Chapter 12
Min-Ji
Corin didn’t have more of that powder that worked on the welds, but that didn’t seem to matter as much when you had this much brute strength and access at your disposal.
After carrying off all the huge chunks of stone that had been piled against the door, the warriors worked steadily to chip away at the welded seams. It was honestly impressive how quickly they could do all that.
One moment I had been watching the weird bubbling tanks that populated this huge lab; the next, cheers were going up and a clean breeze blew in.
Then it all became a bit of a blur as we left the dark, hidden warren of tunnels and rooms beneath Ahoshaga and entered the pretty part, the town.
Here, the crystals glowed like daylight, and the dark rock had been carved to fit over a hundred apartments in a downward spiral toward a pretty fountain.
As we climbed into the inhabited world, Haven’s members came streaming in from the outside to greet us.
It soon became a chaotic mass of bodies and happy reunions.
I saw Naomi and Krashe collide in a fierce embrace, the pretty, freckled woman crying, her Warlord growling.
They disappeared into their home, and I knew that Naomi would be giving her mate her joyful news.
Ekkire snuck outside as soon as he could, clearly eager to be back under the open sky, while everyone else was just happy to be back.
Vera and Kalani hugged, our blonde-haired leader crying as she cradled her heavily pregnant belly.
I was pulled into a huddle of arms and smiles, but I didn’t miss how Corin hurried Reid into the med bay.
His head was already bent close together with that of the white-scaled Shaman, Artek.
That night, a feast was prepared to celebrate the safe return of everyone and to officially welcome Zeidon and Farah to Haven.
Naomi would normally be our designated chef, but for obvious reasons, she was absent that night along with her mate.
I sat around the fire, enjoying the festivities and the fresh food, but I noticed Corin and Artek’s absence.
They were still working on Reid, and it didn’t seem like good news that they were taking that long.
I was tempted to go find him; I mean them.
It would be the right thing to do: check on the injured Reid.
Bolstered by some of that potent Abseal that Iave brewed, I was almost at the door when I lost my courage.
Corin told me to stay away for my own good.
I still didn’t know why he thought that was best, but now was not the time to push him on the subject.
When I heard a very dejected beep from my right, I discovered Triff peeking out at me from the small opening of a cleaning-bot tunnel.
“Hey, did they kick you out of the med bay, buddy?” I asked the little bot.
All the cleaning bots looked virtually identical, but I still recognized Triff.
There was no other bot that could make their sounds have so much meaning.
He hummed as he rushed toward me, circling my ankles and reminding me a little of an excited puppy.
I ducked down and stuck out my hand, and he pushed his round dome against my fingers.
I wondered if he could feel that. It didn’t seem possible, but he seemed to take comfort from the touch. It made me feel a little better too.
“Come on, you can bunk with me tonight,” I told him, and he squealed, a joyful noise this time.
That saved me from embarrassing myself in front of Corin as I drunkenly asked him again why we couldn’t be together.
Who needed a man anyway, or a male? I was fine on my own!
I was going to crawl into bed for some well-earned rest and forget all about him.
My apartment was empty and cold when I stepped inside.
The lights were warm and bright, but they didn’t feel welcoming when everything was so bare and devoid of personal touches.
I had a shelf, a desk, a chair, and piles and piles of soft furs, courtesy of all the hunters.
Nothing that made this place mine. They were all things given to me by guys who hoped I might be their mate, or they were charity from the mated males.
It was probably the alcohol talking, but I felt extra gloomy as I kicked off my boots and crawled under my furs.
The bed was cold, and it wasn’t even a proper bed.
The Naga called them nests—round areas made up of hay, fragrant herbs, sticks for the raised edge, and furs to make them comfy.
I still hadn’t gotten used to how much space there was inside one, and it made me feel extra lonely.
Triff settled right next to the nest, beeping once before going into hibernation mode. Unlike a flesh-and-blood pet, he didn’t make for good cuddling. At least I knew that he was lonely too, missing Corin like I was.
