Chapter 12 #2
"Do you know how many species out there have soulbonds or fated mates or something like that? It's probably hundreds at least. How were you to know each and every one?"
"Yeah, but you were my bodyguard, I should've at least known that about you," she says as if that excuse makes any sense at all. "I knew about the Lokans."
"Of course you did, they make up the second largest percentage of species on this planet. At the rate they've acclimated to this planet, Earth will be nothing but human-lokan hybrids in five hundred years."
"There really are a lot of them. My family." She stops herself, her lips closing tightly.
"Your family?" I prompt her, wanting to keep her talking since it helps keep her calm. We're in a busy area of the port, but my shadows are keeping up well enough with filtering through thoughts and determining the threat level of everyone around us.
"I shouldn't have said anything," Reese says, her face turning away from me as she chews on her lower lip.
I'm about to change the subject when she takes a deep breath and looks back at me.
"Look, I don't agree with them. In fact, I very much disagree with them and haven't spoken to any of them except my parents and brother since I left the small town I grew up in.
Anyway, they're just nasty people, and they say ignorant things about the Lokans.
Like I said, I shouldn't have brought it up. "
Based on the one interaction I've seen of her brother talking with Brandr, I'm not entirely surprised the family isn't the kindest. It isn't uncommon for there to be prejudices between different species, especially on planets that have become melting pots of different species.
After the invasion of Earth, Lokans were seen as heroes, then it was found out their species was easily compatible with humans without DNA altering needed to produce young, and well, humans were more than willing to invite the big grizzly things into their lives.
Of course, there are always those who have issues with it, but they tend to stay in human-only towns where the technology isn't very advanced and all their hardships are blamed on others.
"I'm assuming they won't be very pleased you've found yourself attached to a Sombran," I say, keeping my tone light since I'm sure it's a heavy subject for her.
"I don't very much care if I'm being honest," she says with a shrug. "Like I said, I only talk to my parents and brother, and even then it's usually only when they're asking for money."
I grit my teeth, but try to keep myself from letting my displeasure be known too strongly. "You know you don't have to give them money, right?"
Reese takes a deep breath, and something tells me this isn't the first or even tenth time she's had this conversation with someone.
Maybe everyone who talks to her brother for any length of time realizes how she's worthy of so much more than being his piggy bank.
She's worth so much more than the whole bunch of them if they're as ignorant as I'm sure they are.
"I promised to take care of them," Reese says, and it's the saddest little admission I've heard from her.
I don't even have to prompt her to say more before she's already making excuses for it on her own.
"I don't want to be one of those people who get rich and famous and then just dump everyone from their past life.
I don't agree with them, and honestly, I don't think they even like me very much, but it's my parents and brother.
If I stopped giving them money, I genuinely think they'd never speak to me again. "
I want to ask if that would be such a bad thing since it's obvious they don't care for her, but that's a rude thing to say.
It also makes me want to tap into my dad's mind and tell him thank you for not being a garbage parent and ask him to tell my mother too.
But I can't do that right now because Mauve will then ask where I am, and we've already ignored a few messages from her.
Reese doesn't like keeping Mauve in the dark, but I want her safe before we start planning next steps.
Knowing my mother, she's going to want to set up a whole meeting to go over everything as soon as she gets in contact with either of us.
"I'd really like to meet your family sometime," I tell Reese, though the words come out as quite the opposite in tone.
I can't help it. I might want to meet with them, but it won't be because I need to win them over.
No, I need to get into their minds and see just how ill their intentions are toward Reese.
"I'm sure," Reese mutters, as enthusiastic about my wanting to meet her family as I am about wanting to be anywhere near them.
"Well, hello, beautiful human," Kolos says, appearing so quickly in front of us that I don't register he's reaching out to touch my soulbond until he has her hand in his and is bringing it to his lips.
Kill him! My shadows all screech in unison, surging across where they've been mingling on Reese's body to form a barrier between her hand and Kolos's lips.
It's actually pretty impressive how quick they are.
