impossibility.
How dare he judge her when he didn’t even know her? She resisted the urge to hiss at him and bare her claws like an angry cat.
The man had been anything but welcoming.
Was Jake wrong?
He’d assured her that Luka still loved him. He also said that Luka was a man who loved to be a champion of the weak. While she wasn’t technically weak , she was a princess—the woman who should be queen one day—who’d had to run away like a frightened animal in the face of danger.
“You’re awake,” Luka said. “Bad dream?”
Syla nodded.
“You’re safe here.” He glanced to the door as Jake walked through, holding a tray.
“Made you breakfast, sweetheart,” Jake said.
She sat up, letting the sheet fall away and baring her naked breasts to the men. When Luka started coughing and scrambled from the bed, she remembered that she was on Earth. Humans had strange customs about their bodies, covering their nudity for all except bathing or mating. From the books she’d read, some even wore clothes during those intimate occasions.
What an odd habit. Who could possibly enjoy swimming in the waters of the ocean with cumbersome clothing clinging to their skin?
Most Trilanis wore clothes in public, but in the privacy of their home, most preferred nudity.
Luka mumbled something and left the room as though a Trilani fire lizard was on his tail.
Jake smiled down at her. “I think you embarrassed him.”
“Clothing I have not.”
“We’ll find something for you to wear. I’m sure Luka has some stuff around.”
“Resent me he shall if take his clothes I do.” The words sounded wrong as they spilled from her mouth.
Jake’s language had always been confusing to her. Her father had insisted she master several languages. As his only child, she would one day have to not only speak for her people but converse with beings from a multitude of cultures. Of all the languages she’d mastered, Syla still had the most trouble with English.
“Wrong say I the words. Yes?”
Jake stroked her hair. “Not wrong. Just a little…jumbled. Remember, noun then verb.”
She thought about what she wanted to say before trying again. “Luka will not wish me to wear his clothes.”
“That was perfect!” He gave her a quick kiss, grabbed a piece of toasted bread from her tray, and took a bite.
“Meal is mine!” She slapped playfully at his hands and smiled.
The expression felt foreign. For too long, she’d been living in fear of her stepmother and her ridiculous accusations. The mere thought of what would happen if King Leopart’s power fell to her father’s wife made her mouth drop to a frown.
“It’s okay now, Syla. You’re safe here.”
The way he constantly read her thoughts was sometimes disturbing. “Empath are you?”
“After months of having Thama plaguing you, it’s pretty easy to figure out what’s making you frown so fiercely.”
She picked up the fork and shoveled some of the food Jake had prepared into her mouth. The taste hit her tongue, making her gather every bit of self-control not to spew it back onto the plate. She chewed the sticky, disgusting mixture and swallowed hard.
“Don’t like scrambled eggs?” he asked with a wink.
“What creature do eggs come from?”
“Chickens. At least they looked like chicken eggs.”
“Ruined them cooking did you.”
“We can’t all be gourmet chefs, sweetheart.”
While she ate the poorly made and foul-tasting foods, Jake searched through Luka’s room. He finally produced a shirt for her. It had long sleeves, a buttoned front, and would probably reach her knees.
“This might work,” he said, tossing it on the bed. He picked up her tray. “You’ve played around with that long enough. Get dressed, and we’ll see what we can do to help Luka around here.”
* * * *
Luka finished creating the last row of furrows and smiled to himself. The herb garden was ready for planting. All he needed to do was plant the seeds and wait to
How dare he judge her when he didn’t even know her? She resisted the urge to hiss at him and bare her claws like an angry cat.
The man had been anything but welcoming.
Was Jake wrong?
He’d assured her that Luka still loved him. He also said that Luka was a man who loved to be a champion of the weak. While she wasn’t technically weak , she was a princess—the woman who should be queen one day—who’d had to run away like a frightened animal in the face of danger.
“You’re awake,” Luka said. “Bad dream?”
Syla nodded.
“You’re safe here.” He glanced to the door as Jake walked through, holding a tray.
“Made you breakfast, sweetheart,” Jake said.
She sat up, letting the sheet fall away and baring her naked breasts to the men. When Luka started coughing and scrambled from the bed, she remembered that she was on Earth. Humans had strange customs about their bodies, covering their nudity for all except bathing or mating. From the books she’d read, some even wore clothes during those intimate occasions.
What an odd habit. Who could possibly enjoy swimming in the waters of the ocean with cumbersome clothing clinging to their skin?
Most Trilanis wore clothes in public, but in the privacy of their home, most preferred nudity.
Luka mumbled something and left the room as though a Trilani fire lizard was on his tail.
Jake smiled down at her. “I think you embarrassed him.”
“Clothing I have not.”
“We’ll find something for you to wear. I’m sure Luka has some stuff around.”
“Resent me he shall if take his clothes I do.” The words sounded wrong as they spilled from her mouth.
Jake’s language had always been confusing to her. Her father had insisted she master several languages. As his only child, she would one day have to not only speak for her people but converse with beings from a multitude of cultures. Of all the languages she’d mastered, Syla still had the most trouble with English.
“Wrong say I the words. Yes?”
Jake stroked her hair. “Not wrong. Just a little…jumbled. Remember, noun then verb.”
She thought about what she wanted to say before trying again. “Luka will not wish me to wear his clothes.”
“That was perfect!” He gave her a quick kiss, grabbed a piece of toasted bread from her tray, and took a bite.
“Meal is mine!” She slapped playfully at his hands and smiled.
The expression felt foreign. For too long, she’d been living in fear of her stepmother and her ridiculous accusations. The mere thought of what would happen if King Leopart’s power fell to her father’s wife made her mouth drop to a frown.
“It’s okay now, Syla. You’re safe here.”
The way he constantly read her thoughts was sometimes disturbing. “Empath are you?”
“After months of having Thama plaguing you, it’s pretty easy to figure out what’s making you frown so fiercely.”
She picked up the fork and shoveled some of the food Jake had prepared into her mouth. The taste hit her tongue, making her gather every bit of self-control not to spew it back onto the plate. She chewed the sticky, disgusting mixture and swallowed hard.
“Don’t like scrambled eggs?” he asked with a wink.
“What creature do eggs come from?”
“Chickens. At least they looked like chicken eggs.”
“Ruined them cooking did you.”
“We can’t all be gourmet chefs, sweetheart.”
While she ate the poorly made and foul-tasting foods, Jake searched through Luka’s room. He finally produced a shirt for her. It had long sleeves, a buttoned front, and would probably reach her knees.
“This might work,” he said, tossing it on the bed. He picked up her tray. “You’ve played around with that long enough. Get dressed, and we’ll see what we can do to help Luka around here.”
* * * *
Luka finished creating the last row of furrows and smiled to himself. The herb garden was ready for planting. All he needed to do was plant the seeds and wait to
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