Chapter 26
Urgg was right and is more than happy to share it.
I fought the smile that wanted to spread over my face. It was harder than usual, likely because I’d never been this happy or content in my entire life.
Wyn. I was courting Wyn. I could hardly believe it. We were together. The only thing that would’ve made this better was if I’d woken up with Wyn in my bed, naked body pressed against mine. Nonetheless, I was still very happy.
My gaze shifted to Talvax, who’d fallen silent. We’d been having our weekly meeting in her sparse office, and I hadn’t heard a single word she had said.
“Are you going to answer the question, or shall I order you to?” Talvax asked. “It wasn’t even a hard one that requires that much thinking.”
I cleared my throat. “I was, regretfully, not listening.”
She smirked. “This wouldn’t happen to be about a certain lieutenant you are courting?”
“How?” I asked. “I hadn’t told you we were official yet.” I had intended to in this meeting so we could discuss exactly what would happen, as well as take any precautions that we needed to.
Talvax laughed. “I am almost certain the entire ship knows. You told Qinlin, who told Noxlyn, who told Camden, and I’m fairly certain it spread from there.
Urgg is telling anyone who will listen they predicted it first, and Camden is right beside my mate, saying it was him who noticed it first. They are arguing, rather loudly. I’m shocked you haven’t heard them.”
Urgg and Camden screaming in the promenade with all their breath that they were the first to suspect was all too easy to imagine. I hadn’t been aware they had become friends, but Urgg and Camden seemed to be of the same vein—always collecting new friends.
“I was going to tell you,” I said.
“I guessed as much. I also assume you spoke with Qinlin to transfer Wyn’s direct command structure to her as we discussed.”
“Yes.” The power imbalance between us had needed to be addressed. “I will no longer make any decisions regarding Wyn’s career.”
“It’s a necessary precaution to protect Wyn and yourself,” Talvax said.
It was, but part of me wished to retain every part of control over Wyn and what might possibly affect him.
I didn’t desire to control his life, but rather, to remain in it.
I did not want to lose him, as it had been exceedingly hard to gain even a modicum of his affection, but I couldn’t force our connection.
I had to trust that, in time, he would desire me as much as I desired him.
Waiting for such a time was going to be hard, but it would be worth it.
Wyn was worth everything.
I rocked Bobbinvoxlyn in my arms as Seth smiled, looking at the two of us. I said, “I was going to tell you. I apologize you had to hear about me and Monqilcolnen from someone else.”
How had our relationship news even gotten out?
I knew how it had spread as fast as it did, though.
Apparently, Urgg and Camden had been telling anyone and everyone about us, claiming to know first, so basically, everyone on board now knew.
Kalvoxrencol had told Seth before I could during the middle hour, when we’d agreed to spend time in his quarters.
“It’s fine,” Seth replied. “I was a tad surprised, but Urgg was right, I guess.”
“I’m always right,” Urgg shouted, making the kit start and start squalling.
Seth tensed, like he was going to remove the kit from my grasp, but he remained seated. I patted Bobbinvoxlyn’s back to soothe him back to sleep.
Urgg cooed in their rough, guttural voice, “Oh, little rock, do not allow my battle cry to upset you. I will make a fierce warrior out of you yet.”
“You will not,” Seth said.
“I will indeed,” they rejoined. “I will take him to Barus, and once he’s coated in the red sand from the home planet, he will feel the warrior spirit invading his cells.”
“Sand?” Seth squeaked, as if he couldn’t even imagine Bobbinvoxlyn being so filthy.
I smirked at Urgg. “Barus is not his home planet.”
“So? It’s his second parent’s home.”
“Second parent?” Seth asked. “What in the world is that?”
“Me,” Urgg said, jabbing their own chest with a thick finger. “I’m the little rock’s second parent.”
“No,” Seth said with a shake of his head. “What does it mean?”
“In Barusian culture, often parents will name a second set of parents to care for the kid should anything happen,” Urgg replied. “Obviously, Talvax and me are the second parents. Why would you want anyone else to care for the babe should anything happen to you and Kalvoxrencol?”
“Who else, indeed?” I gestured to myself. “What about me? Or one of Prince’s many brothers?”
Urgg scoffed and waved their hand. “Like any of you compare to me and Talvax. I will outlive all of you. Barusians live two centuries longer than humans or drakcol, and Talvax is the best. Why wouldn’t Seth want me or Talvax to care for his child?”
“Um,” Seth started, but I didn't let him continue.
“So what if you live longer? Seth clearly likes me better, and Bobbinvoxlyn and I have a unique bond. I read to him when he was still in the fetal tube.”
“Bah!” Urgg growled. “Bob didn’t even have ears then. He’s far better off with me.”
“No, he’s not,” I snapped, holding the small kit close to my chest. I would never let anyone take him away from me. I’d desired a family my entire life and now I had one. I refused to surrender that. Besides, I adored Bobbinvoxlyn. He was infinitely dear to me.
“Yes, he is.”
“No, he’s not,” I growled.
“Hey,” Seth yelled, standing. We both turned to look at him. Seth snagged Bobbinvoxlyn from my arms and kissed his small child. “Kal and I have already asked Don and Vince to raise Bob if something happened to us.”
My mouth dropped open, and Urgg crossed their arms, scowling.
