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nThe words were like water to his soul.

nForcing himself not to whine with sheer joy, Lhars wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in, and she came willingly, leaning into him, her knees pressed to his, her arms wrapped around his waist. And she rested her head on his chest.

nLhars couldn’t breathe. As they stood together in the cold night air, he marveled that she fit against him so perfectly, all of her curves softly embracing all his hard angles. It was, he thought, the perfect metaphor for their friendship as much as their bodies.

nThey were opposite in so many ways, and yet their differences complimented each other, rather than grating.

nLhars closed his eyes and drank in the sensation of holding her, waiting for her to pull away. But she didn’t. She didn’t.

nThen she squeezed him harder and he held his breath, his chest tightening.

nHis heart was pounding—he knew she could hear it, but she didn’t pull away. The hug became an embrace, and went on so much longer than any sharing of scents, or hug that they’d shared as friends before.

nWhen she still didn’t move, Lhars blew out a breath and, trembling slightly, slid one hand up her spine to cup the back of her head. His heart slammed against his ribs as he pulled his head back far enough to look down at her. He knew she had to be hearing his heart—feeling it against her. But he couldn’t bring himself to let her go and when she looked up at him, her eyes were liquid.

nShe didn’t pull away.

nLhars searched her eyes, saw it all there—her uncertainty, her pain, her fear, and… something that wanted to be near him. But was it love? Or only their friendship?

nSlowly, so slowly, he lowered his chin to let his lips brush her ear as he whispered, “Kyelle, I l—”

nKyelle sucked in a breath suddenly, pulling out of his arms and turning towards the trail, her eyes averted as she murmured, “We need to catch up with the others.”

nLhars, no longer surprised by this, stared at her sadly as she turned away and then shifted into her owl. He just stood there, watching, as she ruffled her feathers, but didn’t fly away. Then, as if she’d made a decision, she met his eyes for a long moment, then turned and flapped, heaving her heavy-but-streamlined body into the sky, leaving him standing there alone.

nAgain.

n*****

n~ SASHA ~

nLhars was the last to arrive in the cave, though he wasn’t far behind the rest of them. Sasha caught that Kyelle was oddly standing close to him, but not meeting his eyes.

nShe didn’t look happy.

nWhen all of this was said and done, Sasha was going to talk to her. Those two were miserable, and Sasha had a feeling it was Kyelle that kept them apart.

nBut this wasn’t the time or the place for those thoughts. Zev had commented on both the tracks and the smells in the cave. Many creatures had come through already, and though there were none there now, they couldn’t be certain there wouldn’t be more that night.

nSasha clapped her hands and got their attention, only Yhet and Dunken hanging back at the cave opening since they wouldn’t be going through.

nShe made each of them walk her through where they needed to go, who they were looking to find, and the message they would take to ensure the females were certain that Sasha had sent them.

nThen she looked each one of them in the eye. “Thank you.” She turned to include Yhet and Dunken in the speech as well. “Thank you for being trustworthy and brave. Thank you for being willing to help others. Thank you that as soon as we realized we needed you, you were willing to come. When you get done, please come find me or Zev immediately and let us know any questions or problems you had. Tell us how the females are doing, and only take the time to make certain they understand that we’re coming for them.

n”I don’t think I have to tell you that this purpose is the most important the Chimera have ever faced. I am so grateful to have you all alongside for this. And please… be certain… if anything should happen to you, you will never be forgotten. We will honor you. But please… please don’t let anything happen. Come back to us quickly and safely. Take so much care for yourself while you’re in there. Please.”

nThe males all nodded, saluting her, but Kyelle gave her a small smile.

nThen she realized she was really just trying to put off the moment when she had to hand this to them, and there was no point in that.

n”Godspeed,” she said quietly. “I’ll be waiting for each of you to come back safely and with good news. Thank you. Thank you.”

nSkhal was the first to turn and walk through, the Gateway flashing as it swallowed him. But Jhon was right on his heels, then Lhars. Lhars met eyes with Kyelle for a long moment before he stepped through and the gateway flashed again.

nKyelle’s eyes closed for a short time and she bowed her head for a breath. Then she took a deep breath, rolled her shoulders back, and she walked through too.

nSasha was left standing there with Zev, both of them staring at a plain, rock wall.

nThen he put an arm around her shoulder and turned her and they joined Yhet and Dunken on the trail back to the City.

nIt was the strangest feeling just walking away, knowing that their friends were all undertaking tasks that could save lives, or end their own. Sasha struggled for several minutes, fighting the urge to turn and run back. But to what point? They had two hundred and fifty people to ready to move. They had a human prisoner to manage and hide their plans from. And they had an enemy that might show up at any moment and decide to remove them from this plane of existence.

nThere just wasn’t time to worry. She could only silently pray and hope that when the sun rose, all her friends would be safely back, and with good news.

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