28. Sylas

TWENTY-EIGHT

I think you deserve someone exactly like me.

Did she know what those words did to me? I grabbed her hand, interlacing our fingers. "Come on. Let's go check on our kid."

She let out a strangled laugh. "Don't call her that. People are going to get the wrong idea. Besides, it's not like we have joint ownership."

"Don't we?"

I pressed the button to open the closet door and then looked down at our joined hands. She dropped them, looking away guiltily as we exited, the automatic mechanism closing it once again once we were back in the hallway.

"After you, Captain Kellar."

I nodded, clearing my throat. I hated this. Why did I hate it? It should have been fine. But I wanted her to call me Sylas. Wanted her teasing remarks, her laughter and her smiles. I wanted everyone to know she was mine, dammit.

Hiding made me feel like there was something to be guilty of. Besides being her captain, there was nothing else to keep us apart. We were both legal, consenting adults. So who the fuck cared if we were together?

Leading the way to my quarters, I was all too aware of Aurelia behind me. We might not have been able to hold hands, but every once in a while, her hand brushed mine, and that was enough.

It would have to be.

"Oh." Aurelia's hand flew over her heart after the door slid shut behind us. "Sylas. You did all of this? Today?"

I nodded, suddenly unable to find my voice.

I'd made a little habitat for Brina in the corner of my room, pushing my small table and chairs aside. There was a little bed, a blow up pool—don't ask me why someone had it on my starship, but I wasn't complaining—and a fuzzy blanket spread out on the floor. Part of me had wondered if we should install a gate, like you would with a house training puppy, but Brina was smart. As soon as I'd told her it was her space, she'd been content.

Plus, I'd taken her to the gardens and let her run around this afternoon. The fish in the hydroponics section hadn"t been amused, but I hadn"t let her eat too many of them.

Just kidding. Mostly.

"I wanted her to have somewhere she felt safe."

As if in response, Brina poked her head out from underneath her blanket. Somehow, she'd rolled herself in there like a burrito.

"This is amazing. Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me." I shook my head, taking her hand once again. "Not for this." I kissed the top of her hand, not letting go.

"You're incredible."

"Nah. I'm just trying to make her like me more than you."

Aurelia cracked a smile. "Impossible." She walked over to Brina's new habitat, getting down on her knees. "Hi, little girl."

Brina perked up, wagging her tail and letting out a series of adorable yips.

"You're never going to want to go back to my room, are you?" She barked, and Aurelia sighed. "I guess daddy is going to have to deal with me being here more often, isn"t he?"

Fuck, but if that statement didn't have me hard. I didn't even like being called Daddy in bed, but her saying it did something to me.

I rubbed at the spot on my chest that felt tight as I watched them. Brina crawled onto Aurelia's lap, rested her head on her knees, and gave a contented sigh.

You know, the way an animal sighed that made you go, what ails you, you adorable little freeloader? Yeah. Precious as fuck. Even I wanted to snuggle that thing.

Her paws and tail were like an otter's, with the snout of a little puppy and these half-floppy tiny ears. Plus those bright blue eyes, and she should have been freakish, but no. Adorable.

"We're going back down again tomorrow."

"I know." I blew out a breath. My sister and I had already discussed it.

"I think I'm going to take Brina with me this time."

"Why?" That surprised me.

"Because it's her home. And I hate to leave her again." Aurelia's face was downturned, and I knew there was more on her mind.

"You just mean you don't want me to become her favorite."

Aurelia stuck out her tongue at me. Then she sighed, snuggling the creature. "I know we both want to keep her, but I just keep wondering… is this the best place for her?"

My heart sunk. What could I say? "I know."

Because I was pretty sure Brina had bonded with her that first day, and now, well… I'd bonded with her, too. Even if she wasn't committed to staying by my side, I was quite fond of the little thing.

I'd never had a pet before. Growing up, I'd wanted a dog, but my parents had refused. And then, when they were gone, it was all I could do to keep Kayle and me clothed and fed. There were never spare funds for a pet.

It was all as well, because once I'd joined the academy and become a member of the UGSF, there was no time for a dog. Especially not on long space missions. The only animals on board were typically service dogs, and they had their own private space for when they were off duty or to relieve themselves.

