Chapter 21
Vytln
The rest of the relief aid delivery passed without incident.
Though Vytln’s brother’s ship was there, there weren’t any problems between them at all.
Vytln helped with offloading the deliveries when they were in orbit, then remained on the ship and out of sight when it came to picking up the next batch.
He wouldn’t call what they were doing running or hiding.
They were protecting their hard won peace by not confronting a problem they’d have to destroy if it came to it.
And it just happened to come with the benefit of being with Haven every time.
His little human pest was such a ball of high energy.
He couldn’t imagine where it came from. He had to keep her entertained at all times or else she became restless.
The best way to do so was to give her things to break apart or put back together.
And to make sure she was always mentally stimulated.
She was too smart for simple things to keep her attention, and sometimes she needed to be doing at least two, sometimes three things at the same time or she accomplished nothing at all.
Vytln was a busy person, but he did one thing at a time, completed it, and moved on to the next.
He couldn’t imagine what bug had crawled in her brain that made her so hyper, but when he let her out of the nest, she was constantly moving and crawling over everything – including himself – and asking an endless stream of questions.
Some of which didn’t even connect to each other.
It didn’t bother him. It took a bit to get used to, but actually he didn’t mind her constant pestering and nattering and chattering. He didn’t even mind when she used his body as a ladder and crawled all over him as she pleased.
The first time she took him by the hand and took him to a wall so she could climb up him to get something on a high shelf was a bit much, but it really just fascinated him how much he didn’t mind her doing that.
Anyone else would have gotten a fist directly to their face for even thinking they could take him somewhere.
Yet, for Haven, he was calm and practically obedient as he let that little female guide him around, holding onto two of his fingers because that was all her tiny hand could fit around. He actually felt a sense of accomplishment for being her stepstool.
Ridiculous. The mating instincts were making him ridiculous.
And somehow, even knowing that, he still didn’t care.
It was a good few days. Going back and forth between her and work.
Imagining all the ways he could bind and claim her.
Realizing he’d completely given up on fighting this and then not at all caring, because why should he fight this?
He couldn’t remember a single reason he had for resisting the call she made to his very blood and bones.
The life he was protecting by avoiding his brother was the life he had with her. And it was better, he knew without a doubt, than anything he had left behind.
After the last delivery, they had to return to the supply depot to get final payment.
It was another security measure, to make sure that all deliveries had, in fact, been delivered and that nothing had been stolen and no one from the delivery crews had remained behind.
The planet was not doing well, and they had to make sure no one attempted to take advantage of that fact.
For that reason, Vytln had no choice but to come out of his room for the final inspection. They had to confirm he was there and verify his identity.
And they also had to present Haven to the peacekeeper authority.
Captain Ikvar was a peacekeeper captain that was something like their sponsor.
He was the one who gave them permission to continue their life outside of Rik-Vane.
He was the one who made their new identities possible.
He was also the one who had helped register Garnet and Goldie when they had been accidentally picked up as part of a botched delivery.
He was also something like their authority figure. Tanin had to report to him every so often. Just to make sure the females were treated well, that they weren’t doing anything illegal, and that they were continuing their business without making trouble.
Well, trouble that the peacekeepers knew about anyway.
Tanin had already reported Haven’s sudden appearance.
Which must have immediately caught Captain Ikvar’s attention.
It was bad enough that they’d stumbled upon Garnet and Goldie by accident – and that really had not been intentional on their part.
A third unregistered human just popping up around them was enough of a coincidence for him to focus.
It didn’t matter that this time she found them or that they had nothing to do with her being there and that she had stowed away from Earth on her own power.
Captain Ikvar demanded that she be presented to them.
To check her over. To make sure she was safe.
And since he and they were going to be at Cort-Valla station, he wanted them to do it in person after the job was done.
He needed make sure that they weren’t kidnapping her, or something else equally nefarious. It wasn’t good enough for Haven to say as much over video comm. He really must not have a high opinion of their crew.
That was the only reason Vytln was letting her out of her trap, out of his workroom, and out into the main storage of their ship.
Just for the inspection. The risk, he knew, was minimal.
Even if his brother came around, he couldn’t do anything.
Not here. Not while so many eyes were on them.
Not with the peacekeepers literally right there.
Still, it was an itch under is skin to have his female, still unmated and unclaimed, just out where any other male could see her.
He didn’t like it. And he made his displeasure known as he stood behind her, one hand on her belly, keeping her against his chest, as he scowled at the unmated males who came to perform the inspection.
Both the crew of the station and the peacekeepers earned his ire equally.
Tanin finally had to order him back. Though Haven was smiling, clearly happy and unbothered, the way he hovered over her, apparently, ‘looked bad’. They didn’t want her. A good number of them were probably mated themselves.
Still, it was only with great reluctance that he stepped back and, instead, let the other females gather around her.
His reluctance that did not go over Trove’s head. The male smirked at him wickedly before talking to Haven. Being a bit too friendly, strictly for the purpose of making Vytln mad. And even knowing he was only doing it to make him mad did not actually stop him from being mad.
He growled at his crewmate, the females chattered and laughed around Haven, the inspection crew let their eyes linger a little too long on said chittering females, and the entire crew gave them harsh warning glares in return.
It probably made the inspection and Haven’s interview harder. Vytln knew he didn’t look friendly – he didn’t want to. But he wasn’t trying to intimidate Haven, just everyone around her.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t readily obvious, and only made the peacekeepers more suspicious. It made them move closer to the females.
And that only made them all growl and snarl in warning.
Their females. Those were practically Vytln’s sisters, not to mention his mate-to-be. He would not tolerate unworthy males sniffing around them.
And these white armored peacekeepers were doubtlessly unworthy. The way they shrank and cowered from only a glower showed they weren’t good enough for them. Goldie was the only unmated female here anyway – he wasn’t counting Haven – and she was far too precious for such sniveling males.
The females remained between them. Vytln at their backs – Haven still in front of him – his own back to the wall, while the others formed a circle around them. Keeping a barrier between the females and the strangers completing the inspection.
Tanin stood at the front, ready to accept final payment so they could go.
He was the first to be in danger if something went wrong, while Vytln and Rok were the biggest and so would be pulling back the females if necessary.
The others remained at their sides. While the twin avanava males, dark blue scales helping them blend into the shadows, watched everyone, ready to fight at a moment’s notice.
Grace remained beside Tanin, just a few steps behind him in the protective circle.
She did the majority of the talking. She was, without question, the only one of them with a perfectly clean history and reputation.
Tanin, technically, had no crimes to his name, but that was only because he was never caught.
Grace was also from a wealthy family. She was well trained in speaking to people, especially people in positions of authority. That chatty, naggy way about her was a benefit when it came to talking the peacekeepers into calming down and introducing Haven as their newest stray human.
It was all smooth and familiar and practiced for everyone involved. The inspection, payment arrangements, the interview Haven was put through. There probably wasn’t going to be a problem here, or most of the places they went, but they were always ready for one to start.
The inspectors confirmed that no supplies remained on the ship and that everyone was accounted for.
One peacekeeper was allowed close to interview Haven.
He insisted on talking to her alone, stating that she couldn’t be trusted to tell the truth if Vytln kept hovering, even if his arms weren’t around her anymore.
She might consider his very presence a threat.
It wasn’t an unreasonable thought. Nor was it wrong for him to take that precaution. Vytln, however, was insulted that anyone would think he’d harm his female.