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It wasn’t, but it was all we had. During the day we would exchange countless notes.

Vince would send some as innocuous as what he was eating, which I liked because it alerted me to the fact he was taking care of himself, or what his plans were.

I would send him snippets of my day, omitting how increasingly hard it was to be apart from him.

Then every night we would see each other.

Sometimes we stared at each other, others we talked, and most nights we pleasured ourselves.

With each release, it made me more lonely for him.

“Sleep, my Vince. I shall stay here until you fall asleep.”

He grunted, squishing a pillow to his chest. “I love you.”

I wanted to return the words, but then he would know he was my mate. “I am yours,” I told him, and he smiled.

It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep, but I didn’t end the session. Instead I got as close as possible to the screen and listened to my mate breathe. The sound was the most wondrous thing I’d ever heard in my life, and I never wanted to stop hearing it for as long as I lived.

I bounced Bob—or Bobbinvoxlyn— in my arms as Seth slowly moved around his and Kal’s apartment, straightening shit up.

I had no idea how much of a mess babies made before Seth had one.

It made me a tad hesitant about having one with Don, but I wanted to see his face on my own child, so I would get over it.

Besides, the image of the massive Don so gently holding our baby wouldn’t leave my thoughts. One day, we’d have one, maybe two.

Kal had stepped out for a moment to speak to his father about the coming journey and smooth over the fact that in the three weeks since Bob’s birth only I, Wyn, and Fyn had held him, beside Kal and Seth himself obviously.

Seth was trying, but he was paranoid as hell about his kid. He knew he had to loosen up for the good of his baby, but knowing something and getting your brain to calm down about it were two very different things.

He wasn’t the only one who was paranoid.

Wyn checked in often to make sure Bob was healthy, Urgg called at least once a day—I loved the barbarus who was Seth’s mentor as well as his friend, and I couldn’t wait to meet them in person—and Edith had constant sensors on him.

Bob was going to grow up surrounded by overprotective adults.

I figured once Kal and Seth had another, which they both wanted, and other humans started popping out hybrids, everyone would calm the fuck down. Until then, Bob was going to be a spoiled little monster. As he should be.

Grinning, I ran my finger down the center of his forehead to the tip of his nose. He was adorable. A perfect mix of Kal and Seth, leaning more to Seth’s features, which I highly approved of.

“I can’t believe I’m not going to see you or this little tyke for a year, at least. Maybe two.

He’s going to be huge by the time you get back,” I said.

I would miss Seth fiercely, but I couldn’t go.

I didn’t want to be separated from Don for that long.

Six, almost seven, months was more than enough.

I was getting desperate for him. Talking to him over video chat wasn’t enough.

I needed to hear him in person, to feel the rumble of amusement in his chest, and experience the scrape of his scales against my skin.

Selfishly, I also wanted him back because I’d slept horribly since we’d separated. Nightmares plagued me almost nightly. I’d wake up terrified, and Don wouldn’t be there. But it was more than that; I missed spending time with him.

“I can’t believe I have to go,” Seth said, sitting next to me. His brown eyes were ringed with dark circles and his shoulders were slumped in obvious exhaustion. “I don’t want to.”

“I know.” I bumped his shoulder with mine. “But think of all the hoodies you can steal.”

He chuckled. “You just want me to bring back chocolate.”

I’d made an extensive list of plants and things I wanted, as had Caleb, Teddy, and Seth. Of course, the Council of Seekers wanted their own samples, and Fyn had requested certain plant samples he wanted—flowers mainly.

“I do want chocolate and coffee.”

Seth leaned back against the other arm of the couch, as I was on the part that had a back. It was Kal’s invention. Part of the couch had a back where us humans could lounge and the rest was backless for drakcol. I’d ordered one for mine and Don’s room already.

“I’m glad it’s the Admiral Ven we’re traveling on. I’m used to it. And I’m also glad you're staying, though,” he said.

“Why?”

“You can head the human sanctuary project on the moon and get everything ready.”

Buildings were slowly going up, and plans for where the fields would go were being drawn.

Part of the sample taking was for us humans.

All plants taken from Earth would be exclusively for human usage.

It was so we could then make businesses off the products and make money.

The drakcol were trying to set us up as much as possible because they saw this whole fiasco as their fault.

