Charlotte Boyett-Compo- WIND VERSE- Hunger's Harmattan by Unknown (best management books of all time TXT) 📗

“Hey, I like it, Ailyn!” Jared called outand stuck his thumb into the air.

“Shanee!” Ailyn gasped. He tried to turnaround but she swiveled his head straight again.

“Oh be still or it won’t be even,” shewarned him.

He muttered beneath his breath but when shethrust a mirror in front of him and he saw what she’d done, his eyebrows shotup.

“Well?” she prodded when he said nothing.

Ailyn turned his head to both sides. “Ilook just like my father,” he whispered.

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

He stared at his reflection. His mother hadalways insisted his hair be shorn military fashion, close to his scalp, and hehad hated that skinhead look. On R-9, he didn’t see a mirror for close totwenty years but his jailers kept his hair trimmed close to his ears forsanitary reasons. When he’d arrived on Theristes, he’d let it grow—just becausehe could. But seeing himself now and realizing just how much he looked like hisfather, he wasn’t sure how he felt.

“I don’t know, Shanee,” he answeredhonestly. “A little of both, I think.”

“Go take a dip in the water to get thestray hairs off you else they’ll be prickling you all day,” she told him.

He didn’t question her order but gotup—running both hands through his shortened hair—and waded into the lake.

“You are very good for him, Shanee.”

She looked around to see Tariq. Thankfullyhe had a towel wrapped around his privates as he squatted down beside her. “Iwish I could take the shadows from his eyes,” she admitted.

“That will come in time,” Tariq said. “Heis nearing Transition. Did he tell you?”

“Aye,” she said, nodding. Her eyes were onher lover as he did a powerful butterfly stroke through the water. “He said Iwas to stay here.” She let out a long breath. “He won’t even let me see himtake Sustenance or the tenerse I know he injects each morning.”

“It is because it shames him that he mustdo that in order to thrive,” Tariq declared. “He sees it as a weakness and hedoes not want you to view him in that light.”

“I don’t care about him being a Reaper,”she said, stabbing the scissors into the ground. “I don’t.”

“I understand that but he doesn’t.”

“He won’t try,” she snapped.

Tariq shrugged. “Shanee, to him being aReaper is a foul, evil thing. He cannot see past the creature he becomes to thesoul within the beast. He cannot see the good that could come from havingpowers such as his. He struggles with it but until he learns to accept what heis, not to rail against it but acknowledge it, he will never know peace. Of allthe men who have had this done to them, he is the only one who is fighting itso fiercely.”

Tears filled Shanee’s eyes at her lover’spain. “How can I help him accept it?”

“I don’t think you can. I don’t thinkanyone can. He must do that on his own.”

Ailyn looked up to see the Prime Reapersitting close to his woman and a sharp dart of fury pierced through him. Withhis jaw flexed, he struck out for the shore, his eyes blazing.

Tariq shook his head. “Be understandingwith him, Shanee. He is about to let loose a portion of the beast he tries sohard to contain.” He got up and walked away before Ailyn could leave the water.

“Tariq!” Ailyn bellowed, and every villagerstilled, every eye turned their way, every breath—especially so Shanee’s—held.

“Aye, my friend?” Tariq asked, stopping andturning to face him.

“I am requesting a Ceangal on theday I return from my punishment,” Ailyn stated.

Tariq frowned. “It is not a punishment,Ailyn, and well you know that.”

“I want the Ceangal!” Ailyninsisted. “It is my right and I am demanding it!”

“What is a Ceangal?” Shanee asked asshe looked from one man to another.

“It is what my people call a Joining,”Tariq said. He locked gazes with her. “Is that what you wish as well, Shanee?”

“I wish it!” Ailyn shouted. “And I willhave it!”

“Unless your lady agrees to it, there willbe no Ceangal, Ailyn,” Tariq snapped.

“And until you ask her in the correct,time-honored way,” Bahiya said as she came to stand beside her mate, “I willadvise her not to agree.” She lifted her chin and folded her arms over herchest.

Ailyn’s hands were opening and closing athis sides. His face was hard with fury, his eyes sparking amber fire. Hisbreathing was shallow and quick and a vein throbbed in his temple. For a momenthe glared at Bahiya then expelled a long, irritated breath out through hisnose. “What do I need to do?” he asked.

“You need to get down on your knee, takeher hand and ask her in the way she deserves to be asked,” Bahiya told him.“She needs to hear the words from you that you will love, honor and protecther.”

Other than the roar of the waterfall in thebackground, there was not another sound being made there at the lake. Everyvillager was staring intently at Ailyn, awaiting his response to the PrimeReaper’s lady’s demand. Though he was well-liked by the villagers, none knewhim as well as Tariq did and most were wary of his refusal to embrace what hehad become.

Shanee met Ailyn’s gaze. Her lower lip wastucked between her teeth. This was something she had never thought would happento her. Joining with a man—not even Rory Quinn—had not been on her list ofthings to do in her lifetime. Though she had loved the Phantom, he had brokenher heart and she had never thought she would give that heart to anyone else.Yet with Ailyn it was different. It seemed right to Join with him. It seemednatural. It was something she found she wanted very deeply.

“I love you,” Ailyn told her.

“If you do, then humble yourself beforeher,” Bahiya said, “else those are just words and they mean nothing.”

“Bahiya,” Tariq said in a low voice thatonly his lady knew was a subtle, gentle warning.

Drawing in a deep breath, Ailyn came tostand before Shanee. He held his hand out to her and helped her to her feet.When she was standing—her hand in his—he dropped to one knee and brought herhand to his