CHAPTER 12

"Preposterous," Nitiel muttered as he flew toward his cabin. He couldn't help himself, and that was saying something.

He was not the kind to talk to himself in public. He was not the kind to use swear words even in his own head, because that was a feather away from slipping up in front of others, and swearing was against the code. Yet, now he felt like muttering a curse. He was that angry, both at himself and Commander Siriniel.

Indeed, Nitiel should not have left Loe's side until he had united her with her niel, as per protocol. His shock at the Commander's non-appearance in the landing bay should not have gotten the better of him. He was guilty of what Commander Siriniel had chastised him for mere minutes ago.

But that was not why Nitiel was angry at the Commander. How dare he be free of urgent tasks and in perfect shape and not want to see Loe immediately? How dare he postpone meeting his niela, who had flown across the system to see him, because he needed "more time to compose myself and prepare the right speech for the unique circumstances"?

Commander Siriniel was a war-time hero; he had faced scum of various races across the galaxy without hesitation. He needed time to get a grip now? And how much more time could a male need when he had had his entire adult life to prepare for this very moment? Even Nitiel, whose clan-less status meant he was not entitled to the ASI's assistance and thus stood a miniscule chance of ever finding his niela, had thought about the first thing he would say to her. It wouldn't be a speech, that was for sure. After years of waiting for this moment, who had patience for a speech anyway?

There was only one word in the Commander's excuse that Nitiel agreed with: the circumstances were truly unique. Because a niel refused to see his niela for the time being.

"Utterly preposterous," Nitiel told the empty corridor outside his cabin.

It was good he had made it to his temporary home without anyone having stopped him for a chat. He had no patience left, which was again not typical of him. Collecting nielas was clearly not the right career path for him, and he was glad the current mission was a one-time thing.

Not that he knew whether his liaison role on Terra was the right job for him. Not being on active duty anymore, having to live planet-side on an alien world, having to work predominantly with Terrans – it remained to be seen how he would handle that. But for now, he didn't have to worry about any of those things, because there was no leaving the space station for him until Loe and the Commander were united. Which could take who knew how many planetary rotations, now that the Commander was acting unreasonably.

Nitiel's wings fluttered at the thought of bringing Loe the news. That would not go well. She would get angry, she would claim with renewed fervor that the ASI was faulty, she would argue with Nitiel–

She would look breathtaking. All feisty, flushed and with green eyes blazing. A sight Nitiel would get to enjoy one more time, thanks to the Commander. Now that was one positive thing in this ridiculous situation.

Nitiel entered his cabin, a guest one provided to him upon his arrival at the station weeks ago. It wasn't big, but he didn't need much and the shower dome was all his. No communal showers like on the Venus military station he had lived on for nearly two years.

A shower sounded pretty good right now. The cold water never failed to relax Nitiel, and he would need to be back to his normal self for the meeting with Loe. He was eager to see her. Alarmingly eager. But there was no need to rush. She was safe and in good company, and she–

His communication badge pinged. Then pinged some more, as if the person on the other end was incessantly pressing their finger to their own badge.

"Subcommander Nitiel listening."

"Nitiel, thank the Goddess!"

"Vrixiel?" Why did his friend sound frantic?

"I called as soon as I learned–I wasn't sure you'd pick up right away–Hurry!"

Nitiel's wings tensed. "Why?"

"It's Lady Hloe! She's under attack!"

"What! Where?"

"In the cleansing chamber! Hurry, you're closer than me! Cabin 201!"

Nitiel flew out of his cabin and sped down the corridor as fast as the limited space allowed it, both his hearts squeezed in a vise. What on Gaenthia was going on?

Cabin 201 was at the very beginning of the corridor. He executed a rough landing, not wanting to slow down until the last possible moment. Any second could prove fatal. Whoever Loe's attacker was, the weaponless and clawless female stood no chance against them. Nitiel used his all-access pinkie fingerprint to unlock the door, steadying his breathing in preparation for the upcoming fight. He unsheathed his claws just as the door slid to the side–

Something soft hit his thigh. And bounced right off. Nitiel closed his wings around his lower body just in time to stop a ball of silvery fluff from making contact, then another. Dozens of the balls the size of his fist were bouncing across the empty sleeping chamber, hitting walls and ceiling all around and making bubbly noises.

Nitiel caught one flying toward his face and brought his fisted hand to his eye level. He already suspected what he was dealing with but wanted to make sure. He opened his fingers just a fraction. The ball moved until two shiny blue eyes stared back at Nitiel from amongst the fluff. The sound of boiling water came from within.

