Chapter 13
The Sineater
Val was consuming everything that my mate had to offer, a veritable feast of despair and confusion, fear and terror.
It ached so deep inside my chest that I wanted to sink through the ship’s metal floors and escape.
The thought came with the echoes of Frederique’s voice, calling me a coward, taunting me until I snapped—saying the truest things she possibly could and hurting me where it hurt the most. No running.
I couldn’t do that to her, wouldn’t, even if I had a choice.
“You can’t call a human a stray, Sin,” Asmoded warned me firmly.
He had coiled closer on the deck, head cocked at an angle as he studied my mate like she was a slide under a microscope.
Dravion was behind him, camouflaged against the wall and pretending he wasn’t part of the confrontation while avidly studying us at the same time.
Meanwhile, Saisir, Asmoded’s long-lost son, was holding his rifle like he was ready to use it, staring with distrust.
“Why not?” I said. “You adopted yours like a Gracka puppy.” Frederique was in overload; she’d been through too much in too short a time.
I had to get her out of here, to the med bay, for a health check, although I already knew that Val had healed whatever could possibly be physically wrong.
The need to hear that from the doc was powerful, and I wanted to get her updated translator implants and visual implants so she would not be helpless.
I might not have been helpless in a very long time, and I might usually enjoy seeing others squirm, but not her.
Sweeping her into my arms, I made the choice for everyone here to end this pointless discussion.
It was moot anyway; Frederique was mine, and she had taunted the beast into claiming her.
She was not leaving. The others might as well get used to it in a hurry, and they could wait a long time before I explained myself.
Asmoded barked orders behind me. I could hear him conferring with Ysa and Dravion about the containment situation in the hangar bay.
Quiet footsteps followed us, not Jaxin’s, but Thatcher’s, the human male with the feral look in his eyes.
He’d been watching over our engineer with a razor-sharp gaze, acting like a man certain his ward was in imminent danger.
Not that Ysa had realized how protectively the human had hovered; she would not appreciate it if she did.
I was not surprised when Dravion caught up to me before I reached the med bay.
Frederique had gone limp in my arms; she had not fainted, but it was close.
Her eyes were staring at the black ceiling, tracking the lights placed at intervals.
She had gone numb, and if I didn’t know that that could be part of the healing process, I would be worried.
No, who was I kidding? I was worried, and I wasn’t used to feeling that way.
“Where did you find her?” Dravion asked as we entered his domain.
Thatcher stayed by the door, uneasy and restless.
Even when Val pulled on those feelings, they did not let up, but they were only a small, tightly controlled drop to feed on, anyway.
I did not like his presence there, at the only exit.
Dravion was on my other side, prepping a medical cot and laying out supplies with his tentacles on a tray at the same time.
We were flanked, but with Val at my side, not outnumbered.
“On the planet,” I said, which I knew wasn’t helpful.
Once I had Frederique settled in my quarters, I would have to meet with Asmoded again to explain at least some of the particulars.
I wasn’t looking forward to that, but only because I didn’t relish the idea of leaving Frederique’s side.
I would certainly enjoy doling out what I knew sparingly.
It wasn’t like it was of much use to anyone now.
The Lancing Light wasn’t going anywhere, and neither were the dark things from the depths of that nasty planet’s oceans. It was done.
Dravion blinked his black, mirror-smooth eyes at me and heaved a put-upon sigh I ignored.
He patted the cot in front of him with a tentacle, but I did not like the idea of letting go of Frederique.
I froze, trapped between what I knew I should do and what my instincts wanted of me.
The sounds coming from behind me indicated more arrivals, and that just put me even further on edge.
Val paced between Thatcher and me, as she did not consider Dravion—with his always calm and placid temper—any kind of threat.
That meant she was also between us and the new arrivals, but none of that settled the protective, angry energy coursing through my veins.
I was always cold, in control, angry, sure, but never irrational.
It felt like part of me was observing from outside my body and noticing how crazy I was acting.
“Sin,” Asmoded said, “let the doctor do his job.” I twisted beside the cot, staring, glaring.
He was with his mate this time, but Mandy’s presence did not ease my tension.
She was small, still a little rounded from her pregnancy, and cradled their son against one shoulder.
A black-scaled little boy with two human legs and a slender, sinuous tail, he was a blend of human and Naga.
Vulnerable and harmless, and yet male… I bared my teeth and received a furious glare from my captain in return.
