Taming the Queen of Beasts

RIKA

She'd been hurrying towards the house, hoping for a last clinch with Gar, praying she'd read him correctly, because she was nervous and shaking and desperate. They hadn't had enough time!

But as they put their heads down and hurried past the man and his son on the trail, giving their own desperate goodbyes, Gar suddenly tugged her to a halt.

"Reece?" he said, sounding surprised at himself.

The two men pulled apart, both wiping their faces. "What is it?" Reece asked quickly, not looking at them.

"Every male should have a purpose," he said.

Reece just stared at them, but his father, Gahrye was nodding.

Gar inhaled deeply, then shook his head. "You're one of us."

"So?" Reece spat. "I grew up human. I belong over there!"

"No, you don't," Gar said kindly, then looked at Rika before he asked, "Are you familiar with human technology?"

Rika's brows popped up and she turned from staring her confusion at Gar, to looking hopefully at Reece.

He was tall, to be sure. But not quite as thick in the body as most of the Anima. And he was dressed like a human. He looked human. He sounded human. No one would have thought twice seeing him in her world, except that he was tall—a basketball player, they would have said. He moved with the easy grace of an athlete, but didn't possess the sense of undying self most of the Anima seemed to carry with them like a second skin.

"He's incredible with technology," Gahre said quietly, clearing his throat. "I always get him to handle anything I needed because I can't understand it at all."

Rika knew that didn't mean Reece was incredible with it, but—

"I was a computer science major," Reece said reluctantly. "Why?"

Rika sucked in and Gar looked a question at her. She nodded.

"Reece… I need help. Someone who can come with me to… infiltrate the humans. I don't know what your plans were or… but if you think you could help me disable their tech—if we could really hit them hard, we might not need to close the portals. If we could remove their tech, the Anima could beat the humans easily!"

Reece blinked and looked at his father. "You think… you want me to help you?"

"It'll be dangerous," Gar warned and his hands tightened on Rika unconsciously. "But she's been saying she needs a helper. We just didn't have anyone that could pass for human with the humans themselves."

"I've… been doing that my whole life," Reece said uncertainly.

Rika nodded.

He looked at his father, whose face was broken and pleading, but he didn't speak.

"How would it work? What would I do?" Reece asked, sniffing and wiping his face again.

"We're travelling tonight. We'll be meeting the humans in two days we think. The portals would be closed in three. If you and Rika can get the humans defeated in that time, the warriors will take them down before… before anyone has to close a portal."

"Wrong portal, though. You guys are going north, right?"

Gar nodded. "Does it matter? You can travel, right? And if we win early, we can send someone through to warn your parents…" he looked at Gahrye, whose eyes didn't light with hope, though Gar wished they would. He didn't want to think about what that meant.

Gahrye swallowed, but turned to his son, one hand on his shoulder. "It's a chance, right? And Gar's right, you need a purpose. Please, Son. Please… I have to go. I have to get back to your mother. I'd feel so much better if I knew you had something important to do. A new focus."

Reece didn't answer him, just stared at his father, his face dragging for the dirt. Then he cleared his throat and looked at Gar. "When are you leaving?"

"An hour and a bit," Gar said, then tipped his head towards the mountain. "When the moon nestles on the peak, that's when we'll fly. From the clearing on the east trail. Straight on this trail until you hit the city, then turn right and follow it out. You can follow your nose from there, I think? It's about a five or six minute walk."

Reece nodded reluctantly, then looked to his father. "I'll… walk with you some of the way. Then… then I'll come back."

Gahrye nodded, then pulled his son into another hug.

"Thank you, Reece," Gar said quietly, then ushered Rika away when the two men continued to embrace.

Neither of them spoke until they'd made it to Gar's tree and slipped inside. Then Rika kind of groaned.

"What's wrong?" Gar asked quickly. "Are you hurt?"

"Only in my soul!" she wailed, then threw herself into his chest. "This is so… horrible, Gar. So painful! So many people saying goodbye and hurting and crying and… I just can't… I can't believe I was a part of making this happen!"

"You didn't know," he said quietly, holding her.

"Does it matter?" she said, echoing his line to Reece. "I was a part of it. And now… it's destroying everything! We haven't had enough time, Gar! I haven't had enough time with you and now you're going to go fight, and I'm going to go spy and… it's just not fair. It's not fair!"

Gar shook his head, combing her hair back from her wet eyes with his fingers, frowning. "No, it's not," he said. "I'll be honest, I'm trying really hard not to focus on that, because I think if I do… I'm not sure I'll let you go."

She groaned again and dropped her head into his chest, clinging to his waist, her fingers digging into his back.

"I love you, Gar," she whispered, holding him tighter. "I love you and I want more time."

"I know, babe. Me too."

She felt the tremble that rocked through him then and lifted her head, blinking back her tears.

"What should we do?"

He took a deep breath, his eyes still locked on hers. Then he leaned down and kissed her softly. "Make the most of the time we do have," he whispered against her lips. "That's what we should."

Rika agreed. She agreed with her whole self, and she arched into his kiss to let him know that.

*****Â

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