Page 5

Seth glanced at his screen for what must have been the thousandth time, and I suppressed a laugh.

He couldn’t stop checking on his and Kalvoxrencol’s unborn child.

It was an obsession. His anxiety—I believed that was the human word for the medical condition he had—made it difficult for him to be away from their kit.

“What?” Vince asked.

Seth grinned. “Kal and I are having a baby.”

“What?” Vince’s voice was laced with pain as the agony that whirled through him nearly sent me to my knees.

He turned the screen around to show the growing fetus in a tube of green liquid.

“Drakcol technology allows for same-sex couples to have kids. As well as inter-species ones,” he added, cheeks pinking.

“This one is mine and Kal’s. The doctors don’t know how long our baby will gestate, because humans are pregnant for forty weeks and drakcol are pregnant for eighty-two, roughly. Our rotations are not exact.”

Drawn in by Vince’s spiraling emotions, I walked in his direction to… I was unsure, and yet, I couldn’t help but close the distance between us. He needed someone. He needed protection.

Vince swallowed. “You're having a child? I never thought you wanted one.”

“I didn’t, because I was afraid of being my grandparents,” he said, looking down.

“You are not them,” Vince barked.

“I know.” Seth grinned at Kal.

“Congratulations,” Vince said, drawing Seth’s attention back to him.

“Thank you.” Seth beamed, stroking the image of their baby as Kal snuggled him close. “We’re really happy.”

“I can see that,” Vince whispered.

“Perhaps you would like me to show you to your room,” I offered, coming up behind him.

Fear spiked in Vince, making my hands fist. Images of me forcing myself on him wafted through his mind as he ordered himself to stay still. “I’m good.”

“Of course. I merely hoped to offer assistance. Nothing more.”

Seth smiled shyly at me. “That’s so nice of you, Don.”

Kalvoxrencol looked directly at me and thought, Take him away, Captain. Please. I need a moment, and I don’t want to hurt my mate’s feelings.

Zoltilvoxfyn caught on to what was happening, though he couldn’t hear our younger brother. “It’s late. We should retire as well. Seth, you will have a busy day starting early. The humans will have questions. You are the leader of Team Human.”

Seth groaned, and Caleb laughed, bouncing in his seat before he stilled, grimacing in pain.

He often forgot the differences in this body versus his old one.

He was taller, broader, and stronger, but this body had been in a severe shuttle accident, which left him in constant pain, with scarred skin on one side of his head that was free of light gray scales and reddish-brown hair.

His condition was managed, but even our technology couldn’t heal him.

Standing, Seth grabbed Kalvoxrencol’s hand. “We should go to bed.” Seth faced Vince and asked, “Did you want me to take you to your room?”

Only if you join me , he thought. “No. The captain here will show me the way.”

I led Vince out of the canteen. He stayed as far away from me as possible, nearly hugging the vine-covered wall.

I watched him closely for an allergic reaction—something Bartholomew suffered from—but nothing.

It appeared he was fine with the multi-colored flowering vines creeping over the ceiling that draped down the walls, the potted plants, and the blue moss flooring.

His thoughts bounced around from the plants to me to what the future held and to Seth. Always Seth. He never left Vince’s thoughts for long.

We stopped in front of his quarters, and I said, “Here you are.”

He crossed his arms. “Now you want to demand payment for saving me.”

“No.” I’d expected as much from his thoughts. “While you seem perfectly attractive and I don’t have a preference of gender in who I’m sexually attracted to, I have no interest nor would I force or blackmail you into such an arrangement.”

“Then why were you trying to get me alone?”

“I was attempting to remove you from Kalvoxrencol’s presence. He knows of your affection for Seth. He feels threatened. I wish to protect my younger brother.”

“If Seth truly loves him, he wouldn’t worry. And he has a fucking bad temper. I won’t leave Seth with someone like that again.”

I almost asked him to clarify when a fuzzy memory surfaced of a blonde-haired man slapping Seth across the face.

My hands fisted. I’d known that Seth had been hurt in the past, but seeing my mate-brother abused made me furious.

I wanted to hurt that human. Badly. I would protect Seth.

He was my brother as much as the ones who shared my blood.

“Kalvoxrencol would never hurt Seth. Not physically or emotionally. He loves Seth, and Seth loves him.”

