Page 19 of Space Daddy’s Guide to the Galaxy (Villains in Space #2)

19

ZIGGY

This was a mistake.

The instant Micah dropped Pedro’s shields, I could feel the karnilian calling to me, and Uulvin reacted in kind.

The seer gasped, flinching backwards in alarm. “Where did you find that?” they hissed, their many eyes darting around, as if suspecting we’d smuggled more in. “How do you have a Trol in your possession—a newborn Trol?!”

I lessened my sleep powers so Pedro could awaken and be aware of the situation, in case we needed to fight our way out of here. Unsurprisingly, the little Trol squeaked in surprise to find themselves in such a strange environment, and they immediately wiggled out of Micah’s hold to scamper onto my back.

Mine.

True to form, my mate jumped in as peacemaker. “An anonymous tip sent us to Marox to rescue the egg. It hatched on the way to Stellaria, but then the Irathians attacked our planet, so back into space we went.”

This shockingly succinct summary provided me with the perfect opportunity to get answers of my own. “Yes, and it still hasn’t been explained how the Irathians knew we had the Trol… although there was a Hydrassian coincidentally harassing gem vendors about karnilian a day prior. Apparently, your kind has taken to mercenary work lately?—”

“We have never condoned using our unique skills to acquire karnilian for our clients,” Uulvin huffed. “Those who do so are defying destiny itself.”

The Dionaea muscipula began rustling their leaves again, and Uulvin half-turned to listen while Micah frowned and fiddled with his translator device.

“A strong possibility…” the Hydrassian murmured before facing us again. “They say, perhaps the Irathians knew their limits, so they sent the Stellarians to Marox to do the dirty work for them.”

I opened my mouth to argue before snapping it closed again. Whoever had called in the original assignment paid handsomely, but they’d also left no way of alerting them once the job was complete. They’d simply assured Astrum Force they would “be in contact.”

A full-scale attack certainly would have been one way to make contact…

At this point, it could’ve been anyone masterminding this series of events and, judging from the lack of updates coming from Honnor, I wasn’t the only one fumbling in the dark here.

How many imperial blind spots do we have?!

“No one is untouchable in our world, Stellarian—never forget that,” Uulvin effortlessly addressed my unspoken thoughts, making me narrow my eyes.

I tightened my mental walls before replying. “Except Hydrassians, hmm? Your kind are too valuable to worry about attacks or manipulations from other species.”

Uulvin glanced at Pedro again before returning their focus to my face. “Mmm… so valuable that others will stop at nothing to covet our talents to advance their own empires. Perhaps we should have followed in the footsteps of the Trols and disappeared completely.”

There was a bitterness in their tone that caught my attention, but something more important took precedence. “When you say ‘disappeared completely,’ do you mean their planet no longer exists, or…”

The Hydrassian stared at me for a long moment before laughing humorlessly. “Your defenses are almost as good as your mate’s.”

“Stop trying to read our minds and answer the question,” I growled, proud Micah had apparently locked them out but still angry this sorcerer had somehow trapped my tendrils inside me.

“We want you to remember how it felt.”

Oh, I’ll remember.

“The answer depends on your intentions,” Uulvin replied, continuing to judgmentally observe me. “Do you mean to return this youngling to their home and leave them be, or is there another reason you wish to locate the Trols?”

I froze, oddly unsure how to answer, and a slow smirk stretched across Uulvin’s six faces.

Micah hurriedly came to my defense. “Of course we want to return Pedro to their home! I mean, I’m probably gonna cry when we do it, no lie, but it’s the right thing to do.”

The right thing to do…

“Pedro?” Uulvin repeated, snapping me from my existential crisis.

The latest existential crisis.

“Uh, yeah… I named them.” Micah rubbed the back of his neck, his delicious blush distracting me as always. “I wanted them to feel like they had a family, you know? Like they belonged, even if it was just temporary.”

You belong with me.

Forever.

Pedro rested their little chin on my shoulder and purred, settling my agitation in a way I thought only Micah was able to do.

Uulvin hadn’t taken their eyes off me. “Family is vital to survival—a universal truth across species—although sometimes, that family is one you find along the way.”

“We know a thing or two about that, don’t we, Zig?” Micah laughed nervously, no doubt picking up on the tension still lingering in the air.

“We do,” I replied, holding Uulvin’s gaze, daring the seer to challenge me. “And I protect what’s mine.”

All mine.

