“No offense has been taken,” Kyle assured him. “Burrow Worms are prophetic creatures, but they can be quite savage indeed. I am happy to be here to protect you from them should any find their way into this remote and well-protected government facility.”
Kyle was excellent at protection, having protected Titan and his clutchmates from many fearsome things—themselves included—but hearing his selfless declaration to Ezra caused a great wave of jealousy inside of Titan that washed his rational thoughts away.
He did not want Kyle to protect Ezra.
Hewanted to protect Ezra.
Should any Burrow Worm come near to what was his, he would not simply incapacitate the creature—he would shred it to pieces with his inefficiently blunt human teeth.
“Dude, are you okay?” Ezra asked. Titan thought he was speaking to Kyle until he looked up and saw that Ezra was frowning at him.
“You must be tense and red in the face due to your considerable exhaustion,” Kyle said sympathetically. “It has been, as humans enjoy saying, a long day for you, despite the fact that the length of a day on this planet is standardized with the exception of certain bad locations in which an hour is gained or lost for frivolous purposes twice a year.”
Ezra groaned. “You’ve been talking with Al, haven’t you? Can we not get into the whole daylight saving debate right now? I get enough of it at home.”
“I shall debate you not.”
“Thanks.”
“But what I have said remains unchanged. You have had what is called a long day, Master Titan, and you are not required to begin your ambassadorial duties right away. Would you like me to arrange transport with the government dudes for you to go to Al—er, Master Al and Human Jude’s residence so that you may rest?”
Ezra set his torture down with a loud click. “I’m sorry. Can you repeat that? He’s stayingwhere?”
“With us, Human Ezra,” Kyle said, sounding surprised that Ezra was surprised. “Where else would he stay?”
“There are temporary housing units. He could stay there. Or, hell, he could stay with Corbin.”
“Master Titan is family, Human Ezra.”
“Ninety percent of everyone we let into Earth is family, Kyle! Al’s family is gigantic! That doesn’t mean we let them all come live with us.”
“I will admit that I have confusion, Human Ezra,” Kyle said, furrowing his brow. “Why do you have problems with Master Titan coming to stay with us in our home?”
Why indeed, Titan wondered. He wanted to believe it was because Ezra knew that he would have trouble controlling his carnal instincts, as Ezra was understandably very attracted to him, but the terseness of Ezra’s tone was not exactly that of someone filled with lust. “I don’t like you,” Ezra had told him earlier. Titan had not allowed himself to believe those words at face value before, but it was becoming more and more possible that Ezra had meant them.
“I don’t have a problem with it,” Ezra said, sounding like someone who had many problems with it. “It’s just—I mean—we don’t have the room. What with allthe… kids… and everything. Yeah, the kids. They’re getting bigger every day, and eventually they’re going to want their own rooms, and it just doesn’t make sense to bring more people into the house.”
“Human Ezra, your wing of the mansion alone contains twelve unconsciousness quarters. Space is not a concern.”
Ezra sighed, scrubbing his face with his hands. For the first time since he entered the room, he looked Titan in the eyes. He held his gaze for a long increment, and Titan’s breath hitched in his throat. Even when scowling, which he most certainly was, Ezra had remarkably kind eyes. They were big and brown and Titan felt like he could stare at them forever if given the chance, despite the fact that they could not change color. It was no wonder no other being back home had caught his interest—not when this was the kind of perfection they were competing against.
“Fine,” Ezra said finally. He broke eye contact, much to Titan’s chagrin, turning back to Kyle. “You’re right. There’s plenty of room. Titan can stay with us.”
Kyle nodded, mouth still twisted in mild confusion, but he spoke no more on the subject. Instead, he asked Titan, “Are you wanting to go to the house now, Master Titan? You may rest there.”
The truth was that Titan was fairly tired. That many light-years of travel was taxing, even in the best of circumstances. But he also was loath to leave. More than anything else, he wanted to be where Ezra was, and Ezra was here, in this windowless government place.
But perhaps that was shortsighted.
Ezra would return to the house when his work concluded for the day. Titan had waited this long to see him again—he could wait a few hours more.
“Perhaps this would be wise,” he told Kyle, not looking away from Ezra.
He tried not to feel offended at the way Ezra visibly relaxed upon hearing it.
“Then I will go make transportation arrangements for you,” Kyle said, getting up from his seat and swiftly heading for the door. “I will return shortly.” He pressed his fingers together in that same gesture of subservience—perhaps he simply could not help himself—and dipped out of the room.
A ringing silence followed Kyle’s exit. Titan was still staring at Ezra intently. Ezra, for his part, was staring down at his hands, where he was drumming his fingers on the table in an arrhythmic pattern. He was chewing on his lower lip. Titan remembered the feel of those lips on his—remembered nipping them and then soothing them with a kiss. He wanted to do it again. That was what he longed for most of the time these days.
