Chapter Eleven
Drazien
I should have known something was wrong when Elaina liked the Common Level more. The statement had come so casually I almost missed it.
“I liked it better down there.”
I paused and glanced over my shoulder at her. She was a few steps behind, breathing hard from the climb.
“Down where?”
She stopped and raised her eyes to mine. The skin around them had grown darker and appeared almost sunken, as if she were dehydrated, and a frown tugged at my lips.
“The lower levels.”
Her answer made no sense and only deepened my frown.
“Why?”
She gave me the same look I had to be giving her, as if the answer should have been obvious.
“It’s cooler.”
I waited but she didn’t offer anything more. She stared at me as if that single factor was all that mattered.
“It’s damp down there.”
The crease between her brows softened as she nodded.
“Yes.”
There was approval in her tone. Shaking my head, I turned to face her.
“The air is heavy and thick. It never warms enough to burn the moisture away.”
Her brows rose as she gave another slow nod.
“Which makes it cooler. I can live without the humidity being that high, but there has to be a ten-degree difference between each level.”
I still didn’t understand. Humidity was something we avoided. It ruined leather and made weapons rust. It created strange smells and made everything unpleasant.
“Humans are bizarre.”
She barked a laugh. It wasn’t a wholly happy sound, but it spread warmth through my chest that I pretended not to notice.
“From my point of view, the Morrak are the bizarre ones. The heat and sand and wind are all reasons that would have made Humans completely overlook this planet and find a better one.”
My eyes narrowed, muscles growing tense automatically.
“There is no better one.”
She huffed but didn’t make a response. Stepping around me, she continued up the stairs as I watched.
My tail twitched and my kethra flared for a moment before I controlled them once more. She was in a new place, but she would adjust and come to accept the way things were.
I remained behind her for the rest of the climb.
It seemed to pass faster than I’d expected, probably because I was entranced by the sway of her hips and debating over whether I could lift the back of the robe without her noticing.
I didn’t get a chance to find out before she reached the High Ledge and stopped, waiting on me to lead the way.
She seemed more alert as we moved through the tunnels heading away from the ravine, looking around each time two intersected. We passed the third before she finally spoke up.
“How do you navigate? There are no signs. The moss is the same. I know you can see better in the dark, but every tunnel looks the same.”
My lips twitched. Humans relied so much on one sense that their others had dulled, but after receiving the serum she should have been able to tell.
“Take a deep breath. Focus on it. What do you smell?”
Silence followed us through the tunnels as she took several before speaking again.
“It smells like rocks that have sat out in the sun.”
Chuckling I shook my head. There was so much more than that if she truly focused.
“What else?”
We stayed in the same tunnel, passing where I would usually have turned before she managed to give me something more.
“There’s a mineral scent. I don’t know what it is.”
Dipping my chin, I directed her to the right.
“Again.”
It only took her four breaths before she shook her head and made a frustrated sound.
“I don’t know. It’s the same, but instead of minerals, it’s… green?”
I grinned and nodded in approval, and she made the connection.
“You navigate by scent?”
Her tone rose at the end, as if it was the strangest thing she’d encountered. My laugh echoed around us as we turned again, joined by a quiet growl that cut off almost as soon as it began.
“Even with better vision, it’s still dark in the tunnels. We’ve cultivated moss for as long as we’ve been settled in Korvashan, but there are tunnels that have no light at all. Sounds echo, and no one wants to go around licking the walls.”
The look she gave me said I was ridiculous, until it dissolved into a reluctant smile as she shook her head and huffed.
“Okay, fair. Your sense of smell must be much better than mine though, because I don’t think scent is going to be enough for me to get around.”
I lifted one shoulder and let it drop.
“You’ll learn the paths to where you go the most, but you never have to worry about getting lost.”
Raising a brow, she asked the obvious question.
“Why?”
Letting my teeth show, I curled my tail around her from behind, pulling her to a stop outside a nondescript metal door like all the others we had passed.
“Because you have me.”
Her eyes rolled and she turned her head away, but I didn’t miss the way her lips twitched like she wanted to smile again.
Triumphant, I pressed my palm against the entry panel and the door slid open. I’d been gone for a while even before the trip to Earth, so the air that escaped was a little stale, but the vents drilled through the stone kept it from being too stuffy or unsafe.
