Chapter 11

I sat with Tim-something until he left. Unable to stop it, my thoughts turned to Kal. I was it for him, which oddly made my heart pound, though at the same time freaked me the fuck out. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I couldn’t live my life for someone else. I’d tried that before, multiple times, and it had never ended well.

Ready to return to the apartment, I buried my hands deep within my pockets and gripped the touchstone. Its presence was comforting. A subtle reminder I wasn’t alone. Without contemplating that thought too deeply, I headed toward the elevator, not deviating from my earlier path so I didn’t get lost.

This time, I was not alone.

A male drakcol stepped into the elevator after me, wearing a blue uniform with a single brass button in the shape of a wing on his stiff collar. His bubblegum-pink hair was cut short on the sides and longer on the top. His scales were lavender with glimpses of gold and magenta. He was taller than me, but not so much that he towered over me like many of the other drakcol, and his form was slimmer than the others I‘d seen.

He pressed a button, and I didn’t say anything, unable to open my mouth to ask for NAID to take me to my floor. The man bowed his head in my direction. I nodded back.

“Same deck?” he asked when the door opened.

“Sure.” I stepped into a hall and didn’t recognize anything. I was about to turn around and go back into the elevator, but the man popped open a wall panel and began to work. On what exactly, I had no idea, but I wasn’t going back into the elevator. There should be another one. Somewhere.

The hallway boasted a few doors but no windows. Monitors were scattered on the walls along with plants. One showed a schematic of the ship—a ball with a ring around it, almost like Saturn. Unfortunately, the schematic did not show which floor I was on, or if it did, I had no idea how to read it.

I came around the curve to another hallway, spotting a long window on one side. Even though I saw the void of space every day, the experience was still disconcerting. The stars gleamed in the distance, cold and foreboding. I placed my hand against the glass like I could touch the twinkling lights.

Having no idea where I was, I explored. None of the doors opened automatically. Every door and corridor had a blue label, but I had no idea what they said, and everything looked identical, barring the different colored potted plants.

Every time I passed by someone, they would bow, and I would nod, growing more and more uncomfortable.

After I wandered for an hour or so, I came to a familiar schematic of the ship. I stared at it, frowning. So I was walking around in circles, and I still couldn’t find the elevator I’d originally exited from or another one.

I rested one of my elbows on the metal rail running along the window and inhaled the floral scent from the many blooms hanging on the surrounding vines. My fingers tightened around the touchstone before I drew it out of my pocket.

“NAID?” I waited, but she didn’t respond. My heart pounded, but I told myself I was being ridiculous. The touchstone would work anywhere on the ship.

“NAID?” I asked, palm slick around the stone, but she did not respond.

There were four choices before me. First, stand here until I died. Second, wait until NAID responded. Third, ask a stranger for assistance. Or fourth, call Kal. None sounded appealing. But the least horrible option was Kal, if he would come.

“Kal?” I asked, then remembered I had to use his full name. “Kalvoxrencol.”

Less than a second later, his voice resonated in my ear. “My Seth. What’s wrong?”

“I’m lost, and NAID isn’t responding. Could you come and get me if you”re not busy, or something?”

“I’m coming.”

I raced to the door. “NAID.”

“Yes, Prince.”

“Where’s Seth and why didn’t you respond to his pings?” I demanded as I rushed to the lift.

“He’s on deck two, near the outer hull.”

“And you didn’t answer him why?”

Amusement lined her voice as she said, “I kept watch on him. He’s safe, but I knew he would reach out to you.”

“NAID,” I growled.

“You need all the help you can get,” she commented before ending the conversation.

A truth I couldn’t deny, but I didn’t like her ignoring Seth when he needed assistance. And she shouldn’t be able to. Her coding prevented it. Then again, she shouldn’t be expressing emotion. I made a plan to talk to Doctor Qinlin.

I jabbed the button for deck two. My tail swished and my foot tapped. I needed to reach Seth to make sure he was safe. The image of him not breathing as he clutched the front of his jacket flitted through my thoughts and made my soul pound.

With a quick shake of my head, I banished the thought. My Seth was strong. He’d survived long before I arrived and didn’t need me, but that realization did not dampen my need to see him.

The lift was taking eons.

When it opened, I whipped down the corridor, not caring about the open-mouthed expressions I left in my wake. I turned toward the outer hull and continued until I saw Seth near the window, surrounded by flowers.

Worry fled my body and left me feeling as if the gravity controls had failed. He appeared perfectly fine, bored if anything. I wanted to drag him into my arms to assure myself he was safe. I controlled the sensation. Seth would not appreciate me hugging him until he squeaked, even though that’s precisely what I wanted.

“My Seth.”

He turned toward me.

I practically saw the waves of fear coming off of him, and I didn’t know what to think. I gave him a smile, taking care not to show my sharp teeth. “Would you like to go back to our quarters?”

“Yeah.”

I motioned him back the way I’d come. Seth fell in step next to me, and my tail automatically curled around his ankle. Once I realized what I’d done, I started to pull away, but Seth smiled, so I kept a hold of him.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“I got lost.”

“How did you get off on deck two?”

Seth peered around. “Is that where I am?”

