He doesn’t like it but he slowly slides his knife back into his boot as he exhales hard. “And what of Loupin?” he asks. “No violence to the foul Loupin who touched my sweet Avery?”
I cringe thinking of the wrinkly old blonde dude who called me pale and laughed at me in front of the village. “Okay,” I say, gritting my teeth together. “You can punch him in the face. But no killing.”
“Only one punch?” Turic asks, looking disappointed.
“Okay, two.” Relationships are all about compromise.
He storms through the village and I have to run to keep up with him.
“Loupin!” he screams in a booming voice that sends the birds screeching into the sky.
Turic looks furious. His hands clenched into fists. His back muscles taut. He jerks his head from side to side as he marches through the village looking for revenge.
We finally find Loupin. He’s in what looks like a village square surrounded by about a dozen Drandroka. He was their leader for who knows how long and it seems that some of the males are not ready to abandon him over their pale, makeup-less new queen.
Turic stops short as the spears come up. They’re protecting their old leader, surrounding him with their long pointed spears sticking out. Turic stares with his nostrils flaring and his chest heaving up and down.
“Turic,” I whisper grabbing his thick forearm. “Come show me your home.” I don’t want to see what happens if he rushes forward to fight twelve armed Drandroka.
He’s not listening so I give his arm a tug. “I’ll let you drink from my culip,” I whisper. That softens his face a bit and his muscles loosen but he’s still staring at Loupin with murder in his eyes.
“Loupin, you dare touch my Avery,” he hisses.
“She is the Saku,” Loupin says to the growing crowd as he steps forward out of the wall of spears. “Loupin was right all along. The wise Loupin has conversed with the Goddess Cheecho and Loupin knows what the Drandroka must do to have the prophecy fulfilled.”
Every ear leans in to hear, including mine.
“The great Goddess Cheecho says that the Saku must be sacrificed to the many moons. Then the prophecy will be fulfilled.”
“No,” I say, shaking my finger at him. “No, that’s bullshit. He totally just made that up.”