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taken aback. “God?” he scoffs.You believe in that shit?” He narrows his eyes to slits as hestudies me. I can tell he’s searching for something in myexpression and I have no idea what that is.

I hesitate even though I do have a conciseanswer to his unexpected question. “I have no beliefs,” I finallysay.

His stare grows more intense. I’ve seen thatlook on all of my sisters’ faces when they were introduced to Enuand their plight for the first time. He cannot comprehend what Ihave said.

“Should I explain?” I ask him because withall we’ve experienced, he’s earned such an honor.

He shrugs nonchalantly. “Go for it.”

“Go for it?” I ask frowning, confused by hiswords of choice. “Does that mean yes?”

He grins at me and it’s one of my favorites,the one where he doesn’t show any teeth. “Yes, that means yes,” hesays politely.

I can’t help noticing the tiny black fleckunder the outside corner of his left eye, and how his right eye isnarrower than the left. There’s a deep line that begins at thepoint of his chin and ends at his earlobe and tiny specks of blackhair dot his jaw and the skin above his top lip.

“Yes,” I begin distractedly, but quicklyrefocus on our conversation. “You can’t ascribe belief to what isreal. What is true is simply truth, not belief.”

He studies me without speaking a word. Istart to squirm because even though he’s simply focusing on my facethis time, there’s still a burning desire in his eyes.

“I like you, Ad’ru. A lot,” he suddenlyconfesses.

“You do?” I say in a strange, high-pitchedvoice. He’s still making me nervous.

“Yeah,” he breathes.

He’s in front of me but reaching behind me.I breathe deeply through my nostrils because his strong hands arekneading the rounds of my buttocks and pushing me into his firmorgan.

“I want to kiss you,” he says with his mouthclose to mine.

I gulp. “You do?”

“But I don’t want to be rushed.” He kissesme on one side of my cheek and then steps back.

I’m baffled until Na’ta appears standing inthe place where he once stood, just not as close.

“Here,” she says draping a green pair ofpants and a black cotton short-sleeved shirt over my shoulder. Shedrops a pair of black boots on the ground in front of me. “Putthese on. And there are socks in there,” she says, referring to theboots.

I notice she’s wearing the exact sameoutfit.

She snaps her fingers. “Hop to it, Adore, wedon’t have much time to waste.”

“You want me to hop?” I ask, confused by herhuman vernacular.

“I meant hurry up and get dressed,” sheamends with patience and no mockery in her tone.

I take a glance at Chex and then Na’ta fullyclothed and I’ve never felt more exposed. This is why I pick up theboots and scurry off behind a tree to get dressed.

“By the way, I’m Navi,” I finally hear Na’tasay to Chex as I take care to slip the pants on over the lower partof my body. “And you’re Chex.”

He snorts. “You say that like you’ve beenenlightened?”

“I have. I know the legend. But not theface.”

“And what do you know of my legend?”

“That you’re a killer,” she says, and shesounds quite impressed.

He laughs loudly and in my mind I see himtilting his head back to bellow out that sound.

“Do I owe you apologies?” Chex asks as Islip on the second black boot. I feel my face drop indisappointment when I realize that I have to lace them up. I’veseen Na’ta tie her boots many times before but I’ve never had to doit for myself.

However, before Na’ta can respond, Chex iskneeling down before me, lacing up the string of one boot and thenthe other. I’m so enchanted by him that I reach down to run myfingers through his wavy black hair. But then I quickly withdraw myhand because I get a flash of truth.

“There,” he says as he stands. “And, um, youdidn’t have to take your hand away.” He holds out his arms andgrins at me to say, “I’m yours for the taking.”

I smile at him. He has no idea what alarmedme about him. When I touched the fibers of his head, I saw that thetrue color of his hair is not black but that of straw, like that ofBaron Ze Feldis. His eye color is not truly black either. Why woulda Selell go through so much trouble to conceal his trueidentity?

“Shit, I forgot,” Na’ta curses as sheappears behind the tree. “Sorry about that Adore. I keep forgettingyou’re no earthling.”

“See,” Chex says as he affectionately tapsmy chin. “You’re new.” He winks at me and I let the matter of hishair and eyes drop.

I have often wondered how my sisters couldtrust so much in creatures who were conceived out of the ambitionsof The Evil. I have always believed they are eternally tortured bytheir thirst and will manipulate and scheme to quench it. Iconsidered this narrative fact. But now that I have closelyexperienced Selells of my own, my beliefs are starting to dissipatebecause Chex has not once threatened to harm me in any manner.Since we first fell in each other’s company, he’s only sought toprotect me.

As we stare into each other’s eyes, I caneasily declare that he’s my tek ce’bek, my friend. But notin the way that Tryst is my friend. No—because I relish the momentswhen Chex puts his hands on me. Like when he holds me close to himor asks permission to explore my da’na’ra, my body. I wantto know everything about him. I want to have known him all of hislife! Although I’ve been alive longer than he’s been a human orSelell, I’m sure of it.

“Okay, enough of this,” Na’ta hisses as sheobserves the staring between Chex and me. There’s a warning in theway she’s looking at me. “Tetra’s calling.”

“About that,” Chex says, after breaking eyecontact with me. He rests his eyes on her and just for a moment Ifeel abandoned by him. What a strange emotion this is that I’mfeeling.

However, I notice how those two words haveinstantly brought him Na’ta’s full attention. I think it’s the wayhe said it. She knows he objects to her plan.

“If