Hearts keeper, p.1
Heart’s Keeper, page 1
Heart’s Keeper
Olivia Riley
Copyright © 2021 Olivia Riley
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including, but not limited to, photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing by the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, locales and events are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, places or events are purely coincidental.
Cover by Olivia Riley
Stock Photos: Depositphotos
Created with Vellum
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
Xora
Newsletter
About the Author
Chapter One
Tryth
The sky lit red as the sun peeked over the horizon. A dull orange like the waking eye of a titan against the foreground of a dark landscape beyond. Far off, sharp rocks and wild, twisting trees with fiery red and yellow leaves and purple vines scattered for miles in every corner. Closer, down below, were the outer domes and buildings of the inner haven. There was a breeze, warm, not yet terribly hot, but Lana knew as the sun rose the temperature would spike, and the wind would eventually sting her skin.
She had gotten used to the heat over the years, but having been away for so long on their last mission, she had a feeling it would be uncomfortable at least for a few days. Just like the first time she had come to Tryth.
At least this time she was more prepared. No more sulking in the dryrooms where it stayed fairly cool, next to the food storage and water banks. Though she might end up there for an hour or two by midday just for a break.
But it wasn't so bad just yet. With the sun barely up and the nice breeze, she could stand to sit on the terrace just a little longer. Xini had left out the tea set for her when Lana had first come up, just like the many times before as had become routine over the years. Despite being gone for nearly a year and a half, Xini hadn't forgotten, and Lana had been extremely grateful to find her favorite spiced tea brewing on the groundmat, ready to be savored. It was a nice familiarity that Lana needed.
She and Xerus had only returned a night ago, so exhausted both physically and mentally from the mission that they had barely said a word to their housekin, those who kept their home safe and clean when they were gone and served them when they stayed. They had gone straight to their room and slept the night and most of the day away, only getting up once to eat and going right back to bed after, with Xerus curled up against her back as always, nestled firmly in their den with no light to wake them and little sound to stir them from sleep save for the low hum of the air vents.
Lana wished it had been a peaceful sleep, but endless dreams had made that impossible. Only Xerus' hand caressing her arm and his voice, turned soft in her ear, gave her comfort and allowed her to fall back into a calm sleep. She must have been talking again or maybe kicking as sometimes happened, but Xerus never seemed to mind. Especially when she started sleep-talking in the vrisha tongue instead of her native one. It seemed to amuse him, listening to the things she said.
Lana closed her eyes and smiled at the thought, but the smile didn't last when she remembered waking up to find him gone. Xini had said he'd been away for some time, out hunting in the far territories of their home. It wasn't unusual per se. He'd gone hunting many times before, even sometimes taking her with him, though she was never good at it.
But this time made her feel...wary. He didn't usually leave her in the mornings, but that shouldn't bother her and, mostly, it didn't. What did bother her was the tension she'd noticed in him ever since they had left Jara—the planet they had been sent to for their mission; the place they had been for so many months. She wondered if it had put a toll on him. It had certainly left a mark on her.
But even as they ventured close to home, he had seemed off, and still she worried. She had wanted to talk to him when they woke, and that was when she had found herself alone. It was no matter. She could wait until he returned.
Lana took a sip of her tea and watched the shadows play over the valley as the sky brightened from a deep red to a peach color. Her hand shook slightly, but she thought little of it as she set her cup down carefully. Her eyes drew down to her naked legs, and she stared at the tanned skin marred now by a few scars. She had many all over now, made from living in a harsh environment and having a sharp-skinned mate. There were no fresh ones currently, and she should be thankful for it, but sadly, it reminded her of how long she had been away and how few private moments she and Xerus had gotten toward the end of their mission. It was hard to be intimate when one was so focused on saving a whole race from being lost.
Not extinct. Lost. Lana learned after Jara that there was indeed a difference. But perhaps the Jaras didn't see themselves as lost. Rania, their queen, said it was for the best, but after so many years of being accustomed to other cultures and learning to take a step back from her own opinions and accept the difference in others’ lives, this had been the first time Lana couldn't do it. She still felt like she had failed them, though according to the Jaras—and to Xerus—she had not.
Lana found herself staring out at nothing, deep in thought, when she heard the soft shifting of feet drawing close.
"Forgive my intruding," said a vrisha voice in a gentle hiss behind her. Lana turned and saw it was Xini. She bowed her head, the light of the sun shining off her sleek black horns. "Would you have me bring you some food, Risa?" she said. Lana tried not to flinch at the title. She'd told Xini many times to call her by her name but Risa, meaning "my queen," slipped out every so often.
"Maybe in a bit," Lana responded half-heartedly back in vrishan. Xini watched her for a moment before approaching closer.
