Page 52

Not again, please.

I watched Don as he got dressed. We’d fucked once from behind, then after a bit, we’d fucked again, face to face.

I’d needed to see Don, to see his face as I felt him squeezing me.

I had to know it was him and not anyone else.

Afterward, he’d spent most of the morning and early afternoon with me, but now he had to go back to the station.

Mindy had covered as much as possible for Don, but he couldn’t do everything.

I didn’t plan to move from being curled against his pillow, breathing in his scent.

Don tugged his long hair out of the back of his uniform. He faced me, putting one knee on the bed, and kissed me.

I groaned, cupping his cheeks. The kiss wasn’t the chaste one I’d been expecting.

Don leaned into me, lips demanding. When his tongue prodded me, I opened for him without hesitation.

His scaled tongue scraped against mine, making me moan.

His kiss was claiming and insistent, but not the slightest bit harsh.

My gentle Don. He loved me being soft with him, but he gave it right back to me.

“Stay,” I asked, even though it wasn’t fair and he couldn’t.

“Vince,” he moaned against my lips before he captured me again. His kiss was just as fierce and demanding. I wrapped my arms around his neck to draw him closer. I didn’t want him to leave, to be anywhere the xoi were.

Fear raced through my veins. What would happen when Don wasn’t here? I couldn’t live with something happening to him.

“Hush,” Don whispered, pressing his lips against mine. “You’re safe. No one will touch you again without your permission.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.” Don cupped my cheeks and pressed yet another kiss to my lips. “I have to go.”

He did, but I selfishly wanted to hog all of his time.

He nuzzled my forehead, probably in response to my thoughts.

I clung to him, gripping his sides. I hated how needy I was.

When I was on Earth, I hadn’t needed anyone.

I knew how to keep myself safe, how to take care of myself, and I didn’t have to rely on anyone for anything.

Now, I was dependent on Don, and part of me hated it; I was a burden.

“No,” he said, lifting my chin so our eyes met. “You are not a burden, Vince. You're mine and I’m yours. We take care of each other. I need you as much as you need me.”

I didn’t believe that.

“It’s the truth,” he said.

I went up on my knees to hug Don, then pressed a loud smack to his neck. “You need to go.”

“Are you going to stay here?”

“Yes.” I had no intention of leaving this room. Maybe ever.

He carded his fingers through my hair. “I will be back.”

My eyes stayed on Don until he disappeared from view.

I flopped back onto the bed and curled around his pillow, taking in his scent.

The soft sheets and the cozy blanket lured me into a relaxed state.

Sleep started to drag me away, and I didn’t fight it.

If I slept, I’d feel better, and Don would be back by the time I woke up.

A chime sounded, and I groaned, pulling the pillow over my head. Maybe they would go away? The chime sounded again, then NAID said, “Vince Lyford.”

I flopped onto my back. “Yes?”

“Prince Consort Seth Harris would like to speak with you.”

I’d never heard Seth’s title before. It was… odd. Shaking it off, I said, “Let him in.”

I forced myself out of bed and went to the living room. Seth was on the couch. He was red-faced. “Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t realize you were sleeping.”

“I wasn’t.” I mean, I’d been about four seconds from falling asleep, but whatever.

Seth smiled, but it was tight like he thought I was lying. I shifted to his side and snuggled against his shoulder. He slipped an arm around my waist. I had one moment of tension before it passed, and I could relax, pushing away my first instinct of fear.

“I wanted to check on you,” Seth said after a moment. “Kal saw Don carrying you, and I was worried. I wanted to come right away, but Kal said Don would want to take care of you.”

“He took good care of me.” Very very good care of me.

“Are you okay?” Seth asked.

“Yeah.” I was mainly. I’d be better if Don was here right now, holding me, but I was fine.

His hand went up and down my arm. “Do you need to not stay at this station? I could ask the Cohort. They’re pretty accommodating to us humans.”

More like they were very invested in Seth. For whatever reason, Seth would say something, and the drakcol would jump to do it for him. It was weird, but if it worked to our advantage, then I wouldn’t complain.

Part of me wanted to accept Seth’s offer. He could probably convince the Cohort to allow Don to take us back to the Drakcon homeworld, and that meant more time with him, not to mention away from the xoi.

But I couldn’t. I couldn’t force Don, and if I did, it could affect his career, which I never wanted to do.

“No, but thanks. We’ll be fine,” I said. “The xoi won’t take any of us again.”

