Qylar cupped his cheek and forced his gaze up.“Somethingis off. Sex isn’t the problem. I love you and I want to be with you as often as you wish… but not when it seems a symptom of an unknown problem. I don’tlikeunknown problems, especially when they’re happening to my pregnant mate.” He sighed. “I’vealready remote started the ship and called it here. I was about to scoop you up and return to Nefyria at once.”
Kenji saw the panic in Qylar’s eyes, but he didn’t want to leave their Christmas house. “Other than sore, I feel fine. Do we really have to go?”
Qylar searched his face, silent a few seconds. “I don’t want to lose you, Kenji.”
“If something happens again, I give you permission to take me back there. How’s that?”
Qylar didn’t look pleased. “What if something is seriously wrong? If it is, we’re wasting time not going now.”
“I feelfine.”Kenji took a deep breath. “Is there something on your ship where you could check my vitals and see that I’m okay?”
Qylar sighed. “We could run a diagnostic. Not that the system is trained on pregnant, human-Nefyrian hybrids.”
Kenji twisted his forefinger and thumb together in Qylar’s sweater, just between his pecs. “I like being here with you. I don’t want to leave my first Christmas behind if I don’t have to.”
Qylar gave a pinched look, shaking his head. “I don’t like this.”
“One more incident, and you can take me back. You have my permission.”
Qylar growled under his breath.
“I can’t wait to decorate thetreeeeee,”Kenji said, grinning and cuddling closer.
“You care so little for your wellbeing that decorating the tree takes precedence over your health and welfare?”
“Being here, alone with you, in this little magical, holiday bubble takes precedence right now. I don’t want to go back to Nefyria. Not until after we’ve rung in the new year, at the earliest.”
Qylar’s nostrils flared as he breathed out a sigh.
“Maybe me sleeping for a day was the end of it,” Kenji whispered as he cuddled closer. “Maybe whatever that was in the shower needed to happen and now I’m all good.”
Qylar shook his head.
“You’ve already mentioned that the doctors are pretty much in the dark about people of mixed species. What could they possibly do right now, especially when I feel perfectly fine?”
“I’m never going to know a minute of peace for the rest of my life, am I?”
Kenji grinned.
“Youwillcome onboard the ship and let me check you over, at minimum. Perhaps we’ll have some replies to the inquiries I sent out that might shed some light, too.”
“I’m ready to board whenever you are,” Kenji said. “As long as we’re not leaving Aspen.”
“Fine—with a caveat.”
Kenji sighed. “Yes?”
“Ifthere’s anything wildly abnormal in your vitalsorthere’s a message waiting for us that gives cause for us to leave immediately, wewill.”
“Fair enough,” Kenji said, nodding. He offered his hand to Qylar. “Deal?”
“You little pain in my ass,”Qylar muttered under his breath before taking his hand and dragging him into a bear hug. “I don’t ever want to feel that scared again, Kenji. If it happens again, we’re gone. I won’t have any argument.”
Kenji melted into Qylar, his mate’s care and concern so unfamiliar. No one had ever worried about him, not at that magnitude. All of a sudden, the realization of how much that mattered hit him square in the chest. He fought tears.
When Qylar leaned back and met his gaze, he immediately tensed.“What’s wrong?”
Kenji blinked the tears back. “Nothing’s wrong.”