Kolos is ready for it, licking them, much to their horror, when they block his way to Reese's hand.
I swat his hand away, frowning at the man before turning to Reese, who thankfully just looks confused. "Reese, this is one of my employees, Kolos."
"Oh KolosOthros?" Reese says the last half of his name as a question, and I'm both impressed that she remembers it after I mentioned it once and also annoyed that she remembers another Sombran's name. It's stupid to be upset about, I know it is. But that doesn't stop me from feeling that way.
"The one and only," Kolos says with a low bow, and I roll my eyes at his theatrics.
His dark curls are pulled back by a headband he usually wears, and he's put on a shirt, which is a plus.
It's not uncommon to find him around the ship in nothing but athletic shorts.
Reese meeting him must be the perfect occasion for him to dress up, which consists of the same shorts but with a tank top added to the mix.
"We're all so excited to meet you," he says as he scurries over to Reese's unoccupied side and wraps his arm over her shoulder.
Once again, my shadows scramble to block him, and once again, he doesn't care and just rests against them.
At least he's keeping his shadows all tucked up underneath his clothing.
He's annoying me, but he respects some boundaries.
Unless they're family, no one is supposed to put their shadows on someone else's soulbond.
Reese looks up at me as if to make sure I'm okay with whatever it is that Kolos is attempting to do, and I give her a little shrug. But just to make sure she's comfortable with how friendly he's being, I add, "If she tells you to leave her alone–"
"I'll be gone so fast," Kolos says, holding his free hand to his chest. "Besides, I can actually tell what she's thinking, unlike someone I know."
Kolos's jab hits its mark, and all of my shadows vibrate with rage.
Their sole purpose in life is to keep our soulbond safe, and here they are facing the reality of how stupid they are because the only person they're keeping out is me.
Not that it'll make them change. They've been this way for as long as Sombran history has been written down, and will continue being idiots long after I pass from this life.
"Wait, you can read my thoughts?" Reese asks, her eyes wide, her body moving closer to me, though there's not much I can do other than maybe throw one of the suitcases at Kolos. That would be satisfying, but we're so close to the ship. I'm not trying to cause a scene in the middle of the port.
"Of course I can," Kolos says with a bright smile. "I specialize in sifting through memories, so you won't even know I'm in there."
"Kolos," I snap. It's one thing to tease the woman. It's a whole other thing to make her think you're going to go through her entire life.
"Kidding, kidding," he says, holding his hands up, and then immediately dropping his arm back over Reese's shoulder.
"I can actually do all of that, but I won't. It's not nice to go through friends' memories without their permission.
I can't promise not to hear your thoughts when they get too loud, though. "
Reese is still wide-eyed as she looks at me.
"Sometimes human thoughts are extra loud.
It's usually when they're passionate about something.
Joy, anger, anything that makes you feel a lot, and you're harder to tune out.
If you're the only one around and the shadows get a little lazy on filtering, it's especially noticeable. "
"Okay, so I just need to not get excited about anything," Reese says to herself.
Then, because it's exactly what Kolos wants, she thinks about something that would make her excited, something that would embarrass her if anyone else heard it.
I can see the thoughts taking hold as the flush in her cheeks grows, and then the horror hits her.
"Don't worry," Kolos says, leaning in an almost conspiratorial whisper. "I won't tell him a single thing."
He moves his fingers over his lips like he's zipping and then locking them before flicking his imaginary key at me. I give him more than just a little tap against his mental fortitudes and smirk when he stumbles, eyes closing as I hammer at the wall around his mind.
"I give," he says, hands going to his knees as he bends forward. "Zill, stop, I'm going to puke."
I hit him one more time, and then turn my focus back to Reese.
"He's fine. Just a little dramatic." I glare back at Kolos, who is, in fact, hurling.
At least we're near the ship. "He'll stop before he makes you uncomfortable, but he really likes seeing how close he can get to where the line is drawn.
If he's bothering you, tell him. He'll stop. "
"Are you sure?" Reese asks.