Page 36 of Alliance
Hard. On the neck, and with enough pressure that he yelped. Her soft palms and fingertips pinched into his pelt, but unlike sparring with Lugh, the pain sent a bolt of searing excitement through his belly. He pushed her back against the wall behind her bed, climbing onto the mattress and bearing down on her with his own mouth and hot breath. When he slid his claws into her tresses and yanked her head back, she grunted, wide eyes finding his fangs and sticking to them as he showed them off with a growl.
“What’s wrong, Fás?” she breathed, her voice strained, smoky and alluring. “Are you going to fight me or are you a helpless pup? Too afraid to take what you want, is that it?”
Fásach’s snarl stretched open, exposing black gums and a wide, pink tongue. He pressed his face to Roz’s neck, right where her pulse sprinted as fearfully as a prey-fluid doe. Of course, she was right on all counts. He was helpless. Afraid. He wanted her so badly he couldn’t see straight. She was sweet hellfire, and he was burning, burning…
“Fruit basket!” she gasped in her own voice, her esophagus bobbing against his cheek as she swallowed. Fásach blinked, stumbling back. He plummeted off the bed and his shoulders thunked against the door, arms outstretched with his claws scraping into the walls with shock. The room spun as she spoke with her fingers over her thick lips. Something about a safe word maybe, checking on him, gingerly touching her bite mark on his neck…
But the sound of her voice wasn’t just laced with his symphony. It swayed to and fro like a pendulum, almost as if he couldseethe music. It was fuzzy, blurred just slightly, and his inner ear swooped like theMummerwas tossing side to side in a storm. Too unsteady to stand, he slid down the door, not sure which way was up.
“Fás! Are you okay? Did I hurt you? I’m so sorry I scared you! I activated my biting and slapping protocols like you asked, but maybe I misunderstood or-or–”
He scrunched his eyes closed and grabbed her hand, teetering on his haunches. “It’s okay,” he panted. “It’s just…”Harmonic vertigo.“I wasn’t expecting it.”
Roz wilted, lowering her face. “I’m so sorry, Fásach. I thought that’s what you wanted.”
“It is.”
His heart skipped. Was he talking about harmony with another person or her stunt? He whined like a pup when he admitted to himself that both were true. Being a loner wasn’t natural for the yiwren and he was no exception. It was half the reason he joined the guild, hoping it could replace what he’d lost.
Fásach pressed his head back against the door and smacked it hard. The distortion was still there. Undeniable and disturbing. “Sorry for doing this to you.”
“How can I help? I’ll do anything to help.”
“Just give me a minute.” He leaned his head back against the door with a huff as his balance swung like a pendulum.
Roz bit her lip and leaned back. “Okay.” Then she waited, hugging her knees. But she couldn’t hold off, taking in a sharp breath to speak. “I meant it when I promised I would get us to the colony. Anything it takes.”
Fásach opened his eyes just enough to meet her determined, naïve stare, aware that they were each having a different conversation.
“So will I.”
He swallowed hard, eyes lidded with interest, the fan of his lashes obscuring his vision. Maybe… maybe harmonic vertigo would be enough.
What yiwren in history had ever believedthatcrock of shit? He creased his brow, ears pulling back.
“What I mean is, I’ll make sure my intentions are clear.”
“Here, let me help you up.” Roz smiled and offered him a hand. “Do you think you can stand? Your vitals are evening out.”
Fásach took her hand and twisted it to see her palm. It was so different from his. So thin, covered in crisscrossing creases like a hjarna with all her green veins visible against the surface. He brushed his thumb claw against her skin, then let her pull him to his feet with a heave.
“There!” she said brightly, trying to diffuse the moment. “Right as rain.”
“What does that mean?”
Roz paused, then shrugged, her cheeks turning red. “I don’t know. But I know it means that things are right in the world.”
Fásach huffed, disbelieving. Of all the things for her to say when her voice chimed like so many lovely bells with harmony…
“Maybe they are.”
?
I stood outside Fás’s quarters, fingers interlocked, squeezing each hand this way then that. It was late, and according to Rosy’s memories, most children would sleep early, but I needed to talk to him about the niggling thought repeating through the ribbon of my LMem like a glitch.
What if he didn’twantto change?
His vitals had been erratic all day. I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop on his holotab, but I couldn’t help seeing his echoes as they raced through theMummer’sriver. More like I couldn’t stop looking up at them. It should have been easy to simply not look at the ceiling, but as I stood in front of his door, I saw exactly the same thing. Thready vitals. Public network searches on transitioning vids. Hastily muted audio.