It felt like I’d only blinked a few times after dimming the lights when a sound jerked me back to full wakefulness.
I couldn’t see a thing in this darkness, but I recognized the sound of scales sliding against stone.
There was someone in my bedroom. Adrenaline surged, and any sleepiness vanished like snow before the sun.
This had never happened before. The aspirants all slept outside the palisade at night.
Only the fully trusted males were allowed a home inside the mountain, like Aks and Xorare, but they were a couple, and then there was Corin. ..
The sound came again, and I jerked upright, my hand slipping beneath the furs to locate my knife.
I hadn’t felt the need for that protection in a long while, and I realized it wasn’t there.
“Who’s in my room?” I demanded. There was no response, but I saw something glitter, something silver. “Corin? Is that you?”
The answering hiss was the only reply I got.
He didn’t say anything, but I knew it was him.
My earlier fear forgotten—Corin would never harm me—I leaned over the edge of my nest so I could flick on the little lantern I kept there.
The light was just a soft orange glow, but I had to blink a few times before my eyes adjusted.
He was inside my room, but barely, hanging back by the door and raised high on his tail.
I’d never seen the expression on his face that he wore now, and I struggled to put words to it.
A darkness clung to his eyes that I wasn’t used to seeing.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he looked desperate and horribly sad at the same time.
“Did he die?” I asked, my mind leaping to the most obvious reason for that kind of expression.
His head shake was firm, and I blew out a relieved breath.
Okay, that was good. Then why the expression?
Corin often wasn’t very talkative, but this took the cake.
And why was he here? I thought he’d made it clear that we couldn’t see each other, but he was already breaking his own rule.
He just hovered there inside my room, mercury eyes watching me and darkness clinging to him like a second skin.
At my wits’ end on what to do, I lifted the fur that covered me and held it open in invitation.
I didn’t think he’d come closer, that he’d crawl into the nest with me, but he’d come here for a reason, and maybe that was company.
Goosebumps broke out all over my flesh when he jerked forward and started to approach.
He was doing it! I liked that, liked that he’d come to me for comfort, but I was confused too.
The edge of the nest made him stop, and his bleak expression flickered.
He was fighting with himself to back away.
Determined to give him what he needed, I scooted back and fluttered the fur.
“Come on, honey. You need this. It won’t change things tomorrow, I understand.
Take what you need.” I was an idiot for making that kind of offer.
Of course, it was going to change things, but I suddenly, very desperately, wanted him to stay.
I wanted to be there for him, and I didn’t want to feel lonely; we’d both get something out of this.
His fangs glinted in the soft glow of the lantern with an orange hue, as did the sharp horn that jutted from his chin.
He looked feral, dark, and a little lost, but my words did what I’d intended. He slithered over the edge of the nest.
Maybe he didn’t intend to touch me once there, but he was a fully grown Naga male.
Suddenly, the size of the nest made a lot of sense; he took up so much space in it.
My bare toes touched a coil of his tail by accident, and the light of his silver mating marks flared to life between us.
As though the floodgates had opened, he surged forward and pulled me into his arms.
He radiated warmth as he curled around me, his arms tight around my middle, his tail coiling around my legs.
A deep groan rumbled from his chest when I eagerly buried my nose against his pecs.
He always smelled good, but it was extra nice knowing his scent would now cling to the furs on my bed.
I pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the firm scales on his chest, and he shuddered against me.
His hand slid up my spine to dig into my hair, his grasp firm as he pulled my head back.
Darkness engulfed us with a click. He’d turned the light off, but I knew that didn’t mean he couldn’t see me.
He just didn’t want me to see him, but that was okay.
I didn’t need to see his face to offer him comfort.
His mouth found mine, his lips rough as he pressed us together.
Then, his tongue slipped out, and all I could feel and taste was him.