Vince scoffed.

“He does.” I didn’t like divulging private thoughts, but Vince had been hurt badly enough that he needed to be told.

I’d seen his thoughts, and I’d had a glimpse of what he’d endured.

“I do not say this to hurt you. In fact, it’s the opposite.

Seth loves Kalvoxrencol. He doesn’t think of you romantically. ”

“And you’re an impartial person to ask? You want me to go away for your brother’s sake.”

“No. Seth is ignorant of your infatuation, and he will not leave his mate.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You don’t have to, but I’m right.”

“How do you know?” he questioned. “I can’t imagine Seth confiding in you.”

I disliked telling people of my gift even more than speaking of private thoughts.

Everyone, and I did mean everyone, reacted poorly.

Maybe I didn’t have to tell him? I wasn’t obligated to.

I could keep it hidden for one more night, though not for much longer.

Vince would hear about it from someone else eventually.

I hesitated, but in the end, Vince had been harmed and he needed someone to protect him.

I carefully said, “I don’t know how much you know of drakcol, but we each have gifts called inner fires. They vary from person to person.”

“So?”

I couldn’t tell from his thoughts if he knew or not. “I have a rare inner fire.”

“How special for you. I’m sure you’re proud. Let me throw you a parade.”

“I can steal thoughts, or read minds is the more common way of thinking of it.”

This dude is full of shit , he thought.

I didn’t understand all of the words, but I understood the gist. Human speak, specifically English, had been fairly easy to learn.

Both Seth and Caleb thought in it constantly.

I could understand it, but I couldn’t speak it.

Some things I didn’t know, but most people also thought in emotions and images, which assisted me in understanding the context.

“I’m not insane. I can hear your thoughts.”

Vince stared straight at me and thought, Then let’s play a game.

“Sure.”

He blinked. Repeat after me. Elephant. Pink. Detective. Diamond.

I tried to the best of my ability to repeat the words he thought at me. I had no idea what the first one or the last one was. The second was a color, and the third was a word Seth thought of often regarding his human entertainment.

“Well. Fuck,” he breathed.

Humans. They used that word for many reasons. Drakcol used it for a single reason—copulation.

“You know… everything.” He bobbed his head, which startled me. Why would he be conceding to my dominance? I shook my head. Humans used this bob or nod as an acknowledgement. So many differences I’d had to learn over the years.

“Only what you have thought.” Here was the part where he hated me. Everyone did. They despised my inner fire, and most of the time, I tried not to agree, but it was difficult. My life would be much simpler if I hadn’t been given this curse.

Vince smiled. “God, this makes it so much easier.”

He… wasn’t upset. At all. He was happy. I stared at him, mouth hanging open. Even relaxed Caleb and sweet Seth disliked my inner fire. Even my brothers detested it at times. Even my parents despised it when my inner fire revealed itself.

Vince leaned against his door frame with a cocky grin, which rang false in his mind, but the expression did…

something to me. He said, “I’m not giving Seth up.

I don’t give a fuck about what Kal wants.

I gave Seth up once before, and I regretted it.

Kal is not the best person for him. I am. And you can feel my sincerity.”

“I can, but it doesn’t make it the truth.”

He laughed, and I swallowed at the light sound. It was lovely. So very lovely.

“True, but let’s see.” Vince turned toward his quarters, then paused. “I would prefer if Seth didn’t learn of my feelings from you or about what happened to me.”

“I’m not in the habit of sharing people’s private thoughts.”

“Thanks.”

Vince disappeared, but I lingered, unsure of why. Eventually, I wandered to my own room.

I scrubbed my arms, shaking. The warm water sluiced over me and the lights were on as high as possible, illuminating every nook and cranny.

I could see everything: the large soaking tub and toilet on the other side of the bathroom.

The shower was formed of rocks, and the water escaped from what appeared to be a waterfall.

Not even the bathroom was free of the plants that grew all over the ship.

Moss grew on the rocks and small plants grew along the edges.

Sitting on the wide stone bench, I vigorously rubbed my skin with a washcloth until it was bright red, and even then, I kept going. I swore I saw the hands from the various aliens holding me.

