Page 37 of Savage Giant

My legs were still sore today. So was my jaw. I flushed anew as I watched the snow melting off the trees. Soon. We would be able to leave soon. And if another snowstorm dared to show its face on this mountain, I would hunt Mother Nature down and demand she stop being a cock block.

Gorran approached me and draped a blanket around my shoulders, then he hugged me tightly from behind, running his hands up and down my arms. “It’s cold by the window,” he said. “I want to make sure you stay warm.”

“Thank you,” I said, turning in his arms. I rose on my tiptoes to nuzzle his nose, and he leaned down to meet me.

He placed a hand on my stomach, then pulled back and gave me a concerned look. “Are you feeling all right?”

“Um, yes. Why wouldn’t I be?” But then, as I took stock of my body, I realized I did have slight cramps in my lower abdomen. I hadn’t noticed the pain until now. Hard to notice when my whole body ached from yesterday’s exertions. “Oh,” I replied before he could answer.

“You will bleed soon,” he said matter-of-factly.

“I suppose I will.”

“I’ll fill the bathtub with warm water for you,” he said, stroking my hair, “and you can take a long soak. The heat should help with your pain and relax you.”

His offer touched me. I almost asked how he knew so much about periods, then stopped myself as I realized that of course he would—the females in his tribe didn’t wear clothing. Andperhaps he’d observed Montikaan women using the various hot springs in the cavern during certain times of their cycle.

“A bath sounds wonderful,” I said. “Thank you.”

He hurried upstairs, the steps creaking under his weight. I usually got terrible cramps, though I hoped this month would be better than usual.

Ugh, could my period have come at a worse time?

Well, maybe it wasn’t the worst time, I eventually reasoned. We still couldn’t leave the cabin for a couple of days. Maybe this would help keep us from mating too soon. Help us behave ourselves until we reached his cavern.

I cast one last glance at the forest, squinting as the rising sun reflected off a hovercraft flying in the distance. I gasped and experienced a jolt of fear.

After spending ten days with Gorran deep in the Cascades in the Starblessed territory, it was jarring to see evidence of the human world. I wondered how often hovercrafts or jets flew overhead. Or alien vessels. Back in Portland, it hadn’t been uncommon to look up and glimpse a Vaxxlian cruiser.

I headed upstairs and found Gorran growling as he stared out a window. His muscles were tense, and I followed his gaze to the sky. He was tracking the same hovercraft I’d been watching, and he didn’t seem happy about it. I came to stand beside him, still nestled in the blanket he’d draped over my shoulders earlier, and I frowned when the hovercraft zipped back the way it had come.

“Maybe they’re looking for a lost hiker or a hunter?” I suggested, touching Gorran’s arm.

His growls quieted and he peered down at me, his expression one of anger and… heartbreak. I could understand the anger, but why would the arrival of a hovercraft fill him such sorrow?

“Gorran?” I prodded gently, “what’s troubling you?”

A hesitant look overcame him, and he started to shake his head, then stopped and looked at me. His eyes brimmed with the sort of darkness only the saddest of memories could invoke.

“Human air vessels have crashed in our lands before,” he finally said, and a deep sinking feeling came over me. “Usually, the crashes are minor annoyances, but several moon cycles ago, a vessel crashed close to our cavern, hitting a clearing where many of my people liked to build nests and sleep under the stars.”

“Oh, Gorran,” I said, my heart breaking. “I-I can imagine what happened. How many of your people died?”

“Twenty-five. When the vessel crashed, it ignited a blaze in the forest that claimed the lives of four Montikaan males andtwenty-onefemales. It was a devastating loss.”

I reached for his hand. “Did you lose anyone you cared deeply about that day?”

“Sashona,” he said, his voice breaking. “I lost Sashona—the female I was courting at the time. She perished in the blaze. I-I found her charred body and…” His voice trailed off and I squeezed his hand harder. The usual current of warmth I felt when I touched him was muted, but I hoped he could sense my compassion and understanding, nonetheless.

“I am so sorry, Gorran.” My own voice came out thick and emotional. I wanted to ask if he’d loved her, if they’d shared a heart-bond, or if they’d just been at the early stages of their courting. But my voice wouldn’t work, and I stood close to his side, waiting for him to divulge more.

The hovercraft zipped unnervingly close to the cabin. In fact, it came near enough that I could tell it wasn’t a government vessel, but a privately owned newer model, for it was painted a bright blue color rather than gray.

Bright blue. I suddenly felt cold.

Salax’s fleet of hovercrafts were the same color. He’d acquired them in a business deal during the first month I’dworkedfor him.

Relax. Lots of hovercrafts are bright blue. It happens to be the most popular color for the latest models that are available.

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