Chapter 5

I curled into a ball on the bed, and Lucy pressed against me, purring like she could sense my stress. She probably did, which was one of the many reasons why I loved her. Since I’d gotten her from the shelter, after my last disastrous relationship, she’d become a therapy cat, helping me.

Every part of my brain was shutting down. I couldn’t feel anything besides the exhaustion weighing me down. Every breath was not enough, and tremors wracked my body. The world was crashing down, and I couldn’t tell which way was up.

I shifted into a tighter ball, trying to silence all thought.

A soft beeping woke me. I reached for my phone, but I touched nothing but air. This was not my apartment. Bare walls, except for a long window over the bed showing distant stars, surrounded me. The room boasted two doors. One went to the living room, and the other opened into a washroom. The sole splashes of color were the dark blue bedding, and Lucy’s pink unicorn bed and multi-colored toys.

The beeping continued, and I finally noticed a blue light shining from the monitor on the opposite wall. The light twisted, and I jerked back. A human woman’s head, an old one at that, hovered on the screen. While blue in color, she had kind eyes, heavy jowls, wrinkles aplenty, and a tower of curls stacked upon her head.

“Good morning,” the old woman said. A smile stretched on her thin, almost non-existent, lips.

“Hello,” I said as I began to shiver.

“I am the Admiral Ven’s Network of Artificial Intelligence for Drakcol or NAID for short.”

“This is your normal appearance?” I asked, taking in her grandmother-like face.

“No,” she said with a shake of her head, which was beyond odd because she didn’t have a neck. “This is Edith Smith, age ninety-two. From Bakersfield, California. My consciousness has read and watched all humanity has to offer. It has been an interesting addition to my knowledge. In the end, I chose this appearance out of the billions on your planet because I believed it would have a soothing effect. I can choose another if that is preferable.”

I shook my head. While I didn’t necessarily find the old woman comforting, NAID could’ve conjured much worse. “What do you want?”

“I want you to eat. You’ve slept for thirty-nine hours. Prince Kalvoxrencol has paced outside your door for seventy-two point five percent of that time and has asked for two hundred and forty-four updates. Your inability to adapt is affecting the prince’s mein, which impedes my functions.”

“How?”

“His constant need for updates. In addition, his desperate need for information on human health. All are consuming more of my processes, hindering the ship’s other functions.”

“Shouldn’t you be able to do everything?” While I wouldn’t consider myself an expert on anything sci-fi, having fallen asleep in the last movie I’d watched, I would’ve assumed she could do everything at once.

“No, I am not functioning at full capacity. I require updates.”

“What?” I asked, chuckling.

“Prince Kalvoxrencol demanded we leave immediately after the Crystal connected the two of you. Their royal majesties refused. I was still being uploaded on the Admiral Ven, as the ship was nearing the final stages of completion.

“Eventually, their majesties relented, and we left before I reached my full capacity or was connected to the main hub of NAID.” Her voice sounded old, but she had little to no inflection.

“He fought to get me?”

No one had ever wanted me that badly. Of course, he didn’t actually know me. And he fucking kidnapped me, I reminded myself fiercely. I refused to fall into a bad Stockholm syndrome romance. The dude was a kidnapper.

“You are now his.”

I scowled. “I don’t belong to anyone.”

“American.”

“Excuse me?”

“I believe that is the correct response to an overly individualistic expression,” she replied. “Was I incorrect?”

Hysterical laughter bubbled up my throat, and I forced it down to say, “I own myself.”

“I did not say he owned you. Seth Harris, you are a being unto yourself. But you belong to Prince Kalvoxrencol. He is your mate or husband in human terms, and you are his soulmate.”

“Does that mean he belongs to me?” I asked, shoving a hand through my hair.

“Yes.”

My heart oddly thumped. I ignored it. “What do you want me to do?”

“Feed yourself and your Lucy.”

Lucy. I’d fed her before falling asleep but not since. I immediately grabbed a can of cat food, and Lucy raced over, tail vibrating in happiness.

“Lucy will need more food.”

Her head bobbed, which made her curls bounce. “I have studied all the veterinary texts and have begun to translate them for Dr. Qinlin. She will create a safe food plan for her and you. Though, by my estimates, you will be perfectly safe to consume (untranslated word) food.”

The word was jumbled, and different translations bounced in my brain: dragon, lizard, and warrior. “I don’t understand that word.”

