She crosses her arms over her chest, her expression vulnerable.

“I do not know how to please a female, to please you. That much is obvious. So I have fallen back on my training. I have approached you—us—as if you were a tournament battle. I thought if, perhaps, I was not around, you would forget why you hated me until I returned—”

“I don’t hate you. Why does everyone think I hate you?”

I grin, hiding behind cocky words. “Because you do not swoon in my arms?”

Vivi rolls her eyes and gives me an annoyed look. “Remember what I said about everyone being in our business? This is why I hate it.”

I don’t point out that she ran away from me. It seems not wise to point that out in this moment. “Well, I am here now, and I have returned with something I wish to show you.” I reach out and take her hand in mine. “May I please show you?”

“You don’t have to bribe me. Just talk to me.” Her expression is soft now as she leans in toward me. “You and I probably have a lot of talking we need to do.”

“Talk. Yes. Talk is good.” I tug on her hand. “But may I show you first?”

“Show me what?”

I grin, delighted. I know she will love this. It will make her realize what a good mate I will be for her. I cannot wait to show her the new hut. “Come. I will lead you.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

VIVI

Skarr leads me down the beach, holding tightly to my hand as if he fears to let go. As if he’s afraid I’ll run away if he releases me.

While I think it’d be more productive for us to have a good, honest conversation, I let him tug me along. It’s clear whatever he wants to show me has a lot of meaning for him, so I can do this. After days of avoiding each other out of sheer misunderstanding, I’m just relieved we’re clearing the air, bit by bit.

I’ve been indignant and hurt that he hasn’t come after me and I’m the one at fault. He assumed I needed time alone. If he’d have asked anyone…they would have also told him to leave me alone. That I’d need time. It’s me that’s not communicating my needs. For all that he looks and acts very human sometimes, I forget that he doesn’t think like us.

When the crowd is turning against you, you lay low.

His words hurt my heart. I keep realizing that Skarr is just as alone as I am, and he’s handling it so much better than I am. He’s been nothing but enthusiastic about meeting me and being tied to me, and I’ve been a jerk. I’ve been wallowing in my own misery and I’ve made him feel worthless.

It’s not a good feeling.

So I squeeze his hand tightly and he flashes me another excited smile, one that makes me ache. He can’t wait to show me whatever this is, and I vow to myself that even if it’s a boatload of dead fish—because who knows on this planet—I will exclaim and be excited and thrilled.

Because this means a lot to him. He’s been a good friend to me, and I haven’t been the same.

“Have you seen this tide pool?” he asks, pointing at it as he leads me forward. “There was a large scorpion-crab caught in here earlier.”

“Is this what you brought me to see?”

He grins, his expression sly. “No, but I figured if we are pretending to enjoy the sights, it does not look obvious that we do not cut through camp. It will draw no attention.”

My heart aches all over again, because of his thoughtfulness. “I would like that.”

“Then let us admire this creature for a moment before moving on.” He gives my hand a reassuring shake, and we pretend to admire the tide pool and its contents, and all the while I kick myself mentally because Skarr is a braggart and loves attention, yes, but when has he not had my back?

He’s always let me set the pace. He hasn’t pressured me for anything.

We take a leisurely walk along the beach, pointing out the distant glacier. No one from camp approaches us, though I can see a few are watching. It will be all around the fire tomorrow that we were walking together and holding hands, but for now, I can just enjoy the moment. Skarr sizes up the large shapes moving on the glacier. “Someday I think I would like to go and hunt them,” he tells me. “Gren says they are dangerous creatures, but I think it sounds like a challenge.”

“Just don’t enjoy a challenge so much that you end up leaving me here alone,” I reply tartly, a little horrified at the thought of Skarr hunting something because it sounds dangerous.

Then I realize what I’ve said and my face goes crimson even as he grins wider at me.

“We are almost there,” he tells me excitedly, moving faster as we head further down the beach. “Come and see.”

I’m curious what exactly he means to show me, and so I follow along, my steps picking up as we jog past a meandering trail of little huts, with a shell-lined path linking them together. It’s charming enough for the prehistoric vibe this place has, but I’m not familiar yet with who lives where. I’m not sure who we’re visiting and why they are part of the surprise.

Then Skarr stops in front of the last hut and gives me an expectant look. “Well?”

“Who lives here?”

“You do,” he says proudly, and throws his shoulders back as if he’s about to beat his chest out of pure pride. “I made this for you.”

“You…made me a house?” I’m stunned. This is what he was working on all the time he was avoiding me? I knew he was flying off with Ashtar and Jason, I just didn’t realize it was for this. “How…why?”

“So you can have a place to call your own,” Skarr replies. “I know you like the quiet, and I cannot imagine it is very quiet in the tent with the other females.”

It isn’t. It’s crowded and noisy and someone is always snoring, but I’ve tried to make the best of it. Here Skarr was thinking of me again, and I had no idea. “You…you are so sweet.”

He makes a face. “I am a strong, tireless gladiator. I am not sweet.”

“You’re sweet to me.” I give his hand a squeeze. “And I like it.”

“Then I will accept it as a compliment,” he says, but his voice is grudging. “Tell me that you like it? That I built you the best hut on the beach? On the planet?”

“I’m sure you did,” I murmur, amused. I study the hut, my hand over my humming heart that might be racing for reasons not entirely related to the khui. He built me a hut. Of all the things he could have done for me, this might be the most perfect, the most thoughtful. I gaze at the stone walls, admiring the large slabs of rock that make up the base platform. It’s raised off the sand, but not as much as the wooden huts. It looks more solid, though, and with a stone floor I won’t have to worry about a spark catching fire on my surroundings. “This is incredible,” I tell him, and then I realize there’s no entrance. “But where is the door?”

“In the back,” he says, releasing my hand to hop up on the slab of rock. He holds a hand down to me to help me up, even though it’s not a huge step. “There was not a way to make a wooden door, as Jason says you have back home, so I have put a privacy flap like the others have. But I knew it would feel exposed, so I made sure the door was built to the back. Now no one will be able to look in.”

Oh. It’s just another way he’s showing his thoughtfulness. I’m touched, and my eyes get suspiciously wet. “It’s a really good idea,” I admit. “The privacy flaps don’t feel all that private to me just yet.”

“I wanted you to have the best,” he tells me, all excitement. “Come inside and see.”

The interior is just as wonderful as the outside. It’s the size of my bedroom back home, with a large, stone-lined firepit in the center. The slabs of rock that make up the base have been mortared together to make one large floor, and although the interior is empty, it muffles the sound of the nearby village. There’s a hint of light coming in from the smoke hole, and while the build is very similar to the other huts I’ve seen, this one is even better because it’s mine.