Citrine (Deliverance #3)

56. Eli

56

Eli

I'm not sure what came over me. Never in my life have I considered harming something, let alone killing it… well if you don't count Wroahk… and my stepfather.

Huh.

I might have to let go of some warped self-image issues, it seems. Sunny Eli was a useful mask in my previous life. Maybe it's time to see who I am now.

Am I a warrior or something? Because his hurricane call just swept me up into something.

Before I knew it, and without even being able to see around him to the hunters, I had my longer tentacles snatching up genali. Even after the sting of a gunshot raced from the new limb up into my skull, I just kept serving them up for him to kill.

Screaming out my own cry the whole time blood splattered all over us.

Now I'm trying to dredge up some guilt, but it just isn't there. Ree told me some of the things they did when she was on the ship. How Navy died. How there's probably hundreds, if not thousands of human women in slavery right now.

And that's just one species. Apparently, they have stolen drakonids for their body parts, and they've been taking manticorid females.

I thought I would just be the one making the community, keeping Rannek company and helping him build, and I will, but I want to do more. I want to make them pay for what they did to us.

I'm pondering this new reality, still getting jostled by Wroahk as he makes wet squelches out of the few genali he is holding, when I hear a very human whistle of appreciation and surprise.

From the lack of screaming, they're all dead, but clearly he's working through some of his own issues.

Kira starts talking in whale voice, clearly impressed. "I knew you would turn them into pulp. Give me five, Wroahk, my man!"

The jostling stops. "Five what?" comes Wroahk's confused voice.

"You hold up a tentacle… uh, lower, yeah, right there. Now I hit my hand against your tentacle."

I hear a light impact, then there is a long pause. "I do not understand this movement, Kira," Wroahk clicks to her.

"It just means that we did something really well, and now we are celebrating that it was a great plan and we are the absolute best at killing genali."

There is another pause, then I hear another light impact.

"Yes! Just like that."

There are tears of mirth in my eyes as Wroahk moves me from behind him so I can see the rest of our community… and all the gray blood and puddles.

Yikes.

I focus back on Kira, trying to ignore the rest before I start retching, carefully not thinking about the liquid dripping off my tentacles. For one of them, it's my own blood, though the wound already feels a lot better.

Ree is on top of Thivoll's back, looking just as grossed out as I am, but she also has a look of satisfaction on her face.

I'm pretty sure Thivoll is purring. I look around for Drasuk, but don't see him. He must be making sure no one sneaks up on us.

Wroahk still has a tentacle raised and poised next to Kira's hand. Like he doesn't want to let go of the feeling of celebration. When I glance up at his face, I can tell he's just had another epiphany.

Figures that it would take the most bloodthirsty of us humans to more easily help him understand the benefits of working as a group. If I was a less secure woman, the look of wonder as he stares at her might bother me.

Instead, it makes my heart feel full. I was concerned that, at best, all he would ever manage is a relationship with me. I mean, it's a weird relationship, but it still feels like one.

I was afraid that he might simply stop himself from killing everyone else and never progress past that, but I think I'm seeing the development of his very first friendship.

Not counting us, of course. If you can call grumping at each other and having amazing sex friendship.

What am I saying? Of course you can.

Even so, the idea that Kira is his first platonic friend ever is blowing my mind, and it hurts my heart to think about how many years he went without something so simple, so important, but it makes the look on his face all that much sweeter.

He twitches his tentacles, pulling the one held near Kira back slowly. "I enjoyed that, Kira. When can we do it again?"

She grins at him. "To be honest, my dude, probably not very often. We should split up our efforts so I'm more inland and you and Eli check the shorelines. Hunters are bound to come close to a body of water like this."

"And you should find out if the river that way," Ree points off into the trees behind us, "dumps into the lake. It would expand your hunting opportunities."

He looks excited, which kind pisses me off, considering how much time I have spent trying to get him to explore. Then I remind myself that he isn't human. To him, the hunt is the basic foundation of his reality.

I've been putting it in terms of exploring just to leave, but they offered him something that makes sense. I tuck that away as Ree looks us both over.

"Did your body expel the bullets, Wroahk? I see some of them covered in your blood on the ground," she says as she points to one of them.

"Yes, of course."

She raises an eyebrow. "Yes, ladies, we officially got the short end of the evolution stick, just like I've been thinking since I met Thiv. That just looks like a simple flesh wound, Eli. Just get it cleaned off and your nanites will take care of it."

Then they leave to grab more supplies before we all meet back at the island.