12. KVella

twelve

K'Vella

I pass out during a jump again. At least this time, it's only for a few minutes. Then my body adjusts, and I'm awake, alert, and being lulled into complacency by Holoth's warm body and soft purr. We're sitting on the ground of the navigation pit, and my eyes go wide, realizing I failed at the one job Holoth asked of me.

"Yes, Holoth Lossblonthrow," he snarls into the comm device in his hand. "I know you know who I am, Nalith. We were in lessons together. My mother has thrown her shoes at both of us and your older brother."

"No, no. I'm sure that all checks out, but what I'm asking for before we allow you to dock is an answer to one simple question." The voice on the other end of the comm sounds smug and pleased with himself.

I shift in Holoth's grasp, and it makes his purring pick up volume enough to be heard over the comm, much to his own displeasure.

"Been too long off planet that you're purring for males now?" the voice laughs. "We just want to know why you're back. We have a bet going, and we forgot about it like two years ago, but now you're here. Jotho is searching for the betting pool."

"Let me dock my fucking ship," Holoth growls into the comm. "I'll answer all of your questions later, but I need to dock. I need assistance from the sisters. Do they still help females?"

The comm device goes quiet for a long while, and then the voice on the other end comes back much more serious. "Permission to dock granted. Please report all crew members and travelers."

"Holoth Losonblow, Rytharian. Essa Bylath, Haventh. Sloane Parker, Human. Phial Sym, Sytharan. Jovi Zuel, Alik Zuel, and K'Vella Akana, Varon. Avery I don't know her last name, Human-Rytharian hybrid."

"Thank you. Please proceed to the docking station." Nalith keeps up the serious tone, but I can almost hear the extra questions in his voice. "We ask that you all exit the ship in an orderly line. If you have weapons, they need to be visible. We request you do not take weapons away from the shipyard."

"We should be landing shortly," Holoth says into the comm as the ship approaches the planet's surface. They must not have an atmospheric shipyard here, which means we'll be landing on the ground.

As we approach the docking yard, there's only one other ship. It doesn't look like it's been moved in quite some time. There's a glow from the trees, signaling where homes and gathering spots are located amongst the dense forest.

Varon has forested areas, sure, but we mostly live in cities built on top of one another. There are various places around the planet where one might go for a getaway, but we don't live amongst the beauty and wilderness. No, we allow it to grow without our interruption, whereas Rytharians have become one with their nature.

"We're docked, opening the doors now." Holoth's voice drags my attention away from the forest outside the ship. "We'll be out in about a minute." He places the navigation pit's handheld comm back on the dash when he finishes speaking, not waiting for a response from the other end.

"On your feet," Holoth says as he helps me off the ground and onto unsteady legs. He wraps an arm around me and guides me into the hall.

"I need everyone at the doors now!" Holoth yells, causing a stampede of movement.

Alik, Jovi, and Sloane are the first out. They don't have any weapons on them, apparently already versed in what they need to do. Essa's right behind them, and then Phial and Avery take up the back of the line.

Avery looks like she's having a rough go of it. The only clothing Phial could get on her is an oversized button-down that he's keeping pulled around her to keep her covered as she keeps complaining about how hot it is.

"They'll take care of her here," Holoth tells Phial as they pass us.

Phial gives him a quick nod, but I can feel his animosity toward Holoth. I hope tonight doesn't impact their friendship too much. I know how much Phial means to Holoth, and I don't want them to lose that friendship.

It's not that I hate that Holoth purred for Avery. That's not the issue at all. I want her to not be in pain, and if Holoth needs to purr for that, then so be it. What hurt me was how easily she responded to him. She answered his commands with the barest hint of authority in his voice. She eased into his purr better than I do.

It makes me wonder if there's not someone better suited for Holoth here, on this planet. It was my biggest fear before I allowed myself to have feelings for him, but it was never going to happen because he told me he never wanted to go to his home planet again. Now we're here, and I've never been more insecure.

"Come on." Holoth nudges me toward the front of the ship and out the door leading to the shipyard.

We're greeted by a handful of short, curvy, beautiful women who all look like they'd be better suited for Holoth than me. They all look soft where I'm hard. They're small, like I know all Rytharian females are, again, unlike me. Not to mention the two arms, two eyes, and beige skin with dark markings. They're all wearing furs and leathers, looking even more like they'd belong by Holoth's side.

I feel my walls going up. One of my hands goes to my abdomen for reassurance. The babe is barely a couple of weeks old, but it's still my biggest comfort.