Still, what did I know about being a responsible pet owner? Nothing. I highly doubted in my ability to keep any being alive, let alone myself. But for her, I wanted to try. Because I didn't want to see Aurelia sad.

And if this strange creature made her happy, so be it. It was part of the crew now. It could have a home. I'd find it somewhere to swim and eat and whatever else it needed.

No problem.

"I'll take her back with me tomorrow," Aurelia finished, a sad tone to her voice.

"Okay," I agreed.

Sitting next to her, she leaned on my shoulder, and I smoothed my hands over her hair before rubbing soothing circles down her back, soaking up her presence.

Brina was ridingon Aurelia's shoulders, not willing to part with her newly-acquired human, as Finley and her team worked around us, collecting samples from the planet.

I'd convinced Kayle to stay behind today and have command of the ship, mainly because I couldn't bear to be apart from Aurelia.

"She really doesn't want you to leave her," I observed, scratching her head as she remained on her perch, her little tail practically wrapping around Aurelia like a scarf.

"I know." She sighed. "I know I'd be sad if she left, but I just feel like she's leaving her entire life behind. Her family. Creatures that are like her."

"But isn't that what we did, too?" I asked, stepping close and dropping my voice. "Maybe that's why we understand her. Because we're the same."

"It's not?—"

"Sure, we still have human surrounding us. But our family? The people who were supposed to love us? They left us."

"Sylas." She whispered the word, her hand brushing against the back of mine.

"And we… We left in pursuit of something different. Can you say she's making a different choice?"

"No." Aurelia leaned up, petting Brina, who let out a series of happy chirps. "She's too smart for her own good."

"Maybe the other alien otters ostracized her for being such a smart girl, huh?" I scratched under her chin. "That's why she wanted to come live with us."

"Okay, daddy." She snorted.

"Aurelia." I groaned.

"What?" She battered her eyes, looking all innocent.

"Don't call me that."

A smirk curled over her lips. "Or what?"

"Or later, when we're alone, I'll make you regret it."

She sucked in an inhale of breath. "Do you want me to beg, Sylas?"

I was caught in her spell. Entranced. Totally fucking taken by this brazen woman who was sunshine incarnate and yet the biggest brat I'd ever met. Talk about duality.

"Stop making me hard." The words were a rasp. "Fuck."

Aurelia winked, spinning away to go talk to Finley.

I stood awkwardly by the ship, willing my body to cool down.

Tonight, I wanted to show her exactly how badly I wanted to see her beg. To have her squirming under me, needy and pleading.

"Aurelia."I cursed under my breath, berating myself for forgetting that half of the officers were also on this vessel. "Lieutenant Callisto."

"Yes?" She looked over at me, an innocent, coy expression curled over her face as she clicked on her safety restraints.

My girl stared up at me, like she was expecting me to ask a question. The problem was, I didn't even have one. I just wanted her to look at me. Wanted her undivided attention.

"I have to fly the ship now," she murmured under her breath, low enough that only the two of us could hear.

"This place is fucking insane, man," Leo was saying to Orion behind us, and that was the only thing that brought me back to reality.

I forced out a chuckle as I listened to their conversation.

Orion wasn't as easily excitable as Leo—who sometimes just acted like an overgrown dog—but you could still see the wonder in his eyes. "And just think about how many places out there are undiscovered? Places we can only dream of…" He trailed off as Aurelia finished the last steps of her takeoff routine, bringing the ship into the air.

Unlike an airplane, we had to reach the upper atmosphere and then keep going, and it took precise calculations and immense skill to do it as flawlessly as Aurelia did.

Fuck, why had I ever underestimated her? She was brilliant. Amazing. In every single way, she was constantly blowing my mind. I'd promised myself to give her a chance, and that had paid off in more ways than one.

Though I'd never expected how she'd worm her way into my heart by letting her stay as my pilot. Now, she was so deep; I didn't think I'd ever get her out.

Not that I wanted her to be. I rubbed at my chest, wondering if the ache would ever go away. Or if loving her would always feel like this.

Was that was this was?

No. It couldn't be. It was too soon.

No matter if my whole body lit up with every single precious smile of hers I was lucky enough to get.

I was a selfish bastard, and I would be keeping them all to myself.