“I couldn’t let that young man or woman get hurt.”
“It was foolish.”
He saw her bristle. Yes, Poppy Ellison could be prickly when it suited her.
“Foolish, but brave.”
“I hate seeing any young people threatened. They have so much potential, their entire lives ahead of them.” Sorrow was buried deep in her voice.
“You lost someone?”
She bit her lip. “My younger sister. When I was ten, and she was eight. There was an accident, and I watched her die.”
The depth of pain in Poppy’s blue eyes staggered him.
“There was nothing I could do, and I had to watch her die.”
“Poppy.” He curled his hands around her biceps, then tugged her to his chest.
She was stiff for a second before she leaned into him.
He didn’t care that they were in the middle of the busy market, people walking around them. His pack was used to seeing him comforting upset people. They often needed his strength, drew on it.
“Why do I feel so comfortable with you?” she murmured.
He lifted her chin, looking into that pretty face. She had a smattering of pale freckles across her nose. Her eyes were a clear blue, paler than his own, that made him think of the fresh waters of a mountain stream.
He knew exactly what she was talking about. He felt drawn to her as well.
But he couldn’t let it go any farther. His hands flexed on her, then he stepped back. “Because I’m your protector, until you find your feet.”
She swallowed and nodded.
Brodin had to remember his vow. The one he’d made at his mother’s grave. That he would dedicate himself to his people.
Turning, he led Poppy deeper into the market.
He stopped at a store that was selling meat on skewers. Several were frying on the grill. “Hello, Derric.”
“Emperor.” The rotund man smiled. “It’s always an honor.”
“I’ll take three menna skewers, please.” He touched his wristband to the payment device. It blinked.
The vendor handed over three skewers of succulent meat and he handed one to Poppy.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Menna. An animal here on Damar. It has very tasty meat. We monitor the herds, and when necessary, hunt them.”
She shrugged, then bit into it.
Then she moaned and tore into the skewer like she was starving.
And Brodin went hard.
Swallowing a growl, he tried his own skewer. He’d had control over his sexual urges since he’d passed through his wild teenage years. He indulged his wilder instincts—when he chose.
He finished his skewer and saw Poppy eyeing his second one with undisguised hunger.
That didn’t help him get his unruly cock under control.
“Would you like this?”
She nodded.
He handed it over.
“Would you like more?” he asked.
“Yes, please,” she said primly.
As she finished devouring the second skewer, Brodin bought five more.
“These are so good.” She licked her fingers. “I didn’t realize how starved I was.”
“You’ve only had intravenous nutrients for a week, so that’s understandable.” Brodin made a mental note to tell Cassanra. After transformation, Damari were usually hungry for meat. They’d thought Poppy wouldn’t be, but they were wrong.
They wandered on through the market.
She eyed the stalls, nodded at storekeepers, studied the goods on offer. She asked question after question.
She stopped by a stall filled with small mechanica.
“What are these?” she asked.
The small collectibles were common across Damar. Ever since the Damari had started mining and smelting metal, their artisans had been making the small devices. They were all different shapes and sizes. Many were animals—wolves, birds, menna, cats.
The young man manning the stall stepped forward. “Allow me.” He lifted one mechanica, a long, female dancer. He wound the side, and the dancer spun. The mechanica dipped and twirled.
“Oh, it’s so pretty,” she said.
“They are very popular on Damar,” Brodin told her. “Our children learn to craft them in art classes, and some adults go on to become artisans. Many mechanica tell the story of the Damari.”
“Like this one.” The young man pointed to a larger mechanica made of polished bronze metal. It was a sleek wolf.
“That’s a damar-wolf,” Brodin told her. “They run wild in the forests across the planet.”
“They aren’t shapeshifters?”
He shook his head. “It’s said man and damar-wolf combined to create the Damari.” He saw all the questions in her eyes.
“Emperor, you might like this one.” The man pointed to another mechanica with a smile.
It was Brodin, standing tall with a frown on his face, swinging his battle axe.
“It’s a good likeness,” Poppy said, eyes dancing. “That scowl is perfect.”
He let out a mock growl.
“For the lady.” The stall owner handed the mechanica to Poppy. “A gift.”
She hesitated for a second, then accepted. “Thank you.” She smiled at him, slipping the mechanica into her pocket.
“Come on,” Brodin said.
They passed more mechanica stalls, but the market was packed with stalls selling everything from household goods to weapons.
Some young kids ran through the crowd, laughing. One was clearly the hunter, and the others were trying to escape him. One tiny boy slammed into Poppy.
“Sorry!” There was a contrite look on his face, but a cheeky gleam in his eyes.
“That’s fine,” Poppy said.
“You need to slow down, Crew.”
The boy finally spotted Brodin and froze. He bowed his head. “Sorry, Emperor.”
“There are older people and small children in the crowd. You don’t want to mow them down.”
“Yes, Emperor.”
He saw the boy catch Poppy’s eye. She winked at him, and Crew smiled at her.
“You…smell wrong,” Crew said.
Poppy’s eyes went wide. “Bad?”
“No, like Damari, but different.”
“Poppy’s not from Damar,” Brodin told the boy.
“I hope you stay. You’re pretty.” With a flirtatious grin, he stepped back.
More kids ran by, a couple in wolf form, with long tails waving behind them and different colors glowing in their fur—green, blue, gold, and purple. Crew ran off with them.
“Are you often in wolf form like that?” she asked.
“Usually when we are in the forest, but the young ones are still learning to control their wolf.”
She frowned. “You infect your children with the virus?”
“No. Most Damari are born to Damari parents. Infections aren’t very common.” He paused, not wanting to alarm her or bring back bad memories. “It takes a sustained exchange of blood, so accidental infections are rare.”
“Right.” She wrapped her arms around herself.
“Let’s try this next stall.” He wanted her smile back.
Giggles, followed by the oohs and ahhs of children drifted their way. Poppy slowed, and he followed her gaze.
A group of Damari children sat, watching a shadow show. A man and a woman had a light projector on and were using simple puppets to create shadows on the wall of a building. The kids watched, enraptured, as the story unfolded.