Chapter 6 Grtirr
A date? The words had me clenching my fists into tight balls. Julie, my Julie, was going on a date? With whom?
I knew what dates were. They were part of human courting rituals, a way to test if someone would make a suitable life partner.
Sometimes they just used them as an excuse to share sex.
The thought of Julie sitting across from some male, laughing at his jokes, letting him touch her, made my claws dig into my palms hard enough to draw blood.
I gritted my teeth, suddenly unable to focus on my work.
This was why we had rules. Important ones like how whatever happened in past ruts, stayed in past ruts.
It was unfair for a male to be upset about a female’s past conquests when he had his own.
With our biology and the yearly rut being unavoidable once we reached sexual maturity, that eventually was inevitable.
Mates were not supposed to be jealous of past partners; that was like holding a precious gem and being jealous of plastic.
My brain knew and understood all of this. And yet, it did nothing to stop the jealous fire burning in my gut.
Was this date with one of the human males? If it was, I’d find him and warn him off her. None of them would be a problem except maybe Igor, but I was certain that the former super soldier had his eyes on the female engineer Annabel.
What if it was with Ashtrr? My stomach twisted.
I could possibly take him in a fight. But while on this ship and on this mission, he outranked me, acting as both pilot and commander.
This was all my own doing; I had no one else but myself to blame. If I’d claimed her the moment I realized she was my mate, I wouldn’t be here trying to figure out how to warn another male off her. But if I took a human mate, would I ever be able to go back to Kadri?
Despite being exiled, it was still thought it would be possible to return to Kadri one day.
The Usurper Queen was not immortal, and she’d made many enemies during her reign.
Once she was gone, there would be a chance for me to go home and see my sister again.
Perhaps even reclaim the riches I’d worked so hard to build.
I wasn’t delusional, however. I didn’t expect the female I’d left behind to be waiting for me. She had no loyalty to me personally; it had been an arrangement meant to boost both our standings.
In the beginning, I’d been one of the warriors who fought against our males taking human mates. To me, it was proof we’d never return to our home world. Proof that we were truly exiled. I never betrayed my commander like some of the more fanatical purists had, but I’d made my objections known.
Over the years, my perspective had shifted. The humans grew on me. Their stubbornness, their resilience, their strange ways. I wasn’t opposed to mating with them anymore.
I saw how happy my commander Krxare was with his mate Clara. I doubted any of the females here would be happy on Kadri. Julie would not enjoy the strict rules and decorum. And so I resisted her pull because I didn’t wish to choose between my home and my mate.
The loud sound of metal falling to the ground had me whipping my head around.
A wrench lay on the floor. I was certain I had not touched it.
I continued to the spot where it had been.
Just when I was about to give up, a furry form hopped out from behind my tool bag with a tube of adhesive in its mouth.
It was the kukee from before! I recognized the white tuft of fur at the side of its body. We’d already flushed out any stowaways with that high-frequency pulse they hated so much. So how the hell had this one slipped back in? I had to get the glue out of its mouth before it tried to eat it.
It looked at me. And I looked at it.
I lunged.
The kukee bolted, its tiny paws skidding on the metal grating as it zigzagged between my legs. I whirled, nearly tripping over my own feet and knocking over several tools from the bench. The little beast darted behind a crate, making little clicks of triumph at evading me.
“Oh no, you don’t,” I growled.
I dropped to my knees and reached behind the crate, fingers brushing fur before the kukee squeaked and scrambled away. It shot across the floor, its tiny body a blur of motion, and I gave chase. Its fluffy tail lashed about as it maneuvered around carts and equipment.
The kukee made a sharp turn and bolted straight for the oversized tool bag I’d brought down with me to work on my project. It went behind the bag and didn’t come out the other side. I lifted the entire thing, but the little beast was nowhere in sight.
Where had it gone?
Then I spotted the ragged hole chewed into the side compartment. I unzipped it, only to find another gaping tear leading into the main section of the bag. The little thief had burrowed right in.
I grabbed a roll of plastic film and slapped a piece over the hole, sealing it shut.
Then I unzipped the top and shifted the padded containers holding my tools aside.
And there, at the bottom of the bag, I found my extra towels all torn up and made into a cozy nest, and right in the middle of the nest was my furry new friend.
There was even a piece of half-chewed nullvein right next to him, like he was keeping it as a snack for later.
So that was how it had gotten on board. It had been hiding in my tool bag this whole time.
The creature scrambled for the hole it had made in the side of the bag, only to find it blocked.
I snatched it before it could try anything else.
It shrieked, kicking wildly, but I had it pinned.
It twisted in my grip, teeth bared, but I carefully wrapped my other hand around its body, pinning its legs against its sides.
“Got you,” I growled.
The kukee glared up at me, its tiny chest heaving. The tube of adhesive was still clenched in its jaws. I pried its mouth open, careful not to hurt it, and plucked the tube free. The kukee made a pitiful noise, moments before it clamped its mouth down on my hand.
I hissed but did not release it. Its tiny teeth couldn’t do much harm.
I held it up at eye level, studying it. “You are lucky I don’t eat you.” I snapped my teeth at it.
The kukee blinked, then shrieked indignantly at me, upset at the loss of the tube of glue. I tossed the tube of adhesive onto the workbench before turning my attention back to the little troublemaker.
“What am I supposed to do with you now?” I stared at it.
It stared back. After a long moment, the kukee licked my hand where it had bitten me earlier and left little indents with its teeth, almost like it was apologizing.
“Ah, so now that you’re good and caught, you’re placating me? I won’t work.”
