Insurrection (Nevermore #1)(12)

The very thought made her even more ill. The last thing she wanted to do was meet more of them. In truth, she’d had more than enough already. Her goal had been to avoid them for the rest of her life, not embrace them as neighbors.

“Remember, Daria, you’re human, too.” Xed looked down his body. “As am I. . . and your maja. They’re as much a part of you as the Matens. And you’ve known us all of your life.”

Yeah, but she liked that part of herself.

The human part...

It was alien and terrifying.

Worse, it was hunted and outlawed.

Xared held his hand out for her. Just as he always had. Her heart fluttered at that action, and the fact that she’d always taken him and his loyalty for granted.

Trembling and unsure about any of this, she took it and braced herself for the coming nightmare that awaited her. At least she had one steady constant by her side.

Xared would always be her home base.

“Okay. But if something goes wrong with your diabolical plan, you’ll be the first one I feed to a Remnant.”

With a charming laugh, Xared offered her his arm before he did whatever it was that he did so that they teleported from the tiny room into another that was some sort of gathering hall where a large number of humans were lounging about in recreation.

Loud and boisterous, they were a terrifying sight, and she would have fled had Xed not placed his hand over hers to keep her at his side. Two humans to her right shoved at each other, while four more sat in a corner in front of a monitor and shouted at a small box for some reason she couldn’t even begin to comprehend. It might be for play or war. Or even some sort of mating ritual where they called out for partners. With humans, who knew? Their war, mating and play were basically indistinguishable from each other.

It really was like watching primates in a zoo. No wonder the original Maten ambassadors to the planet had been so unimpressed by their species. It was impossible to believe they’d accomplished as much as they had before Maten arrival, if this was how they’d behaved whenever they congregated.

Daria covered her ears as more noise erupted into shouting at what was either revelry or war, and someone turned up loud music to drown it out.

Xared tsked at her reaction. “It’s okay, Daria. They live unrestrained and there’s nothing wrong with that. You’ll get used to it.”

Doubtful. “Restraint is good!”

He smiled as he caught some object a human threw at them, and returned it with a toss at the woman who’d tried to hit her. “Sometimes. But cutting loose also has its merits.”

She frowned. “Cutting loose?”

“Having fun.”

Fun and pain must be synonymous in the human culture. Which explained a lot, now that she thought about it.

“Who’s the Drab, Xed?”

Xared growled at the handsome teen male who eyed her with disdain. The human wore his long straight back hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, and was dressed black on black in clothes that were crumpled and peculiar in style. Had he been attacked by another of his species?

The sleeves of his shirt and jacket seemed to have been ripped off by someone or something, though why he’d choose to continue to wear them after his attack, and not seek replacements, she couldn’t imagine. Was that some sort of badge of honor among their culture?

“Careful, Coyote. Your inner asshole’s showing. Better rope it in, buddy, before it takes over your entire personality.” Xed tsked. “Oh wait, I’m too late. It already has.”

Coyote snorted. “Why should I, when I’m the only other person I ever get along with or like? Besides, not like I called her a puta.”

Daria had no idea what that was, but as the human walked off and Xared drew back as if to strike him, she had a feeling it must be some sort of insult. Especially when another girl caught Xed’s hand and tsked.

“Diego’s not worth it, zaychik. Don’t let him skin you.”

Xared’s features softened in a way Daria had never seen them do before. And she wondered why as she stared at the strangest looking girl she’d ever seen. Her skin was so pale that it practically glowed. And like her skin, her hair was snow-white. As if neither had any pigment whatsoever. More than that, her eyes were the same pale color, only they weren’t exactly white. Rather the iris and pupil were crisscrossed with tiny, faint black lines that formed a geometric pattern. A pattern that was almost hypnotic to look into.

Daria blinked so as not to be captured by those eyes or to stare at her peculiar coloring. Coloring that only made her already beautiful features even more exotic.

Alluring and distinctive.

“Zaychik?” Daria asked Xed for an explanation of the word.

“Little rabbit.” Xared actually blushed. Clearing his throat, he turned toward the girl. “And I think you mean under my skin, kroshka.”

She smiled warmly. “Da. Of course.”

Xared took the girl’s hand and led it toward Daria’s. “Daria, this is my girlfriend, Zoya.”

Girlfriend? That term hit her a lot harder than she’d have imagined. And it left her stomach twisted with an unexpected cruel jealousy she didn’t want to think about.

Zoya let out a soft heart-felt sigh. “This is the Daria?”

“The same.”

Zoya grabbed her into a tight hug. “Is so great to finally meet you, mishka! Xared has talked so much about you that I feel as if we are family already.”