“Just following the rules.” Elio shrugged. “It’s nice to know what you’re getting into. I never had that growing up. Can’t get used to having it now. I’m still learning to set goals and not faint from shock when I’m allowed to reach them. Like... If there were some incredible, older, established woman on this crew, I wouldn’t let myself go after her, because it would mess with my plans. I’d be afraid to derail the chances I’m finally allowed to have after years of being the unwanted orphan boy, then the medical dart board. Not that someone like her would be interested in me.”
“Someone like her? Like who?”
Elio blinked, and his jaw—oh, she could study that jaw, so uniquely shaped, so square, not elongated like a Canid’s—dropped in surprise. “What? Who?”
“You said someone likeherwould not be interested in you. Well, who is she? Ohhh.” Lycen’s eyebrows arched. “Oh. Kaylie, huh?”
“What? No! She’s my age and in the same place as I am —just starting out, with no legacy to fall back on, nothing but hard work to push her forward... I mean, Kaylie is nice, but she’s notinterested. Either! I mean... I should stop talking. It’s late, and I think too much.”
Lycen gave him a half smile. “Rather have a guy who thinks too much instead of too little. I mean, as a crewmate.”
“Right. As a crewmate.”
ELIO SWALLOWED. A LOT.
How many times can a person swallow in a minute? And wasn’t swallowing supposed to help your mouth fill with saliva, or something?He felt like he was gargling sand.
“So, you thought about Kaylie?”
Lycen’s voice was low and nonchalant—and Lycen never sounded nonchalant. She always sounded commanding and purposeful. Being around her made Elio feel a confusing flutter in his stomach, one he avoided thinking about or talking about.
He felt more confident just being around her, like his brain was waking up and functioning at his highest level. Teenage him would have said he was acting his best and brightest to impress her.
The tingle sometimes traveled lower, and he wondered what it would be like to be commanded by Lycen. To serve under her. Serve her. At all. Period. Oh, no...
“Kaylie? Uh. Not exactly. I mean, sure, since I don’t see many people, and I’m not in love with the single, lonely life, I guess I give new people the once-over, trying to figure out if they might be the one. What about you?”
“I’m not into females. I regard Kaylie as a new friend, nothing more,” Lycen said quickly.
He had to laugh at that. “Okay, cool. I meant... Do you do the same? Do you consider the relatively few folks we interact with,or are you waiting until you leave this ship and head back to the Sirirus Federation?”
Leave this ship. What a horrible thought. This ship was home to him. Full of the only family he’d ever known. Yet, without Lycen on it, he realized it would lose something. Not something he could figure out in a single word, but it made him uneasy. Something indefinable would be gone, and he wouldn’t have identified it before he vanished.
“I don’t have any plans to leave. My parents expect me to get sick of this job and come home sooner rather than later, but it hasn’t happened yet. This was supposed to be a basic job, just helping Jaxson’s brother-in-law get his ship up and running as the galaxy came back to life after quarantine.” Lycen shrugged. “But we’ve had kidnapped, trafficked humans crash onboard, more weddings and celebrations in a year of cycles than I’ve ever been to during my adult life, and the first hybrid cubs born in the galaxy... Not to mention all the things that are happening with Marcus’ trials, and the fact that we travel from one end of the galaxy to the other.” Lycen let out a sigh, eyes shining. “There’s adventure here, and comfort, too. I don’t think my parents expected me to find that so far from our home planet or our pack, but I have.”
“Good. That’s amazing. Ly. I’m happy for you.” Elio nodded and cleared his throat. “I hope you, um, find that last missing piece. That special guy. The right kind of guy. I guess I’ll head back to my quarters. I have some studying to do.” Elio gave her a tight smile and cast a last longing look at the sleeping quartet of cubs.
He hustled away.She needs a guy full of adventure and excitement. She needs—
“He’d have to be a lot like you. I honestly don’t know how many Wolfi males are.”
Lycen’s words halted him in the doorway, making the sliding silver doors beep in protest as they halted midway closed.
Elio turned, head cocked. “Sorry?”
She was suddenly too close to him. So much closer than he remembered when he turned to leave. Her breasts were inches from his face, her muzzle was above his head, forcing him to crane his neck back to look directly into her eyes—and that was hard to do, because he wanted to observe the rest of her, especially her tail, which now swung like an entrancing pendulum behind her.
“Yeah, most Canid males are big and give off alpha energy—but things have changed over the centuries. Wolfi are the strongest, largest, and most elite Canids in all the Sirius Federation. We control the most land, have an incredible number of dignitaries, generals, and high-level officials. If there were a Felid equivalent, it would be the way that Leonids think they’re superior—but they’re not. And the way our packs tell stories about our strength, speed, and endurance...” Lycen gave a bitter chuckle. “Maybe we used to live that way. Now? Survival looks different, and not like the things I was raised to admire.”
“So, what do you admire?” Why was he asking? He had no idea. Just had to fill the silence so he didn’t stare like a drooling teenager.
“Someone like you.”
“I heard that part a minute ago, but I don’t understand why. I’m nothing like you would want, what your parents want, or your pack—”
Lycen’s hands flexed helplessly, and there was a flash of desperation in her eyes that Elio didn’t recognize. Lycen didn’t reveal desperation, or at least he’d never seen it before. She didn’t open up to him. As far as he knew, Lycen wasn’t the “opening up” type. Neither was he, except with Dax, Wendy, and Layla.
“I don’t know! I know you’re not my type. Not on paper. But you have that rugged strength. That survivor quality. You fight, and you claw, and you win. You scrap like the underdog—no offense to Canids,” she suddenly lit up his world with a wry smile, blue eyes twinkling for a split second. “I never thought about it until—”
