Page 41

What’s better than an awkward conversation?

After we cleaned up, we returned to bed. Vince remained right against me, running his fingers over me. He hadn’t redressed, and when I touched him, he leaned into me while his thoughts remained calm and pleased.

His fingers moved over my side, and I fought a growl.

I loved when he touched my scent glands.

Instinct demanded I cover my mate in my scent so everyone knew he was mine, but Vince didn’t know he was my mate.

He still thought this was temporary. I had no plans to disillusion him from that assumption.

As much as Vince claimed to be unkind, I knew the truth. He was genuinely nice and he cared. A lot. He cared about Camden and Pierce. He cared about Teddy. He loved Seth. And he truly cared deeply about me. If he knew his leaving would permanently injure me, which it would, he would stay.

I feared if he stayed here for me, he would regret it. Though hope at him remaining wouldn’t completely go away. I couldn’t help but wonder if Vince overcame some of his issues or came to terms with what had happened to him, then maybe he would stay by my side where he belonged.

Someone rang the chime, and Vince groaned. I kissed his head, my tail tightening around his calf. “Don’t worry. No one will bother us unless it’s an emergency, and if it was, NAID would’ve pinged me.”

A wave of possessive need washed through Vince and made me smile in contentment.

He wanted me with an almost feral intensity.

I loved it. I ran my hand over his back, marveling at the smooth chill of his skin.

I’d never experienced anything like this ever before.

Vince kissed my shoulder and snuggled closer.

The person kept ringing the door, and we ignored it.

It was probably one of my brothers, and I didn’t bother to check with either NAID or my inner fire—I didn’t want to deal with any of them.

Not right now. All that mattered was Vince.

We were running out of time, and I wanted to spend every moment I had with him.

NAID appeared on the screen in front of my bed, and Vince squeaked, even though NAID literally couldn’t care whether he wore clothes or not. I pulled the sheet up to cover him while keeping him close.

“What, NAID?”

“The princes Serlotminden, Zoltilvoxfyn, and Kalvoxrencol are outside your room. They wish to speak with you.”

“I bet they do. Nosy assholes,” Vince grumbled, making me chuckle.

I nuzzled the top of his head, scent marking him, which soothed my soul. My Vince. “NAID, tell them I’m unavailable.”

Warmth rushed through Vince and into me. Content. He was happy. We could always be like this to some extent if he chose to remain, but I wouldn’t pressure him. This was his decision, and I couldn’t take it from him no matter how much I wished to.

“Dontilvynsan, stop fucking Vince and open the door,” Kalvoxrencol shouted, living up to his endearment of “Pest.”

Visions of stabbing Kalvoxrencol flitted through Vince’s mind.

“As irritating as he is, I would rather you not kill my younger brother.”

“Then tell him to fuck off,” Vince growled. “We’re spending the day together, and I’m not sharing. Besides, Seth and Teddy are probably hungover. Kal and Mindy should be with them.”

As I slid out of bed, Vince kissed my arm and snagged my tail, gently holding it. “Come back soon.”

I kissed his head. “I will.”

Tugging on trousers and a shirt, I stepped into the shared space and opened the door. The trio of my younger brothers all stood there—Kalvoxrencol at the forefront.

“What?” I asked, examining their thoughts. All were worried about something. Me. Vince wasn’t far from their thoughts either.

“We need to talk,” Kalvoxrencol said. Even though he was the youngest, Pest often led the way, especially with Zoltilvoxfyn. Serlotminden followed them unless he disagreed.

“I’m spending the day with Vince,” I said, leaning against the door jamb.

“Please, Captain,” Zoltilvoxfyn said. Setlotminden stared at me, expectantly. They all knew I had a hard time saying no to any of them.

I fought a groan. “We cannot be gone for long. Vince needs me.”

“We won’t,” Serlotminden said.

“Give me a moment.” I left my brothers where they were and returned to Vince.

He was on his stomach, dozing on my pillow.

I crouched next to the bed and kissed his forehead.