At least it was a water shower. The only “shower” I’d had access to when Tryk bought me was a vibration one that knocked off the dirt and disinfected me. But it never felt clean. Something about water was cleansing and freeing. Sort of.

A chime sounded, and I looked up from where I was tucked against my knees.

I shut off the hot water and tugged on clothes.

The apartment I was in was nice enough, with a bedroom, bathroom, closet, and a living room that had a small table in the corner, though there wasn’t a single chair with a back anywhere in the apartment.

The table had woven mats around it, and the living room had a single backless couch.

I glanced at the door. I had no idea who was on the other side.

Perhaps it was Don. He’d said he wouldn’t force himself on me, but I didn’t believe him.

Though it could be Seth or Teddy. That made me smile, a bit.

Though it was super late, not that you could tell, because we were in fucking space and the only thing outside the window was distant stars.

Wrapping an arm around my waist, I opened the door.

I practically sagged when I saw Teddy standing on the other side.

Bartholomew was his given name, but he went by Teddy, though I had no idea why.

His black hair was short, barely curling near the nape of his neck.

He was so much taller than me, over six feet, but he was thin as a whip.

His long face aided in the general stretched look he had about him.

His bones were poking out of his tan skin, like he hadn’t been eating well.

“Hey,” he said.

“Teddy, come in.” I hugged my middle, and my shoulders curled in tight as tension wracked me. I sat on the backless couch, pressing into the tall arms that easily reached my shoulders.

He took a seat on the other end, peering around at all the bright lights, and asked, “How are you?”

“Fine, Teddy. Though you look thin. Has your husband not been feeding you? Punishing you for some obscure reason?” Was his bastard husband starving him?

Did I need to protect Seth and Teddy from their shitty husbands?

Probably. Teddy had been forced to leave the cafeteria without saying goodbye to me.

“Mindy’s extremely paranoid about feeding me, so yeah, I’ve been eating. I’m on nutritional supplements as well. I imagine Klars—that’s the doctor in charge of humans—will start you on some.”

All of us humans had had a basic scan and our trackers removed, but we would be required to have a more comprehensive exam, or so Seth had said. “Are you happy? With him?”

“Yes,” he said. “I love him. I love him a lot, and I’m happy.”

“So you’re staying?” I asked. Teddy was close with his mothers and sisters. I couldn’t imagine him leaving them. As little as he talked, Teddy had mentioned them a handful of times on Xome, which told me exactly how important they were.

“Yeah.”

I fought the urge to say something. How could he leave them? Teddy must really love this alien husband of his, though I wasn’t convinced this Serlotminden was actually taking care of Teddy.

Teddy took a deep breath. “I didn’t mean to leave you. I would have never intentionally abandoned you.”

“I know,” I lied, tugging my knees to my chest. Maybe he would have, afterall? I would’ve never guessed that he’d pick some guy over his family. My thoughts kept spiraling as I constantly searched the room. For what? I had no idea, but my body wouldn’t relax.

He frowned. “What happened after I was gone?”

“Agk sold me,” I said as nonchalantly as possible.

“I’m sorry. Are you alright?”

I smirked. “Of course, I am. I’m alive, aren’t I?”

Though I couldn’t say if that was a good thing or not.

We lapsed into silence, which wasn’t odd for us.

Teddy wasn’t much of a talker. Back on Xome, I’d dominated the conversation, usually lying on him or snuggling.

But this time, I couldn’t get my voice to work.

Besides, if I did somehow manage to speak, what would I even say?

Words wondering if Teddy had abandoned me?

No, that was too assholeish for even me to contemplate.

We’d been everything to each other. I would’ve killed or died for him and I had to believe that Teddy felt the same for me.

But what else was there to talk about? What had happened when I was sold? Not likely.

When the silence continued to prevail, Teddy finally stood. He stretched toward me like he intended to hug me, and I flinched back, panting.

With a deep frown, Teddy asked, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Sure,” I forced out. “Why? Do you need to tell me how horrible your husband has been? He hasn’t been, right? He looks like an asshole.”

“Seriously?” Teddy asked, crossing his arms. “Mindy loves me. I just wanted to check on you.”

“Well, you did,” I snapped.

Teddy shook his head. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The second the door closed, I sighed, hugging myself. I simultaneously felt safer and terrified that I was alone.