Chapter Seven

Castor

I woke alone in the bedroom and stretched my limbs. They ached as if I worked out all day yesterday. Only the memories of the ‘workout' brought a grin to my face. The bed was still warm where Axlin had spooned in behind me. I hadn't thought he'd be an early riser, but alphas did need less sleep than omegas. Sitting up, I ran my hands over my face and checked in with Casimir and the others over the flight link. Casimir felt confused but that was pretty normal since we arrived to Starscale 1. It was a whole new world, after all. The others just felt wet from the pool. Except for Fred. He was giggling away with his baby and mate.

"That's going to be us soon," my dragon chimed into my thoughts.

Maybe it was unprofessional to have a baby on a mission, but this wasn't any ordinary mission and Axlin was no ordinary dragon. He was my true-mate. My birth control may have held up. It had a snowball's chance in Frost Pit of holding up against the magic of the true-mate response, but the thought of building a nest and settling down with Axlin wasn't so bad. Wasn't bad at all actually.

Metal shut above my head and I pulled on my pajama pants, opened the bedroom door, and sat back down on the bed. It wasn't Axlin. He was flying right now. Clear purple skies stretched out as far as his eyes could see. It was Casimir. Secretly, I looked forward to hearing about whatever left my cousin confused. On Earthside, he seemed so sure of everything. Here, he was a fish out of water just like the rest of us.

"He'll be back," Casimir said, leaning in the door holding two coffee mugs.

"I know," I nodded and reached out for a mug.

"He made these. Brought me one," he said. "I don't think he's heard of sugar."

I took a sip and nodded. It wasn't bad coffee. Closer to black than I'd usually drink in the morning when my inner beast craved a sugar kick while I had my caffeine, but it wasn't bad.

"Look at you. All enamored with him. Enamored enough to drink bad coffee. Either have it black or make it a sugar baby. In between is where good coffee goes to die."

"Why are you confused?" I asked, tired of hearing him complain about the coffee. If he didn't like it there was plenty more to be made in the kitchen.

"Your guy," he said, leaning against the doorway. "Thought he came up to lecture me. He seems like the type. Instead, he invited me to live with him."

"They're umm…. very ---"

"Friendly?" Casimir offered up.

"Conscious of everyone's safety and needs," I said.

"Well, I told him I had to stay here with the crew," Casimir said. "If you need time off with him, I get it. We all get it. I'll keep Sunny from populating the world with Moonscale hatchlings while you're gone. I don't think he's thinking about eggs. He wants to get laid and not put in the work of dating. Misses the romping app from back home, I think. The purple district is like one big romping app, apparently."

"Sort of," I shrugged. "I know I shouldn't have gone there, but maybe it's not so bad. Axlin and all."

I grinned when his name passed over my lips. I couldn't help it.

"Are you going off with him?"

"We'll see when he gets back. He feels like he's had a change of plans."

"Do you think he can live on the ship?"

"Why couldn't he?"

"Because we had over a year of practice and some nights, I still wake up thinking we're going to hit space junk."

"He wasn't on the flight here. He'll be fine," I shrugged. "He was fine last night. I think he just sees it as another building because he hasn't seen the Medwin 2 in action. Do you hate him?"

"Couldn't hate him if I tried," Casimir shook his head. "You love him already. He's odd. If this were Earthside, I'd say he had a dangerous profession, but here it doesn't seem dangerous for him to be a stripper. They don't have the same stigma here. Doctors and strippers all get the same food point value per pound of body weight. Maybe that's what's done it."

"Maybe. I hope you and Axlin can be friends, Cas, and don't say you don't do friends. You did once upon a time."

"And look where that got us," he shrugged. "Shower up before you see the rest of the crew. Smells like a two-man brothel in here."

I'd have kicked anyone else square in the ass for saying that, but Casimir was right. I was still the captain of the Medwin 2 and didn't want the crew to think I'd gone off the deep end just because I met Axlin. So, I showered up and had breakfast before heading out to the pool with them. I didn't get in the water. Instead, I sat by the edge with my feet in. Izora, Teddy, Sunny, and Marsin played chicken. Their laughter echoed around the estate as I glanced up every now and then waiting for my guy to get back.

"I'm sorting out some things at the house," he said into my thoughts over our mating link. "I can't separate you and Casimir. You said it yourself, you're the only one he considers family. He stays apart from the crew most of the time. He doesn't want to come out here, but I don't think it's good for him to be alone. So, that means living on the ship. The house will be here if we need it or want it, but I can't take you away from him."

I nodded even though Axlin couldn't see me. Poor Cas. Maybe his true-mate would be the next one to pop out of the woodwork or the purple sun or wherever they hid around these parts. Some more unconditional love would do him good, if only he'd take it. Maybe that was just my newfound happiness speaking, but I stood by the thought.