“They won’t,” Seth agreed.

I smiled, but I wanted to snap at Seth. He’d never been taken by the xoi.

Kal had abducted him because he wanted to claim Seth as his soulmate.

It was different. But I contained it. Seth wasn’t agreeing because he lumped his abduction in with ours; he was agreeing to comfort me.

Still, it rankled. He’d been met with love, and I’d been met with blood, death, and rape.

We stayed silent for quite some time, each lost in our own thoughts. After a bit, Seth gently moved me from his side.

“Seth?”

“Camden and Pierce talked to me.”

I groaned, covering my eyes. I’d been avoiding them like the plague since I had finally made my decision. Out of everyone, they got what I’d been through, and I didn’t want to have to justify my reasoning.

“They’re concerned.”

“I’m fine,” I snapped, hugging myself. I wasn’t. Fuck. I was numb most of the time. I hated myself. I hated everything but Don.

He stared at me, then said, “Okay.”

When he stood, I asked, “Where are you going?”

“I promised to meet Kal. We’re going to the space station. Kal wants to help Don and Mindy with some of the preparations for us transferring to the station,” he answered.

I grabbed his hand. “You should stay on the ship.”

“Kal would never let anything happen to me.”

“Still.”

Seth tugged on me. “I’ll be fine. You can come if you want, but you don’t have to.”

On one hand, I’d feel better if I went with Seth because I could guarantee he came back. On the other, I wanted to stay right here in mine and Don’s room—where I was safe.

“We’ll stay together?” I asked.

“Of course.”

“Fine.”

The station was as busy as last time, but everything was different now.

Every alien was more sinister and every shadow held a hidden threat.

My eyes whipped back and forth, searching.

Every noise or brushing pass of someone near me made me jump and sent my pulse skyrocketing.

We’d only been on the station for maybe fifteen minutes, and I was desperate to return to my room.

It was a miracle Dontilvynsan hadn’t sensed me and come running.

Kal glanced at me for the umpteenth time.

Maybe he was the reason Don wasn’t coming to get me.

If he could sense me, he’d sense his little brother.

When I showed up at their room, Kal had been upset about Seth inviting me to go along with them.

He’d worried Don would be mad at him, which, to be fair, was possible, but it was my choice.

And fuck Kal. If Don was angry, it was Kal’s problem, not mine.

I clutched Seth's hand tighter, ignoring the sweat that gathered on his palm. Kal held Seth’s other hand and one of his ankles with his tail. Between the two of us, Seth almost looked like a child. However, I didn’t want to let go of him. He was my lifeline, and I had to make sure he came back.

People pressed around us, making Seth draw closer to Kal, who murmured to him. The crowd itself didn’t bother me; it was the general threat they represented that upset me.

We wound through the busy space until we came to a small hallway.

Kal opened the third door to the right, and I saw Serlotminden as well as a handful of other people sitting around the table.

I looked for Don, but he wasn’t there. I was one part sad and two parts relieved.

I was ninety-eight percent sure that me being here would piss him off.

Not because he didn’t want to see me, but rather, because he was afraid of me getting upset.

Mindy’s eyes widened when he saw me and Seth. “Why did you bring him?”

Nope. Not Seth. Just me. Don’s brothers were pissed at me for leaving, and it seemed they didn’t want me around. Whatever. Fuck them all. I was protecting Don. They didn’t have to see that.

“Dontilvynsan will kill you if anything happens to him,” Mindy hissed. “Take him back, Pest. Now.”

So… he was afraid for Don.

“Vince made his decision to come. If Captain has a problem with it, he can come and take Vince back himself,” Kal replied calmly. “Besides, I would never let anything happen to Vince. Seth would never forgive me.”

Seth swatted his husband. “You would be upset too.”

Kal grunted.

I was with Kal. He didn’t care about me anymore than I cared about him—which was none at all. We only cared because Seth did.

The other aliens in the room didn’t react to the hushed conversation.

I didn’t know the name of their species, but I’d seen them before.

They looked like living trees with bark-like skin, gossamer clothes, and green hair.

One was a hulking alien with four arms, purple skin, and two tall horns like an antelope.

But most people around the table were drakcol.

The meeting commenced with little fanfare. Seth stayed plastered to Kal, and I sat fairly close to Seth’s other side. Mindy, who didn’t seem happy about it, sat to the right of me. The two brothers boxed us humans in, protecting us from any possible threat.