Chapter 9
Linsea
Standing on the front lawn of the university after class with Mares and Tala, I struggled with my mind constantly wandering back to Kayog.
I wanted to feel guilty about skipping classes yesterday as I ended up spending pretty much all of it with him.
It disturbed me how hard and fast I was falling for that male.
We’d only met a few days ago and had spoken far too few times for me to know him.
And yet, with a certainty that couldn’t be denied, I knew that I was falling in love with him.
There was no question that I would marry him someday.
But first, we had to fix him. The fact that he allowed me to take whatever measures were necessary to get the medical assistance he needed moved me to my very core.
As much as it frustrated me not to be able to sense his emotions, I understood his reluctance to being treated.
His dread of the medical staff had almost been palpable as we talked.
He was taking a massive leap of faith in me, and I would be damned before I let him down.
I already had a few things in motion with the blessed help from my nan.
Tomorrow, I would receive a special scanner that would allow us to get the type of advanced data standard hospitals couldn’t provide.
To the extent possible, I would provide the specialists with the samples they needed without exposing my mate to them until it became essential.
That said, it would be a lie to pretend his medical condition hogged my every thought. The memory of his arms around me, of his muscular body pressed against mine, the gentle and respectful way in which he touched me, and the tenderness of his kisses had me tingling in all the right places.
More than once, I wished he had grown bolder and carried me to that wondrous bedroom of his with the breathtaking view of nature, and the massive bed which seemed to have the most comfortable mattress in the universe. At the same time, I loved the restraint he displayed.
Although our males retracted their naughty bits inside their bodies, we could feel when they were aroused if rubbing against them the right way.
In some cases, you could even see the bulge beneath the thin layer of feathers on their crotch.
As we danced, the state of his arousal had been loudly expressed.
Too many times to count, my fingers itched with the urge to venture south and gently stroke that intimate part to coax him into extruding.
I wanted to feel embarrassed by the lascivious thoughts that he stirred within me.
With any other male, I probably would have felt dismayed to be so eager this early after meeting.
But with Kayog, everything felt right and fated.
Still, I loved that he showed me in both words and action that I wasn’t some fling or another conquest to add to his record.
“Stop fantasizing about your man and tell us how breakfast went with him—not to mention the rest of the day with Mr. Perfect,” Tala demanded, wiggling her eyebrows in a suggestive fashion.
“She didn’t have breakfast with me,” Mares interjected with pretend confusion that had both of us chuckling.
“She had better not,” my friend replied with false severity. “As much as I love her, should she come sniffing anywhere near you, I’ll have to pluck her bare.”
I burst out laughing. “I’d tell you to bring it, but as much as I appreciate your man, I’m already taken.”
“Taken?!” Tala said, opening her eyes wide as she spoke the word in a manner heavy with raunchy undertones. “Do tell!”
“I already told you that I don’t kiss and tell,” I deadpanned.
“Oh, my God! So you did kiss?!”
I hadn’t meant it that way, but my cheeks heated, and my embarrassed expression to have thus tattled on myself erased any doubt she might still have had.
“Let’s freaking go!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly. “I want all the deets!”
“Tala,” Mares said in a disapproving tone.
“But baaaabe!” she said in a whiny tone.
“No buts, my love. We do not pry into people’s personal lives,” he said in a gently chastising voice.
“Bah, you two are no fun,” she said with an exaggerated pout that clearly indicated she was just playfully being a brat. “So when are you seeing him again?”
I scrunched my face and shrugged. “I don’t know,” I said sheepishly.
Their troubled expressions laced with a hint of pity—although quickly hidden—stung quite a bit.
It didn’t take a genius to know they were wondering if I was being played.
At the same time, I could feel their inner struggle about it as they both strongly believed that he was serious about me, if only because they’d never seen him show interest in anyone else.
“I believe we’ll see each other again either later today or tomorrow.”
Their instantaneous excitement touched me deeply. They wanted to see me happy.
