Chapter Twenty-Four
Serenya
I woke wrapped in warmth.
For a moment, I didn’t know how I’d gotten there, only that I was in bed and something solid and alive was pressed against my back, heat at my spine, weight draped over my waist and thigh.
A steady breath brushed the back of my neck, and a low vibration hummed through my bones, making me unwilling to move.
Kael.
His arm was heavy across my waist, his tail looped loosely around my ankle, the tip twitching against my flesh the way the tip of a cat’s tail swishes when they’re content.
The kethra on my arms glowed beneath my skin, a soft amber that pulsed in time with his purr.
I stayed still, afraid that if I moved the moment would break like it had the previous morning. Things were awkward and hesitant when we were awake, but I wanted more of this.
The night before came back to me in pieces, cushioned by the vibrations against my spine.
After my father left the day had been quiet.
Daylen arrived with food, pretending not to notice the way Kael hovered near me like a guard able to ward off sadness.
It had been a simple meal, eaten at the table together, knees brushing.
Kael watched me with that intent stillness that always made my pulse jump, and I’d realized any foods I had already tried but didn’t like, hadn’t returned.
The proof that he paid attention to something so minor, when I hadn’t voiced any dislikes, had made my heart clench.
It had been early, Vorrashan’s light still streaked through the crystals, but exhaustion crashed over me once we’d eaten.
Kael had insisted I rest, guiding me to the bedroom with gentle pressure so I couldn’t refuse.
He’d helped me undress, his touches sending sparks of heat to my core even though he limited them to what was necessary.
Then he tucked me beneath the blankets, encouraging me to shift them around until I was comfortable.
Something about it had been soothing, and the last bit of tension lingering over the issue with my father had drifted away, letting me fall asleep without staring into the darkness like I’d expected.
I’d barely made it through thanking him as he climbed in beside me before sleep had claimed me.
And then waking tangled together again…
Something in my chest dared to bloom, just the tiniest bit.
Starting to sweat, I shifted slightly, trying to push the blankets away without disturbing Kael. His tail tightened, the arm around my waist drawing me closer, an insistent hardness at my back making me blush as I froze. A breath later, his purr faded away.
“Skorr drazhari.”
His voice was rough with sleep, and I smiled into the pillow when he didn’t immediately release me.
“Good morning to you too.”
His arm loosened and he stirred behind me, pulling his hips away. He seemed to hesitate, then he withdrew his tail, as if worried he’d overstepped.
I turned onto my back before he could fully retreat. He blinked down at me, silver eyes now familiar, kethra dim but without the feeling of control.
For a heartbeat, he just looked at me. Unguarded, in a way I rarely saw.
“Are you well?”
I nodded. It wasn’t a lie. Not completely.
“I slept. I’m okay.”
That earned me the faintest curve of his mouth. He brushed his knuckles along my cheek, pushing my hair away from my face, then rolled away and sat up. I immediately wanted to pull him back and convince him to stay with me.
Standing, he showed no signs of concern over his nudity, but I averted my eyes anyway. He dressed with quick movements, efficient and practiced, but I noticed the pauses. The way he glanced back at me and his tail flicked, then stilled.
He finally spoke once he sat to put on his boots.
“I have duties I should attend to. Reports to file. A meeting with the council.”
He hesitated.
“But I can remain, if you wish.”
He sounded sincere, and I’d just been thinking about pulling him back into the bed.
My father might have made the same offer if something traumatizing had happened, but it wasn’t as if he’d have been comforting me. He’d have disappeared into his office, assuming his presence in the house was enough.
I got the feeling Kael wouldn’t do that. If I asked him to crawl back into bed and hold me for the rest of the morning, I was willing to believe he would.
And he wouldn’t even guilt me about it.
I sat up, pulling the blankets around myself.
“I’ll be okay.”
Part of me wasn’t, but I was used to hiding that part. Acknowledging it would have been harder.
Kael’s gaze searched my face, sharp and assessing, like he was reading more than my words. He was observant enough to know I wasn’t quite being honest, but he was considerate enough not to call me out on it.
He dipped his head once.
“I will return soon. Daylen will bring zorhen shortly. If you need anything, let him know.”
