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"You smack fish on their behinds?"
The absurdity of her question coupled with the serious tone of it made me snicker. "Do they have them?"
"I don’t know." She put her hands on her slim, rounded hips. "Are you laughing at me?"
I realized my mouth was set in a foolish grin. These reactions she stirred up in me, they were unfitting for a king, whether I’d been held too long in captivity. I wiped my grin away before I set off walking again, upright and serious. "It’s time to go home."
I began my path through the marshlands. Until my shoulder fully healed and I could protect Harper, it wasn’t good for us to walk in plain sight on flat terrain. I saw trees up ahead.
"Wait." She slogged through the mud to go after me. "Intel never told me the name of your planet."
"Racopia."
"I should remind you we’re on Treoid 5. Unless you can use your wings to fly through outer space, you’re not going to reach your home by walking."
On some level, I knew what she said to be true. "I’m not going to stand out here all day, either."
"I came here in a big ship. Can you fly to it?"
She forced me to admit my current weakness. "Not until my shoulder heals."
Her eyes softened with compassion as she stared at the lightly bleeding wound. "How long does it take?"
"Usually? A few hours. Without rest or sustenance, a day. Maybe even longer."
"We can’t be out here that long. I don’t think I can keep breathing this air without side effects soon." She reached in her pocket. "I have dry rations if that will help you heal faster."
Thoughtful and resourceful. I had to give her credit, even though those qualities weren’t going to help this time. "Those little snacks will do nothing. I need what nourishes a Javorian."
Recognition crossed her face. "You mean blood."
"I mean blood." I turned away from her when my ears picked up on the sound of her blood being pumped to and from her heart. I wouldn’t have noticed if the hunger didn’t scrape at me like claws on slate. My need to feed was getting stronger.
"We keep blood stores in the infirmary on board the ship." Harper’s voice filled with confidence. "A pack should help you feel better."
I reached my hand out and put it on her shoulder. My hand looked large, monstrous even, against her smaller frame. Yet she didn’t shy away from me. "I know you think you’re helping me, but whatever you have on your ship won’t be enough."
"How do you know? You’ve never set foot on it."
"Because I know my body."
I raised my voice as the beast within grew irritable. Ashamed, I took my hand from her shoulder, ending my poor attempt at showing appreciation. Or had it been me simply wanting to touch her? Her skin was as soft as it looked.
"Varus." She spoke my name in her quiet way, filled with patience and determination to stay the course.
Couldn’t she see I was a lost cause?
I walked onward to the trees. "You’re just a little human. There’s nothing you can do for me."
