Much-needed fun: Take Two.
It took no effort to convince Kalvoxrencol, Serlotminden, and Talvax to join me while their mates and Wyn were busy. Serlotminden immediately claimed Bobbinvoxlyn, snuggling the infant close as he cooed and kissed him. Kalvoxrencol seemed more than happy to relinquish the kit for a few moments. I imagined since the kit rarely left his or his mate’s gaze, it was difficult to get a moment of peace.
Even a glance was enough to see how much Kalvoxrencol’s life had changed in such a short amount of time. His and Seth’s quarters were covered in the child’s things, from toys to blankets to apparatuses to keep Bobbinvoxlyn contained as well as entertained.
I couldn’t help but wonder how much my life would change with Wyn beside me. He wasn’t yet acknowledged as my mate, though I had no doubts of how my soul was his and his alone, and yet I was already changing. I felt and saw the effect Wyn had wrought on my very person. A lightness was now there, which had never been there before.
“You are thinking quite hard,” Talvax remarked as she took a sip of graugg.
I swirled my own cup, not acknowledging her words. I was indeed thinking rather hard; I was always thinking about Wyn, especially of late. He was the center of my existence and the reason I drew breath. I wanted him in a way I’d never experienced and would never again feel.
Kalvoxrencol cocked his head, regarding me with his amethyst eyes that were so like his and my father’s. He said, smirking, “He’s thinking about Wyn.”
Serlotminden laughed, bouncing the kit who happily gurgled. “Of course he is. Our cousin is lost.”
They both laughed.
I offered my throat in concession. I would no more deny Wyn than I would deny my next breath.
Talvax didn’t join my cousins in their amusement. Rather she studied me closely, eyes flicking over my face—she saw nothing. I was an impenetrable mask of serenity.
“Are you upset I approved his position on the Vvekian ship?” she asked.
“No,” I answered honestly.
“That shocks me.”
“And me,” Serlotminden commented. “I wouldn’t want Bartholomew so far away from me.”
“That’s you.”
“And I would have thought you as well,” Kalvoxrencol remarked. “Seth is mine, and I agree with Speedy. I wouldn’tdesire him to be so far away from me. It seems rather implausible that you would be so nonchalant about Wyn being so far away from your side.”
I lifted my hands, palm up. “What can I say?”
“The truth,” Kalvoxrencol said.
“It is the truth. I’m not mad at Talvax for approving Wyn to go to the Vvekian ship. Wyn is a skilled engineer and accomplished seeker. This is a great opportunity for him. Why would I seek to deny him something he wishes for?”
“Because you’ll miss him,” Serlotminden said, looking straight at me. “Because you’re going to miss him so much it will feel as if you’re dying.”
Something inside of me cracked, but I refused to acknowledge it. “Yes, I shall miss him dearly, but that doesn’t mean he should remain here.”
Kalvoxrencol said to me. “True.” He turned to Serlotminden. “Do you need me to take my kit? I swear he grows heavier every day.”
Serlotmiden pulled the child flush to his chest. “I have him.”
I chuckled. From the way Serlotminden was clutching the child, it seemed he would never free him. Kalvoxrencol must have had the same thought because he released a warning growl, which Serlotminden smirked at but retained the kit.
Talvax smacked Kalvoxrencol and then Serlotminden with her tail before saying, “Behave.”
I chuckled, taking a long drink of the bitter liquid, which had a deep, rich flavor.
“I always play the parent with you lot,” she remarked, and she was right. Urgg and Talvax didn’t have any of their own children. The drakcol and barbarus species weren’t genetically compatible, nor did Talvax desire any. Urgg might have some after Talvax had gone to the stars and they remated, since Urgg would far outlive their mate by a couple centuries.
“How is Seth handling being back on theAdmiral Ven?” Talvax asked.
Kalvoxrencol folded one of his legs beneath him as he shifted a bit to face her. “Fairly well. He actually quite likes it here.”
