Page 3 of Stone Awakened

Jett looked in Uron’s direction, wrinkled his nose, and pulled out this impressive scowl that almost rivaled the one Sunder had aimed towards his colleague. Then he gave us both a little nod, all mature and serious, pulling Amar with him into the indicated corner while he started talking in a hushed tone. With each step the boys took, Jett’s voice became louder and more animated, his excitement about this new move obvious.

Smoke from the nasty bottle of whatever brew Uron was holding was starting to fill up the courtyard, even with a fresh breeze coming in from the west. It was stinging my eyes a little and making my mouth dry. I didn’t know what that stuff was, but I was worried it was going to be harmful to the boys.

“Mrs. Munster,” Sunder said, his voice a deep bass that rumbled like a rock slide. My eyes automatically shot up to meet his, a dark pair staring at me from beneath an impressive brow. I firmed my shoulders and tilted my chin at a regal angle in the hopes of looking less nervous. I felt oddly limber and loose in my body, struggling to maintain the posture. I had this sudden, bizarre urge to lean in and drape myself against the Tarkan’s wide chest.

“It’s Miss,” I said, and my voice sounded breathy and high-pitched, even to my own ears. “I’m not married,” I added, and my hand went up to my hair before I restrained the urge to twirl with a lock. What the heck? Why was I suddenly acting like a schoolgirl? Was I flirting? Had to be the drugs, because this guy was so far off the table, I shouldn’t even be able to see him. He was the bad guy.

Sunder’s mouth tilted into another smile, and even though he had tusks sticking out from his lips from the top and the bottom, I found that smile charming. “I’m going to hazard a guess and say that Roka affects humans harder than it does most other species.” The words should be alarming, but I felt mellow and soft, so I just smiled at him and nodded.

His eyes sharpened, “Tell me, Miss. What are you planning with those kids?” I felt panic at the question, breaking me out of the soft, mellow mood. I wanted to answer him, he was smiling so kindly, standing so close that I could feel heat radiate off his massive body. His wings were flared open so he had me tucked into this private little world, hidden behind the dark black membranes.

I made my tone as sharp as I could manage, which was still more breathy than stern, and it made Sunder smile that charming smile. “I plan on ensuring they receive the best training possible.” Crossing my arms over my chest made me suddenly achingly aware that my nipples were stiff peaks, pressing against the scratchy cotton of my ugly black dress. For a brief, selfish moment I fiercely wished I had one of my favorite cheerful sundresses on instead of this awful thing.

“I see,” Sunder said. Had he gotten closer? I didn’t remember seeing him move, but there wasn’t much space separating us now, my hands itched with the urge to put them on that wide chest. Did Tarkan skin feel like rock in battle-form? Or was it going to feel like skin? I wanted to know so badly.

“Miss Munster, it’s imperative you keep the kids away from Uron and his Roka. They won’t respond to it as strongly as you do, but it’s very bad for the developing brain. It’s bad for you period.” The way he spoke, so serious, so concerned, it was making my belly clench in desire. I really liked the tone he used, the gravelly edge to it, and the way it rasped across my skin. I liked that he was concerned for the well-being of my charges too.

“Oh, please, just call me Aggy, everyone does,” I said, and my hand reached out, petting one big pectoral muscle. It definitely felt like stone, sun-warmed and hard, but it felt alive in an uncanny way too. I liked it a little too much, repeating the stroking motion while I stared at the contrast of my softly tanned hand against the slate gray of his skin.

“Aggy,” Sunder said, his tone amused, “Focus. You are responding to the Roka, it is making you lose yourself in sensory tangents. The kids, you keep them away from the smoke, do you understand?” He was making a rumbling sound so low and deep that it was like the distant sound of a rock slide. I realized with surprise that he was laughing, at me.

Yanking my hand back, I pressed both unruly palms against my hips. “Yes, I will. And what are you going to do? Sit on your behind all day? Interfere with Jett? There are two kids here, you know?” I stepped back so I could avoid the temptation that his wide chest made, bumping with my back against the cool stone wall.

His dark eyes narrowed, his already very impressive brow lowering into a deeper frown. “That’s none of your business, Miss Munster.” Then his body shifted and he was closer again, his wings spreading, creating a breeze that cleared the air around my head. Immediately, my head cleared too, allowing me to think clearly again. Yet I didn’t move away.

