He Came from Ice by Kody Boye

Author:Kody Boye [Boye, Kody]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kody Boye

Chapter Thirty-Nine

What necessity clothing held for the Kaldr during great bouts of heat I couldn’t be sure. Given their distinct need to consume the heat of others in order to sustain themselves, it seemed unusual to limit one’s exposure to the sun when it unmarred by clouds. But there they were—tending the fields, working the animals, all with clothes covering their bodies. The only one without his shirt was Guy—who, in comparison to the shorter, stockier men, appeared like a god among all Kaldr.

As one, their attention was drawn as I descended the stairs. Guy’s, too, had risen, but his was the only gaze that remained in the moments thereafter.

Without much thought, I made my way along the path toward the rows of gardens.

“Hey,” I said as I approached, taking note of his blistered palms and the dirt etched across his chest and face.

“Hey,” he replied. “Everything all right?”

“Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Guy shrugged and slung his hoe over his shoulder before following me along my undetermined route.

“Amadeo wasn’t aware of what was going on in Austin,” I said, sliding my hands into my pockets.

“What do you mean?” Guy asked.

“He… well… he made it seem like he thought you were the one who’d done it.”

“That’s just my father’s reasoning getting to him,” he said. “Papa’s the peacekeeper. He doesn’t like conflict, and whenever it happens, he tries to settle it without trouble. My father… he’s not like that. At all.”

“I could tell,” I chuckled.

Guy came to a halt, pursed his lips, then closed his eyes, his nostrils flaring in a great exhale that lowered his broad chest.

“Something’s going on here, isn’t there?”

“I don’t know. Even if there was, I’d have no idea. I’ve been gone for five years.”

“And you didn’t have any contact during that time?”

“No. We didn’t.” Guy turned, adjusting the hoe against his shoulder. The fleshy hue of his skin was unusual, considering I’d seen him as fair up until this point, but I didn’t dwell on it. Getting shell-shocked now, after everything I’d been through, would’ve been stupid and pointless. “Don’t worry about it right now, Jason. Seriously. There’s nothing either of us can do. What happens happens.”

“I know.”

“Go inside. It’s too hot for you out here. I’m worried that you haven’t recovered.”

“Have you fed?”

“What?”

“I said—”

Guy shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Go. Inside.”

He started to walk off, his attention set toward the section of the field he’d been working on, but I stopped him before he could leave my grasp.

Leaning forward, I arched myself up on the tips of my toes and kissed his cheek.

His smile gave me some semblance of assurance, despite the mystery surrounding it all.

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