Page 4

You can do what?

I stood next to Seth, unable to take my eyes off him. His hands trembled in the pockets of his hoodie, but he was pressed against Kal, and the drakcol had his tail wrapped around Seth’s ankle. While Seth shivered with nerves, his deep voice was steady.

“The drakcol have offered to take each of you home, should you want to go. The choice is yours. We first have to go to their planet, Tamkolvanloknol.” At the wide-eyed expressions, Seth laughed, and I closed my eyes to savor the throaty noise.

“I know. Believe me I know. This,” he said, gesturing, “isn’t a longhaul ship.

Unlike the xoi who abducted you, it’ll take the drakcol six months to reach Earth. They need a different ship.”

“And if we want to stay?” Brad asked, gripping his tattooed biceps.

“You can,” Seth replied. “Anyone who wishes to remain is welcome to. Emperor Kontolmakqilnen will extend citizenship to anybody that decides to stay. It’ll be your decision completely, but if you want to go home, you’re going to have to be patient.

It’ll take time to arrange transportation, but I promise you will be able to get home. ”

Several people sagged in relief.

Before people could ask questions, Seth continued, “You do need to be aware of the fact that if you choose to go home, your memory will be erased.”

“What?” I asked, heart pounding. I could forget all of it. Everything that had happened could be taken away. The blood, the burning bodies, the dead, the abuse, the… I couldn’t even finish that thought.

Time could be unwritten.

Seth said, “The Coalition of Planets doesn’t allow undeveloped species to retain their memories if they go home. Either you become citizens or you’re categorized as samples taken for science and your memories of being off Earth will be wiped.”

That ignited rounds of questions that Seth did his best to answer. For me, the words went in one ear and out the other. All I focused on was the fact the memories haunting me would be taken. Freedom. I would be free.

Seth lifted his hands and ordered people to let him finish.

I’d have to leave him. I wouldn’t remember seeing Seth again.

That gave me pause. Yes, I had a family on Earth—my parents and my siblings, namely—but I’d been gone for years.

They would think I was dead at this point, and if I was honest, we’d never been that close.

But Seth… I’d regretted leaving Seth the first time, what about this time?

Teddy grabbed my arm, and I shuffled away, stomach lurching from the contact. He frowned at me, but I ignored the look and hugged myself.

The captain, Dontilvynsan, came closer while Teddy’s husband, Serlotminden, snagged Teddy’s hand. Teddy gave him a small smile.

My focus returned to Seth. Could I leave him, to be free of the memories of the past? My breath stuttered at the memory of someone screaming at me. The snap of my finger. The drip of sweat as a man panted above me. Bile burned my throat as I struggled to breathe.

“Vince?” Seth asked.

I couldn’t answer; the past was strangling me. Dontilvynsan appeared in my line of sight. He took a deep breath as his eyes met mine. I struggled to copy, so he repeated it. I managed to suck in one breath, then another and smile at Seth. My Seth.

“I’m good. I don’t suppose there is food somewhere on this rust bucket? I’m starving.”

“My ship does not have rust,” Dontilvynsan said in a bland voice.

“He’s joking, Don,” Seth said. He draped an arm over my shoulders, and I stiffened. My first instinct was to yank away, but I forced myself to remain calm, though my pulse pounded and sweat gathered on my temples.

This was Seth. He would never hurt me. Ever.

I slung an arm around his waist, pulling him close. I buried my face against his shoulder, breathing him in. He smelled the same. Citrus. I’d always associated him with that fragrance. “I missed you.”

He kissed my head. “I missed you too.”

We settled in a mess hall. A couple of other humans, Brad and Camden, had decided to eat with us, while the rest had retreated to their rooms. Don had tried to place us in separate rooms, but everyone, besides me, decided to double or triple up.

They didn’t want to be separated, which I didn’t blame them for.

Personally, I was looking forward to some space.

Besides, when the nightmares came, I wouldn’t wake anyone.

Seth and, to my dismay, Kal sat down across from me.

I glared at Kal, and he returned my cold look.

His tail coiled around Seth’s wrist in a possessive gesture that I refused to get used to.

I wanted to rip the prehensile appendage away.

Seth wasn’t a possession, and I wouldn’t let him remain with another abuser.

Never again. I wouldn’t watch my best friend lie about bruises or excuse his boyfriend’s temper.

I should’ve fought harder to get him away from Travis, and I wouldn’t abandon him a second time. Fate, the universe, or whatever had given me a second chance and I wasn’t going to squander it.