He leaned one palm against the wall next to my head, dipping closer so that I felt heat radiate all over my front, a sharp contrast against the cold stone at my back. His dark eyes seemed even darker, his wings blocking out the sun, cocooned in a little private space. The sharp, hooked, claws that tipped those wings were a reminder that this male was deadly, and he was well-trained.

“I’m watching you,” he murmured in a low voice, “Careful, you don’t know what you’re dealing with.” The warning was all he gave me, then he backed away, stalking across the courtyard and out the door. I stared after him, a hand pressed to my racing heart, what the heck just happened? Was that flirting? Was he watching me because he knew I was planning on rescuing the kids? Was he just an ass who liked to have people on their toes around him? I didn’t know what to make of it.

A breeze had stirred, whisking some of the noxious fumes away. I checked the corner the kids were in and was reassured that the spot did indeed seem the clearest, maybe the kids were alright. Uron was passed out on his bench at this point, the brew bottle empty on its side on the ground. Good, that meant for a moment that no one was watching.

I rushed over to my wards and pulled each boy into a hug, laughing when Jett made a disgruntled noise and then clamped on tighter when I started to let up. “I love you, both of you. So very, very much,” I said, fear making me choke up at the thought that I couldn’t save these two bright lights.

“I love you, Aggy,” Amar chimed in immediately, his smile bright and sunny. When I’d first arrived here, he’d been quiet and withdrawn, but seeing me had brought him back out of his shell. It had been hard to explain to the little boy that his parents were not coming back, but at least his species had a very neat way of bonding and the mark on my wrist made that bond obvious.

Jett had been a tougher nut to crack, he was angry a lot, but he clearly had a soft spot for Amar. The young Tarkan naturally took on the role of protector, always putting himself between any kind of danger and Amar. That had been especially evident when the older children were still here, their training had been much rougher, and they sometimes got hurt.

“Come on, we’ll take a break until the other guard comes back, Uron’s sleeping,” I said to the boys. We settled against the wall in the corner, picking out pebbles from between the cracked stones so we could play an improvised game with them. Jett had an avid imagination and would think of endless iterations of games we could play, and when he was lost in thought, I picked up the slack.

I had to shush them when their laughter rang out, scared it would wake Uron, but it was refreshing to see them laughing. These kids should have all the time in the world to play, so I made sure to steal every moment I could to make that happen.

Eyeing Uron, I wondered if this was a good moment to try and sneak off. Without Sunder here, no one was watching. We could escape, I knew my way through the lower warren of corridors and rooms that made up this grand place. I couldn’t fly a ship, but I knew where the spaceships landed, if I could get us there, we could stow away.

The thought had only just crossed my mind when the door to the courtyard opened again and Sunder stalked inside. He was frowning fiercely, his glare directed at his passed-out colleague, wings flared out dramatically. Though that look wasn’t directed our way, I hurried to get the boys back on their feet, and back to work. Jett was normally cooperative, but this time he was slow to get up, waving at Sunder with a sunny smile I’d never seen on him before.

Chapter 3

Sunder

I left the courtyard with the intention of finding my superior and snitching on Uron and his disgusting habit. I doubted that the male had previously dared to so blatantly use Roka while on shift, he thought he could get away with it now that he was the senior one. Roka smoke was bad for you, but the drug was popular anyway because it invoked an intensely pleasurable delirium.

It was uncommon for Rummicaron to use the drug because they tended to be intensely rational, cold beings. There were always exceptions to this rule, and some seemed to lose themselves entirely to sensation, to indulging themselves. I had also heard of a subsection of the species that did feel emotion, they were especially prone to using the drug. I thought that maybe Uron was one of those.

I was halfway to the office I knew housed the head of the guards, most days Or’tal could be found there. The hallways were getting busier, servants and slaves coming and going as they cleaned this vast place, and cared for the extensively manicured grounds and gardens. Beyond the huge, extravagant palace, smaller homes housed most of the staff that worked the farmland hidden behind a screen of trees.

My skin still prickled on my chest, where the strange human female had touched me. It had been obvious from the way her pupils had dilated that the smoke alone had already affected her. I needed to make sure to let my brothers on the Vagabond know about this when we next had contact, their human mates needed to avoid the drug at all costs.

She was pretty, even with her dark hair pulled back tightly into a bun at the back of her neck. I liked the delicate arch of her throat, and though I hadn’t been affected by the Roka, I had struggled to resist wrapping my hand around it, to feel how fragile she was. I wondered if her skin was as soft as it looked.