To my surprise, the Hydrassian nodded, seeming satisfied with my reply. “Well, then you will understand why we cannot give you information on the Trol’s home planet?—”

“What?!” I shouted, making Pedro skitter down my back.

“…but my sibling could,” Uulvin added absently, ignoring my interruption.

“Very well,” I snapped, determined to keep us on track. “Then we would like to speak to your sibling.”

“You cannot,” they curtly retorted, and it was all I could do to not unleash my tendrils again, intel be damned.

“What happened to your sibling?” Micah quietly asked, and when I sharply glanced at him, I saw my mate watching the Hydrassian with empathy written all over his gorgeous face.

Ugh.

As usual, my mate had picked up on an emotional element to the conversation I’d been too focused on my end goal to notice.

Why is it so hard to human?

“Uuktar was abducted many moons ago,” Uulvin replied, dropping their gaze. “By the Lacertus.”

“WHAT?!” I bellowed, and Pedro yelped, scurrying back into the baby sling on Micah’s lap.

My outburst earned me more judgment from the Hydrassian. “Yes, well, why pay for services when you can simply enslave your own personal seer instead?”

I need to tell Honnor!

Wait…

“What good is a seer with no karnilian?” I muttered as the pieces started to come together only to remain infuriatingly out of reach. “Is that why they paid mercenaries to locate the stone for them…?”

Or why they called in an anonymous tip about an egg, perhaps?

Uulvin hummed, back to watching me like a predator. “As I hope you realize by now, Stellarian, the Lacertus are not your only enemy. However, they are the ones you will need to target if you wish to find the answers you seek.”

It was my turn to narrow my eyes. “By rescuing your sibling?”

They nodded.

This is ridiculous.

I huffed. “So now you’re calling in a Stellarian to do your dirty work for you?—”

“No,” Uulvin brusquely stated. “We are asking the Stellarian who freed their people for help. The honorable Stellarian who chose uncomfortable truth over lies of supposed supremacy.”

Oh.

Oh, fuck.

I truly didn’t know how to address this assessment. “I’m not?—”

“You are, Zig,” Micah stated, equally sure. “Deal with it.” Before I could reply, he turned to Uulvin. “What do we need to know to rescue your sibling?”

The only reason I didn’t continue arguing was that he’d apparently gone into Commander Babygirl mode again, and I was powerless to resist. That, and it gave me the opportunity to think.

To plan my next move…

The seer brightened. “We can give you the coordinates for where they are holding my sibling.”

“Then I will simply star hop in and out. Done.” I rolled my eyes and gestured at the walls surrounding us in annoyance. “After we leave this cursed cave?—”

“Wrong,” Uulvin barked, silencing me. “The Lacertus employed those who created this very technology to protect their prisoner from Stellarians like you—technology your stellar collision can also conjure at will…”

“Wait,” Micah sat up straighter, an excitement I knew well making his brown eyes sparkle. “Are you saying there are others like me? Supes… I mean, aliens who can manipulate inorganic matter?”

The scientist has awakened.

Uulvin bobbed their heads. “In a way. You will need to talk to these matter manipulators in order to learn how to dissolve the barrier surrounding Uuktar.”

“The barrier…” I mumbled, struggling to keep up as my attention was drawn to the baby sling.

Micah should reactivate Pedro’s shields…

As if he was suddenly a mind-reader, my mate did exactly that, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I was able to focus again.

“Uuktar, you said?” I repeated, determined to get the facts and get out.

“Yes,” Uulvin snapped, their patience obviously wearing thin. “Our sibling. Our family.”

I glanced at my stellar collision, who gazed at me with so much hope in his expression, I was momentarily lost for words.

Does he actually think I’d say no to anything he wants?

“We will go speak to these matter manipulators.” I nodded at my mate before glancing at Uulvin. “And do our best to save your… family.”

Then, I can focus on mine.

Micah’s grin was dazzling. “It sounds like we’re going on another adventure, Zig. For science!”

For science.

I had to admit, I was a bit curious about the possibility of discovering more creatures like Micah. It wasn’t that I expected any of them to be half as impressive, but I wanted to know if my mate was something more than just an Earthling.

Something even more perfect for me.

“Very well.” I rose before helping Micah stand beside me. “What are these matter manipulators called, and where would we find them?”

The Hydrassian was back to smiling slyly. “They’re called the Eki, and while you’ll be fine on their planet in your current vessel,” they eyed my pelt appraisingly, “your stellar collision will need something warmer to wear.”