“It’s okay,” Frederique said, her hand patting my chest gently.
She lifted her chin and raised her green eyes to meet mine, offering a pale, wan smile.
Reassuring me, acting like I was the one having a meltdown, even though she was the one who had just nearly fainted.
I growled, frustrated, even more furious, and no closer to understanding the tangle of big feelings inside my chest.
Her feet touched the cot when I began to lower her slowly, but even after I’d set her down, I could not convince my arms to let her go.
It was the best I could do. Dravion seemed to know that, because he came in with his scanner, but carefully kept his distance with most of his tentacles.
I knew that scanner would tell him she was in good health, but I still needed to hear him say the words out loud.
“All is well,” he said kindly. “Let me just update her translator implants with our languages, yes? We can discuss upgrades at a later time.” Yes, later, that was better.
When she was not in shock and not dealing with a radical change in her world.
She’d have to accept having me take control of her life, but that would come soon enough.
“Perhaps,” Asmoded tried again, “you could step aside while Dravion does his job. You need to explain to me where you found her, Sin.” He gestured with his hand, and his tail made an undulating come-hither motion.
It was closer now, having slid into the med bay and in front of his mate and newborn son.
He was not above those protective instincts any more than I was, but he was more in control.
“No,” I snapped, curling more closely around Frederique’s slender shoulders.
Silver from Val melted against her back, forming a protective barrier.
It bared my arm, leaving me exposed, but that did not matter.
“You’re almost done, right, Dravion?” I prodded, a warning in my tone to let him know I would not accept any delays on his end.
In a murmur, I heard Thatcher snidely repeat what I’d said earlier, that Frederique came from the planet.
I took great pleasure in the angry warning he received for the insolence from our captain.
Then I heard Jaxin’s voice, loud and booming: “Is it me, or is our usually cool-headed second-in-command acting like he’s in mating heat?
You really unleashed something when you allowed your stowaway to stay, Captain. ”
I snarled, the captain growled, Thatcher laughed, and over it all, Mandy and Frederique both made surprised sounds.
Ah, that meant my mate had heard exactly what the Rummicaron Weaponmaster had said.
I turned to look at her, saw that color had burst across her cheeks, pink and warm.
Her mouth shaped into a surprised little round that tempted me to lean in and kiss her.
Come to think of it, that would stake my claim, loud and clear.
So, I did exactly as I wanted: I leaned in and kissed her, that bold claim, all heat, all passion, and her response, all mine.
“Sin!” Mandy shouted, but softly enough that she did not wake the baby she held in her arms. “What the hell are you doing?” I could not recall the last time anyone had spoken to me that way, except for Frederique, of course.
It was a human sin, it seemed, to go boldly, without any sense of tact or self-preservation.
Of course, Mandy had her big Naga mate to protect her, and Frederique had me. Perhaps that was their secret.
I spun, protectively pushing my mate behind me, and glared at the whole crowd gathered at the med bay doors.
I gave Mandy only a brief look before glaring at Jaxin, at Thatcher, and the rest in the hall beyond.
I saw the Asrai twins, Aramon bouncing, his mate under his arm.
Tass, Raukesh, even Flack had come to see the human I’d brought aboard.
I bared my teeth at them, even though most had mates.
“She’s mine. I’m taking her to my quarters now. ”
“You can’t, Sin,” Mandy objected boldly.
“Let me talk to her first.” Then she moved closer, and, much to my surprise, even though my mood was clearly volatile, the captain let her.
It briefly stunned me, so I missed the first few words Mandy directed at Frederique—introductions, followed by the much more nosy question: “Are you okay?” The way Mandy looked from me to my mate made it clear she was trying to see if Frederique was okay with the way I was holding her.
My mind hazed with anger, but part of me held on to rational thought by the skin of my teeth.
No, I could not attack a female with a small child; I could not attack a female for looking out for my mate.
Even if she was rude and what she said was offensive.
Frederique’s voice was clear as a bell, any hint of her exhaustion masked.
“I am fine, Mandy. Thank you. I think I’d very much like to go to Sin’s quarters right now and sleep for a while…
” Ah, she was a good girl. I’d have to remember to reward her for that.
Sweeping her back into my arms, I carried Frederique past Mandy, past Dravion, and past the staring crowd.
They hurried to part for me, darting out of my way as if they feared I’d strike them if they didn’t. They’d be right.