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“Of course. I told you that you would absolutely want to meet her,” he said in a factual manner laced with a hint of mockery.

I looked back at the woman, the heat settling in my chest sealing what no amount of denial could prevent.

Great Goddess, why would you do this to me?!

Did the Long Sleep somehow make me defective? Surely, something had gone awry that I would react in such a fashion to an off-worlder.

But a Kalrin spared her…

They wouldn’t have done such a thing unless they felt protective of her or recognized her as belonging to the land.

“Mirella, my dear, there you are! Please meet Taelen, the Thesh of Drossara,” Kayog said with a thrill in his voice. “Taelen, this is Mirella. A very special woman I have no doubt you will grow to appreciate.”

The dark depths take me…

Chapter 5

Mirella

My knees wobbled, and my heart beat into my throat, my pulse going completely out of whack as I got my first glance at the Syllen. Good Lord almighty! He was beyond magnificent. I wanted to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. After all these years dreaming of meeting one in the flesh, I still couldn’t believe that this moment had finally come true.

And what a feast for the eyes he was!

He was taller and bigger than I envisioned. With both the Thalans and Edocits being on the lither side, I assumed that the Syllens would have the same body type. After all, everything pointed towards them being a hybrid of those two species. Like the Edocits, he had dark green eyes without sclera and three V-shaped bumps on the forehead that probably acted the same way as the melons on dolphins to send ultrasonic pulses. Instead of hair, he had long appendages that vaguely resembled tentacles. Delicate vines wrapped around them with small leaves.

The short skirt that hid his modesty left everything else of his scrumptious body exposed. While the Thalan merfolks similarly used their hip fins as skirts, his appeared to be made of some kind of leaf. More vines and veris ran the length of his muscular arms and legs. And the beautiful, embossed swirls of the yevins adorning his bronze skin made him look like a work of art. Behind him, a long, flat, and wide tail dangled still.

Ignoring Professor Ludwig’s furious glare at me, I greedily ogled the Syllen while he appeared focused on the soil where he had sunken his veris. To my shock, his eyes flashed, and he jerked his head up to look at me. I couldn’t tell whether he had sensed my approach or if the land had warned him. However, the glow had been so brief I wondered if it had truly happened. It could simply be the light reflecting on his eyes at a specific angle like it did with cats in the dark.

The timid smile that began etching itself on my lips froze at his shocked, not to say horrified expression as he stared at me. To say it stung would be quite the understatement. He looked at Kayog and said something to him that I couldn’t hear. But he appeared borderline angry.

Had he not been aware that I was coming?

Kayog messaged me just moments ago telling me to come join them. Surely he had warned him? The Temern replied with his usual cheerful disposition on full display. He almost seemed to be teasing him. The Syllen glanced back at me, still looking traumatized before taking on an air of resignation.

Acting oblivious to his dismay, Kayog proceeded to make the introductions with a hefty dose of enthusiasm.

“It’s a great honor to meet you, Taelen,” I said, stunned that I even managed to form any coherent words.

Good Lord, he was even more magnificent and imposing up close. He easily stood at 6’4 or 6’5 to my 5’8. But the cold and reserved way he eyed me seriously felt like a kick in the teeth. My reaction didn’t make much sense. Syllens had every reason to dislike humans. What did I expect? For him to pick me up with a bone-crushing hug while he twirled with me in his embrace?

“Is it?” he asked with a challenge in his voice.

That took me aback.

“Yes,” I said firmly, despite my confusion. “I never thought I would actually have that privilege.”

He studied my features as if they contained the answer to a mystery he was trying to solve.

“They say a Kalrin talked to you. Is it true?” he asked, his tone dubious.

That lit a fire under me, and I lifted my chin defiantly.

“It didn’t talk to me, to the extent that it didn’t use words—assuming they’re even capable of speech. But it did open its eyes. It observed me, then my companions before waving in the direction of the safe path out. As soon as it did, the tree leaves rustled in that same direction, and the fungus vanished, allowing us to leave unscathed.”

He narrowed his eyes at me although he kept his expression unreadable.

“What did you say to get it to open its eyes?” he asked.