***

After lunch, I spent my afternoon in a meeting with the crew. Since we were talking about gathering help for the Other World Gateway mission even Fred came. He glanced at his phone every few seconds watching the baby camera he and Elio had installed not long ago. His distraction I forgave. Minter was an adorable baby. The first Starscale and Moonscale to be born since maybe the Sleeping Omega Prince himself. Or maybe that honor went to his kids. I wasn't sure. I wasn't a genealogist.

I started by explaining Axlin's plan to call upon the folks who frequented the purple district for help. Sunny rolled his eyes at the mention of the district. I gave him credit. Except for running to my rescue he did stay out of it. He grew up in the age where everything, including string-free romping could be found on the tiny computers in our pockets. As far as I knew there wasn't an app like that here, but who needed it with the purple district.

"You do understand why I said no purple district, right?" I asked, unable to tolerate the eye rolling any longer.

"Because you're afraid we'll knock everyone up."

"Sunny Moonscale, we both know it's more than that. If a fight breaks out, it's likely to be at that district. Seriously. Sex makes everyone into a fool. We didn't grow up here. We don't know all their ways or the things they know about their society because they did grow up in it. We need to keep out of fights. We're here to help them, not make them toss our ship out of their orbit and be done with the outside world for the rest of time."

"I'm not a creep," Sunny sighed.

"He knows that," Fred cut in. "He knows not one of us are that sort of guy."

"I do," I nodded. "So much in fact that after I learn a bit more about it, I might reconsider my views on you all going there. I think it might be okay from what the claiming vows showed me. I still want Axlin to give everyone the run down of the rules when he gets back. You too, Fred, if you don't mind. I know you might not go there, but you know more Starscales than any of us so far. They seem to like you."

"I think they like everyone just fine. They may want to get to know us better, but they don't seem wary of us," Fred said. "I'll stick around for that, though, unless Elio needs me."

I grinned because I couldn't help it. Would Axlin be a doting mate too? I probably wouldn't let him dote as much as Elio allowed Fred to, but still, it was a nice thought.

"So, we're not allowed there. You went there and met your true-mate and now we're recruiting help from there?" Sunny asked.

"Don't be like that," Teddy sighed. "As far as I'm concerned, Sunny, Castor went there because Axlin was there. Maybe he didn't know it consciously, but maybe his dragon did some way or another."

"And it's not like those folks live there. No one really lives in the purple district as far as I understand it," Casimir cut in. "Those folks go there looking for a good time and it seems mostly they find it. Good for them and all that, but it's not like Elio has a massive fan following or that Hush is going to help us get this done. If you ever want to see your parents or brother again, we need to get these open. And remember, kid, just because Castor met Axlin there doesn't mean you'll find your true-mate there. I know all of you are itching for that, but we can't go around sniffing everyone. We have to keep a level head about it all."

Sunny pursed his lips and nodded. He looked so much like his Frost-damned sire when he did that. Sunny hatched on the edge of a war and spent a good part of the first year of his life being raised by his older brother and his true-mate while his parents tried to chase a hate group out of Moonscale Territory. He spent a lot of time being doted on by his parents and his brother as he grew up. Sunny was a good guy, but he wasn't used to hearing no when it came to chasing down something he wanted.

"Sunny," Teddy said, in that low, almost too intimate voice.

He shot Teddy a look and sighed.

"Maybe your true-mate has siblings or friends or something that have mates on Earthside. Working this thing out for the Starscales may help them or help our friends back home even. I want to meet mine as much as you do, but this is so much bigger than us. This is huge!"

Sunny nodded and stayed quiet. Sometimes I wondered if the pair of them hooked up when no one was paying attention. They never smelled like each other that way, but the pair was close and despite sharing a surname they weren't related. A lot of dragons in the flight went by Moonscale, but that only meant at sometime their lineage joined the flight.

"Is that frowned upon on Earthside? Two alphas being together?" Axlin cut into my thoughts, and I startled.

Casimir asked if I was okay and Fred only flashed me a knowing look.

"I'm alright," I said and quickly explained to Axlin that while it wasn't too uncommon that not everyone understood that. Sometimes no one batted an eye and at other times all they could do was think way too much and too hard about who was bottoming for who when it was none of their business.

"Seems like they need to get laid more. Maybe acquire a vibrating butt plug or something if they have that much free time on their hands. They don't have to be vers but why do they care what other people do in their bedrooms?"

"I think it's left over from the human governments."

"Well, no one really cares about that here. I'm headed back now. I only brought a few trunks. I know there are empty bedrooms now but I didn't want to overload your house with stuff before we talked about it. I know you like to keep the ship flight ready."

"I can't wait to see you," I said before thinking about it.

"Me too, mate, me too."