6
Seagulls squawked as they flew overhead. Tonya followed them with her eyes as the birds soared and landed near the edge of the water. She reluctantly pulled her hand free from Ashure’s grasp and brushed a loose strand of her hair back from her face.
“I’m going to bring you to someone who can help send you back home,” she blurted out.
“But—I’ve only arrived! Surely there is no rush,” he protested.
She looked down at the sand. “If you just disappeared, won’t someone back on your world be worried? I’m nobody here and there were people looking for me,” she pointed out.
Ashure shrugged. “My men are used to me disappearing and returning,” he responded.
“And they don’t worry about you? What if you are hurt or in danger or—or—I don’t know, sick or something?” she asked.
“I have been on my
