Page 36 of Splintered Shadow
“I was being chased! I was scared.” She tightened her hold on the beast. “Scout’s just a baby. He didn’t know he was scaring me.”
The beast wiggled in her arms. It was foolish to feel jealous of the creature.
“Its name is not Scout.”
“Yeah, that’s not badass enough. You’re little now, but you’re gonna be a big old badass when you grow up.” She directed the last half of the statement to the beast, who squirmed in delight.
Pitch twittered in amusement.
“Not you too,” he muttered to the karu.
Pitch was not a dignified name. Another chirp. Pitch disagreed and sent a strong impression of kicking a spoiled egg out of the nest.
He leveled a finger at Pitch. “Traitor,” he said.
Sarah chattered at the beast while he worked. It was… pleasant. He did not appreciate having the beast in his home. Stars only knew what vermin it carried. It needed a bath, and Sarah’s injuries, while not threatening, needed to be cleaned. Until both beast and female were fed, Vekele would be unable to do either.
She filled the kitchen with light and mirth. His paltry contribution of barely palatable food did not seem enough. He should have allowed her access to other parts of the house. She made the silence bearable.
He would even tolerate the beast once it had been deloused. Harol had warned him that a bond was a possibility. He had not listened.
Vekele failed to do many things.
He set a plate in front of her. It was a simple meal with a filet of protein and steamed vegetables.
“Thank you. It smells wonderful,” she said.
“Do not lie to spare my feelings.”
“I’m being polite.” She cut the protein into strips, feeding the beast before herself.
He sat opposite her at the table, ignoring his plate as he watched her feed the beast. She had no fear of the creature, despite being severely injured by its pack.
“You’re not eating?” she asked.
He took a bite, chewing with mock enthusiasm.
“I like you, Prince Vekele. You’re full of spite.”
He snorted. Pitch made a similar noise. It was not spite that people claimed filled him.
“I should have told you about the potential for the bond,” he said, turning to see her better. “You can speak Arcosian. Clearly, some part of the bond took root early. Then you would not have been frightened and you would not have been injured.”
Sarah blinked. One. Two. The beast mimicked. Left. Right. It was unnerving.
“Language is part of the bond? I thought you put an implant in my head or something.” She frowned. “It’s weird that I never thought to ask. Why didn’t I ask?”
The question sounded as if it was directed to herself. Still, he answered. “You were feverish. Your body has gone through a transformation that many do not survive. An implant was a reasonable assumption. I initially scanned you for such a device.”
Her head bobbed up and down, a gesture he recognized as agreement. “You need to tell me this sort of stuff.”
“I did not—”
“Know if you could trust me, right,” she said, speaking over him. No one had ever dared speak over him, but he did not mind. Her audacity amused him. “But I needed to know that. Going forward, please share with me. I’m not asking for state secrets, but the basics that I need to know. Like everything about this bond.”
Sarah stroked the beast while she spoke. The beast stared at Vekele and licked his chops. Again, he was not jealous of the smug little creature.
“Agreed,” he said. “I know little of the bonds with a void beast. They are rare enough to be thought impossible.”