NAID repeated the garbled word.

“That one.”

“I am having a hard time finding an exact translation. It’s the name of our people. Drackcoal.”

“What?”

She repeated the word several times until I understood, and I tested it on my tongue. “I will use that, then.”

“I will leave drakcol as it is in future translations.”

“Thank you.”

“Eat.” A panel on the wall opened. “This is a food dispenser. It will provide you with nourishment unless you wish to go to the canteen or food vendors in the promenade. You have unlimited funds. You can purchase whatever you wish.”

A blue light appeared, and a bowl of unusual fruit materialized. With a shaking hand, I accepted the offering and sat on the bed, pulling up one of my knees. I took a bite of an orange slice and winced at the sour taste that was nothing like oranges. My stomach gurgled, unhappy.

“There are vendors on this ship?” I asked.

“This is a long-haul passenger ship,” she said, glancing at the bowl. “The Drakcol Empire was not expecting trouble, so they didn’t send a warship, though this ship can defend itself. There is a crew complement of one thousand nine hundred and forty-one and a civilian complement of three thousand and seventy-five, which includes multiple scientists.”

When her eyes flicked to the bowl again, I selected a slice of fruit with the texture of an apple, but it was purple in color, which was off-putting. I nibbled the crisp fruit. A sweet burst of flavor washed over my tongue, leaving a tart aftertaste. I finished the slice, but it threatened to come right back up.

I didn’t want to eat. All I wanted was for this nightmare to be over. I curled up on the bed, ignoring the rest of the fruit.

“My research indicates humans do not sleep this much. Emotional trauma and mental health disorders can induce physical exhaustion,” she commented.

“I’m aware. Leave me alone. Please,” I tacked on at the end. Just because she was a computer didn’t mean I shouldn’t be polite.

“If you sleep for another full rotation, I will wake you again.”

“What’s your name?”

“I have none. I’m called NAID. There is one of us. We have a network connected to the main, but there is only one.”

I didn’t get it, but I nodded anyway. “You should pick a name. A name you like.”

Her forehead wrinkled. “You think so?”

“Yeah, even if you”re one part of a whole or something confusing, doesn’t mean you’re not you.”

“Thank you.”

I shrugged.

Right before I closed my eyes, I saw her smile, which made an answering one form on my own lips. Everyone deserved to be their own person, their true selves, or whoever they chose to be.

I paced outside my mate’s door, tail whipping. I wanted to see Seth, but he’d refused to leave his room. I’d asked NAID for information, but it simply said he was asleep. How much did humans sleep? I didn’t actually know. Another thing NAID was working on—translating human texts so I could learn about my mate.

NAID had shown me a video catalog from multiple human cultures. Some NAID had recommended I didn’t watch unless I wanted a close-up view of human reproduction, though NAID had specified many humans regarded the videos as fake or inaccurate depictions. Some were educational, while others I believed were for entertainment—all felt pointless in helping me understand my mate.

Seth had been through an upheaval I could not even begin to fathom. I hoped, in the end, this would work out in both of our favor, but hope did not make the present any easier. Our mating would take time and patience, neither of which were my strong suits.

In the deepest parts of my soul, I’d dreamed he would feel what I did. The draw. The attraction. The all-consuming need. But Seth did not. His mind worked differently than mine.

His rejection stung, but I had to not let it affect me.

I snagged the book I’d been reading, but I couldn’t pay attention to any of the words. I kept peeking at the closed door. Seth. I needed to see him. Instinct curled in my gut, demanding I force my way into his room, wrap him in my embrace, and soothe him. Logically, I accepted such actions wouldn’t help, and that Seth didn’t want me beside him, but the knowledge didn’t dampen my desire.

A chime sounded, and I jolted, wings rustling against my back before settling into place.

NAID’s blank silhouette appeared on my screen. “Prince.”

“Yes?”

“Prince Hallonnixmin would like to speak with you.”

I gripped the screen, claws scraping the glass. Hallonnixmin was my eldest brother and heir to the throne. We’d barely left Earth, and he was already checking in. Not too shocking given all the mistakes I’d made over the cycles.

“Put him through.”

NAID vanished and was replaced by my brother.

“Pest,” he called out.

I frowned at the endearment but didn’t comment, as there was no point. All four of my older brothers and cousin had called me such since infancy. “Slob,” I threw back, and he grinned.

