Chained: A Sci-Fi Alien Invasion Romance (Garrison Earth Book 5) by V. K. Ludwig

Author:V. K. Ludwig [Ludwig, V. K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ink Heart Publishing
Published: 2021-06-16T16:00:00+00:00

Thirteen

Naney

Grit pricked my ankles as I walked across the gathering area beneath our new mother tree, where the wind rippled the ash with each unpredictable gust.

Mother glanced up at the leaves that rustled between the branches and the swaying nabus. “Change is coming.”

I stacked the stones I’d gathered around the fire pit, forming a wind barrier to protect the young flames, but said nothing. Mother had been blessed with many gifts from Mekara, visions being one of the strongest. Whatever she’d seen in Zavis’ soul, she hadn’t made another mention of it.

Neither would I.

Zavis and I had coupled twice during our night together in the plains. Once to ease the pain of my heat, the act so loving and affectionate it had brought tears to my eyes.

And once because I wanted to.

Wanted to writhe beneath his strong body, gasp at his overpowering thrusts, and whimper each time he tamed me with his firm grip. Most of all, I’d wanted to rest on his chest after, with his arms sheltering me from our ugly predicament.

There had been the fraction of a moment — nothing but a hitched breath as I drifted into sleep — where I’d thought that I loved him. That I wanted him. That I didn’t give a shit about what he was — against odds, morals, and sins — as long he was mine.

What a mess we’d made of this.

Cotton soft between the clasp of my fingers, I tugged the scarf around my neck higher, pretending to protect myself from the storm where I only tried to hide his bite mark. We’d maimed each other on the outside, yes, but those scars reached far beneath what could be seen on the surface.

“I don’t like this area,” I said and leaned over, gently blowing into the flames, feeding it more of the dried dung I’d found. “Trapped between two plateaus, there’s only one way to go if Vetusians come this far out: north toward the freeraiders. They’ll cut our throats just to get their hands on our nabus.”

“North, we will go,” Mother said. “But so will the freeraiders.”

I lifted a brow at her. “I don’t understand. The higher north we go, the more unruly the plains become, with sparse game and several days’ ride between yonis.”

She grabbed the leather pouch tied to her belt, pulled a handful of dried moss from it, and tossed it into the flames to smudge the air. “We go where Mekara sends us, Naney.”

I sighed but didn’t dare question her further. If growing up as the shimid’s daughter had taught me anything, it was that Mother become more vague with each question. Her gifts took a toll on her, as if she were indeed a vessel for Mekara, and the goddess chipped away at her one vision at a time.

Yral came over and lowered a basket of dried ushti strips onto the ground, which she rubbed with tendetu fat before she draped them over the hot stone by the embers. “A scout came by earlier.

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