Page 53 of Keeping His Mate
“No,” Varrek says quickly. “If he were here, we would have been notified by Ekoya. We have heard nothing.”
“I do not think we should rely solely on this unknown spy Ekoya knows from the tavern,” I tell them. “This is not simply a camera malfunction. There are backups in place for each camera, and they each have their own smaller servers that are linked to the main one.”
“Simpler language, Bruvix, I beg you,” Ahlvo replies with an exaggerated sigh.
“If one camera fails, whatever the reason, three other channels must fail for that individual camera to stop working. For all of them to fail at once?” I shout. “For several hours? It is unthinkable. This was deliberate.”
Varrek and Ahlvo exchange a glance that indicates they think I am paranoid, and this is not worth pursuing. I ready my voice to roar with fury, but Varrek replies, “I will contact Ekoya to see if she has heard anything. The crew will also scan the perimeter of the village to ensure nothing is amiss.”
I let my shoulders relax and unclench my jaw. Elle-noor places her hand on my arm, and I cover it with my own. I almost forgot she was in the room with me.
“Are the feeds back up now?” Ahlvo asks.
I nod. “Yes, all working as they should. They have been recording since first meal.”
“Very well,” Varrek says. “Keep your screen pad close. I shall alert you with updates.”
The screen turns black, and I pull Elle-noor around to my front. She plops herself on my lap, leaning her head against mine. “What now?” she asks. “Are we in danger?”
My arms tighten around her. “No, Elle-noor. I will not let anything happen to you.” Then I push a lock of her mane behind her ear. “We stay safe. We remain in the village. And, if needed, we fight.”
CHAPTER 23
ELEANOR
Something weird is happening, and it’s not just the drop in security footage from last night. It’s the tr’gorys. After Bruvix and I sat in his security room for a while in loaded silence, he left, saying he wanted to discuss his Bzzsil Chi theory a bit more with Ahlvo.
I stayed put and reviewed the footage from before and after the cameras went out. The adult pack appeared not once, but several times. They ran multiple laps around and through the village, looking strangely restless. I also spotted Nanay and her pups for the first time on camera, and while the pups seemed their standard level of clumsy and adorable, she was anything but. Her head was dipped low, and her fur stood straight up as she passed by the camera at the falls. Like she was hunting something. Or someone.
But that’s not the only eerie occurrence I’ve noticed in the last twenty-four hours. Since Vahla was born, I’ve felt eyes on me. Following me. Watching me. And not one set of eyes, but many. I heard the crunch of leaves deep in the woods, just out of view, when I walked along the main path. This morning, I swear I caught a peek of red eyes, surrounded by long black fur, looking back at me through the trees. I recognized those eyes.
Whyare they watching me, though? Are they trying to tell me something?
I’ve followed the rules. I’ve stayed away. I’ve let them live their lives without intruding. Are they trying to tell me to come back? To resume the feedings? To bond with them a little more?
If only.
I shake my head and shoulders, letting the thought pass. I don’t need to care for an animal to belong to this clan. It doesn’t matter how much I enjoy it. It’s too risky an endeavor to pursue.
Perhaps if animals on Oluura were tiny, kitten-sized balls of floof, but they’re not. They’re gigantic with sharp claws and terrifying fangs. Plus, Bruvix risked his life, and the safety of his clan to save me. The least I can do is not actively put myself in danger.
Guilt sits in my gut like a solid brick as I recall each time I asked him to come with me to the falls. Or when we found Stanley and I pressured Bruvix into keeping him at his house and nurse the little pup back to health. Or, worst of all, when I went to the falls alone, and Nanay bit a chunk out of my arm.
Waves of pain radiate from my elbow down to my fingertips as I rub the wound. It’s healing quickly, but there’s still a sting every time something brushes against it, and an uncomfortable pull when I push myself too hard on dish duty.
I know I’ve been sulking a bit lately, ever since the bite. I’ve been trying to hide it, but I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve. Bruvix can sense it. I know he can. He’s attuned to me in ways I don’t fully understand, and he’s kept a watchful eye on me, even when he thinks I don’t notice. And that just makes me feel like even more of an asshole. He’s given me so much, and he’s asked for nothing in return. He’s also put himself in the same vicinity as tr’gorys, which triggered the very trauma he’s been trying to forget for decades.
I should tell him how sorry I am. Not only for the carelessness that led to the bite, but for everything leading up to it. Just because I’ve been missing Frank doesn’t mean I should’ve subjected Bruvix and the clan to close encounters with the tr’gorys. It was selfish of me to seek that human-animal bond on an alien planet.
Heading outside, I quickly shift from a walk to a slow jog in the direction of Ava and Ahlvo’s house. Bruvix said he was meeting with Ahlvo, so that’s where he should be.
I wave and smile to everyone I pass on the main path, a new level of appreciation for this community blooming inside my chest. When I reach Ava’s, I knock three times, but no one answers. Maybe the guys aren’t here, and Ava is still at Kaiva’s, keeping a close watch on Chloe. I run over to the med room and practically burst through the front door. Not that anyone notices, because there are about twenty people in here visiting Chloe and Vahla, and it’s shockingly loud for a venue with a newborn baby in it. No sign of Bruvix and Ahlvo, however. I give Ava a nod before I close the door behind me.
Maybe they’re at the meal hall. I’m not sure where else they would go to discuss a possible sneak attack on the village. Varrek was still in the med room with Chloe, so they obviously wouldn’t be at his house.
I’m out of breath by the time I make it to the meal hall, only to find a few of the elders lingering about, waiting to be the first in line for dinner. Bruvix and Ahlvo aren’t here after all.
“The training grounds,” I whisper. That’s the only other possible place they could be.