He came to the side of the bed, hesitating before brushing my cheek again. The gesture made my heart ache in a better way than it usually did.
When he left, the house was too quiet. It still didn’t quite feel like mine, but I made myself get up. I was tired of digging through the crates of clothes to find something to wear, and it was more than time for me to unpack so my things weren’t taking up space in the living area.
Unpacking felt monumental at first. It meant accepting that I was staying on Morrakan, in Kael’s home. That it was now mine, too. Part of me had, but there was tiny portion still clinging to some twisted idea that this wasn’t real.
My crates sat stacked against the wall, a reminder that I didn’t quite belong, and I was tired of that feeling. Kael was doing everything right, teaching me his language, showing me around, and it was time I gave him a sign that I was committed too.
Clothes came out first. Familiar outfits that smelled like detergent, old perfume, and my life before Morrakan. I found the scent a bit repulsive, and despite the incident in the Market, I still wanted to find some of the loose robes most of the Morrak seemed to wear.
I folded the clothing anyway, carefully placing the garments into the storage area beneath the bench beside Kael’s darker uniforms. He didn’t seem to own anything else, and he’d either made space for my things before I arrived, or he’d had a lot of extra storage he didn’t use.
Seeing my clothes beside his did something strange to my stomach. Even after getting engaged, I’d never lived anywhere but my father’s home. I had stayed at my fiancé’s several times, but I always took my things with me when I left.
Pushing those thoughts aside, I kept unpacking.
I explored as I went, figuring out how the house was organized, and what was stored where.
There were two compartments in the bedroom filled with more bedding, luxurious fabrics in dark tones that made me want to heap them on the bed with the rest, and another stuffed with weapons that weren’t as flashy as the ones that hung on a few walls in the home.
The kitchen area had only a few dishes, as if Kael always ate alone, and part of me sympathized with the lonely feeling of it. There were a few knickknacks, but it was clear he didn’t have a lot of free time, or didn’t spend it in his home.
I carefully added my things to his.
Books on a shelf in the main room that only held a single figurine.
A dreamcatcher I’d made as a kid on one of the hooks in the bedroom.
Even with my mementos added to what he had, the decorations were minimal. I had the urge to find more and fill the space, so it looked more like a home that was lived in instead of one like my father’s, meant for show.
By the time I reached the last few crates, I was sweaty and flushed, but my chest felt lighter. The house seemed a little more like I belonged in it, and I smiled as I placed the framed photo of my high school graduation on a table in the corner of the main room.
The reminder that I’d been forced to miss my graduation for the gala had my smile slipping, but I was distracted by the door hissing open behind me. I startled, heart jumping, a sudden spike of amber lighting the room.
Turning, I caught sight of Kael’s smirk of amusement before something else crossed his face as he looked around. My stomach dropped, I clenched my hands together, waiting on his reaction.
Had I overstepped?
Was he angry that I’d placed my things beside his, contaminating his neat space with my Earth junk?
But he didn’t seem tense, his face no harsher than usual as he looked at the scattered crates, now empty.
He crossed the room in three long strides and took hold of my wrist, pulling me into his arms. He squeezed me tight enough that I wheezed, making him pull back with a jerk, as if he hadn’t meant to hug me at all.
“I’m glad to see your things in our meyr’kal.”
I swallowed hard, heat burning my cheeks as I fought both a smile and tears. For a relationship that had begun on such impersonal terms, it was hard to believe I was already living with him, sleeping in his bed, but somehow it felt natural.
He began lifting the empty crates without another word, stacking and carrying them out with efficient ease. He returned, helping me finish the last one, handing me purses to tuck away in a storage cabinet like it was something he did every day.
When it was done and all the crates had disappeared, he gave me a curious look, then held out his hand.
“Come. I want to show you something.”
I didn’t hesitate to take it even though my stomach twisted with a hint of worry.
We left the house, my hand tucked in his, and descended the stairs to the next level.
We didn’t head toward the noise coming from the vendors and shops as we had the day before, instead, turning down a narrow passage that curved away from the previous path, the air growing cooler and damper as we moved deeper into the stone.
The scents around us changed, growing earthy. The air was rich and alive even though the tunnel was narrow and dim, and it made me think of a greenhouse I’d visited at the university.