But it was totally working. The kukee was adorable, and there was nothing I could do against its cuteness. I’d always been weak toward small, helpless creatures.
“Are you hungry?” I asked. I picked up the piece of nullvein since it was the only thing there, and handed it to him.
He took it and chucked it back at me.
Okay. No more nullvein. It was probably hungry if it was trying to steal the adhesive.
Usually, the kukees didn’t mess with our things unless they deemed them edible or were desperate.
The nullvein was edible, so that was understandable, but not the glue.
This one must be hungry. Thirsty too if it had been in my tool kit on this ship and not inside the stronghold dotted with fountains.
With it still in my hands, I searched for a way to keep it contained and decided on a leather pouch.
I shook out the contents, a collection of metal fasteners, and stuffed the creature inside.
To make it more comfortable, I grabbed one of the ripped-up towels lining its nest and tucked it around the creature before cinching the pouch closed.
With it tied to my belt, I made my way up the ladder and to the mess hall.
Julie was there, sitting across from Chris. I had a simultaneous surge of jealousy and relief. Jealousy that she was on a date with the human leader of Ellaston, and relief that it wasn’t with Ashtrr. Chris I could handle, though it might be a political nightmare since he was Clara’s brother.
Trying my best to ignore them, I filled my flask with fresh water and offered some to the kukee with the cap. It lapped it up eagerly.
There was a gasp. “You snuck a cooki on board!”
The kukee ducked back into the safety of the pouch for a moment before peering out. I turned to see Kat, Trsak’s mate, and another female behind me.
“I did not. He stowed away in my tools.”
The creature eyed the food on Kat’s tray, its eyes growing wide. It made a split-second decision, dashing out in an attempt to snatch some of the food right off her tray. I caught it before it reached the food.
“It’s hungry,” I said.
I couldn’t help but notice that Julie and Chris were watching the interaction now. The replicator offered up the food just as I heard my name being called.
“Grtirr, to the bridge now.” It was Trsak, and he sounded serious.
Shit. What now?
“Hand him over,” Kat said. “We’ll get him fed.”
I looked over at Trsak and his pinched expression before handing the entire pouch, kukee and all, to Kat. I avoided looking over at Julie and her date as I crossed the room and followed Trsak to the bridge.
The air was thick with tension and hostility, and I didn’t need to look twice to see the weapons strapped to both our pilot and the comms officer. Ashtrr’s hand rested on his blaster, his golden eyes locked onto me.
“What is the meaning of this?” I asked, my whole body on high alert.
Trsak didn’t waste time. He pulled up an image of the nullvein plants from the stronghold’s lab.
Fuck.
Trsak held a hand up to stop me from speaking.
“Lxare already reported it to Vostak and Krxare. He told us exactly what it does. You made it clear from the start that you were against mating with humans. I vouched for you when some of our warriors attacked the human settlement. Is my trust in you misplaced?”
I gritted my teeth. I’d known that being so outspoken about not mating with the humans in the beginning might eventually get me in trouble. Did they believe I was sabotaging the stronghold?
“If I were trying to hide the nullvein, I wouldn’t have planted them in the main lab.”
“That was my initial thought, but why are you planting it in the first place? How do we know you’re not planning on slipping it into our water and preventing more mate bonds from forming?”
The warriors who had attacked Ellaston had contaminated their water supply, so it made sense that they’d think such a thing. There was nothing else for me to do except to tell them the truth, unless I wanted to be treated like a traitor, which I was not.
“I am no longer against other warriors mating with humans. Only myself. I hope to return to Kadri one day for my sister, and I don’t think a human would be happy there. Especially the one fate has decided is my mate.”
Both their eyes went wide.
I continued speaking, “I have been taking nullvein root for years. Since we started trading with Nova Vita. I had a stash, but it ran out.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s why I volunteered for this mission. I was trying to avoid a certain female.”
“I did think it was strange that you volunteered,” Ashtrr said. “You are usually not the type for these missions. This means you already know who your mate is. Who is it?”
I did not reply.
“You have to give us more information if you want us to believe you. As it is, we are being asked to detain you if we have any doubts at all. Does she know?” Trsak asked.
“No.”
“Does that mean you’ve been spending your ruts with other females when you know you have a mate?” Ashtrr looked shocked. “She will hate you when she finds out. If I had a mate, I’d claim her immediately.”
Trsak snorted. “I’d hate you too. But at least I know now that you’re not trying to harm the stronghold. You’re just ridiculously stupid. Are you sure you’re our head medic?” He started tapping furiously on the communication screen. “I’ll have to send Krxare a report. Who is it?”
I pressed my lips together, refusing to give them the name, not when Julie was two doors away. The air on the bridge thickened, the weight of their stares heavy enough to crush me.
Trsak’s expression darkened. “If you do not name the female and prove that this is not a lie, then we are forced to monitor you until we return to Vokira.” He held out his hand.
“I hate to do this, but hand over your communicator. I don’t want to throw you in the brig, so you’ll be locked in your quarters for the rest of the trip.
Return there with us now willingly or fight us and be dragged there by force. The choice is yours.”
My claws flexed, but I unclipped the device and slapped it into his palm.
Ashtrr stepped forward, his voice sounding tired. “Don’t be stubborn. Just tell us who it is, Grtirr. It’ll make our job so much easier. I prefer having you on the bridge.”
I put my hands up to show I will not fight, but did not offer Julie’s name. If she were back at the stronghold, I might have told them. But she was right there. And I didn’t trust them not to conspire against me and throw me at her to trigger a mate bond just to see if I was being truthful.
With the two following close behind, I started walking to my quarters.