Oblivious to my silent stand off with Kal, Seth asked, “How did you get here?”

“I could ask you the same thing, but I’ve heard of the drakcol prince who abducted and mated a human. You. I guess.”

He grinned, blush staining his round cheeks. “Yeah. Kal came and got me.”

“Stole you.”

Kal crossed his arms.

Seth laughed. “Yeah, he abducted me and my cat.”

“You got a pet? You always wanted one, but…” I trailed off, stopping before I actually said Travis’s name.

But it was enough. Seth turned a pale green.

Kal pulled Seth close, hand buried in his hair, and whispered in a low voice, “I’m right here, Husband. You are safe.” He glared at me, but he continued to snuggle Seth.

Longing shot through me. I should be the one to comfort him. I shouldn’t have upset Seth in the first place. My stupid mouth had gotten me in trouble again. Shocker.

After a minute, Seth drew away and gave me a shaky smile, though he stayed pressed against Kal’s side, holding his hand in a tight grip. “Anyway, Kal and I got married, basically.” He gave Kal a sappy look. “We fell in love.”

I grunted. Sure. Fall in love with the dude that kidnapped you. That was healthy.

“And you?” he asked.

“Got taken in my sleep. Woke up on a ship. Was sold to a fighting ring for a couple years with Teddy.” At the thought of Teddy, I shot a glance around the crowded cafeteria.

He was nowhere to be seen. A stab of… longing, hurt, I wasn’t even sure went through me.

We’d been inseparable, and he’d left me without a word.

Perhaps that husband of his had made Teddy leave?

I would have to make sure Teddy was safe too.

“Did you…?”

“I didn’t have to fight,” I replied. “We cleaned up after the fights and burned the bodies. Not pleasant, but we survived.” That was putting it mildly.

I shook off a blood-curdling scream and the thud of desperate hands against metal.

The “dead” fighters weren’t always dead when Teddy and I had to dispose of them.

I would never forget it, not for as long as I live.

Seth grabbed my hand, and I entwined our fingers, all the while fighting the urge to yank away and hug myself. The feel of our palms touching… I forced the sensation to the back of my mind, lest I remember other times skin rubbed against mine.

Seth said, “We’re together now.”

“We are.”

I forced a smile to my lips, staring into his deep brown eyes. I’d spent years looking into these eyes, then spent years missing these eyes, and now I never wanted to look away. After everything we’d been through, here we were again. I was never going to release him.

Kalvoxrencol was two soulbeats away from launching across the table or dragging Seth away. He couldn’t decide on which choice was better. Both would make Seth mad. I hated interfering with such things, but Kalvoxrencol was more fragile than most.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t rely on my next younger brother. Serlotminden and Bartholomew had made only a token appearance in the canteen before disappearing with fucking on their minds.

Thank the Crystal, Zoltilvoxfyn recognized our younger brother’s plight. He and his mate Caleb walked toward them. Caleb was trying to socialize with the other humans, but he was struggling. He didn’t look human anymore, because he wasn’t.

He’d been a wayward human spirit who had died many cycles ago. Zoltilvoxfyn, because of his inner fire, could see him. They fell in love, and the Crystal ended up forcing Caleb’s soul into an empty drakcol body.

Caleb sat next to Vince and smiled and leaned his cane against the table. “I’m Caleb. Nice to meet you,” he said in garbled human speech.

He struggled to speak his native language, and the ship’s NAID—Network of Artificial Intelligence for Drakcol—couldn’t translate him when he did.

Edith, a sentient NAID, did better, but she was linked to Kalvoxrencol’s system back on Tamkolvanloknol.

Caleb’s Drakconese was near fluent, but he liked to speak in human speech.

It made him feel human while the mirror told him he was not.

Caleb held out a hand, and Vince recoiled as fear and disgust washed through his mind. He didn’t want to touch anyone—this seemed to be the same response he had when someone attempted to touch him. Only Seth and Teddy were acceptable, and even their physical affection wasn't highly desired.

Zoltilvoxfyn held his mate close when Caleb’s expression fell.

Seth explained, “Caleb’s human. It’s really complicated.”

Shock followed by disbelief rolled through Vince.

“It’s not so complicated,” Caleb said as he launched into the story.

Vince listened, but his thoughts returned to Seth.

The emotions and thoughts bouncing around the canteen were a lot, but between my uncanny ability to sense Vince perfectly and my brothers’ and their mates’ sweeping emotions, it was enough for me to want to crawl into bed and seek sleep to simply have a break.