"Sisters," Holoth says, eyeing the small group of women waiting for us outside the ship. He walks me over to stand beside Sloane, shrugs the fur off his back, and drapes it over my shoulders. He cups my face between his hands. "You keep this on. If we're separated, you tell them you are a mated female. Understand?"

"We're not—"

"As far as any of them need to know, we are." Holoth gives me a soft kiss against my temple. "You're going to carry all my babes, K'Vella. You can at least tell them you're claimed." He gives me a devilish smile before turning around and addressing the women who are gathered in front of our little group.

"I seek aid for a friend," Holoth says, his voice carrying over the silence from the rest of us. "She was altered to have heats at a frequency of once a month as far as we can tell. She began showing signs earlier, and I brought her here to beg for your help."

One of the females walks closer to our group, stepping past Holoth and walking straight for Avery, who's shaking in her discomfort. Phial tightens his grip on her like he doesn't trust anyone else with Avery.

I don't blame him. We're on a strange planet, surrounded by strangers, and there's a chance Avery finds someone here suitable for her like Holoth might.

The woman places a hand on Phial's arm. "Our sister is in pain," she tells him gently. "We'll take care of her."

"How?" Phial asks, his scales shimmering and flickering between dark navy and a pale green like he can't stop it.

"We'll take her back to the sanctuary and teach her ways of coping without a partner," the female says, urging Phial's grip to loosen on Avery. "It's difficult, and it will be uncomfortable, but the only other option is finding a male for her to spend her heat with."

Phial hisses his displeasure as Avery whimpers and nuzzles closer to him.

"No males." The female understands Avery's concern without anyone needing to say anything else. "No males, I promise."

She takes Avery's hand and allows the other woman to pull her from Phial's hold. He looks like he wants to reach out to her, but he stays in place. His scales shimmer again, this time starting to disappear completely. Essa wraps her tail around his ankle before he can vanish and holds onto him even as he hisses and curses at her.

"The clan will be happy you're back."

A different female steps up to Holoth and stands much closer to him than I appreciate. Her eyes are bright as she stares up at him, and I don't miss how his features seem to brighten as well. She wraps her arms around him, and for a moment, I think I might be sick with how easily he holds her tightly to him. Sloane grabs my hand in hers, squeezing it in reassurance.

Then the female says something that makes us both feel foolish for worrying. "Mom's going to kill you."

"I know," Holoth says as he unwraps his arms from the smaller female, who I now realize is his sister.

He's told me about Helna, but I didn't even think that might be who she was. There wasn't any hesitation in me thinking that she might want Holoth. It's a vicious insecurity in me that reminds me that any of these females would be better suited for him than me.

"We need a tour of the clan," Holoth says, turning to face the rest of us. "It was our night when we came. What time is it here?"

"Just after dinner, so everyone's all in the great hall," Helna says.

She stares around her brother and gives me a curious look. She would've seen Holoth put the fur around my shoulders and kiss my temple, right?

Is she disappointed that I'm the female her brother is putting a fur on? Does she want it to be someone else?

Ugh, I hate that my mind is deciding to panic about all of this when we're only here because Holoth thought we had to come.

Helna looks over at the rest of us and then tilts her chin back. "Come on, let's go introduce your crew to everyone. We're all curious about what you've been doing since you left."

"Do not embarrass me, Helna," Holoth grumbles under his breath. His smile is wide, though, and when his sister tries to guide him down the path away from the ship, he stays put, eyes trained on me. "How about you give the full tour to my friends here?" He motions toward Sloane, Jovi, Alik, Phial, and Essa, who are all looking around this new planet with wonder.

The part of Rythar that Holoth's clan is in is a densely forested area. The tall trees surrounding the clan are filled with lush green leaves. The clan's buildings are weaved through the trees, making them part of the landscape instead of destroying the forest to make space for them.

Hundreds of years ago, Rythar was on the brink of destruction. They reverted to a simpler time with most of their living. Trees were planted all over, cloning was used to bring wildlife back from the brink of extinction, and the Rytharians became less reliant on technology. They still have the same technology as most planets in the Intergalactic Alliance, but there are hubs on the planet where different technology can be found instead of each clan using it in their everyday life.

"What are you going to do?" Helna asks, her eyes looking worried like her brother might leave her again after just returning.

"I need to explain some things to that pretty Varon female over there." He gives me a wink, and my flush grows under my dress. Helna seems even more surprised by his obvious acknowledgment that, yes, he wants me, but she doesn't fight him on it. "The great hall is where it was when I left, yes? I can meet you there."

"And you're not leaving without saying goodbye again, right?" she asks, her fingers twisting in front of her when she asks.

"I'll make sure to tell you before I go," he says, hugging her again before pushing her toward the rest of our group. "Now give them the tour, and don't tell them any embarrassing stories."