“They seemed like the most rational choice. Fyn and Caleb don’t want kids, so Kal and I would never ask them. Vince is my childhood friend, and Don is so kind and gentle. It seemed like the best fit for Bob if Kal and I aren’t around anymore.”
“And you didn’t even tell us?” Urgg asked.
I silently agreed, crossing my arms to mirror Urgg’s pose.
“It’s not a big deal,” Seth said, lifting and lowering his shoulders. “And I had no idea you two would fight over being a backup to me and Kal.”
Urgg turned toward me. “Of course we want the little rock. We are your closest friends, and Bob is very cute.”
“Of course, the kit is, and I had thought we were his closest friends,” I replied. “But he did know Vince from before.”
“Like that matters.”
“I agree.”
“Of course you do. I’m always right.”
I stood. “I think we should get lunch.”
“Sounds like an excellent plan.” Urgg followed me to leave Seth’s quarters.
“Are you two serious? I didn’t mean to upset you.” Seth’s voice wobbled, and I paused in my step. When I glanced over my shoulder, I caught sight of his pale face and his wide, glassy eyes.
“We’re not serious,” I said, moving toward him and curling my tail around his wrist to pull him closer. “We’re playing.”
Urgg sidled up to me and slapped Seth on the back, making him flinch. “We’re friends, no, siblings. We are not truly upset, but it would’ve been nice if you’d told us.”
“I didn’t mean not to. I just figured it wasn’t a big deal,” Seth said, eyes down, and smoothed a hand over Bobbinvoxlyn’s back.
“Come on.” I tugged on Seth’s wrist that I still held. “Let’s all go to lunch.”
The rest of the day crept by as I waited to be beside Monqilcolnen again.
I hadn’t even been able to pay attention to Camden, who’d followed me around part of the day because Noxlyn had been busy, and chattered about his younger brother—the brother he hoped to bring back from Earth.
Nothing, not my meetings, not Cencay, not my supervisor, not my work, would take my thoughts from Monqilcolnen.
I’d missed him all day. I had no idea why. It hadn’t been that long since I’d seen him, but it was like a part of me was missing—a part he held. I had to see him, be with him to be whole once again.
The moment I was off duty, I asked NAID where Monqilcolnen was, and it supplied he was in his quarters. I had no idea what he planned for us to do, if anything, but I had to lay eyes on him. My longing for him was an ache at this point.
I didn’t bother to ring the chime at his door, and instead went right inside. He wasn’t in the shared space, so I headed to the bedroom and relaxed the instant I stepped inside. Monqilcolnen’s back was to me, his silver hair a shiny sheet. It appeared as if he was changing out of his uniform.
He shrugged out of his thick dark blue coat, then tugged off his gray undershirt, laying both on the bed. With a low groan that went straight to my cock, Monqilcolnen stretched his wings. His hands lowered to his trousers, and my mouth went dry as want pulsed in me.
I needed to announce my presence, but my voice got clogged in my throat.
He was so beautiful. I’d missed him so much.
Instinct, need, desire all ripped through me, demanding I touch him.
I took a single step toward him, and then closed the remaining space separating us to wind my arms around his trim waist.
He started in my embrace, but he didn’t try to pull away.
I pressed my palm to his bare stomach while my other laid flat over his pounding soul.
My face buried against his hair as I took a deep inhale.
The musky perfection of his fragrance engrained itself on my lungs.
An instinct arose from deep within me to rub against him until I bore his scent and he had mine.
Everyone needed to know he belonged only to me.
“Wyn,” Monqilcolnen said, dragging his claws over my arm.
I moaned, pushing tighter against him.
“I thought you didn’t care for touch outside of fucking?”
That made me pause. Normally I didn’t, but I craved Monqilcolnen in a way that was entirely new and unexpected.
“Or,” he started again, “do you wish to fuck?”
We certainly could, but that hadn’t been my intention. I’d simply wanted to hold him. An uncomfortable curl in my gut made me unable to speak, and I didn’t try to force myself. I just wanted him. Why did I have to articulate the need?
His wings twitched, flapping a bit against me.
“Do you need me to let you go?” I asked, my voice surprisingly even.
“No, Wyn. I never need you to let me go.”
My breath caught. Did he mean right now or for forever?
His tail found mine and curled around it, sending sparks of awareness up the sensitive appendage and through the rest of my body.
My chest heaved as my breath sped up and arousal began to flood my body.
On a normal basis, it didn’t take much to excite me, but Monqilcolnen was not, in any way, normal.
He set my body alight in a whole new way, and it took nothing for me to desire him.
“I would like to do something with you tonight,” he said.
“What?”
“An outing for the two of us.”
I chuckled, pushing my face against him. He stilled, then sagged against me, making me grunt as I bore more of his weight than I’d expected. Monqilcolnen wasn’t a small man, and I was considerably smaller than he was.
“I meant,” I said, “what do you wish to do?”
“I do not care as long as I am with you.”
I nipped one of his wings, making him grunt, but I wasn’t displeased with his response. My soul pounded and warmth suffused my limbs.
“What do you want to do?” he asked me.
“Food.”
Monqilcolnen said in his perfectly even voice, “Then you shall have food.”
“Then?”
I thought about it. “Let’s see where the evening takes us.”
“As long as you’re beside me, I’m more than fine with that.”