Page 7

A gathering of humans, times two.

I sat in Seth’s apartment with Caleb and Teddy.

It was identical to mine, except there were a few personal items, such as a hoodie thrown over the arm of the couch, a small bookshelf that had several figurines on it, and several pieces of artwork around the room.

An easel with a half-done painting of Seth was near the eating area, and I was having a hard time pulling my gaze off it.

Seth’s broad back was the main focus, with him peeking over his shoulder.

The artist—Kal, I assumed—had perfectly captured him, and love was in every stroke.

Kal, that fucker, actually cared about Seth.

I ripped my gaze from the painting and turned it to Seth.

He’d met with the other humans earlier to answer questions and give them a tour, explaining how to use everything, including NAID, which was the artificial intelligence that was always listening.

The dispensers that could literally make anything that you could think of.

They, plus the computer, were going to be interesting to play with, and I planned to explore exactly what I could do later when I was alone.

During the tour, Seth had been more at ease than I’d ever seen him. Oh, I’d been able to detect his nervousness, but I’d also spotted a calmness that I’d never perceived before. He seemed at peace, which was new, but oh, so welcome.

Now, we were all hanging out in his room.

Caleb was chatting about nothing, changing conversation topics quickly, Teddy was silent, not that I expected different, and Seth was staring at the TV-sized monitor in front of his couch that showed his and Kal’s child.

I wanted to be mad about the little fetus growing in green liquid, but Seth’s obvious joy when he looked at the baby had stolen any anger.

I wanted him to be happy, and clearly his kid made him happy.

“So, you and Mindy?” I asked Teddy, leaning against the couch. None of them had backs. They were tall, too. I was short, and my feet didn’t touch the floor when I sat back, so I’d chosen the floor.

Teddy nodded. “Yep.”

“How?” I demanded, trying to pry details out of my silent friend.

I needed proper material to tease him with and “yep” didn’t tell me anything besides that he and Mindy were easy.

Also, I needed to know if Mindy was actually a good husband.

I was worried. Teddy was acting distant, though at the same time, I felt awkward with him.

Now that we weren’t in a life-or-death situation, I wasn’t sure how to act.

“Serlotminden was trying to rescue me. He cut out my tracker and kidnapped me.”

“So you were abducted twice?” I asked with a laugh, relaxing further. While I didn’t know Caleb well, there was something perfect about being with Seth and Teddy, even with the awkwardness. I felt safe… or as safe as was possible on an alien ship.

“Three times if you count the alien on the planet who tried to take me,” he said with a slight grin. “They kept patting my ass. Apparently, I’m popular among aliens.”

Sweat immediately gathered on my temples, and a sick feeling churned in my stomach. Teddy appeared perfectly fine. But I couldn’t help but remember strange hands on my butt.

I shook it off and forced a laugh to match everyone else. I said, “Well, your flat ass, Teddy, has never inspired much interest from me.”

He flipped me off, and I felt a modicum of normalness return between the two of us.

I softly smiled at Teddy. Teasing aside, I saw why others would find him attractive.

There was an ease about him that provided comfort and stability.

He was solid, and there was something super hot about his calmness.

Seth said, “I was abducted twice too.”

“What?” I snapped, whipping back to him. I reached for him, then yanked my hand back at the last second, tucking it beneath me and against the spongy floor.

Teddy frowned at the movement, a deep divot forming between his eyebrows.

I averted my gaze and kept it locked on Seth.

“We went to a planet, and I was wearing, well, this necklace,” he said, fingering the silver chain. “I lost my touchstone, so I didn’t understand them, but they tried to take me.”

“Touchstone?” I asked.

Teddy said, holding out a perfectly round stone that pulsed in a low blue light, “You should’ve gotten one. It connects to NAID. It translates and lets you speak to anyone else who has one if you say their full name.”

“I did. I forgot.” So much had happened so quickly yesterday and this morning.

I couldn’t believe I’d let Don touch me, or that he’d been able to help me sleep.

I couldn’t remember the last time that I’d slept so well or so deeply.

It had been miraculous and so unexpected.

“What happened?” I asked, pushing away thoughts of the odd drakcol. “Kal, I suppose.”

He shook his head. “I fought them off. Got beat up, but I fought them and returned to the port where Kal was amassing a search party for me.”

Seth never fought. Ever. I’d seen Travis hit him, and Seth just let him. Of course, I was no better. I’d stopped fighting Tryk and the aliens who… Nope. Not thinking about it. I asked Seth. “You fought?”