“You really like him,” Tala said in a gentle voice devoid of her usual mischief.
“I do,” I said with a timid expression. “He’s so sweet and respectful. But he has some substantial challenges that I hope I can help him with.”
“Is he neurodivergent, as we speculated?” Mares asked.
I gave him an apologetic smile. “It’s not my place to discuss his personal matters.
But we had a long discussion yesterday, and it explained a lot of things.
Honestly, I’m thoroughly amazed by him. The things he has overcome, all the challenges he faced and not only prevailed, but grew into such a good person is just awe-inspiring. ”
“Damn, someone is falling hard!” Mares said in a gently teasing tone.
“I am,” I admitted shyly.
“Well he couldn’t have gotten himself a better partner than you,” Tala said affectionately.
“That’s right,” Mares said, puffing out his chest as he drew Tala into his embrace. “Because I already got the best one there is.”
“Aww, why are you always so sweet?” Tala asked, melting against him.
My chest warmed for my friends, even as a sliver of envy flashed through me.
“You two are incredibly cute,” I said with a smile.
“Of course, we are,” Tala said, flicking her hair in a pretend diva fashion that had her mate and I laughing.
“We were thinking of going on a Nordjarimm ride,” Mares said, sobering. “Would you want to come with us?”
“Better yet, could we make this a double date?” Tala suggested.
I hesitated. “You know, us winged folks usually prefer flying ourselves rather than riding flying mounts.”
“Show off,” Tala said, making a face at me.
I chuckled.
“Fair enough, but you could fly alongside us,” Mares countered. “Their flight path is supposedly absolutely breathtaking.”
I nodded. “Yeah, so I heard. But didn’t they announce an incoming storm in that area?”
“Hmmm. Let me check,” Mares replied.
He released his mate and walked a few steps towards the ancestral tree under whose shade we’d been standing.
He placed his palm against the trunk, and his veris immediately extruded.
Those vines ran just below or above the skin of Edocits both on their hands, feet, and intertwined with their hair.
They allowed his species to connect with any plant, tree, and even the ground itself.
On their homeworld, animals, fish, and birds also possessed their own veris, allowing Edocits to communicate directly with them.
In this instance, Mares was connecting with the tree, which would allow him to transfer his consciousness through any interconnected flora, giving him an open window into the remotest region of the planet.
Naturally, the farther his consciousness traveled, the longer it took for him to return.
Therefore, Edocits always carefully chose where they used that ability as their bodies remained vulnerable to attacks during that time.
His face went slack as his veris sank into the grooves between the bark of the trunk. Unlike on his planet, these trees did not have veris of their own, which made the connection a bit weaker.
“Man, you aliens have all those freaking cool powers and insane strength while us humans just suck,” Tala mumbled.
Although she was saying it in a playful manner, there was in fact a hint of envy lingering within.
“Humans don’t suck, least of all you,” I said before gently squeezing her shoulder.
“Pfft, don’t try to mollify me. You’re too cool to need a flying mount because you have those amazing, badass wings.
You can read people’s emotions and are probably inwardly rolling your eyes at all the petty jealousy I’m broadcasting.
And you could fling my whiny butt halfway across the yard with a flick of your wrist.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the overly dramatic way in which she spilled all of that. She then playfully glared at her mate, who was still oblivious to what was happening here as his consciousness traveled the world.
“And he could survive for months simply feeding by photosynthesis. He can use his vines and veris tentacles to project his mind throughout this whole freaking planet. Mares can communicate with both the flora and fauna in his world. AND to add insult to injury, my plant man can grow some awesome, safe, and totally non-addictive recreational drugs in his hair. But humans, we just get bitchslapped by everything and everyone.”
A wave of guilt surged through me for laughing.
But Tala had a way of making anything sound absolutely hilarious.
I hoped that wherever our careers led us, we would be able to remain in close contact, or to at least make sure that distance didn’t kill our friendship.
She was a breath of fresh air and a ray of light I wanted to keep forever in my life.