"No, tell us the story of why Holoth fled this planet," Essa says, her eyes bright with mischief as she asks.

Holoth groans but doesn't tell his sister not to. We watch the group disappear down the path. The other females only linger for a moment before Holoth waves them away, too. I don't know what they're hoping to accomplish when he just said he thought I was beautiful, but then again, I'd want a chance at seducing him if I were them.

"You're tense," Holoth purrs as he pulls me close. "What are you so scared of?"

"The females are all very beautiful," I whisper, not wanting to meet his eyes when I confess my fear to him.

"Rytharians are a beautiful species." Holoth smiles at me, refusing to let me ignore his eyes. "But there's only one female I want, K'Vella, and she's more beautiful than anyone I've ever met."

"You're being sweet." I push at his chest, but he doesn't budge.

"I'm more than sweet," he counters. "I'm yours, and no one here will change that."

I swallow down the lump in my throat, not wanting to ask my next question but knowing that I need to. "What about if you scent match one of them?"

Holoth's brows almost meet his hairline, and then he shakes his head and chuckles to himself. "I'm not going to scent match any of them."

"You don't know that," I say, pushing at his chest again, needing him to take this seriously. "You could scent match a pretty female here. She'll make you an even nicer nest than me, and then you won't even need me anymore."

Holoth stares at me with a dark intensity that has me wanting to curl up into him. His purr is still rumbling in his chest, even though he looks like he'd rather be growling and snapping his teeth at me.

"I'm not scent matching anyone here because I'm not taking the blocker out. It has a lifetime of up to two years, and I've only been wearing it for about a month. Even if the male I got it from used it, I still have enough time to last until Avery's heat is over, and then we can leave this planet. As for the rest of your statement, well, we both know no one can make a better nest than you, and I will always need you."

"Holoth," I say, not wanting to let this go.

I'm pregnant with his child right now, and still, I feel like I could lose him at any moment. The only thing keeping us together is an air filtration device clipped into his nose. If it malfunctions or falls out somehow, he's going to smell someone else, and he's going to want them more than me, and I can't handle it.

"What do I need to say to make you believe me?" Holoth asks, his tone genuine as he asks, even though there's no good answer to that.

"I believe you believe you want me more than anything," I say, hoping I'm choosing my words right because I don't want to hurt him. "I don't want to keep you from finding someone who completes you, though. What if she's here, and she smells amazing? How can I live with myself if I keep you from her?"

"Considering neither of us will ever know if she exists, I think you can live with yourself just fine," Holoth snaps, his irritation becoming clear in the change of his tone. "K'Vella, I want you. I want no one but you. Why can't that be enough for you?"

"It is," I try to argue, but even it feels like a lie on my tongue.

"It's not." Holoth turns from me, his hands going to his neck as he groans to himself. "What do you want me to do? I'll do it, but I need you to tell me."

When I curl my arms around myself and don't answer him, he turns to face me. "You want me to take the blocker out?"

"No!" My body is too hot now at just the idea of him taking it off and finding out immediately that he's better off with someone else.

Holoth smiles at me like he's gotten what he wants out of this argument. It's a giant grin that mocks how fast and how loudly I opposed him taking the blocker out.

"Want me to go ask some of the females down there if they want to come to help me build my nest for the night?" He steps closer to me, wrapping an arm around my waist and tugging me close to him. I shake my head weakly. "Then what do you want, K'Vella?"

I bury my head in his neck, my arms wrapping around him as tight as I can hold him. "I could lose you so fast."

"You won't," he murmurs into my ear, his purr rattling between us. "I'll have Essa check the longevity of the blocker in the airlock tomorrow if it makes you feel better."

"It will," I say, not wanting to release him, even though I know we need to leave this shipyard at some point tonight. "I'm sorry."

"For worrying about losing me?" Holoth asks. "Don't apologize for that. Our species are different, and your fears are valid. I've no interest in finding a Rytharian that smells good to me. I only have an interest in four-armed females now."

I roll my eyes but can't deny that his words have a smile splitting my lips. "They'll all be waiting for us." I nudge his shoulder, but he doesn't make any move to release me, and I don't release him, either.

"They can wait," Holoth says, burying his face into my neck and taking a deep inhale that reminds me just how much I'm depriving him of.

Of course, he doesn't give me a second to think about that before he's urging me backward, back into the ship, with his arms still wrapped around me and his mouth now finding purchase on a fresh patch of pelt.

"I need you," he groans as we stumble onto the ship. We make it as far as the entertainment room before he pulls me to the ground and reminds me just how much his body responds to me.