I trailed kisses over his ear, and little shivers went through him. His presence was so intoxicating. I adored every aspect of being close to him. I whispered, “Tell me, please.”
He tightened his hold, as if he’d thought I would flee—I never would—and replied, “I applied to serve on the Vvekian ship.”
I was aware. That had been before Wyn and I had started courting, so he’d still been under my direct command. It had made sense for Wyn to apply. He was a skilled engineer and a gifted seeker with a keen, curious mind that should be put to good use.
“And?” I asked.
“Qinlin approved it today.”
I took a sharp inhale. That I hadn’t known. Qinlin and Talvax must have discussed and decided without any input from me, as they were supposed to. And yet, I wished they had. What would I have said? Perhaps it was best they hadn’t asked me, because who knows what would’ve spilled out of my mouth?
“Are you upset?” he asked, his voice quiet and his tail coiling around his ankle.
I tugged his tail with my own, so they were entwined, as they should be. Holding him securely, I replied, “No. I will just miss you dearly.”
“Should I stay?”
My first instinct was to say yes; he should stay right here beside me, always, but I suppressed it and actually thought about the paths before us. “Do you wish to go?”
“Yes,” he said, his voice barely audible.
“Then you should.”
Wyn leaned back to look at me, and I gave him a soft smile, my arms remaining hooked around his trim waist.
“Do you mean that?” he asked.
“I do. If you didn’t want to go, I would be more than happy to find a way to force you to stay. But since you wish to go, there’s no problem.”
He frowned and repeated, “No problem?”
I blinked at his rough tone. “Areyoumad?”
“You don’t care that I’m leaving.”
I snagged him close and bit his neck, right over the scent gland, making Wyn moan. I growled, low and loud next to his ear. “I care. I care a great deal that you’re leaving. If I had my way, you would never leave my sight, Wyn. I want you beside me every moment of every day. But,” I slid back again to hold his perfect face in between my palms, “I care about you more.”
“I want to go,” he said, “but I also want to stay. I’m worried.”
“About what?”
“That we’ll drift apart.”
“That will never happen.”
“It will be months, Monqilcolnen.”
“We will talk, and I will come and see you.” I kissed his nose, making it wrinkle. “Separation shall not tear you from me.”
“It might.”
I shook my head. “My affection will remain unchanged, but I understand if you need to adjust our permissions.” It was unreasonable to require monogamy from Wyn when we weren’t mates and we would be separated.
He growled before crashing his lips to mine in a primal kiss that stole my breath. Wyn snarled, “You will not fuck anyone else. Do you hear me, Monqilcolnen? You belong to me.”
Fire slipped through my veins as my soul pounded in contentment. I brushed my fingers over his face, delighting in the jealousy I found there. “I hadn’t planned to. I was thinking more of you. I’m happy to abstain until you come back.”
I didn’t want Wyn to fuck anyone else—he was mine—but I understood the fact he didn’t know about my feelings. I could and would suppress those instincts to claim Wyn as my mate for as long as I needed to ensure he was alright. And despite his possessiveness, I doubted Wyn was ready for our relationship to progress right at this moment.