Vince smiled. He’d become so dear to me in such a short amount of time.

I could hardly believe it, but trying to imagine my life without him was painful.

“My Vince, my brothers need to speak to me. Now.”

“Fine. I’ll share you with them.” Vince laughed, teasing me. He cupped my cheeks and kissed me. “Will I see you later?”

“You will. Very soon. Wait for me here.”

He grunted, eyes closing, and snuggled closer to my pillow.

After I slipped on my shoes, I left my quarters and followed my brothers down the hall to Zoltilvoxfyn’s quarters.

Caleb was nowhere to be seen, but he’d been the only one not to drink last night, which meant he was more likely to be upright at this hour.

Also, knowing him, he’d probably stolen Pookie and was playing with Bartholomew’s pet.

Serlotminden turned to the screen on the wall, and I frowned. Hallonnixmin, my older brother, and Monqilcolnen, my sole cousin, stared back at me on the split screen. Hallonnixmin was back at the palace while Monqilcolnen was on the Admiral Ven .

This was an ambush.

I kept my expression utterly blank as I stared at my older brother and cousin.

They knew me far better than anyone else.

Hallonnixmin resembled Kalvoxrencol the most, though he had a shade darker scales and his hair was the same shade of purple as mine.

His green eyes matched mine, and he shared our father’s long nose, wide forehead, and strong chin.

He didn’t take his eyes off me, running a hand through his perpetually messy hair.

His hair wasn’t the only messy thing about him, which had led me to giving him the endearment of “Slob” when we were children.

Monqilcolnen could’ve passed for our brother, though his father was our father’s older brother. His dark green scales, silver hair, and yellow eyes set him apart from us, but his features were similar and had the same strength, though harsher. He simply remained quiet, watching me.

My gaze moved to my little brothers. I knew what they wanted. I knew their concerns. It didn’t matter. Nothing would take Vince from me nor return my soul to me. Vince owned it, and I wouldn’t change it even if I could.

“We’ve told them everything,” Kalvoxrencol said.

“Which is what, Pest?” I asked. Even annoyed, I would never injure Kalvoxrencol intentionally.

He’d hurt himself enough in the past. My gaze wandered to my two other little brothers.

They’d also struggled in different ways, as everyone did, but it would take something far greater than annoyance for me to try and injure them.

“How you are around Vince, and how he acts around you,” Kalvoxrencol continued.

Hallonnixmin took control of the conversation. “What’s going on, and be honest with us, Dontilvynsan?”

I would not deny my mate nor my affection for him, but I wasn’t ready to tell them, because they would worry. I feared, as well, that they’d try to convince Vince to stay against his will.

Kalvoxrencol stared at me for several moments before he snagged Zoltilvoxfyn and Serlotminden’s arms, tugging them out of the room. Serlotminden protested loudly while Zoltilvoxfyn calmly stated these were, in fact, his quarters.

When the door closed behind my little brothers, I sagged onto the couch.

“Come on, Captain,” Monqilcolnen said in a soft voice. “Tell us what’s going on.”

“I’m in love with Vince, and he’s returning to Earth,” I said simply, as if it was nothing. As if it wasn’t tearing my very soul to irreparable shreds.

Monqilcolnen closed his eyes. “I wondered, when they were talking to us.”

“Are you sure he’s going back?” Hallonnixmin asked.

“Yes.” I had no doubts. I hoped he would stay, but I knew he would not.

Vince still hoped to return to the person he’d once been, and I was unsure of how to convince him that he was still that person.

I’d witnessed so many memories of him from the past, through his own mind and Seth’s.

Vince was the same, just older and wiser and wounded.

“And he is your mate?” Hallonnixmin asked, shoving his hand through his hair once again and making his long gold earrings sway.

“Yes.”

“Four humans,” Monqilcolnen said with a slight smile.

Unable to help it, I chuckled. Both Hallonnixmin and Monqilcolnen joined in. All three of my younger brothers had successfully mated with humans, and my mate was a human as well. What were the chances?

