Chapter 458 Share the Pain  

~ SASHA ~

Horton explained to Zev that as word spread that the humans were hunting to kill and some of the creatures became aggressive.

They attack out of fear.

He accompanied the statement with images of creatures in full charge—running towards their enemies, snorting their challenge—and falling to the dirt in crumpled heaps, as soon as they reached twenty or thirty feet from the humans.

And always, in the end, the humans made certain that the creatures were dead, then just left them there.

The forests of Thana were littered with bodies. All strange. All unique. All guilty of nothing more than wanting to protect themselves and their friends.

Sasha cried. It was so tragic and unnecessary. Then her anger rose to choke her and Zev murmured to her to stay calm. That he was struggling to control his own rage and he needed to stay in his right mind.

Sasha nodded and did her best to breathe and calm herself, but it was hard. So hard

Then she heard, in her head, Zev offer his feelings. She didn't know a better way to say it. Like sharing scents, the Chimera gave themselves in empathy to others. They didn't make a big show of it, but she felt Zev just… be in the emotion with the Creature.

"Thank you, Zev-dan," Horton snuffled. "But can you make the humans leave? Can you not convince them to go and leave the rest of us?"

Zev sighed so heavily that Sasha felt it all the way back at the pool. In her mind, she reached for him, imagined rubbing his back and holding him as he tried to answer this male honestly, without breaking his spirit.

*****

~ ZEV ~

He felt like he staggered under the weight of an enormous boulder of guilt. This male stared at him, pleading with his eyes.

But Zev didn't have hope to offer. Not real hope.

"I'm afraid it's too late, Horton. All we can hope for at this point is to avoid them. Tell them. Tell all of them to move as far from the humans as they can, as many miles away as is possible. And circle them if you see them coming. Avoid. Don't attack. They will leave eventually when they're convinced the Chimera aren't hiding here from them."

"But they are sight-blind! How do we convince them of this until they've killed us all in the search?!"

Zev dropped his face into his hands. How. That was the question. "I don't know," he said honestly. "But I know that attacking them will only make them bring more people through—more weapons. Avoid them, Horton. Tell everyone to avoid them."

"What have you brought on us, Zev-dan? What have you made them believe? They have always avoided us in the past!"

Zev shook his head. "They aren't looking for you, Horton. They're scared of you. They're killing because they're afraid you'll kill them."

"We will!"

Zev took a deep breath and met the male's eyes. "It won't work. There's too many of them," he said quietly. "Please… warn everyone to stay away."

"But, Zev, you have to understand, most of them can't move. They've found their homes. They've found the only place in the world that's theirs. They guard it instinctively."

"I know, I know…" Zev raked his hand through his hair, awash with guilt. "I'm sorry, Horton. I can't sacrifice my mate to them to get them to leave—I don't think it would even work anyway. By now they're realizing that the Chimera really are gone and they're… they're taking revenge, I think."

Horton shook his head, his face tight with anger and dismay. "We pay the price for the Chimeran defection," he hissed.

"I'm sorry." Zev couldn't argue. He was right. He prayed the male wouldn't become aggressive. But instead, Horton just glared at him, then turned on his heel and began to walk away. "I will tell them your words, Zev. But I don't think they'll listen. They will not appreciate them."

"Horton—"

"Goodbye, Zev. I pray you and your mate remain safe."

Zev slumped as the male melted into the trees and was gone, his scent fading quickly. When he was sure Horton wasn't going to circle around and try to harm Sasha, he turned around and went back to her directly, finding her still in the water, but crouched low, near the edge of the pool.

"That was awful," she whispered, beckoning him closer.

But Zev couldn't take any more comfort in her that night. He'd already given himself far too much slack. When that twig had cracked—Horton's attempt to warn him so that Sasha wouldn't become embarrassed, apparently even the Creatures had heard about her feelings about being seen naked—his heart had almost climbed out of the top of his skull. He'd been convinced they'd somehow been followed by the humans and were about to fight for their lives.

He'd been relieved to see Horton, but now…

Now he just felt sick.

And there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. He wouldn't leave his son in that lab. He wouldn't leave his mate vulnerable—he couldn't! That meant he chose his own family over the Creatures and… that sickened him. The kind of mercenary decision that the humans made all the time.

But what choice did he have?

None. That was the pure truth.

Beckoning Sasha out of the water, he held up a fur, turning it hide-side-out to wrap her in to dry, then when most of the water had been absorbed from her pink skin, turning it around to the fur side to wrap her.

Only her feet were left exposed.

Which was why he'd left their fur boots out of the water and not washed them. They would need to find some way to clean them soon. But it was no use keeping her clean if she lost toes in the process.

She stared up at him as he knelt to hold her boots out for her so she wouldn't have to bend over and leave the fur gaping. He knew she got cold easily.

She braced on his shoulder to balance, sliding her feet into the boots as he held them. Then she pulled him into her fur and they stood, holding each other, for a very long time.