I pressed the panel for the lift, and we stepped inside. “What happened?”

A long release of air came from Seth, which I found he did often. “Someone got on the elevator with me, and I didn’t tell NAID what floor I wanted.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

I turned toward him, but he wouldn’t meet my gaze. “What’s wrong?”

“I didn’t want to seem stupid. He asked if I was going to the same floor when I didn’t push one of the symbols, and I couldn’t get the words out to say I didn’t know,” Seth replied in a deeper tone, arms crossed.

From his clenched jaw and furrowed eyebrows, he seemed angry. I stepped closer and angled my face toward his. For once, I was grateful I was the shortest of my brothers—I didn’t loom over Seth this way.

“I’m sorry.”

He lifted and lowered his shoulders.

I was a hand width away from him. “I can teach you if you want.”

“Okay,” he said, but he sounded a little breathless.

My eyes darted to his lips. I wanted to taste them, to find out if they were as soft as they looked. What would it feel like to kiss him? My cock twitched. I needed Seth. It was quite surprising how much I wanted him in such a short time. But then again, he was mine.

Rather unwillingly, I turned to the deck display. “It starts right to left, then top to bottom. So on the upper right corner is one, then two, then three.”

“I get it.” Seth pushed the symbol for deck three.

“I can teach you to read and write my language, but now, you won’t have to speak if you don’t want to.”

“Thanks.”

“I would do anything for you, my Seth.”

“Except take me home.”

My spine tightened, and pressure built in my chest. I pushed the sensation away. Seth was allowed his reaction.

When the door opened, Seth stepped out and went to our quarters. Lucy was on the couch, asleep. He moved toward her, and I let my tail fall away from him.

As I started toward the food dispenser, Seth said, “I think I want a mentor.”

I paused. “Mentor?”

“I meant a…” he trailed off. “A whatever you called your friend. Tim-something, who you introduced me to.”

Who?I thought but did not say. “Do you mean Pimtimzol?”

“Yeah, him.”

“Pimtimzol,” I repeated slower.

“Pimtimzol,” Seth said a few times.

“You want an oravirven?”

“Yes, Pimtimzol talked to me, and I think it’s a good idea.”

“He talked to you?” I asked, tail flicking. What exactly had he said? Not that I’d shared anything too shocking, but what if my careless words injured Seth unintentionally?

“Is that a problem?” Seth asked, hand stilling on Lucy.

“No. I’m glad you’re requesting an oravirven. I find it comforting to speak to someone, and I hope you will as well.”

“Yeah.” Seth gathered Lucy into his arms and went into his room.

I wanted to follow him. Instinct roiled inside of me, demanding I soothe every line of stress away. I wanted to nuzzle him and rub my scent on him, to claim him. My cock hardened at the thought, and I groaned. Seth. What would it be like to fuck him?

A chime sounded, startling me. “Yes, NAID?”

“Prince Serlotminden would like to speak to you.”

My third older brother. I’d known it was coming. It was a miracle my brothers hadn’t pinged daily. Maybe Hallonnixmin had made a schedule. That was something he would do—organizing the troops to pester me.

“Send him to my bedroom.”

“Yes, Prince.”

I went to my room and sat on my bed.

“Pest,” Serlotminden said with a wide grin. He looked more like my mother than like me or Hallonnixmin, who resembled our father. He had dark purple scales with accents of white and gold and long white hair that was shaved on one side. Like me, his ears were pierced to the tip, but he had a gold ring in the middle of his bottom lip.

“Speedy,” I said, trying to keep the exhaustion from my voice.

“Where’s your mate? Hallonnixmin said he didn’t see him either. You’re in your room, so shouldn’t he be there?”

“Is that all you wanted?”

“Pretty much.”

“Seth is fine.”

“Fine?” he repeated. “You’re newly mated, you should be more than fine. You two should be in the throes of passion and sex. Is everything alright?”

Things with Seth were moving slowly. Getting him to talk was a challenge. We hadn’t even discussed if I could touch him, let alone sex. It’s not that I didn’t want to fuck him, because I did. Badly. The mere thought was enough to make me hard, but Seth was skittish. I also longed to know him. It was more than physical. I wanted to know what he liked, what he hated, and everything about his past.

I wanted him.

“Pest, I saw he’s a warrior soul. The priestess sent a transmission of his soul testing to the palace. The Ranks are excited about how deep red he is. Are you upset?”

My soul thrashed. Light began to pool under my scales. Since our bonding, I”d tried not to think about his soul type. I’d buried his warrior soul deep within me, where it couldn’t harm either of us. But there was no denying he had what I’d always craved. All of my brothers, and the entire royal family since the empress of legends had been a warrior soul, except me.

It was unfair. I wasn’t who I wanted to be.

Serlotminden’s voice softened. “Kalvoxrencol, talk to me.”

I couldn’t. I’d disappointed my brothers time and time again. They and my parents had cleaned up after me, making excuses for my mistakes. Stood beside me during my needless challenges. Tried to shore up my shaky honor. How could I admit my mating was less than perfect?

“I need to go.”

“We are all here for you. We love you.”

Not responding, I ended the session.