Page 39 of Sweet Giant

I shouldn’t be thinking about love. Not this soon. Maybe not ever.

Love was dangerous. I’d thought I loved Mountain, and there was a time when I’d wholeheartedly believed he loved me. But I’d been mistaken. Blinded by my infatuation with him and too easily fooled by his charm—in the early days of our relationship, anyway.

Once the vibration of the departing hovercraft ceased and the clearing grew quiet, aside from the wind, Mastorr guided me inside and helped me out of my jacket, hat, and gloves. I slipped off my shoes and we traipsed into the living room. Though I was eager to call the general, I wanted some alone time with Mastorr first. I thought it important that I inform him that some people in Newhalem knew about his tribe, and I kicked myself for not having told him earlier. But in my defense, I’d had a lot on my mind lately.

We settled on the floor in front of the couch, and he drew me close to his side. His familiar scent comforted me, and I found myself idly stroking the fur on his upper thigh, entranced by how soft it was.

“Sweet one, will you tell me how you already knew about a Montikaan’s ability to alter a human’s memories?” His deep voice rumbled through me, comforting me further.

“Well, on the day Mountain attacked me, I was in town, in Newhalem shopping in the general store since the supplies the general had provided me with were starting to run low. Anyway, the clerk in the store started talking to me about Bigfoot. He claimed he’d run into your kind several times and said his brother had as well. He said your people do something to make humans forget an encounter with a Sasquatch, but he claimed his memories about the meetings returned after a few weeks. Same goes for his brother. He told me lots of other interesting things, none of which I believed at the time. I thought he must be making it all up… that was, until you rushed out of the forest to save me from Mountain later that afternoon.”

A frown creased the lines on Mastorr’s face, and he appeared deep in thought. “This is troubling news. How many humans in Newhalem do you think are aware of my people’s existence?”

I shrugged. “I honestly can’t say. But the clerk told me other things about Montikaans. He said he’d met some who spoke English, claimed most of you lived in large caverns, while others preferred to make huge nests in the forest. He said he’d found the nests before. He also said one of your people—a Montikaan male with darker fur than most—saved his brother from kidnappers who were planning to murder him.”

His eyes went wide. “That was Gorran. My younger brother. About a year ago, he saved an elderly human male from two humans who’d brought him up in the mountains so they might kill him and hide the evidence. Gorran killed the kidnappers, then let the elderly man go, but not until he’d altered the man’s memories.”

“Your younger brother? Wow.” I took a deep breath and wracked my brain for any other useful information the clerk had imparted. “Um, the clerk also said he has a friend who likes to come into the mountains and search for Bigfoot, sort of as a hobby, and when his wife is ovulating, he brings her along because he believes it’ll draw your males closer. But I should probably tell you that Bigfoot has been a myth for ages, and most people don’t believe in them—uh, in you.

“I don’t think hordes of people are going to descend upon the Starblessed territory looking for you based on the stories of a few people in town. Especially considering that aliens exist, and we keep discovering new races of them fairly often. If the world were to find out Bigfoot was real, it wouldn’t pack as much of a shock today as it would’ve a few decades ago.” I hoped I was right. I hoped Mastorr’s people weren’t in any danger.

“Thank you for sharing this information, sweet one. Once we arrive at my people’s cavern, perhaps you can tell my brother, Chief Brutus, what you know. I’m aware that much of the world is at war right now, and that there are many disasters that humans are busy dealing with. While the pain of the humans saddens me, perhaps it will keep most of them too busy to care about the existence of Montikaans.”

“You’re probably right about that. Seriously. The world is a real shit show right now. Those who have the means to leave Earth are doing so, that’s how bad things have gotten.”

He hugged me closer and kissed the top of my head. “I hope you will stay with me always, sweet one, and allow me the privilege of caring for you and keeping you safe. You are precious to me.”

Chapter33

LIV

Nerves twistedin my stomach as I sat in front of the video comm. I’d had no contact with the outside world for months. Having watched the news recently, I knew the fighting in Seattle had intensified. I also knew about the bounty on General Remington’s head, and the bounty on the rebels’ heads too.

I hesitated to enter the general’s comm number. What if no one answered? What if he’d been captured? I worried for Frankie and her sister and hoped they were faring well.

Finally, I worked up the nerve to enter the number. The screen flashed blue before a dark-haired woman appeared. Vivian. I’d met her before. At the Conrad Street house. While I hadn’t interacted with her much, I’d gotten the sense she was in charge of the general’s security, though I couldn’t be certain.

I hoped I could trust her. I hoped she wasn’t the traitor.

Vivian lifted one eyebrow at me and nodded a greeting. “Liv,” she said. “Nice of you to call. We were hoping the video comm would be installed soon.”

“We?” I asked.

She angled the screen to the right, revealing General Remington seated next to her. Over the rapid beating of my pulse in my ears, I heard Mastorr’s footsteps in the hallway. I’d asked him to stay out of the small office where the comm had been installed, for obvious reasons, but said I didn’t mind if he listened in. We were both curious about the Murder Cabin, and we both harbored worries about Mountain possibly returning.

“Hi, General.” I forced a smile.

“Hello, Liv. Thank you for calling. We’re going to have to make this quick—we’re due on the battlefield in thirty minutes.”

“Okay, I’ll get to the point, then.” I drew in a long breath. “Mountain showed up about two weeks ago in Newhalem.” I went on to explain how he’d hidden in the back seat of the solar truck and attacked me once I arrived at the cabin, only for a huge, angrybearto scare him away. When I heard a faint snort in the hallway, I tried not to smile.

General Remington and Vivian exchanged a worried look.

“We started searching for Mountain not long after you fled Seattle,” the general said, “but thus far, we haven’t had any luck. He seems to move around quite frequently. We know there was a mole at the Conrad Street house—he’s been dealt with—but I would bethetold Mountain what town was closest to you. I’m sorry that happened to you, Liv, and I’m glad you’re safe. Frankie will be glad to hear it, too.”

I exhaled with relief. “Oh good, I figured you had a traitor in your ranks, and that’s one of the reasons I was so eager to contact you. I’m glad that’s already been sorted. But why are you looking for Mountain?” Did the general plan to kill him just for my sake? Because of how I’d helped Frankie’s sister? I held my breath and waited for the general to respond.

“We discovered Mountain had at least one spy on his payroll in each rebel faction. He’s been playing sides off one another for years. We also found out he sometimes tips off the US military and lets them know where certain rebels are hiding out. He wants to appear friendly to every side so he can come out on top when the fighting ends and a victor finally emerges.” The general scoffed and shook his head. “The asshole actually thinks he could become mayor of the city, or even governor.”

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