After another curve the tunnel opened ahead of us, light spilling out like a beacon. Soft blues, violets, and greens filled the space, pinks and yellows popping out in small patches.
Clusters of glowing fungus climbed the walls and webbed across the cavern floor like living constellations. Some rose in delicate caps, others branched like coral, or unfurled in thick, layered petals that shimmered. It was more color than I’d seen since arriving on Morrakan.
I stopped short, breath caught in my lungs as I looked around.
“It’s…”
I couldn’t finish. Beautiful was too simple.
“These are the fungus gardens. Some are edible and cultivated to be sold in the Market. Some are raised to provide light in the tunnels. Most are grown here because… it’s soothing.”
It was.
The cool space, filled with so many soft, glowing colors, had eased the tension the memories of the prior day had brought. The air smelled cleaner, the stone around us less imposing, and somehow it lifted the weight from my shoulders.
There were trails through what I realized were essentially flower beds, and I spotted a bench carved into one wall partially screened by a fall of some kind of plant with lavender leaves.
I thought I heard a fountain or perhaps a waterfall somewhere within the cavern, but between the pillars rising to the ceiling and the hanging vines, it was impossible to see far.
Everyone who had been at the gala could have been in the cavern with us, and I had the feeling that we’d still feel alone.
We walked slowly, Kael letting me take in the new sights. We passed other Morraki couples holding hands, tails entwined as they spoke softly. One pair walked with a small child between them, the little one’s awe etched on their face as they watched the glowing spores drifting in the air.
My heart clenched. It was the first time I’d seen a Morraki child, their kethra shining almost as bright as mine. Even though their skin was darker and their eyes were different and tiny ridges poked through their hair, they were still as joyful and precious as the children on Earth.
The parents dipped their heads when they saw Kael, giving me curious glances.
The little one pointed to my markings, jabbering something I couldn’t understand, and their mom leaned down to whisper something, pushing their arm down the same way I’d seen mothers on Earth correct their children when they did something embarrassing.
I couldn’t help laughing, waving to the child and nodding to the female when she glanced up.
Kael gave a gentle tug on my hand, leading me down a different path. His tail brushed the back of my leg, and when I didn’t pull away it wound around me, the tip tucking into the pocket of my slacks.
Biting my lip, I kept my head turned away so he wouldn’t see how broad my grin was. It was nice for him to relax, and heartening that he didn’t mind that we might be seen like this.
One of the plants caught my eye, a cluster of violet points tipped with faint silver light. I paused, drawn to it, leaning down to get a closer look.
“What is that one?”
Kael followed my gaze, brow furrowing.
“I don’t know,” he admitted after a moment. “I know which are poisonous. Beyond that… this is not my expertise.”
I chuckled, his honesty warming me. It was the first time he hadn’t had an answer for something, but I supposed a warrior wouldn’t know the names of every fungus that grew in the garden. There was a surprising variety.
A Morraki woman approached us, her kethra a calm pink glow. She didn’t have any ridges that I could see, but she was slightly taller than me.
“Lireth’ka. Sekhra thirek. Dilra’vael.”
Kael leaned closer, translating for me.
“She said that is lireth. It responds to heat, glowing more silver near warmth.”
I reached out, careful not to touch, and watched as the violet faded and the silver spread on the spikes closest to me.
“That’s amazing.”
The woman bowed her head, backing away. We continued walking, but a while later she returned, holding a small pot cradled in both hands, lireth poking from the dirt.
“Meyr’kal’ra.”
She held it out towards me, dipping her head so she looked down at the ground. I shot a glance at Kael who smiled and gave a small nod.
“Adding ‘ra at the end of a word means you possess it. She’s saying it’s for you.”
I reached out and accepted it, throat tight. When she looked up I bowed my head to her in return.
“Thank you.”
I regretted not knowing the Morraki term to be sure she understood, but Kael saved me, placing his open hand over his heart and dipping his head as well.
“Zha’len.”
The woman disappeared again as I looked at the little pot and then hugged it to my chest. My heart pounded and tears threatened, but I blinked them back, determined not to cry.
It was proof not all Morraki felt the same as the alphas who had cornered me.
That I had a chance of being welcome here.