I motioned Elaina inside then followed, letting the door slide shut. The data pads and sliding doors were more bonuses of being on the High Ledge instead of on the lower level with the other Morrak who weren’t from noble lineages or of high enough rank.
Elaina’s gaze swept the space, seeming to assess and catalogue everything.
The quarters were large compared to some of the older ones near the ravine.
It lacked a view and had less crystals in the ceiling, but the dark was something I was familiar with, although I’d have to find more lighting for Elaina.
Weapons decorated one wall with shelves containing training gear and a few books below. I had a clear area along the back wall for me to keep up my training when I didn’t feel like joining the warriors for drills on the surface, with a seating area to the right, and a dining table on the left.
The entrance to the sleeping chamber was straight ahead, the nest taking up most of the space, but I’d always liked less area around me when I slept. An enclosed space felt safer when I had to let down my guard.
It was our nest now, and satisfaction curled through me at the unexpected realization that it would become a true nest soon, filled with soft, comfortable things, and a curvy omega to snuggle.
Elaina wandered farther inside while I remained in the entryway. Her containers had already been delivered and stood in a stack across from me since no alpha would invade another’s sleeping chamber, and betas only would with express permission.
She spotted her things and moved towards them without a word, and part of me tensed. An omega moving into an alpha’s home was an important moment. The omega was in control within the home, and I’d let her empty the place and fill it with Human things if necessary.
I was in the middle of imagining her placing pillows on the couch, and blankets on the bench beside the table, when she pulled out a set of clothing instead.
My brow lowered as she straightened and looked around.
“What are you doing?”
Her eyes met mine, confusion once again written in them.
“Looking for the bathroom so I can get dressed.”
She gestured to the robe as if it wasn’t adequate. As if it wasn’t already covering too much of her.
“There is no need to dress. We are not expecting anyone. It is late.”
Her brows bunched and she frowned.
“That’s why I need to get ready for bed.”
Crossing my arms, I shook my head, standing tall as I reminded her of the rule I knew was included in the packet she had received.
“Nudity is expected within the home. An omega must be available to her alpha.”
Shock flit across her face before it sharpened into anger. She glared, breathing heavy, jaw tense before she closed her eyes and forced her shoulders to relax.
“Drazien.”
She spoke my name with suspicious calm, and I narrowed my own eyes, a growl tickling the back of my throat.
“I am not your omega yet.”
The statement caught me by surprise, choking off the growl as my lungs froze. I had chosen her and she had accepted the injection. She knew she was my korravalryn, yet she sounded as if she didn’t realize that.
“You accepted the serum.”
She kept her face clear, multicolored eyes wide as she swallowed before dipping her head.
“I did, but that doesn’t take away my individuality.”
My kethra flashed before I smothered them, brows still lowered. My spine was tense with the fight to keep my tail still when it wanted to lash, and my claws dug into the flesh of my arms as I clenched my fingers around them.
The distinction felt strangely important to her, but I wasn't certain why. No one truly wanted to be an individual, alone, and yet she said it as if it was the most important thing.
Sighing, Elaina waved her hand at the empty dwelling.
“There’s nobody here except us.”
I blinked, waiting for a better explanation as she stared at me.
“There is no reason I can't wear clothes when no one will know.”
Confusion and a touch of hurt settled in my chest. I opened my mouth but closed it again, unable to articulate what was roiling within me. It wasn’t that I didn't understand what she was saying, I just didn't grasp why she was arguing about a custom she’d been aware of before coming here.
It was only clothing.
Elaina interpreted my silence differently, the edges of her lips lifting as she dipped her head in a nod.
“Thank you.”
Before I could formulate an argument to stop her, she disappeared into the sleeping chamber with her clothing, shutting the door behind her. I remained where I stood, frowning at the metal between us, trying to figure out what had happened to the submissive woman I’d seen at the gala.
The entire interaction felt wrong, because she'd somehow won an argument I hadn’t realized we were having. The knowledge was irritating, and I waited for her to emerge so I could correct her assumption that I’d agreed to let her bypass the requirement.
I shifted to one foot.
Then the other.