Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
GWENDOLYN
I’m emotionally drained from telling Murgul my story, but I’m not quite done yet, and I really don’t want to have to repeat any of this ever again.
It’s in the past, and I want it to stay there forever.
The small moment of levity he created with his quick wit helps me rally, and I force the last bit of it out.
“The snakes … the Jega, kept all of us in a large cage for a while before leading us into some sort of market. They ripped our clothes off right before herding us one by one down a runway in the middle of a massive area, with monsters of all shapes and sizes surrounding the aisle. A little flying thing shaped like a ball flew all around me before it flashed red and made a little beeping sound. After that, I was hauled back down the aisle and unceremoniously against the back wall. The best I can figure is that I was considered damaged goods due to how emaciated I was. The women who got a green light and were hauled through the side doors were all healthy and robust-looking.”
I see the second the proverbial light goes off in Murgul’s mind because his eyes go wide before they narrow in ire, his vertical pupil a mere slit of black in the beautiful, electric blue of his irises.
“You are correct. Anything less than perfect is discarded for the Velgriddix. Those filthy bugs do not care what shape a body is in since they are going to use it as a breeding husk for their young. It just has to have enough flesh to feed their larvae, and internal organs more than suffice for that task.”
Shuddering in disgust at the mental image his words conjure, I snuggle into his warm chest before wrapping this pity party up.
“Well, the rest is pretty simple. The auction ended, and the bugs showed up. They loaded us into smaller cages, hauled us to their ship, and tossed us in a small room. Heather, Bambi, and I are the only three who survived out of the group that was in our room. I think Ruby and Rowan are the only two from their group who made it through. You know the rest. Falon is the one who found us in our prison. All of us were in pretty bad shape and were terrified. We couldn’t understand a word he was saying, but he tossed Heather and Bambi over each of his shoulders and scooped me up in his arms before he sprinted back onto your ship through some sort of tunnel that was ice cold.
I’m not exactly sure what happened after that because we didn’t have our translators yet, but Falon carried us through your ship before putting the three of us in his room. ”
Murgul nods in understanding, his eyes full of emotion.
“The Velgriddix must have been able to send out a distress call without us knowing, because several of their massive swarm ships appeared out of the Void to assist them,” he replies.
“Bikar was piloting both shuttles and the Zenith at the same time. Falon and I split up to check for the heat signatures Bikar swore were still on board. He found you in one of the first rooms he checked, but not before Slavic and Einar lost their shet and took off with the shuttles and their dying Starshines. Which left Ruarc, Falon, and me still aboard the Velgriddix ship. I am not sure either of them realizes how badly they fracked us over at that time. Thankfully, once Slavic and Einar had the Velgriddix ship under control, Bikar moved the Zenith close enough to extend the cargo dock corridor.”
Horror envelops me as he fills in the blanks surrounding the events that led us to be transported onto the Zenith. It sounds like a fucking shitshow of epic proportions. Pulling myself together, I focus on Murgul’s words.
“Ruarc used it to carry Kallen across to the Zenith, and Falon carried the three of you across. I was the last to arrive back on the Velgriddix lower deck and slid the corridor hatch shut just a tic before Bikar started reeling it back in to our ship— bellowing at me to hurry the frack up the whole time. Thankfully, I am rather fast and dove into the control room that the docking corridor is attached to tics before the corridor slammed into its housing on the Zenith. I watched Bikar land first, Einar’s shuttle, and then Slavic’s in our cargo bay, with them none the wiser for how their brothers had gotten safely back aboard.
Falon had already deposited you in his room, and Ruarc had Kallen sequestered in his quarters by the time I left the control room. ”
Staring at him wide-eyed with disbelief, I have to take a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart.
“You almost died, and I never would have met you! I am going to give your shitty brothers a stern talking to the next time I see them. How could they have just left you and your other brothers on that death trap!”
By the time I’m done talking, I’m shouting. I don’t think I’ve been this damn mad in a very long time. How dare his brothers treat him like that?! Folding my arms across my chest, I fume, anger simmering just beneath the surface as I process everything I’ve just learned.
