“And is karnilianusedfor those rituals as well?” I asked, evenmoregenuinely curious.
Incredibly invested, you could say.
The Hydrassian laughed sadly, leading us through a cleverly disguised opening in a craggy rock face. “No, the stones used for domestic matters are far more common and easily acquired without bloodshed.”
Of course.
As we followed our guide into the depths of the mountain, I was reminded of when we visited the True Stellarians hiding on the three moons of Invenio-Astralis.
Genero, Interitus, and Apotelesma.
Birth, death, and the effect of the stars on human destiny.
Pedro hadalsobeen displaced from their planet of origin—a refugee hiding in plain sight—and if anyone could help us get them home, it was possibly a species with no skin in the game aside from guiding others toward what may or may not already be written in the stars.
17
ZIGGY
Having Pedro as close to me as possible had blessedly dulled the distracting and uncontrollable pull I felt toward the creature.
A pull I must now do my best to ignore.
I hadn’t told Honnor what I was struggling with—only confirmed I’d encountered the karnilianinside Pedro firsthand. It was troubling enough that our kind hadn’t known of Trols, orwhythe stone was sought after by both our enemies and allies alike. The last thing I needed was to put a target onmyback by admitting the stone was calling to me. All it would do would be to add undue stress to my maker’s responsibilities as Head Commander of Astrum Force.
A role originally meant for me.
While I’d been flattered to be offered the position after Micah and I disposed of the old guard, I’d immediately turned down the opportunity. Recognition from Astrum Force no longer held the same appeal for me it once did. In fact, the very idea of what their leadership represented left a sour taste in my mouth only Honnor’s dedication to the cause lessened.
I also greatly enjoyed the autonomy I’d discovered as a mercenary—how it allowed me to disappear into space with only my stellar collision by my side.
And whatever… valuable assets we acquire along the way.
The biggest reason I rejected the idea of becoming Head Commander, however, was that I wasn’t leader material. Yes, I’d adopted a heroicteam playerdisguise on Earth, but that had been a self-serving means to an end—nothing more.
In reality, I was an orphaned Stellarian at the bottom of the societal barrel. Before everything came to light, I wasn’t even qualified to wear the official insignia of a Star Unitsoldier,much less become a squadron leader or commander. This lone wolf persona had become such a vital part of my identity, I couldn’t imagine a situation where I would be seen as an authority figure to so many others.
Thepowerthat came with a position like that was overwhelming to think about.
Overwhelming… Intoxicating…
Tempting.
“Zig?” Micah’s clear voice snapped me back to reality—to the dank yet well-lit tunnel we currently walked through. “Is everything okay with… Pedro?”
It was clear my mate was more concerned aboutme,but didn’t want to alert our guide that anything was wrong.
I should tell him what’s going on.
I should tell him everything going on with me…
“Our child is fine,” I calmly replied, noticing how he brightened at my public declaration. “However, we should be mindful of how long we spend away from the ship.”
As I’d hoped, my clumsy attempts at parental caretaking successfully distracted him from whatever anxiety he’d picked up on through our bond.
“You’re such a good Space Daddy,” Micah dreamily replied, and I had to focus all my concentration onnotgetting an erection while caretaking.
Especially considering this skinsuit hastwococks.