“Yeah.” He looked at Teddy. “You?”

“Mindy and I fought the alien. They were huge and had four arms.”

Caleb bounced, then stopped suddenly, wings hugging his shoulders. “I was kidnapped too. Sort of. I went on this ship because I was a ghost, and they tried to keep me.”

“Tatas,” Seth said, chuckling.

“What?” Teddy asked.

“That was their name,” Caleb said. “The leader's name was Tatas of the Boobaas. No one got it when we laughed.”

“Don did, probably, because he could read my thoughts,” Seth said.

“That’s real?” Teddy asked, expression as blank as ever.

“Yep,” Caleb said. “He can hear everything you think and feel when you're in range. It’s his inner fire. Every drakcol has one. Even me.”

“What is it?” I asked.

Caleb’s face twisted up, and I pressed further away from him.

Teddy placed a hand on my shoulder, which made me yank away, though I did give him a tight smile.

None of us spoke, but when a figurine on the bookshelf lifted into the air, my mouth dropped open.

The black cat statue hovered for a moment before lowering again.

Panting, Caleb said, “Telekinesis. I’m not very strong or skilled. Also, it’s not an impressive inner fire. Not like Fyn or Don, or, well, any of Fyn’s brothers, except Mindy.”

Teddy crossed his arms. “Mindy can create fire with his mind. It saved our lives. It is amazing.”

While Caleb and Teddy argued, my thoughts returned once again to Don and last night.

I hadn’t had such a peaceful night in a long time.

The nightmares had started right after Teddy and I were bought by the fighting ring.

They happened almost every night. But after Don had come and sent me to sleep, I hadn’t had another one for the rest of the night.

I’d felt his sincerity when Don said he wouldn’t hurt me. I didn’t trust anyone. Seth and Teddy, yes. Other people? No. But Don had kept his word. He hadn’t hurt me. He hadn’t touched me beyond sending me to sleep.

The fact he heard my thoughts was nice. I didn’t have to try and phrase things right or explain what I was feeling. He knew it all. It was… I honestly wasn’t sure, but it was nice and I liked it. There was no struggle; Don just knew.

“Wyn,” Seth said, yanking me out of my thoughts. A drakcol with lavender scales with gold and magenta peeks of skin appeared on the screen. His long bubblegum-colored hair was plaited in a single braid down his scalp. He smiled at Seth, and I was struck by how attractive he was.

This man was, like, model hot. His heart-shaped face was lovely. His eyes were crystal blue and his lips were full. Hands down, he was the most gorgeous man I’d seen. If it had been three years ago and this drakcol had been here, I would have tried to fuck him.

“Seth, I was coming to read to your child,” he said in a velvety smooth voice.

“I always appreciate you checking on them,” Seth said. “Wyn, this is Bartholomew, or rather Teddy. He’s Serlotminden’s mate now. And this is Vince. He’s my childhood friend.”

“Greetings,” he said. “You were all rescued from Xome?”

“Yeah,” Teddy answered. “I crash landed with Mindy.”

“I wish you and Prince Serlotminden every happiness.”

“Thanks.”

Wyn turned toward me. “Seth has told me about you. While I wish you hadn’t been taken, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Any friend of Seth is a friend of mine,” I commented, more to be polite than anything.

He smiled again, and Seth beamed.

A disembodied head popped up on the screen, and I jolted, my pulse jump-starting, at the sudden appearance. She was an old human woman with a tower of curls and heavy jowls.

I blinked. “Edith Smith.”

“No,” she replied, bouncing in a way that made me nauseous and brought unpleasant memories of picking up a head of an alien and chucking it into a furnace. “I go by Edith, but I’m a NAID who has become sentient. I’m friends with Seth.”

“Edith,” he said, pointing at us, “meet Vince and Teddy.”

“Hello.”

“Hi,” I said slowly. I’d followed Edith Smith on a couple of platforms. It was weird to see her face here, and to see it so blue.

“You know my grandma?” Caleb asked.

“Your grandmother was a computer?” Teddy asked. “I thought you were a ghost?”

Caleb laughed. “No. Edith Smith.”

My mouth opened. “You were that Caleb? She mentioned her grandson who died a couple of times.”

“Yep,” he said.

“I followed her on social media before…” I trailed off. I really didn’t need to talk about that part.

Edith bounced on the screen as she began to relate the newest information to Seth about his child, the emperor and empress, the eldest prince, and anything else she thought he would like to know. Seth asked questions, and Wyn contributed as he sat beside the tube with the fetus.