"Something troubles you," the vrisha said matter-of-factly. Lana smiled, albeit a bit sadly. She had never quite figured it out, but the vrisha she'd become close to had grown very good at guessing her emotions. She theorized it was in the sound of her voice.
"I'm just still trying to recover from the mission," Lana said.
"It was difficult."
Lana's throat tightened. "Yes."
"I will call for your predomis."
"No, it's fine. Let him hunt."
Xini's tail swished back and forth, meaning she was thinking about what to do. After a moment, she decided to sit beside her. "Will you tell me?" she said after a pause.
Lana looked at her, knowing she probably looked more concerned than she wanted to. It wasn't like she couldn't tell Xini. Missions were not at all confidential. The vrisha worked as a pack, as a community, to try and deal with all manner of issues. If Xini didn't find out from her, she would know of it from council meetings. Lana just wasn't sure she wanted to concern her or others with her wellbeing. A vrisha queen needed to be of sound mind, and if she was "ill" in any way, it affected the whole haven. But talking it out might do her good, though she wished it was with Xerus instead.
"When we first heard about what was happening on Jara," Lana said, "I was so afraid that it was the parasite again. That Spectre had somehow come back. Or that we had somehow missed it there. Though the council claims the planet had been deemed safe from harm back when vrisha were first fighting the parasite off. Reports from vrisha who'd come from there said the Jaras were acting strange, and fights were breaking out. Soon the fights turned to battles and there was the start of a war. When we got there, we soon learned it wasn't the parasite." Lana looked off in the distance, watching the leaves flicker and glow like flames in the light.
"What was it?" Xini asked.
Lana looked back at her. "They were changing."
Xini tilted her head. "How so?"
"They were beginning to hear each other's thoughts, know each other's emotions." Lana shifted where she sat and frowned. "Like one singular mind."
Xini rubbed at one of her horns in thought. "A hivemind. I have heard of races being one from the start but never of one turning into it. How very interesting."
"Interesting." Lana laughed. "No. Disturbing." An itch grew on the inside of her wrist underneath her scaled cuff, and she scratched at it without thought. "We tried to help them stop the fights. To try and find a way to bring them back but..." Lana jerked her head one way in a sort of vrisha headshake. "Even after we helped stifle some of the fights, the queen said it was time they embraced the inevitable. I tried to reason with her, but they’d made up their minds, and me and Xerus just watched them slowly fade away, losing their own individuality. I could never imagine such a thing happening, it was just so..."
They sat in silence for a moment before Xini said, "You do not like their decision and so it still bothers you."
"Yes," Lana spoke softly. "That and..." She looked across to the jungle, past the buildings of their haven.
"And?"
"I think it might have affected Xerus too somehow," Lana said honestly.
"How so?"
Lana wasn't sure exactly how to respond. She thought it over, then said, "He seemed distant after.
"But at least you are home," Xini stated. "And now you can take time for yourselves. Talk to him. Tell each other of your concerns and fears. You do not have to take another mission for some time if you do not wish to."
Lana smiled at her. "You're right. And I do plan to talk to him when we can find a moment together."
Xini gave her a quick bow, then took the tea set as another housekin, Syris, entered the terrace.
"Risa, your predomis has returned," he said, flicking his tail.
Lana and Xini locked eyes. Xini nodded her head and showed the tips of her fangs in a vrisha smile before turning away. "Thank you, Syris," Lana said as she rose from the groundmat. The wind picked up, catching in the tight braids of hair which fell down Lana's back and through the strips of kelva, a strong, leather-like hide, around her thighs. The heat and rock-dust pricked her skin and stung her eyes. Time she went inside.
Syris bowed his head and stepped away as Lana entered through the open door into darkness and the somewhat cooler interior of their home. She moved carefully down a flight of stairs till she reached the central chamber, a circular space with a domed ceiling. A map of Tryth's solar system displayed from above, and the walls showed stone etchings of wildlife and landscapes. The floor, made from dark bronze and stone, had several vrisha designs and pictures like hieroglyphs which could be translated if one understood. Lana knew them all now by heart. The lights—deep red and orange cracks of stone the vrisha called stonelights—glowed dimly around the dome's outer circle. At the center of the room was a low-lit flame in a large bowl with seats surrounding it. It was where housekin gathered to talk. A place of unity for the vrisha of the house where one needed to speak and be heard; the heart of their home. A home that sat above the haven as its own center.
No one sat there now, and Lana passed by the fire to walk down a hall opposite. There were few doors in the haven or within their home, but staircases and short bends or screens kept things private and hidden. She went down one lone staircase until she came to the bottom of her and Xerus' private den. As she walked around a thick screen, the glow of the stonelights above brightened as she passed.