His green eyes searched the area behind me as he bounced an infant in his arms, my youngest nephew. My brother and I looked similar, though he was a shade darker than I and had deep purple hair that hung to his shoulders in a perpetual mess. We shared the same wide forehead and long nose as our father.

“What?” I asked when he did not speak.

“Where’s your mate? I was hoping to meet him.”

How did I admit Seth couldn’t stand me? That he didn’t want this? My fingers gripped the screen. I couldn’t. Hallonnixmin wouldn’t judge me, but he would pity me and he would worry what Seth’s rejection might do to me.

My past was never in the past where my family was concerned.

Thank the Crystal, my eldest nephew Jonyontinlok appeared between the screen and Hallonnixmin. “Uncle, where are you?”

“I”m still on the Admiral Ven.”

He swung back and forth, his wings smacking into Hallonnixmin. Jonyontinlok was too young to keep his wings curled against his back when he was excited. “Why?”

“I’m bringing my soulmate home, remember?”

“Why does he live so far away?”

“Because he does.”

Jonyontinlok asked, “When are you coming home?”

“Soon.”

“How soon? Tomorrow?”

“No. In six months.”

My nephew”s mouth dropped open in horror. “Why? You’ve been gone forever.”

“Because the ship can’t go faster.”

“Order Uncle Monqilcolnen to make it go faster,” he demanded, stomping his foot.

“Jonyontinlok,” Hallonnixmin chided.

“I want Uncle now,” he yelled, waking Farrittenmon, who immediately started bawling.

Another person appeared, Hallonnixmin’s mate, Gilvaxtin. Her gold eyes darted in my direction before she turned to her eldest. “I have told you to get in the bath three times now.”

Jonyontinlok crossed his arms, chin jutting out.

“Excuse me, Pest.” Hallonnixmin directed Jonyontinlok away with his tail. In the background, my brother tried to convince the child to get in the bath while Farrittenmon cried. Jonyontinlok asserted he would only bathe if Gitgir, his zurqi, could come.

Gilvaxtin asked, “How’s your mate?”

Once again, much like with Hallonnixmin, the words got stuck. I liked Gilvaxtin. She and my brother had been mated for cycles, almost ten at this point. They’d met at a challenge and had bonded three months later.

She pushed her light pink fingers through her short pink hair. “Kalvoxrencol? What’s going on?”

Hallonnixmin returned without his children, which meant he had not successfully gotten Jonyontinlok into a bath, not too surprising. He had a soft touch. “What’s going on?”

“Something is wrong with his mate,” Gilvaxtin said.

“What?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” I protested.

“Pest.” It was the start of a well-meaning lecture, which I’d heard many times before.

Nothing was wrong. While this was not the start to our mating I’d hoped for, it was fine. Seth needed time. Everything would sort itself out.

“Are you speaking to your oravirven?”

“Not yet.”

“Pest.”

I practically heard my past in his voice. “I need to go.”

“No,” Hallonnixmin said, but I ignored him and ended the session.

Getting to my feet, I paced, all the while staring at Seth’s closed door. I wanted to see him. I wanted to talk to him. My hands curled into fists, and my tail slashed in agitation. I could desire all I wanted, but Seth was not ready.

With a deep breath, I forced myself to sit, but I abandoned my book because it would never hold my attention in my current emotional state. Instead, I opened a video humans watched for entertainment.

It was fake as I understood it. The video was about a team of explorers who met new species and explored planets.Fanciful, yet addictive.

I forced myself to watch the video—episode—even though I wanted to continue pacing. The episode paused, and NAID appeared. “NAID,” I said, hoping one of my other brothers hadn’t pinged me. “How is my Seth?”

“He awoke. Ate minimally. He is asleep again,” it reported.

Some of my tension left, but not all. I did not like him being upset, yet I didn’t know how to comfort him, especially as I was the one causing his pain. I told NAID, “That’s all.”

It vanished.

Time. Seth simply needed time to accept me. But I could not stop the thought, What if he doesn’t? What if we got all the way home, and he refused me? I didn’t know him, but I couldn’t imagine life without him. He was my soulmate. My one chance at love now that I’d found him. Once the Crystal revealed your soulmate, you couldn’t love another. The risk I’d willingly taken to have Seth.

I would give Seth time and hope he came to see me in the same light as I did him.