“I love this affection name very much.” He glances over at me and back to her. “Do you have an affection name for Gogo?”

Iris turns her gaze in my direction and studies me for several beats. “What do you think? Does your gogo look like a honey or a dear?”

The scraping rock sound exits his throat. “I think he is honey.”

She taps the tip of her finger on her chin. “You might be right about that. What do you think, Kala? Can I call you honey?”

I will take any name of affection Iris grants me, because she gave it to me. “Honey is acceptable.”

She nudges Sorin. “Did you hear that? It’s acceptable. That’s right up there with sufficient.”

That is the word I used regarding her form the first time she threw Sorin’s war axe when she was practicing with the kits. “Are you…teasing me again?”

Iris gasps and widens her eyes. “Would I do that?”

Beside her, my kit continues to produce the rough sound in his throat. If I did not already have strong emotions for her, I would now if only because she makes Sorin laugh. “Yes, I think you would.”

She grins widely. “You’re right, I would.”

“I like that you tease me.”

“Good, I’m glad. We all need to be teased once in a while, so long as it’s done playfully and not in a cruel way.”

“You will tell me if anyone ever teases you in a cruel way.” They will never tease her—or anyone else—ever again.

Iris leans over and places her arm on mine. “I doubt you’ll need to worry about that, but thank you.”

Long after she removes it and returns to eating, her touch is seared into my flesh. I do not know how I will resist more of her touches for the rest of my life.

Chapter 17

Iris

I’m still reeling from the beautiful welcome I received from Kala’s people. Never would I have suspected the Krijese would accept me so easily. The whole walk here, I’d been stressing out about my reception and all that time I had nothing to worry about. It had been nice holding Kala’s hand though. Other than Sorin, I’ve never really held hands with anyone. Certainly not the sisters at the orphanage.

Ever since we sat down to eat, Sorin has been attached to my hip. He hasn’t stopped touching me in small ways almost like he’s reassuring himself I’m really here. The first time he called me “momo” I had to bite my tongue so I didn’t break down in sobs. It’s the best name I’ve ever been called.

I’ve always wanted to be a mother, and never thought I would be. Kala offered me something I couldn’t pass up.

I lean in close to Kala and am overwhelmed by his smell. It’s muskier and holds more earthy notes than Sorin’s scent. Whereas my…son—that still doesn’t feel real—smells like asweet wood, his father has a bolder, more masculine odor. I want to bury my nose against Kala’s skin and just breathe him in. The thought alone causes my center to throb and I squirm a little in my seat at the sensation. He glances over at me like he knows exactly where my thoughts traveled.

“These are all of your—our—people, then?” I need a distraction for both of us.

He scans around the fire slowly as though counting heads until finally he nods. “This is all of us. We had two more elders, but we lost them during the last cold season.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“I fear we will lose at least one more before the next warm season arrives.”

Sorin mentioned the elder named Ashrif was ill. When I met him, he did appear old, frail, and in poor health. He was the thinnest of all the Krijese and his skin coloring held a dull, grayish hue. Kala hadn’t been exaggerating when he said his village was much smaller than the Tavikhi’s.

“I have a small amount of medical knowledge. Granted, it’s medical knowledge about humans and when I say it’s small, I truly mean that, but I will do everything I can to help nurse anyone who gets sick.”

Sorin speaks up. “Gogo, maybe Momo can become a healer like Healer Sage. She and I could travel to the Tavikhi village for her to learn. She could apprentice with Kyler.”

I turn toward Kala, trying to hide my excitement. “What do you think?”

For several moments, he doesn’t say anything and I brace myself for disappointment.