Change of Darkness (The Change Series Book 3) by Jacinta Jade (best new books to read txt) 📕

her, Zale paused. Then he whispered, so softly that even Siray could only just hear him. ‘Sorry—I didn’t mean to disturb you. But … I had to see.’

Siray settled her head back down onto her paws. So Zale knew the scent of a sevonix. Interesting.

She watched as his hand slowly reached out and down, searching, and she braced herself.

When his fingertips finally met her coat, she had to fight hard to stop a shiver from going through her.

At first, Zale’s touch was light, barely there, as if he were making sure her form was real. Then he put the full weight of his hand on her back and stroked.

Siray heard the slight escape of his breath and scented the variation in his mood.

‘You’re beautiful.’

The whisper was so quiet that Siray wasn’t sure if she had imagined it or not, and she remained still as she watched Zale reluctantly withdraw his hand before quietly creeping back over to his original position.

A moment later, he was a fiorify again, but Siray could see the tiniest glint of golden eyes peering in her direction.

CHAPTER EIGHT

THE SOUNDS OF guards moving out in the yard awoke Siray before any of the others, her superior hearing giving her early warning. She quickly Changed back to her original form, berating herself for staying in her sevonix form for so long.

Honvil had wanted her and Deson to keep it a secret for a reason.

Yet as she stood up in her normal form, she rapidly noted the difference in her ease of movement. Her back had healed a lot more during the night.

As she took a step forwards, one of Baindan’s large eyelids slid open. He was still standing in the same position he had been in the night before, and Siray took her next step in his direction.

No one else was awake yet, and she stretched out her hand and placed her palm against his large, leathery cheek. Against his massive jaw, her hand seemed ridiculously small, and a gentle nudge from Baindan against her hand made her chuckle silently before she proceeded to reach up and rub the base of one of his ears.

Baindan’s eyelids sank partway closed in bliss.

Until a sleepy sigh sounded from the cripwof in the corner.

Baindan’s eyes flashed open, and Siray’s hand froze mid-stroke—then she wondered at what she was doing and, dropping her hand, stepped away from Baindan, berating herself. She shouldn’t be showing such favour to Baindan around the others, whether they were asleep or not. To do so was almost a declaration of a preference—one she wasn’t ready to make for a number of reasons.

She moved away from the six-legged rilander just in time.

Kovi, who was still lying on his side as a cripwof, was now showing all his sharp teeth as he let out a deep moan of a yawn, his four limbs sticking out and stretching, while Genlie gave a small shriek as her furry pillow suddenly moved and her head hit the cold stone floor.

Kovi, obviously realising his mistake, froze and then bent his lean body over to look apologetically at his mate. Or as apologetic as a cripwof could look.

Siray couldn’t help but laugh out loud as Genlie ignored Kovi’s look and swatted at his muscular shoulder with one long arm. It was more of a symbolic reprimand than anything, given how tough cripwof hides were.

Siray’s laugh also had the effect of awaking Zale’s feathered form, and seeing him move, she peered over at him, her glance meeting his large golden eyes. Raising his proud head off the floor, he stretched out his wings slightly, and a heartbeat later, he had Changed, standing up and stretching his arms up over his head.

She had to look away from him as she remembered the warmth of his hand, the feel of his skin on hers, from the night before, and she felt her cheeks heat slightly. It was as Genlie had said. She couldn’t make her feelings go away. Couldn’t halt the yearning for physical contact. But she could still attempt to ignore it.

So Siray stepped away from Zale, an almost identical movement to when she had stepped away from Baindan, and navigated around the rilander and Genlie’s form to reach the door and push against it—still locked. She twisted away from the door and glanced back at the room, looking at the dim grey light filtering in through the tiny window at the top of the wall. It couldn’t be long until the door would be unlocked.

She noticed Genlie moving gingerly. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Like a brand was burned into my back,’ came Genlie’s grim response as she rotated her shoulders a little, wincing. ‘But I guess it feels better than yesterday. Just wish I could take some time out of this form, like you guys.’

Siray made a sympathetic face. ‘Another day, though, and you should be able to Change, right?’

Genlie nodded. ‘Three-day rule.’

Three days until Genlie’s smaller animal form could manage the rest of the healing. After the allotted window, she would indeed heal faster in her animal form, given its resilience, but to do so earlier would risk the pain overwhelming the smaller form. Just like the captive who had made that mistake in the arena yesterday.

The sound of a drum and the clunk of their cell door unlocking halted any further conversation, and as Kovi pulled open the door, the guards began shouting from the yard below for the captives to fall into line.

‘Day two in paradise,’ muttered Baindan.

His words made Siray feel a senseless urge to giggle, but she clamped down on the impulse, telling herself to get on with it—there was nothing about their situation that should be treated lightly.

Following Kovi and Genlie from the cell, she joined the file of captives winding their way down the stairs and heading across to the yard to arrange themselves appropriately on the stonework. The rows of units had barely formed when a beaming Captain Raque strolled over to stand before them. This can’t