"Munchjies," Nitiel grumbled. How in Gaenthia's name had the little critters ended up in the cabin, and in such a big number?

He let go of the munchjie before it could switch from threatening sounds to licking. A lick wasn't fatal but left your skin burning for a while. Nitiel then walked fully into the cabin and closed the door behind him to contain the infestation. He would have to call a cleaning crew to catch the munchjies, but first he had to make sure Loe was alright.

There was no sign of her in here. Had she fled the cabin before his arrival?

"Loe?" he called out, wings lifted for cover as he made his way through the bouncing critters. "Loe, are you in here?"

"Nitiel?" a shaky voice came from the cleansing chamber, the door to which lay fully open.

"Loe!" He rushed inside the tight space, his concern skyrocketing. Munchjies were not dangerous, just unpleasant, but she sounded scared.

He found Loe inside the shower dome to the left of the entrance. The glass door was shut, so she was shielded from the several munchjies bouncing around the small cleansing chamber. She was standing in nothing but a pink towel, hair mussed, hands pressed to the rounded glass. Her beautiful eyes shone with unshed tears.

"Goddess, Loe! Are you hurt? Are you in pain?"

"Nitiel, be careful! Those things burn!"

"Did they burn you?" As he got to the dome under the cover of his wings, he saw the answer on her skin. Angry red lines marred the soft pale skin on her forearms. The same wide lines were visible on both her legs.

Guilt squeezed his upper heart. This was his fault. Every single moment of pain Loe had experienced because of the munchjies was his fault. He should have escorted her to her cabin and personally ensured it was safe. Instead, he had let her be licked. Multiple times.

The Commander would have his head. Nitiel himself should submit his resignation for this.

"It's my fault, really," Loe said, eyes downcast. "Trixie warned me not to touch them and to take cover, but I didn't listen. They looked so cute when several emerged from the drain, so I went to pet one and… yeah. I'm an idiot."

Nitiel shook his head. "You couldn't have known they would perceive you as a threat and initiate a group licking attack."

"But I should know better than to try petting a wild animal, be it on Earth or in space–Please, be careful," she warned when he caught a munchjie.

"Have no fear, I can handle them." He had to throw all of the critters out of the cleansing chamber. The cleaning crew would deal with them in the sleeping chamber; his priority was making this space safe for Loe. "You are not at fault here," he told her as he worked. "I am."

Loe wrapped her arms around herself. "You? But why–"

"You mentioned Trixie. Did she flee the cabin when the licking attack began?" She must have been the one to alert Vrixiel to the danger.

"She shouted she would go get help, then I have no idea. I've been hiding in this dome ever since."

Nitiel sighed in relief. It was bad enough that one niela had been hurt; if Trixie had been licked as well… Vrixiel would have his wing feathers.

As soon as Nitiel sent the last munchjie bouncing out of the chamber, he slid the door shut. One quick call for a cleaning crew later, he focused on Loe again. "It's safe to come out now," he told her through the glass dome. "I know you have no reason to trust me to keep you safe, but I give you my word I would lose all my feathers before I let anything else hurt you."

A small smile appeared on her face. "I trust you, Nitiel. It's just that… Can you close the drain? In case there are more munch-jies in there?"

Nitiel looked at the drain. The small hole in the metal floor between the shower dome and the excrement unit was usually closed with a grate that was sealed in place, but here the grate lay to the side.

"The creatures pushed it aside," Loe explained. "After the first several got out, the rest literally erupted from there… Do you see more of them?"

"No, the drain looks empty." Still, he pressed the grate back where it belonged. He had never seen so many munchjies in one place, so everything was possible at this point.

"What are those things anyway? Pests?"

"Not unless they are too many, no. And we have ways to keep their numbers under control. They lick the corrosion away from the metal across the station. They tend to shy away from other creatures and live in tight places where our repair crews can't easily deal with the corrosion."

"Well, sorry to say it, but the numbers of these munchjies here don't look under control to me."

"No, they don't." And that was another detail to add to the strange list along with the unsealed grate. But that was a question for the cleaning crew. "You can come out, Loe."

"Umm…" She bit her bottom lip. "I don't know how. Trixie was just about to show me how the shower works when the first of those animals popped up."