The den was empty. Lana stopped near the middle to look across at her and Xerus' bed—an oval-shaped pit cut into the floor with a mat and pillows scattered within. The fabrics were soft but incredibly durable as a vrisha's spikes couldn't cut easily into them. Everything was smooth yet hard. Even the walls and floor were made of a soft but tough rock that the vrisha created from the flow of lava rock. It reminded her of the stones found on a beach, made smooth from years of sand and water.
Her eyes slid across the room and studied the subtle etchings along the walls then moved over to a globe map to one side that showed the vast area which the vrisha had explored. On another side were a few plants Lana had been caring for and collecting data on before her mission, tended now by housekin. There was a table next to the plants filled with Xerus' gadgets and tools and a cabinet housing the few pieces of clothing she wore along with her one set of vrisha armor they called grivhide. It was what she wore at her queening ceremony and to council meetings. The armor, made from those vrisha who had fallen, hung to one side along with a crown of horns Xerus had made especially for her. She thought fondly about that now. He had given the crown to her at their coupling ceremony. A smile played on her lips when she recalled it being the only thing she adorned when they lay together in their bed after. It made her think of the dreams she had before she'd come to Tryth. How wild and alive she felt with him.
From a doorway to one side, Lana heard the light trickling and splashing of water. Along the top of the passageway was the flickering of light from the water's reflection. Quietly, she stepped over to the door. The scent of coffee hit her, and she closed her eyes, smiling. Stepping through into the passage, she slipped down a short set of steps before entering the bath chamber.
Within a long, rectangular bath, Xerus stood, his back to the door. Wafts of steam floated just above the surface of the dark water, breaking against his body. He hadn't noticed her yet, and Lana took that moment to watch him carefully as he glided around the pool. His tail weaved lazily behind him, creating small ripples through the water. Even now, Lana could only stand in silent awe of him. Of his dangerous beauty. Pale orange light lit the room like the light of dawn, and in it, Lana could make out the brilliant deep red of Xerus' scales as they shined. There was the hint of dark purple stripes along his side from the scars he had acquired some years ago. His horns, though twisted and angled slightly differently than the others’, were full and thick and sharp as ever. The spikes along his back were a bit jagged if one looked hard enough, but it was of little issue. His lithe body was a sight to behold, even after all the years, still powerful and feral as he moved gracefully along the bath. What fear it had pulled from her long ago was no longer of any concern. Still, her heart raced all the same; for the love of him that she believed could never be broken.
Eventually, he turned and saw her watching him. He grew still as they locked eyes, and Lana became so lost in the heat of his red and black gaze for a short moment that she couldn't speak. Xerus' expression, though stunned to see her there at first, quickly calmed, and the glint of eagerness showed in his eyes as he gave her his sly smile.
"I wondered where you had slipped off to when I returned to find our bed empty, kissala," he said in a low voice.
"I thought the same thing when I woke up to find you missing, my domis," Lana said, returning his smile.
Xerus' smile fell slightly as he stopped in the middle of the bath. "Forgive me. I was restless."
"The hunt helped?"
Xerus bowed his head. "In a way..."
Lana looked down at the water and approached the edge of the pool. "May I join you?"
Xerus huffed, his tail curving along the water. "Would I ever tell you no?"
Lana shrugged then began to unclasp her Kelva garments from her thighs and shoulders. "I would hope not, but then if you ever needed to be alone..."
"I would never deny your presence."
"Even after having to endure it for so long?"
Xerus hissed a laugh. "I never tire of it if that is what you mean." He reached out an arm to her, and, as Lana stood naked at the edge of the bath, she slowly dropped into the water and moved across to be beside him. As if done unconsciously, Xerus's tail curled across her back, pulling her closer to him. Lana let out a slow breath and closed her eyes as she felt his rough scales brush along her skin. She placed her hands along the underside of his ribs and pressed against him, letting her forehead rest against his chest.
"I missed this," she said softly. "With how little time we had together on Jara..."
Xerus' face came down and brushed against the side of her head. His hands rose and gripped her shoulders gently. "I understand entirely. It was difficult, with everything that happened."
Lana kept still for a long moment, then rose her head to look up at him with concern. "I wanted to talk to you about that." Her hands slipped to his back, rubbing gently. "You seemed distant when we left."
Xerus tilted his head as he eyed her. "Did I?"
Lana nodded. "Did it bother you?"
"Did what?"
"You know...what we witnessed...with the Jaras."
Xerus' eyes flickered over her. He lifted his hand to brush a knuckle across her jaw. "No, kissala, it did not. It was what they wished. We did what we could for them, and I am content to know our mission was completed to the best of our ability. Even if it was not how we would have imagined it to end." His hand rested between her neck and shoulder, and he caught her eyes once more. "Now, I am only content to be home with you, Risa."