If Kal hadn’t taken Seth, none of this would’ve happened.

I never thought I’d be grateful for Seth being abducted, but I couldn’t imagine not being with Don.

The door opened, and Kal strode in. He went straight to Seth, gently stroking his cheek while his tail curled about Seth’s ankle. “Husband.”

Seth blushed like a kid.

God, they were sickeningly adorable. I fucking hated it.

Well, that wasn’t accurate. I was jealous. Ridiculously jealous. I wanted to curl up on Don’s lap making people sick with how sickening we were being. Was that too much to ask?

“Mate,” Kal whispered against Seth’s ear, “you need to go nap. You didn’t sleep last night.”

Seth looked at Bob, who was passed out in my arms, and worried at the hem of his hoodie.

“I have him,” I said. “You know I’d never let anything happen to my nephew. Besides, Edith is always around.” At her name, a blue head popped in and out of the TV-sized screen. “Wyn will probably stop by, and as useless as Kal is, he’s here.”

Kal lifted his lip at me in a soundless snarl, but it was nothing compared to the scowl Seth shot my way.

“Kal is not useless.”

“Oh,” I said, like I was shocked he was defending his husband. “If he isn’t, then why are you afraid to nap? Bob is Kal’s kid too. If he’s not useless, then go take a nap.”

Seth frowned. “I hate you sometimes.”

I grinned. “I know.”

He stood and gave Kal a half-hug and cast one more nervous glance at Bob before he went to lie down.

When the door clicked closed, Kal said, “That was well done.”

I lifted my eyebrow. “It’s like I know him or something.”

He frowned and planted himself not far from me as we both stared blankly ahead. We didn’t necessarily hate each other anymore, but we would never be best friends, which was fair.

“So you’re staying,” he finally said, breaking the silence.

“Yep.”

“Does Dontilvynsan know?”

“No,” I said sarcastically. “He has no idea. I’m merely living in his apartment and spending his money.”

“You should tell him.”

So Kal didn’t get sarcasm. More reasons to dislike him.

“He knows, Kal,” I said. “I told him that before we separated, and just a few nights ago, I talked about how everyone was leaving.” I didn’t specifically say that I was waiting for him in the conversation, I thought—I’d been half asleep—but I knew I’d mentioned who was going and whatnot. Don knew I was his. I’d told him.

“Are you sure?”

“Say whatever it is that you want to,” I snapped.

Bob scrunched his little face up, and I bounced him, my arm burning. Kal reached over and pulled his infant into his arms, soothing the child back to sleep. If Seth heard Bob cry, he wouldn’t be able to nap.

“Dontilvynsan hasn’t spoken to us much, and when he has, he’s been… odd.”

A needle punctured my heart. “What?”

“There’s something wrong, but I can’t say what it is. He won’t talk to us, and you haven’t said exactly what happened between the two of you.”

I’d told Seth, Teddy, Camden, and Pierce the generals of it, but I hadn’t told the particulars to any of the brothers, because they’d been pricks to me—so fuck them. But it seemed Don had kept quiet too, which was what probably made them all be horrible to me in the first place.

While Kal would literally be the last person in the entire fucking universe I would choose to talk to, I had to say something. He knew Don, as much as I hated to admit it.

“I’m sure you’re aware I have some issues.” God, it was like glass coming out.

“Seth nor Dontilvynsan have told me, but I have a guess about what might have happened to you.”

Fuck it. “I was raped, okay? A lot. It messed me up.”

Kal’s face turned so kind that I wanted to sock him. If he hadn’t been holding Bob, I might have.

“Anyway, it left me lots of gifts that keep on giving,” I spat out, crossing my arms. “Don helps.”

“His inner fire.”

“At first,” I admitted, “but then it was just him. Only him.” I smiled at the thought of curling up on his lap.

There was no place I felt safer or happier.

“I wanted to go to Earth to erase my memories of what happened after I’d been abducted, but I fell in love with Don.

When I told him I wanted to stay, he told me to go home. ”

“What?” Kal barked, making Bob open his eyes and release a small cry. Kal was up on his feet in a flash, rocking his child while his eyes flicked to the bedroom door. The second Bob quieted, Kal repeated, “What?”

“I offered myself to Don, and he said no.”

“He said no?”