Page 76 of Devour
“Is that wrong? Am I not allowed?”
She curls her arm in mine to guide me down the hall with her. “Well, it is not traditional,” she says under her breath. “Your Drak may not like you being left alone.”
My Drak doesn’t seem to care one way or another. I’m alone often, just in my room. My cheeks warm, though, at the thought of my Drak’s reaction to Rickter staring at me after my first dress fitting. I don’t understand him.
“You want to be careful, that is all.” She forces a smile.
The other Drak warriors don’t even look in my direction. Is that only true while others are around? Is that only true based on rank? If a higher ranking or respected Drak were to take interest in me, would he take me?
My stomach sours at the thought. Not because I have any particular fondness for my Dread, but considering he hasn’t touched me once, it’s highly likely that I wouldn’t fair as well with another.
We reach the pool with rushing water, and I breathe in the damp air. This place is the most beautiful site, with careening blue waters and soft mist. The cascades alone make it hard for me to hate the Drak’yn den.
I remove my dress and quickly step into the warm water.
“You are looking well, Drahkita,” Helena tells me. “Much healthier.” She nudges my waist. I look down at my body. I haven’t noticed much of a difference in myself, but I suppose a few less bones are visible. I sink into the water up to my shoulders near a group of older Drahkitas.
“You glow with love from your Drakien!” Helena tells me, her voice loud and joyful. It catches the attention of the older women.
I suck in a breath. I glow from what?
“It is always a joy to watch a new Drahkita blossom,” Helena’s eyes dart to the other women. She is not as subtle as she seems to think. “Some take much time to feel safe. Some do not eat for weeks. You are a very fast learner. And Azkel is very defensive of you, which is a good sign that you are pleasing him too.”
“Pleasing him…”
“It is the Drahkitas’ most important role,” one of the woman says, her eyes steady on mine. Subtle or not, Helena’s baiting worked.
The woman has long, straight hair and freckles across her nose.
I consider my comfort level with this conversation. So far, the other Drahkita have been nice but have kept their distance. Helena gives me a tiny nudge toward them.
Information over comfort, I remind myself. I breathe deeply and then approach the group, stopping still a few feet away but close enough to converse.
“Mothering children is vastly important, but you are first and foremost a companion,” the woman continues. “It is a hard job that the Drak warriors do. They must face many horrors in their weeks away from the den, but their companions give them something to look forward to. It is an important role.”
I am unsure how to respond to her little monologue, but my mind wanders a bit farther than intended and I find myself blurting out, “Where do they sleep?”
The women go still, brows furrowed, and my stomach immediately drops.
“What do you mean?”
My lips parts, but uncertainty swells up in my stomach. I want to know where my Drak goes at night, but what if it’s not normal that they avoid their Drahkita? What if it reveals my true place here and how I’ll soon be rejected?
“Do you mean when they are out in the outworld on their missions?” Helena asks quickly.
The three Drahkitas look at each other.
“Her Drak has not been on mission since she has been here,” one of the Drahkitas says to the others.
“Yes, but she must be curious about it.”
I force a smile, accepting Helena’s excuse quickly. “Yes, that is what I mean.”
The freckled woman gives me a warm smile. “They make camp with their squad near their drakai. I do not envy their time in battle. It cannot be comfortable. That is why our role is so important!”
“I see. Thank you for explaining.”
I run my hand over the surface of the water. A moment later a question bubbles up from my soul. Maybe it’s another risk, but I have to know. “What happens if a Drahkita does not please her Drak?”