A low chuckle fills my mind before Murgul leans down and rubs his cheek against mine. It’s one of my favorite ways he shows me affection, because the sensation of his slightly scaled skin whisking against mine is comforting… and slightly arousing as well.
“Little Starshine, there is no reason for your anger. Everything happens for a reason, and I am here. Nothing happened to me. I do not blame my brothers for their actions. They were trying to save the other halves of their souls from death, and that is a worthy cause.”
Pulling my face away, I lean back and frown up at him before snapping out. “I am well aware that you are just fine. That doesn’t mean I’m not fucking pissed off at both Slavic and Einar. Just because I understand why they did what they did, doesn’t mean I have to agree or like it!”
My voice ends on an angry hiss that sounds similar to one of the Murgul’s favorite ways to express displeasure. It appears some of his mannerisms have rubbed off on me.
“Come now, do not be cross. It is time for us to go to bed. We have talked late into the dark cycle, and we need our rest. The next couple of rotations are going to be long.”
Murgul’s cajoling voice soothes a small amount of my pique, and I hop off his lap with a huff.
“Fine,” I reply. “But don’t think I’ve forgotten that there was something else you wanted to talk to me about. You were way too quiet when you got here after leaving the helm room.”
Stomping to the bathroom, I make use of the toilet and brush my teeth before bed, frowning at my reflection in the mirror the whole time.
Exiting the lavatory, I see Murgul has pulled the covers down for me and is waiting for me in bed.
His body is propped up against what constitutes the headboard, and he’s watching something on his personal viewer.
Yet again, he’s managed to change into sleepy-time clothes, put his hair in a loose braid, and get in bed first. The second he hears me, he puts the screen down and gives me his full attention.
It’s so much different from what I am used to from humans, men as well as women.
My society had become numb from technology that some sort of screen always influenced our personal interactions.
Using my stool, I climb into bed and get under the covers, only to smile when Murgul pulls the ends up over me before I can reach for them.
“Please do not be cross with me, little Starshine. I am not intentionally hiding anything from you, but considering how emotionally drained you are… would you be averse to waiting until the next rising for me to share my news with you?”
Rolling so I’m facing him, I feel my anger slide away completely when I see the worried look on his face.
Sometimes I forget how emotionally sheltered he really is.
Tucking a lock of his colorless hair behind a pointed ear, I cup his jaw before pulling him down until his mouth meets mine.
Kissing him softly, I soothe his worries without words until I feel his big body completely relax into the bed.
With one last caress of my lips against his, I pull back and smile tenderly up at him.
“Murgul, honey, I wasn’t, and am not mad at you. I’m furious with your brothers on your behalf, and that unintentionally came across in my tone when I reminded you that you wanted to share something with me. You’ve nothing to worry about, okay?”
“I understand. Thank you, my little Starshine.”
With that, he rolls onto his back and pulls me snugly against his side as we settle into sleep.
The only time I can see his mating collar is when we are this close, as the pitch-black lines almost blend in perfectly with his dark green skin.
It starts around his thick neck in a harsh, bold line before curling up his jaw, across both cheeks, before twining at the corner of each eye.
The lower portion extends down in two lines, one down his spine, virtually hidden by the spines found there, before curling around the base of his tail and extending to its tip, while the second line stretches down his chest and disappears beneath his sleeping shorts.
Neither line is plain either; they both have loops and swirls that branch off.
Tracing them with my fingertips has become a nightly ritual that I have no intention of ever stopping.
I fully intend to commit it to memory. It’s also quite soothing, and the longer I trace them, the more I can feel the pull of unconsciousness tugging at me.
“Goodnight, Murgul. Sleep well. We’ll finish talking in the morning. ”
“Goodnight, precious one. You have no idea how long we have waited for you.”
Smiling to myself at how sweet he is, I slip into sleep, only half realizing it wasn’t Murgul who spoke.