Chapter 15 #2
Edith smiled, eyes disappearing in the deep folds of her skin. She said, voice alight with humor, “I will put her birdwatching video back on in a few moments. But I observed Wyn as he fed Bob, and all was well.”
“I took great care with your kit,” I assured the prince. “I even got him to nap.”
Seth bounced a happy Bobbinvoxlyn. “Where?”
I shouldn’t have brought it up, because I didn’t want to tell either of them, let alone Edith, who would make a much bigger deal than the situation merited, especially since I’d spoken to Monqilcolnen’s father, who had a very wrong impression of us.
But there was no way to avoid answering.
Kalvoxrencol and Seth had the right to know where their child had slept.
“Commander Monqilcolnen allowed me the use of his quarters,” I replied quietly.
Kalvoxrencol’s eyebrows went up, clearly surprised, but Seth looked at Edith and the two of them had near identical smirks.
My tail flicked at the twin expressions; they had been discussing Monqilcolnen and I in private, it seemed, and clearly shared opinions—hopefully not the same opinion as his father.
However, all Seth said was, “I’m glad Monty was willing to let Bob sleep in his room. I’ll have to thank him.”
“I’m sure he didn’t mind,” Kalvoxrencol said.
“He did not,” I agreed.
“And thank you, Wyn,” Seth said, coming to my side and hooking his arm around my waist to draw me into a short hug. “We haven’t slept like that in a while. I was afraid Bob would never sleep again.”
I brushed the kit’s brown hair, and he snagged my hand, chewing on my finger with his gummy mouth. I smiled. “He simply required plants, or at least I think so because he calmed down once we reached the atrium.”
“I’ve been neglecting that,” Kalvoxrencol admitted, taking his son from Seth. Bobbinvoxlyn squealed in anger for one second before grabbing his father’s long hair in his chubby fists, laughing. Kalvoxrencol winced.
Seth started to disentangle Bobbinvoxlyn from Kalvoxrencol’s hair. “It’s not just your fault.”
I wisely didn’t remark. “I would be honored to watch the young prince whenever you need.”
“Thanks,” Seth said, but his tight expression informed me he wouldn’t be taking advantage of my generosity anytime soon.
“If you will excuse me,” I said, offering Kalvoxrencol my throat.
His tail twitched in annoyance, as he’d asked me to stop deferring to him in casual settings, but it was difficult to overcome my instinct and the social station in which I’d been raised.
“I’ll see you later,” Seth said. “Lunch tomorrow?”
“That would be lovely.”
“I’ll ask Urgg.”
I gave them both a quick goodbye before heading down the corridor of the ship.
My feet automatically led me to Monqilcolnen’s office.
I stared at it. I wasn’t on duty today, so there was no reason for me to be here, and yet I was.
Why? What was it about him? He made me want to run away from myself and him while simultaneously crowd closer to him.
It was a unique feeling I’d never experienced before.
Also, his father’s words were ringing in my brain.
He thought Monqilcolnen wanted me. He didn’t, did he?
With a stern shake of my head, I backed away.
It wouldn’t do to bother the commander when he was no doubt busy.
Besides, it wasn’t as if I didn’t have things to do or other people I could associate with.
Camden wouldn’t mind spending time together.
Or I could attempt to become friends with Noxlyn.
He seemed interesting, and we were both seeker souls.
There was a great chance we’d be amazing friends.
Or there was always working on furthering my own research with Edith, or the AI kill code, or one of the other projects I was working on.
Or Cencay. They always wanted company, the lonely kid.
As I headed down on the lift, my decision was made for me. On deck three, the door opened, revealing Cencay. They looked frazzled, their pale pink hair free of its braids and in frizzy curls around their face.
“Cadet Cencay,” I greeted.
They offered me their throat, and I acknowledged it with a flick of my tail and a wave of my hand. They whispered, their voice clouded, "Lieutenant Wyn.”
My eyebrows drew together. “Are you well?”
Their chin wobbled.
Oh no. Please no.
“No,” they burst out as tears slid down their cheeks.
I stood there, unsure of what I was supposed to do.
We hadn’t discussed permissions, because it hadn’t seemed important to our relationship as comrades and mentor/mentee, besides the general in life-threatening scenarios I could assist. That was clearly a misjudgment on my part, and yet now was definitely not the time.
So I watched awkwardly as Cencay cried. When the sobs quieted, I said, “If you want to talk, I’m sure I can help you.”
“It’s Camden.”
Stars above, I was starting to sympathize with Seth. Why did I have to deal with this? But no. I was their mentor, and more than that, I did wish to be a kind soul, although it was trying at times.
“What about Camden?” I asked.
Cencay broke into more sobs, shoulders heaving, before sinking to the floor.
I looked up and took a deep breath before crouching beside them. This wasn’t going to be a short conversation, from the looks of it.
Kalvoxrencol took a seat across from my desk without an invitation.
He spread his wings as he yawned, and Cincin buried her face against my neck, hiding.
My house goddess had yet to see the merit of any of my cousins or their mates.
Poor Seth. He’d made a point to come to my quarters frequently to spend time with her, and she’d rebuffed him at every turn.
“Pest,” I greeted as I continued working through the data pads on my desk.
With the current complication, it meant I had a great deal more work ahead of me.