“There’s something about them. I cannot exactly define what, but it’s enticing,” I confessed.

“I believe it is the Crystal,” Monqilcolnen said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Monqilcolnen had the strongest spiritual soul ever tested.

He understood the Crystal like no one else who’d ever been born.

“Our inner fire was gifted to us by the Crystal, but we cannot speak to it. Humans can. There’s something that allows them to interact with the Crystal in a way that we cannot.

I believe we are drawn to them because of it. ”

A fascinating theory to be sure, but Vince was my perfect mate. I did not need the Crystal to tell me otherwise. “Perhaps,” I told Monqilcolnen, “you will take a liking to one of the humans I’m bringing home.”

His expression remained unchanged, but he said, “I do not believe so.”

I lifted my eyebrows in question, wondering what he was thinking, but he didn’t explain. Monqilcolnen’s inner fire was perfect intuition. He didn’t have visions of what would happen, like his father did, but sometimes he simply knew something for no reason that any of us understood.

“So. Vince,” Hallonnixmin said, bringing the conversation to the matter at hand. “Does he know you are mated to him and that it’s permanent?”

“He’s aware that drakcol mate for life, but no, he doesn’t know he’s my mate. When we discussed permissions before fucking, I told him that it couldn’t be more unless he wished to stay.”

“Zoltilvoxfyn said he claimed you,” Monqilcolnen remarked.

“He was drunk.” As much as it hurt to say, I told them the truth. “Vince doesn’t want to stay with me forever. He cares about me. He is possessive of me. But he doesn’t want forever and he thinks I’m the same.”

“Have you told him differently?” Hallonnixmin asked, frowning.

“No. I don’t want to influence his decision to stay.”

Monqilcolnen shook his head, sending his long hair over his broad shoulders.

After me, he was the next largest. “I can understand that, but you will not survive this, Captain. I know you. You’ve never allowed yourself to care about anyone besides your family.

Now that you’ve fallen in love, you will be fierce in it.

Drakcol struggle to live without their mates, and you will not survive the separation. ”

“I am aware.”

Hallonnixmin growled, his tail thrashing while his wings spread protectively.

“I will not lose you because you don’t want to inconvenience anyone.

” I started to protest, but he cut me off with a sharp slash of his arm.

“No. You have always acted as if your every need was a bother, but it’s not.

Tell Vince what you need, then let him decide. ”

“You also need to tell Serlotminden, Zoltilvoxfyn, and Kalvoxrencol,” Monqilcolnen added. “No secrets.”

That was hypocritical of him. Monqilcolnen kept secrets from all of us. He hadn’t even shared his inner fire with my three younger brothers until recently.

He must have read my expression because he tilted his head in concession. “I know, but they need to know.”

“I’m afraid they will try and force Vince to stay.”

“They won’t,” Hallonnixmin said. “Have faith in them.”

“Alright.”

“And talk to Vince. Don’t give him the illusion of a choice. If he truly cares about you, as you say, then he would want to know what his leaving would do to you.”

My eyes closed. I didn’t know if I could do as Monqilcolnen wanted, but I would think on it.

A scream sounded over the screen, and Hallonnixmin glanced over his shoulder. “My children are attempting to kill each other.” He shook his head and quickly said, “Tell him, Captain.” He ended his connection before Monqilcolnen or I could say anything.

I crossed my arms and waited for Monqilcolnen to say something further, but he surprised me.

“Vince is Seth’s age, yes?” he asked.

I blinked. “He’s nine cycles younger than me.”

“That is quite a bit of time.”

I lifted my palms. Time was time. Yes, I was older than him and our age difference was larger than the typical couple, but we suited each other. “Vince and I are both adults, and we know what we want. I don’t feel guilty or… odd for being attracted to him.”

Monqilcolnen pursed his lips, but other than that, his expression remained calm.

“Why do you want to know?” I asked.

“No reason.”

I doubted that, but without being physically next to him, my inner fire was useless to find the reason.