"I see." That would explain why Loe was wearing nothing but a towel, and why Vrixiel had not been on site at the time of the incident. Nitiel wouldn't have been either, come to think of it; he would have left Loe alone to her shower, as was proper. He might not resign just yet–

Loe was wearing nothing but a towel! A towel much shorter than the dress he had seen her in before. Leaving her legs on full display, from her tiny feet to her shapely thighs. He could almost imagine those legs wrapped around his head as he feasted on–

"Nitiel? Are you alright?"

A rumble rose in his chest, one born out of disgust at himself. How could he think of pleasure when the evidence of Loe's pain was right in front of him, clear to see? He might not resign, but he should not be the one responsible for this stunning female's safety until her meeting with her niel. His judgment was too clouded by lustful thoughts. His desire for her was a threat in its own right.

"Nitiel?"

"Forgive me," he said firmly and pressed his hand to the center of the dome's door. "A touch from the inside would open it just the same." He stepped back, leaving room for the large rectangular piece of glass to lift up.

"Wow, I feel like stepping out of a fancy car, with that door opening vertically." Loe accepted his hand without hesitation. She clutched the towel to her chest with her other hand, for which Nitiel was very grateful. If that towel slipped lower–

"Ow, ow!" She began jumping on one foot, hand still clutching his, face contorted in pain.

Panic gripped Nitiel once more. "What is it, Loe?"

"Something sharp. It's small but stings like a motherfudger–Hey!"

His arms went under her and picked her up, bringing her side to his chest. It was instinctual. He could not allow any more harm to come to Loe.

She went silent, wide eyes trained on his face. Which was now two feathers away from hers.

Nitiel averted his gaze, before he fell under the spell of her green eyes yet again. "You're safe now. Let's see your foot."

She barely hesitated before nodding.

Nitiel sat on the slightly elevated entrance to the shower dome, Loe sideways on his lap. He gritted his teeth: he must not allow the intimate position, or Loe's bare skin in his hands to affect him as much as it had on the way to the station. He. Must. Not.

She shifted one leg to show Nitiel her sole. "Can you see it? It's below my pinkie toe."

"I see it." It was stuck deep into Loe's soft little foot.

"What is it?"

"A munchjie's claw."

"A claw?! But those things had no arms!"

"It's a foot claw, really miniscule. Munchjies have very tiny feet hidden in their fur, which they use for moving when they can't bounce."

"No more details, please. Just get it out."

Nitiel risked a look at Loe's pretty face. She looked pale – paler than usual – and had her eyes squeezed shut.

"It will be alright, Loe," he spoke softly, like he would approach a distressed cibiri. "Stay immobile for me now."

She nodded, squeezing her eyes even tighter.

He unsheathed the claws of his free hand and captured the sharp offender between them. He pulled it out with a quick move, to cause as little pain to Loe as possible.

She stayed put, just as instructed. "Is it out?"

"Yes. Does it hurt?"

She relaxed in his arms with a deep exhale, forehead resting on his shoulder. "Barely. But fudge the pain, just the thought of a claw stuck in my foot… Yuck. Should I get a special shot? To prevent infection?"

"I don't think so. But I will call the medical bay, to ask just in case."

Loe's hand rested on his chest, so gentle and warm. "Can we wait, just for a moment? I want to take a breather before it turns out I'll need a huge injection. I'm terrified of needles."

She shuddered in his arms, and Nitiel pulled her closer against him. "I won't let any needle near you. The doctor will find another way."

Loe lifted her head from his shoulder, and he felt her eyes on his face. He didn't dare turn to look at her, however, for fear of how close her kissable lips were. "You'd stop the doctor for me?"

"Of course." He'd stop anyone from laying a finger on Loe.

"Thank you, Nitiel. You're a sweetheart."

That caught him by surprise. Him? Sweet? No. He had known no sweetness in his life. Until her. "I cannot be a sweetheart, Loe."

"Yes, you can–"

"Because I have two hearts."

Loe gaped. Then laughed. "Okay, I stay corrected: you're a sweethearts."

Her bubbly laughter brought a smile to his face. He had succeeded in distracting her.

Too bad there was no distracting him from the precious feel of Loe in his arms. Vrixiel and the cleaning crew would arrive shortly, but that couldn't erase the memory of this moment.

Nitiel had thought himself a disciplined male in full control of his basic urges, but he hadn't been around many females, had he now? And Loe was not just any female, she was… Loe. He could not be trusted with her. Unless Commander Siriniel assumed his responsibilities as her niel, Nitiel had no choice but to entrust someone other than himself with her safety for the time being.

Even if both his hearts hurt at the thought, from now on he had to stay as far away from Loe as possible.