“We must admit,” the annoyingly chatty Hydrassian called over their shoulder. “Discovering that Stellarians can benurturingis another pleasant surprise.”
That’s debatable.
Yes, nurturing Stellarians existed, butIhadn’t been nurtured byanyoneuntil I’d met Micah. While Stellaria’s foundling system wasn’t cruel by any means, it had a utilitarian focus meant to shape useful members of society more than meet emotional needs. Only the basics were taught, like how to fight and how to reproduce for the glory and continuation of our kind.
That was also why I’d had no idea how resonance worked—or that it was apparently commonplace for the stellar collisions of makers and offspring to also form bonds with each other. When Gabriel started resonating for Micah during our last visit to Earth, I’d been completely caught off guard, mostly because itdidn’tmake me want to murder the supervillain and everyone else in my path. Instead, I’d found it intriguing—attractive, even—and Micah and I had been exploring it together ever since.
Well… mostly together.
Since returning from our latest visit to Earth, I’d done some solo reconnaissance work of my own, spying on Stellarian family units with more than two members to find working examples of this phenomenon.
Alien polycules, as Micah would say.
These polycules weren’t unusual, but they also weren’t necessarily the standard. Honnor and Bron were as close to mated as our kind got without a stellar collision bond, but, despite being together for two hundred and fifty years, they’d never added more Stellarians to their family unit or created offspring with each other.
“Too many authoritarian regimes to overthrow,” Honnor always says.
My maker was mostly joking, but there was also an air of truth to their words. Even without the old Astrum Force manipulating the message, a Stellarian’sneedto dominate was deeply ingrained, and they had therefore stepped into the role of Head Commander effortlessly.
I bet I could have handled it better…
Despite my traitorous thoughts, I had absolutely zero interest intakingthe position from Honnor, especially as theyhad been the one who originally tried to convince meto accept it. Our relationship was good, all things considered, and certainly less complicated than my history with Theo. Then again, neither of my makers were what I would callnurturing.
I suppose Zion Salah is the best example I have.
And my mate…
“Micah.” I gritted my teeth, forcing the words out before I could stop myself. “Would you please take Pedro from me for a bit?”
It was an experiment—a test to see if my stellar collision being in possession of the karnilianwould be considered enough of a threat for my true form to react.
I hope not.
“Sure thing, Zig.” Micah smiled warmly and stepped closer, trusting me when he possibly shouldn’t.
If I hurt him, I will return myself to the stars.
The Hydrassian patiently waited as we readjusted, awkwardly angling our bodies so Pedro stayed hidden during the transfer. Thanks to the light sleep powers I’d used before we left the ship, the Trol didn’t make a sound, but I wondered if perhaps they also instinctively understood this was a precarious situation.
After the hand-off, I slowly backed up, ready to snatch the baby sling away from Micah at the first sign of agitation. Luckily, the only emotion stirred up by the sight of him holdingour childwas an increased sense of protectiveness.
Thank fuck.
Ididnotice a slight twinge of discomfort from no longer having Pedro nestled against me, but I easily buried it beneath logic. Without the sling in my way, I could unleash my tendrils more freely, which would come in handy if I needed to protect what was mine.
Hydrassians weren’t what I would considerdangerous,but they had fairly advanced hypnotic abilities—ones Stellarians were immune to. This skill was usually reserved for use during rituals or while escaping predators, but I’d witnessed this very Hydrassian use it to incapacitate a harmless gem vendor who got in their way.
And we possess the very thing they were searching for…
Seeing we were ready, our guide continued walking, and I refocused on my admittedly loose plan for acquiring the intel we needed. I would first ask nicely and then respond to any resistance with force.
Foolproof, in my opinion.
My internal strategizing was abruptly interrupted as we reached a cavernous antechamber, lit up from the flickering light of bioluminescence-powered sconces. My gaze traveled upward, noting the layers of sedimentary rock that varied from dark basalt gray to glossy volcanic black, interspersed with thin lines of rich brown that reminded me of Micah’s eyes.
I wonder how this cave was formed…
“We bring visitors seeking counsel!” our Hydrassian guide called out, their request echoing off the cavern walls, wrenching me from my thoughts. “They wish to speak with Uulvin.”
