Chapter 54 #2
Talvax walked in, and I tensed against Monqilcolnen, wanting to hide behind him.
He did not flinch, but rather yanked me closer to him as a growl rumbled in his chest. I turned my face to him as much as I could.
I wanted to vanish. How I wished I could just wink out of here.
Now that would be a useful inner fire, rather than my pointless one.
Talvax probably needed to speak to Monqilcolnen alone, which meant I would have to leave.
I loathed to separate for even a moment right now.
“You are safe and perfectly fine,” Monqilcolnen whispered in my ear before asking, “What do you need, Captain Talvax?”
His voice was more formal and stiff than I’d ever heard before. If I had to guess, I would say Monqilcolnen was still annoyed at her, though he could hardly say that, as she was his superior.
“I need to speak to Lieutenant Wyn,” she replied.
The low growl built to an audible snarl, and I smoothed a hand over his cheek. I pressed a chaste kiss to his shoulder. “Don’t, Star. She is the captain.”
I shifted in his lap, but I did not leave the safety of his arms. I needed his reassurance, or else I wouldn’t be able to face whatever Talvax wished to say. “Yes, Captain?”
She ran her eyes over me, settling on where Monqilcolnen’s arms held me tightly. “I must apologize.”
I stilled, unable to force a single word out of my strangled throat.
“I let my anger and worry override my sight of you. You are far more important, Wyn.”
“I'm not,” I whispered, and Monqilcolnen growled, nipping my neck in clear reprimand.
“You are. While this virus is destroying the Admiral Ven, it is a remarkable feat. I cannot even fathom what it took to create this.” She gave a small chuckle, but the exhaustion on her face and in her posture wouldn’t allow for any humor to be seen.
“This creation is so far beyond something I could have ever made, and you did it by yourself, in your spare time. You are a remarkable seeker.”
No words came out of my mouth.
“Qinlin has already chastised me fiercely for what I did, and I also regret my rash actions. But more importantly, I stopped treating you as a living, breathing being. I neglected you, and in that neglect, irreparable damage might have happened. I offer you my sincerest apologies. I do hope you will forgive me.”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” I said, shocked she was even apologizing. I was literally a lieutenant; she was the captain. Monqilcolnen growled again, and I swatted him with my tail to silence him. He grumbled, snuggling me closer. I continued, “I am at fault. I shouldn’t have done what I did.”
“No, but neither should have I.”
I gave her a slight smile.
“I do need you to continue working on fixing my ship.”
“I am, but if I could work directly with the other seekers, not just read their reports, I believe it would go faster.”
She offered me her throat, making my jaw drop open. “Indeed, Noxlyn has made a rather ingenious relay of systems and time slots for us to collaborate. He’s also snidely dropped comments about how I should not have isolated you.”
Monqilcolnen chuckled so softly I doubted any but me heard, though he said loudly, “Just like his mother, that one.”
Talvax snorted. “Hardly. Qinlin is far more vocal. She does not have a single care about rank or what I might do to her. We’ve been friends too long. Though I did hear her call the Admiral a pompous fool who would be better off as food for wildlife, so I doubt friendship matters all that much.”
My brain froze on the information. “Qinlin is Noxlyn’s mother?”
“Indeed,” Monqilcolnen said. He slightly shifted me toward him so my expression was visible. “Did you not know that?”
“I didn’t. He never said.”
Talvax added, “It’s not a secret, but I believe she doesn’t want anyone to treat him specially because of it.
Qinlin is a huge advocate for people having equal worth regardless of birth, probably due to her being born an orphan, and people proving what they can do without their parents interfering. ”
I blinked. I hadn’t known we shared that common thread.
Her opinion was unheard of in Drakcon society, but I could see the value.
I myself was treated as a no one because of being an orphan and having no parents, just like her.
Though it would be so much harder, I could and would continue working my way up in the navy and make something of myself.
As Doctor Qinlin has, I thought.
My fingers dragged over Monqilcolnen’s arm. If he was interested in permanence and we became a mated couple, I would shoot up in society by leaps and bounds. I worried how people would treat me outside of the small bubble we lived in, but it wasn’t worth leaving Monqilcolnen for.
Monqilcolnen’s chest rumbled and his tail stroked my leg. “Is there anything else?”
She rolled her eyes. “You are on duty.”
“So?” he bit back, and I swatted him again. Antagonizing Talvax wasn’t a good idea, no matter how annoyed he was with her.
He nuzzled my neck in response, and it soothed some deep part of me.
“I apologized to Wyn,” she said blandly. “I will not apologize to you.”
Before he could say anything, I said, “Nor do you need to, Captain. He’s just being a kit about it.”
He sputtered. “Excuse me?”
Talvax chuckled. “I am glad about the two of you, though.”
My tail wiggled, and my eyes flicked from her face, uncomfortable. “Thank you.” I cleared my throat, asking a question I knew the answer to, but I had to help my friend. “How is Urgg?”
Now, it was her turn to look away. I wanted to growl. Urgg was so distressed, and clearly they weren’t taking care of themselves as they should, though Seth hadn’t elaborated much in their and everyone else’s presence. Urgg loved Talvax so much and being apart had to be painful for both of them.
“We are still at odds, but Urgg is well,” she replied.
Liar. They were a sobbing mess.
Talvax gave a curt goodbye and left.
I slipped off Monqilcolnen’s lap, and he reached for me, asking, “Where are you going?”
“I need to check on Urgg. Seth alluded to how bad they were, but… Besides, it is the middle hour.” I was technically off, though my schedule had yet to be set again, so I was free to check on them to make sure my friend was well.
His expression scrunched, but it relaxed after only a moment. “You are a good friend.”
Pressing my lips to his, I muttered, “You need to go to Command anyway. I will see you in our quarters later.”
Monqilcolnen groaned, kissing me again, but he released me after only a moment. “Go before I fuck you over my desk or demand you fuck me.”
My cock twitched and I swallowed. I would not be opposed to that. The image of Monqilcolnen bent over and helpless as I pounded into him made my shaft start to thicken. But then I would not see Urgg, who had to be distraught and was no doubt alone right now.
I gave Monqilcolnen one last kiss, promising myself to fuck him in his office later, then darted out of the door and toward Urgg’s bakery.