I had to restructure duty shifts and assignments, which meant reviewing everything as well as sending the supervising officers each a note with what I needed from their departments, though I would have a meeting with each senior officer, who could then delegate.
But I’d found giving information both verbally and written worked better for everyone.
I was so busy I’d had to put off speaking with Hallonnixmin and Dontilvynsan.
The three of us tried to speak every week to keep abreast of what was going on in each other’s lives. Also, I simply did better when I was in frequent contact with them. They were my closest friends, and I always missed them when we were apart.
“So, Wyn,” Kalvoxrencol commented.
I fought the urge to slump my shoulders or roll my eyes. The first would disturb Cincin, which I would never do, and the latter wasn’t something I indulged in often. This situation hardly merited it.
The instant I’d allowed Wyn into my system and then given him the use of my quarters today, I knew this conversation was coming. Kalvoxrencol was a protective drakcol, even if he was a creator soul, and he viewed Wyn as under his protection.
He was wrong, of course.
My instincts rebelled at the mere thought of someone else being responsible for Wyn.
He was mine. I forced the claiming thought down, as now wasn’t the time.
Wyn did not belong to me. He would certainly agree.
But once I’d thought of him in the romantic sense, my instincts surged, wishing to claim him, which was dangerous.
He couldn’t be my mate, and I couldn’t think of him as such. Not yet, at least.
“What about Lieutenant Wyn?” I asked.
It wouldn’t do to give him too much information.
While I loved Kalvoxrencol dearly, he wasn’t Hallonnixmin or Dontilvynsan—I was beyond close with the two of them.
Even with the two of them, I wasn’t sure I would confess exactly how I felt about Wyn and what exactly was going on with us.
Not that there was anything happening at the moment.
Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. Soon.
I practically growled as my inner fire unhelpfully whispered to me. I knew this already, and I didn’t need to be reminded again and again.
“Monqilcolnen, you allowed him the use of your quarters.”
“For your kit,” I replied.
“Thank you for that.”
I gave him a small smile. “I would do anything for you and Bobbinvoxlyn.”
A broader version of my own smile appeared on Kalvoxrencol’s face.
It was moments like this I saw exactly how we were related.
We shared other similarities, such as our strong chins, long noses, and broad foreheads, but Kalvoxrencol’s smile was identical to mine, though I rarely allowed mine free to the extent he did his.
“Tell me what’s going on with you and Wyn, then.”
I chuckled, leaning back slightly. Cincin warningly gripped me with her claws, but I didn’t move enough to threaten her seat on my shoulders. “Well played, Pest.”
“Thank you, Cousin.”
My lips pursed momentarily before I forced my expression into my serene mask.
I had no endearment from them, as I was their sole cousin, or at least closely related one, and I wanted one.
But that was hardly something to think about right now.
At the moment, I had to decide what exactly to share with him.
“Wyn is interesting.” I decided on eventually.
“He is. He is also beautiful.”
I had to suppress the snarl trying to climb my throat at the thought of anyone else finding Wyn lovely, which was utterly ridiculous. No doubt numerous people thought Wyn was beautiful, for he was. I merely replied, “He is.”
“Are you courting him?”
“No.” I wasn’t. Not yet at least. I was hopeful this was where we were going, but between my inner fire and Wyn’s discomfort with me, it would be a long time coming, if ever. In the end, we might only become close friends. I would have to content myself with that, and I would.
“Why not?”
I raised my eyebrows. “Why would I?”
“Because you seem to care about him.”
“I do.” This I would not lie about. “He’s interesting, lovely, and beautiful, but he is my direct subordinate.”
“Monqilcolnen,” he said, voice growing in volume and drawing out the length of my name.
“What?” I asked. “What do you want from me?”
“The truth.”
I conceded, “I understand, but I don’t wish to discuss it with you at the moment. But to satisfy your protective instincts and honor, I will say I have no ill intentions regarding Wyn. He is safe with me, as anyone is.”
“Thank you,” Kalvoxrencol said. “I do hope you’ll talk about it with Hallonnixmin and Dontilvynsan.”
“More like you will tell them so they ping me about it.”
He grinned. “Yes.”
I shook my head, but I wasn’t angry. I loved my little cousin far too much, and he was finally connecting to all of us. I would never resent or rebuff his care. To change the subject, I said, “We are about to have a detour.”
He perked up. “Why?”
“The Vvekian envoy pinged Talvax. They don’t feel safe traveling by themselves with the amount of technology they have on board.”
“I can understand that. Xoi would love to take advantage of their lack of security.”
Xoi would never attack a Vvekian ship because it would mean war with the Coalition, who would wipe them away like a wave on the sand. But they would take advantage of any slight situation that arose, claiming the right of salvage.
“They have also requested the help of our scientists to continue working on the Cow Project for the base on the moon orbiting Earth.” Caleb had named the project, and every human had laughed when they heard it, so I assumed he was playing some slight trick on us with the name.
“Are we going to rendezvous with them?” my cousin asked.
“We are.”
“If we have to go all the way to Vveki, this trip is going to get a lot longer.”
“Good thing we are not, but we will be meeting them at the border of their space.”
Kalvoxrencol shook his head. “That is more than a month out of our way.”
“Yes, but the Cohort has approved, so we are going.”
“This is going to be an interesting trip.”
In many ways, I thought. In very many ways.