“He needed to leave for a moment,” Seth said, not turning around.
I growled, looking at the door.
Serlotminden jumped in front of me and said, “Clothes, Monqilcolnen. You need clothes, and we don’t even know where Wyn is.”
I shoved him out of the way. I couldn’t care less about clothes. I needed my mate right now.
Kalvoxrencol took his place. “Please just wait. Wyn will be back. Seth, try to ping him.”
Seth fumbled for his touchstone, but it was dark. NAID wasn’t operating the comm system currently.
I pushed Kalvoxrencol and Serlotminden out of the way, but they fought me, prodding me back toward the bedroom. Snarling, I attacked them, but they fought back, attempting to contain me. Before we could truly fight, the door slid open, and Wyn was on the other side. I raced toward him and scooped him into my arms. I kissed him and Wyn groaned, his tongue invading my mouth. I picked him up, and his legs wrapped around my waist.
Without releasing his mouth, I walked back to our bedroom, where he was safe. I crashed onto the bed. Wyn moaned, arching under me. His desire for me became evident rather quickly beneath me as he writhed and wiggled. But I was not in the right frame of mind for any sort of intimacy. Instead, I cupped his cheeks and pressed him into the bed, holding him in place so he couldn’t escape me. Cincin jumped onto the pillow, also glaring at Wyn, like she equally blamed him for leaving.
“Where did you go?” I demanded. “You left me.”
Wyn slid his slim fingers over my sides, easily teasing the scent glands there. I growled in response. The distraction didn’t deter me in the slightest from my mate or his absence when I awoke. I couldn’t have that happen again. I needed him. I needed him here all the time. Safe. If he vanished on me, I would soon follow. There was nothing in this universe without Wyn beside me.
“Wyn,” I said, trying to keep my voice even, but I didn’t succeed. I’d been rather demanding and needy of late; it was a wonder he hadn’t fled from my presence sooner.
He continued to stroke my sides and said, “I needed to visit Qinlin.”
My soul halted in my chest. I rolled off Wyn and immediately began inspecting him from head to toe. Where was he injured? Or was he ill? I tugged on his shirt to rid him of his clothes; I had to see all of him to make certain that all was well.
With a gentle touch on my hand, Wyn stalled my frantic motions. My eyes shot to his face, and he smiled. “I am perfectly fine, Star.”
“Then why did you go to the med bay?”
“I needed to do something.”
Irritation flared. “What could you possibly need, and why didn’t you wake me beforehand?”
“I do not have to tell you where I am going, Monqilcolnen,” he shot back.
I sat up. “You do not, but I nee—” I forced myself to swallow the words. I was shattering more with every second and Wyn was off doing trivial tasks as if my world was not collapsing around my feet.
“You need to eat,” he said.
A growl swelled in my gut. “I’m fine.”
“No, you are not.”
“Well, if I’m not, then why did you think it was fine to leave me alone?”
“You are being ridiculous, Monqilcolnen. Your cousins are right outside. They haven’t left the shared space the entire time.”
“They are not you!” I snarled.
“No, they are not,” Wyn replied. “But you were not alone. I had something I needed to do, and now, I’m back. So you need to eat.”
I crossed my arms. I wasn’t hungry. No, I was angry, sad, tired, and I couldn’t even name the aching throb residing in my gut. It yanked and pulled and twisted in the most painful of ways, bringing tears to my eyes and making it near impossible for me to breathe.
“Eat,” Wyn demanded, holding some bread that he had taken from the dispenser.
I knocked it away. “I do not want or need it.” I flopped back onto the bed. “I am going to sleep. You can do as you like.”
I hoped he would curl around me. I wanted to feel his wings covering me, protecting me, but I couldn’t find the words.
