Beneath the Twin Moons of Haldae (16 page)

When Haldae finally appeared in the distance, Zaren reminded the pilot about the moons. They had to wait four hours until they were hidden on the other side of the planet, presumably where they wouldn’t interfere with the electronic equipment. Only then did the shuttle slowly descend toward the surface. When Zaren saw a large body of water under them, she realized she was back where she had been picked up, at the lake where she had spent her last few hours with Kris.

While the woman did the final checks, Zaren’s eyes kept flitting to the closed door. She felt a little silly for hoping, but in her mind Kris was outside, waiting for her to come out.

If he had been banished from his village as he had feared, this was certainly too close for him to be safe. And still, she couldn’t help but wonder if he remembered those few hours they had spent on the edge of the lake as well as she did; enough so, maybe, to return there in the past
couple of
week
s
, and think of her.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” the pilot asked suddenly. “You can still change your mind.”

Zaren blinked and looked at her, smiling faintly. “Yes, I’m sure, and no, I can’t.” She slipped the bag full of medicine over her shoulder; although smaller, it felt very much like the bag of fruit she had carried in the forest with Kris. “Will you open the door for me?”

Rather than reaching for the controls that would let Zaren out of the shuttle, the woman continued to look at Zaren, now almost wistfully. “I envy you,” she murmured as she turned away. She didn’t watch Zaren leave.

Hurrying a small distance away from where the shuttle had landed, Zaren looked at it as it rose above the lake, then flew away. The sew smlast link to her universe had been severed. And still she couldn’t begin to regret her decision.

She looked away from the sky; she belonged on Haldae now. When she saw the silhouette of a wolf, dark again
st
the
background of
glittering water, she thought her heart would stop, and she pressed a hand to her chest.

Maybe it was just a wolf, she told herself as she took a hesitant step forward, then another one, then a third. Maybe getting too close
was
a terrible idea, especially since the wolf had clearly noticed her and was approaching her, just as slowly as she approached
him
.

The thought came to her that if she was mauled to death now, not only would no one ever know, but the villagers would also never get the medicine.

She didn’t stop.

It wasn’t just a wolf; she was sure of it now. A wolf wouldn’t have looked at her with such warmth in its gray eyes. It wouldn’t have stood in front of her, head high and tilted to one side. It wouldn’t have suddenly changed into a man, so that in no more time than it took her to blink, Kris was standing in front of her, a wide, happy smile on his lips.

He said her name, and his voice was just as deep as she remembered it. Just as warm.

“Kris,” she replied, and it came out as a whisper. “I missed you.”

His smile widened a little more. “I missed you, too. I…” The smile vanished, replaced by an expression of pure surprise. “You speak my language!”

Zaren grinned. “I do. I don’t know all the words yet, but maybe you’ll teach me.”

He took her hand and squeezed it, then brought it up to his mouth. The soft press of his lips on her knuckles was better than an answer.

“How long are you going to stay?” he asked, now hesitant. “I saw your shuttle fly away. Are your people hiding…”

He trailed off when she shook her head, and his eyebrows rose questioningly.

“The shuttle is gone,” she said, watching closely for his reaction. “My people will not return for me.”

She could tell the exact moment he understood. His face lit up with pure happiness. Pulling gently on her hand, he drew her closer and into his arms. On her last night on Haldae, when they had sat by the lake, she was the one who had kissed him. He hadn’t responded at first, and she had wondered since then if, maybe, it was a thing his people just didn’t do. Whether it was or not, he was now the one pressing his mouth to hers in a longer, sweeter kiss.

“I am so happy you returned,” he said when he pulled away. “There’s so much I wanted to show you.”

She laughed softly, warmed by his excitement. “And you will. But first we need to go back to your village.”

Shadows chased away the joy in his eyes. “We can’t. I’m not welcome there anymore. And neither are you.”

She patted her bag lightly. “We will be. I brought medicine, enough for everyone in your village. No one will have this sickness again.”

The look of wonder on his face put the brightness of the sun above them to shame.

The first time she had seen the village, it had been bathed in moonlight, and no one had noticed her and Kris. This time, when they walked up the main street hand in hand toward the center of the village and the Elders’ building, it was full daylight. Villagers came out of their houses to watch them, and soon they had a growing escort accompanying them. Elea’s cry of joy echoed through the crowd, and she joined them, hugging Kris, then Zaren, befor
e she took Zaren’s free hand.

This was it, Zaren thought as she watched the people around them, as she tightened her hands over Elea’s and Kris’. This was why she had come back. This was why crashing on Haldae had been a blessing in disguise, why she had always wanted to become an observer. She looked at Kris, and he looked back, smiling. She had found her place.

The end

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? I’d be ever so grateful.

Thank you,

Angela

About Angela Yseult

Being a teenager
can be complicated.

Being a teenager
when
you happen to be a Shifter, when the universe is your playground, when you live with vampires or your world is under siege by demons
is even more complicated.

Or at least, that’s what Angela’s characters tell her; her own
teenage years were
fairly uneventful
… and still, rather complicated at times, too.

You can catch up with her on
her blog
or
Facebook
, or email her at
[email protected]

Copyright ©
2013
Angela Yseult

All rights reserved.
This eBook is not
transferable.

It cannot be sold
or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

All characters in this publication are purely fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Edited by
Donna M.