“Someone less squishy and less stabbable, preferably.” Xexis pulled out his data pad and began the process of sorting the hunts among the available hunters.
“I got stabbedonce.” Reevar rolled his eyes.
“By a Snortvene, no less,” Xexis snickered, glancing up from his work. Reevar was trembling in his seat, trying to swallow his laughter. “Maybe your mate is a Snortvene in heat? Do you think you could claim one? Or would its horn run you through a second time?”
“May the stars have mercy.” They cackled, descending pleasantly into Xexis’ work. As he worked through who to put on which hunt with his closest, and dearest friend, Xexis warmed to the idea of this life.
Maybe a life in court won’t be the painful ending but a fresh beginning…one I share with her?
Chapter Sixteen:
Unfortunately,thesweetdreamsof a sentient droid cleaning tables did not keep the nightmares at bay. If she hadn’t been in and out of inky, endless abyss of sleep for the first few days she was on the ship, she imagined she would have had nightmares every night. However, her mind waited till that moment to hit her with a heavy dose of panic and terror. Rushing through the ship, clawing open doors, praying to anyone that would listen to keep them alive. She watched Danny sink the blade into Max’s head and was left strangled in her sleep, unable to scream. When Aphrodite awoke, drenched in her own sweat, she was engulfed in darkness. Thankfully, two large arms were draped over her. The steady breathing of Xexis floated around her.
She lay back in his arms, trying to close her eyes.It’s just a nightmare, we’ve moved past this.They’d moved past the bad hunt; he’d even shown her a real one. Yet, she couldn’t shake the icky feeling on her skin as she lay in his arms.It’s going to take time.Aphrodite wasn’t going to get anymore sleep tonight.
With a sigh, she slithered out of his arms and stood beside the bed. There wasn’t much she could do—she didn’t know where anything was. However, she needed to walk off the nightmares. Snatching up her drone, she headed for the door.Or, what she was hoping was the door.Tiny lights scattered around her feet and zipped for the door. As she approached, it hissed open. She flinched, glancing back at Xexis.
Lit up by the soft beam of light from the hall of the ship, she saw her mate draped in the bed. He hadn’t woken up, or maybe he was faking it. She smiled at the small rise and fall of his shoulders.
“Just for a moment, till I can breathe again,” she muttered to herself as she stepped through the doors and headed away from the room.He’s been awake far longer and he needs the rest.She glanced down to the cold metal orb in her hand and sighed, “Let’s fucking hope this works.”
Turning her drone on, she watched it bob to life. Slowly, lifting off her palm and floating before her, it swirled and twirled its tentacles, the camera lens of its eye staring at her. Aphrodite smiled up at him, “Hey, can you show me to the science labs? I don’t have my data pad, so I have no idea if this is going to work. You’re not reallydesignedto take audio commands but… maybe? You understand what I’m saying?”
Her drone chirped. She eyed him suspiciously as he whirled away from her and slowly bobbed down the hall.Here’s to nothing, right?She followed the floating orb through winding halls. The floor made little explosion designs in the lights under her feet. The ship waslearningher. She hadn’t walked much of the ship, being carried for most of it. Aphrodite tried not to look back at the door she left from. There wasn’t a way to leave him a note, ‘hey, just taking a walk, human things’.Her lips fell into a hard frown as she scanned the hall.
It’s not like she wasscaredof him anymore.
But aren’t I a little bit scared of what he could do? What he is capable of doing… What if this mate thing doesn’t work out? What if we arrive at his home and his father takes one look at me and says ‘she’s not worthy’. What could I even do?
Her mind spiraled, trying to fix a problem she couldn’t address even if she wanted to. That’s what frustrated her—even if she wanted to fix it? Ensure it didn’t happen, she couldn’t. When it came to tech, to making and fixing things, the problems were workable. She could find the flaw or the sparking wire, she could work around software issues or break through coding. What Aphrodite Kerso could not do was convince an alien monarch to accept her as their son’s mate. She couldn’t stop humans from being humans and fucking up her relationship. She couldn’t stop Xexis from deciding she was more trouble than she was worth.
Her chest ached. “Fucking great job, you’ve hurt your own feelings!” she hissed under her breath, sniffling.No! You don’t get to cry when you hurt your own damn feelings!She inhaled sharply through her nose and dabbed her eyes with the meat of her palm.When there was no controlling outside forces, at least I can control myself.
She let out a shaky breath as her drone wound her around one last bend. She stepped onto the massive bridge over the science labs. Her body softened as she leaned against the railing. Staring out at the labyrinth of labs was calming. Instead of two sides of a ship split by bickering scientists, the crew on Xexis’ ship seemed to work together. There were only 5 there now, all of them hunched over desks, working with finicky things.
Why did Xexis even have researchers on his vessel?She tapped her fingers against the metal railing.
Likely the answer is he is Kannatch.She snorted to herself, returning her attention to her drone floating. Movement from where she came from caught her eye. Reevar stepped out from the shadows of the ship and stopped beside her.
“Mphronatch,” he bowed his head, “what keeps you awake?”
“Human things,” she chuckled, turning from him, and staring down into the labs. There was one with a creature in a vat of some neon blue liquid. The person floating inside did so with a mask over their face. She pointed to the tube, “Who, or what, is that?”
“Fqa, he is an aquatic species. He fell ill. Too weak from a sickness his people couldn’t figure out. We’ve isolated him and are working on a cure. You see, his flesh was falling off and there were these large boils coming up from the open wounds; it was aggressive. So far, suspending him in a special concoction has kept the flesh on his body and the puss doesn’t come out, but if he leaves, it returns to ravage his body.” Reevar sighed at the end, folding his arms over the rail like Aphrodite’s.
She furrowed her brow. “That’s horrific. Any idea what’s hurting him?”
Reevar shook his head, face saddened. His pincers were curled inwardly, his brow knitted. Aphrodite glanced back at the creature in a faraway tube.At least he looks like he’s peacefully sleeping.She set her jaw in her palm, pitying the person trapped inside their body. Reevar spoke again, “It saddens me too, Mphronatch, as he is stuck here, hoping we can find a cure, while his mate and younglings think of him across the stars.”
She straightened, turning to Reevar. “He’s got family?”
“Yes. But we feared that sharing water with him would infect others, because of the puss. Xexis asked him if he were willing to come with us, and he did it without question.”
Aphrodite stared at the tube, heartbroken for the stranger who floated beyond the glass.He didn’t want to risk infecting them.It made her realize how silly her problems were earlier.Not that it was a competition,but now she just felt silly…She exhaled,laughing pitifully. “I was worried the Korzavic would not approve of me as Xexis’ mate.”
Reevar snorted, shaking his head. “Preposterous, you are Mphronatch.”
Aphrodite rolled her eyes, jabbing a finger at him. “Yeah, but you’re not the squishy human he’s bringing home to his father. I don’t know about Vroz, but humans are judgmental.”
