“Wait.” I grab her by the waist before she can charge forward. “Wait and make sure he stays asleep before we get close. It might be a trap.”

“It’s not a trap.” But she waits at my side and we watch the creature for movements. When it remains unmoving in the snow, she looks over at me again.

I nod. “All right. Let’s check it out.”

Vivi skis over to the snow-cat’s side with gliding movements. I stumble after her, less skilled on the skis, and then give up and jerk them off my feet, racing to her.

She prods the creature with the end of her ski, testing him. There’s no reaction, and she looks over at me. “I think he’s out. Either out or dead.”

“Not dead. He’s breathing.”

Vivi nods, discarding her skis and kneeling next to it. “So thin. He’s starving. He probably can’t hunt because of that bad leg.” She runs a hand over his side, eyeing the animal. “I don’t see any other injuries. Let’s get him tied up so if he wakes up sooner than anticipated, he won’t attack us.”

I pull out the rope and get to work.

A short time later, the enormous snow-cat is tied up. I’ve wrapped rope loosely around the huge muzzle to slow him if he tries to bite. His two back legs are lashed together, and then the third is lashed to the back ones. The only leg that is free is the broken one, and Vivi runs her fingers over it, frowning. “It’s healed badly. The bones don’t move if I push on his leg. It’s an old break, I think. Remember how quick my pinky healed? It would have frozen in place all wrong if we hadn’t set it and splinted it. That must be what happened to him.”

“What do you want to do?” I await her order—if she wishes to kill him out of mercy, I will do it for her. She only needs to say the word.

Vivi considers for a moment, burying her fingers in the soft fur of the creature. Then she looks at her ski pole and nods to herself. “We’ll break one of the poles and use it to splint the leg.” Her gaze flicks to me. “And we’re going to have to re-break it so it can heal properly.”

“We?” I arch an eyebrow.

“My big strong mate is going to help me, yes. You’re a gladiator. You’ve broken bones before, right?” She gives me an encouraging smile.

I swallow hard. There is a difference between snapping a limb in the heat of battle and this. For some reason, the idea of re-breaking the limb is making me queasy, but Vivi is giving me such an expectant look that I cannot fail her. I wipe my sweaty palms on my fur cloak and inwardly brace myself. “Show me what you would like done.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

VIVI

It’s a long, awful afternoon.

In my head, I’d foolishly thought that we’d find the cat, pop the leg and send him off again, right as rain. The reality is a lot more intense. Re-breaking the bone is hard, tricky work, because we have to make sure we’re doing it just right, and that we’re doing it clean. We discuss how to approach it, and Skarr handles the worst part.

I know I’m going to hear the sound of that cracking bone in my dreams, though.

Once it’s done, I set the bone as best I can. It might not be perfect, but it feels as if it will heal straight if it remains in place. I snap my ski poles in the middle and wrap them around the wounded limb, snaking leather straps in and out to hold the poles in place against the leg. They form a crude cage around it, but I think with a few days of it being braced, it’ll be better than it was.

I hope. I’m not a veterinarian, and I’ve never set a bone before. Why did I think we could do this?

Because there’s no other choice, that’s why, I remind myself. It was this or a mercy killing. We still might have to come out here in another week or so to finish him off if it doesn’t take, but I’ll handle that when the time comes. For now, the leg is splinted and the cat remains asleep.

“Come,” Skarr says, putting a hand on my shoulder. “It’s getting late and there is no more we can do.”

“Oh, but…should we leave him? He’s vulnerable like this.” I bite my lip, hesitating. “Something could come across him and eat him.”

“And if that is the case, then there is nothing more to be done for it.”

Even so, I fret. “What if he pulls the bandages off? What if—”

“Vivi.” Skarr helps me to my feet. His expression is gentle as he looks me in the eye. “You have done all that you can. We will take the ropes off and check on him in the morning. If something happens between now and then, you have done what you can. Remember that this is a fierce predator who has been hungry for a long time. You do not want to be around when he awakens.”

He’s right. I know he’s right. I’ve just invested so much in giving this cat a second chance. Logic tells me to leave before it wakes up and decides we’re prey. “What now, then?”

“Now we retreat to our cave and wait.”

I hesitate. We’re a few hours away from the village, with a hunter cave probably about a half-hour from here. Skarr needs a warm place to sleep tonight, and I’m exhausted from this day, mentally and emotionally. Part of me doesn’t want to leave, but I remind myself that this wasn’t about fixing him. It was about giving him another chance.

That’s why we’re on this planet, right? This is our second chance after the universe decided we’re rejects. We’re not guaranteed anything, and I’m fine with that. I just want the opportunity to create my own happy ever after.

I want the cat to have the same. So I untie the ropes holding him down and let Skarr lead me away. “We’ll be back in the morning?”

“Absolutely.”

We skip the skis, since we have no poles, and make our way back to the hunter cave on foot. It’s late by the time we get there, the moons high in the skies and the dark bitter cold. My boots feel wet and slushy and by the time we get to the cave, I’m relieved to start a fire. Skarr doesn’t complain, but when we cuddle under the blankets, I can feel the chill setting into him. I kiss my mate and roll him onto his back, and this time I ride him until I come, taking turns on both of his cocks. Skarr comes moments after I do, and we hold tightly to one another under the furs, listening to our khuis sing.

I’m happy, I realize. It’s strange to think about, but I’m happy. I have a mate and a home. I have friends, and at some point, I’ll have a family. This might not be what I’d envisioned my life turning out to be, but those were someone else’s dreams, someone else’s life.

I make Vivi’s future, and I’m liking how it’s shaping up. I run my fingers over Skarr’s touchable green skin, and I’m struck by the lack of the tattoo on my finger once more. The quotation mark, to remind me to speak up.

Doesn’t feel like me anymore, that symbol, but I think I’d like something there. “I think I’m going to tattoo my finger in the morning,” I tell him. “I heard that if you rub ash into a mark, it’ll leave a permanent stain. I think I’ll try it out.”

Skarr’s hand lazily trails up and down my spine. “You can tattoo me, too.”

“I have to make sure it’s going to work, first,” I tell him, grinning. “But I can try it. What sort of tattoo do you want?”

He shrugs, his body rippling under me. “What are you going to have?”

I hold my index finger up to him, pointing at the side of it. “I’m going to put a tiny cat scratch here. Just to remind me that I’m in charge of my own fate.”

Skarr slides his hand down my backside, giving my butt a squeeze. “Perhaps you can put your name on me.”

That makes me pause. “You want my name on you?”

“Why not? You are the best thing that has happened to me. Is it wrong to want to wear your brand proudly?”

“We’ll talk about it,” I tell him, leaning in to kiss him again. Maybe just a small V somewhere on his body, because I don’t want the others noticing. I like our secrets. I like having things that are just ours.