“May I ask you a question, Commander?”
“You may ask me anything you wish,” he said, his eyes opening. “And it is Monqilcolnen, if you please.”
Did he think as I did? “Why do you not wear more jewelry?"
“If I could wear none, I would.”
“What?”
He lifted his palms. “It’s inconvenient. I don’t like having to plan what to wear or how it will look. I understand the status of wearing jewelry, the history and tradition of it, and while I don’t think it silly or bad for my cousins to indulge, I prefer to simply wear studs. I never change them.”
“You would look nice in long earrings,” I said before I thought better of it. I clamped my lips closed, my eyes dropping as embarrassment sent numbing needles down my spine.
He gave a breathy chuckle. “I shall keep that in mind.”
“Though you look nice now too,” I whispered, glancing at him.
Monqilcolnen smiled and ran his gaze over me, which made my tail thrash and my pulse kick up. He said, “As do you.”
“Thank you.”
“May I ask you a question?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Why did you join the Planetary Navy?”
I rested my hands on my bent knees. “That’s easy. My guardian suggested it.”
He cocked his head.
“I’m an orphan,” I explained.
“I’m aware of that.”
It was probably in my file, though it surprised me he would take the time to read about me. Then again, he had hired me toassist him, so it would stand to reason he would check on who he was hiring.
Without knowing why, I continued, “I was raised in a facility for orphaned children. It was in a mining settlement on a moon near the border of Drakcon space. It was small, but the caretakers truly cared about all of us.” A slight smile pulled on my lips as I thought back to the three drakcol who were charged with our care. I was the sole drakcol child, but, as it was a border moon for mining and filled with people from all over the coalition, the facility was filled with children of all types. The caretakers had done the best they could to meet everyone’s needs while keeping us connected to our unique cultures.
“I got in trouble. A lot,” I confessed.
“You?” Monqilcolnen asked. “That seems unlikely.”
“But I did.” Continuing to tell him about my childhood as my thoughts returned to that time. I’d been angry when I was younger. Angry about being abandoned, angry about not being able to fly, angry about everything. I’d used to wonder if my mother had left me because of my wing, but the malformation was congenital, so it was likely she or my biological father had possessed the same malformation as me. My anger had continued to fester all throughout my childhood, and it had made me reckless.
Everything had changed when one of my caretakers, Sun, stepped in. He’d made sure I’d gotten the help I needed and had spoken to someone to help me through my struggles. I’d worked through everything. Sometimes, the same old issues bothered me, but on a whole, I’d healed from my past traumas over the years.
“When I turned fifteen, my guardian suggested I join the navy.” It had been more than a suggestion. Drakcol parents retained some control of their children until they mated. Since I had no parents, a court-appointed guardian had made suchdecisions for me, and they’d believed the navy was the best place for me.
“Thankfully, they recognized my talents and sent me to the academy," I said.
“I’m glad, or else I wouldn’t have met you.”
I smiled, head ducking. “Why did you join?”
He looked up. “It’s shocking. The purest spiritual soul in history, and I want to wander the stars.”
I silently agreed.
