“Oh, I know. But I plan to speak my mind while you are. It’s refreshing to say exactly what I want without worrying about you gutting me in my sleep, platoon leader.”
“It wouldn’t be in your sleep.” S’samph’s mood soured even further at the mention of his military title. It felt like a name from another lifetime, and in many ways it was. But after spending nearly a decade serving and nearly dying together, K’kaen had unlimited ways to get under his skin.
“Let’s focus on healing one injury before causing another,” Eleri interjected into the conversation as she helped hoist him down the front ramp of the clinic building. “No death threats in the clinic, please.”
K’kaen’s frill rippled with amusement. “Don’t worry your pretty head-fur, little human. I’m not interested in an unfair fight. If I decide to beatsome sense into this sorry excuse for a latil’e, he’ll know exactly my intentions.” Someone, probably K’kaen, had removed whatever traces of blood had been on his bike. The thing looked cleaner than S’samph had ever bothered to make it in all his years driving it. K’kaen was a useless ravik most of the time, but he always kept his bike in peak condition.
A miserable ride back to his nest found S’samph more exhausted than he could remember feeling. No doubt, S’kasia had been into his home. The nest was organized, if sparse.
“You going to be all right here alone?”
“Do you have a better alternative?” He wasn’t about to comment on the fact that his solitude was entirely self-inflicted. If he’d just accepted his mating contract with Eleri from her arrival in Laurus, he wouldn’t be in this predicament at all.
“I’ll be dropping by twice a day, so if you need anything, you can let me know. I’ve moved into an apartment above the clinic, so I should be easily reached by comm there.”
“When did you leave Myla’s home?” K’kaen asked.
“Last night,” Eleri said.
“What did Myla say to you?” K’kaen asked with an uncomfortable ripple of his frill. S’samph wanted to know the details as well, but he suspected Eleri was even less likely to answer his inquiries.
“Nothing important. I just decided it was time to have my own space to focus on my studies. K’kaen, maybe you can keep S’samph company before and after the workday?” Eleri’s tone was businesslike, but S’samph noticed her intentional avoidance of eye contact. Normally, humans made an uncomfortable level of eye contact, so this was noteworthy. He wondered if she was still suffering from the earlier embarrassment brought on by K’kaen’s thoughtless comments or if she was unable to move past the emotional damage he’d inflicted on her.
“For you, Eleri, I’ll suffer his company.” K’kaen made a dramatic bow as Eleri showed herself out of the nest. S’samph followed her with his eyes, trying to better understand her behaviors. She had no trouble speaking her mind when his health was concerned, but she’d cowered under Myla’s excessive prodding. The inconsistencies were strange.
More research was needed. Perhaps it was the universe’s way of giving him more than enough time to sit in his nest and properly learn about Eleri’s people and culture. When Eleri was gone, S’samph properly turned his venom toward K’kaen.
“Try not to get too friendly with her.”
“Why not? Do you even like her?” K’kaen helped him settle on the low stack of bedding S’kasia had arranged for him.
“She’s my mate.”
“What does that even mean to you? You certainly don’t act like you enjoy her company. She saved your life, and all you do is hiss and snap at me.” K’kaen stared around the nest, unsure what to do in his new role of nest keeper.
S’samph’s frill rippled with annoyance. K’kaen wasn’t exactly one to talk after the way he’d awkwardly navigated around S’kasia for years. “I have done nothing but an attempt to win her favor since realizing my mistake. I followed the guide the IA gave me on human courtship practices. It is not my fault she did not accept my offerings.”
“Eshar! You stubborn, prideful idiot.” K’kaen cursed loudly. “Have you apologized for the way you treated her when she first arrived?”
“She knows I regret our first encounter. I approached her with my colors muted.” S’samph was starting to hear the lack of sense in his own words, but he was stubborn enough to not want to admit it to K’kaen. Eleri wasn’t latil’e, so she couldn’t be expected to understand all their social gestures, especially not so soon after meeting him.
“Does she know what that means?” K’kaen ceased his incessant pacing and settled for pouring some glasses of crushed fruit beverage from the cooling unit. “If you don’t hurry up and win her to your side, she’ll likely choose a new mate before the IA year administrative visit. I’ve heard several unmated males expressing their interest.”
K’kaen’s warning was unspoken, but S’samph knew his friend well enough to understand the subtext. Eleri was an unmated, eligible female among mostly male colonists. K’kaen had no mate either, but he wanted one badly. Their friendship wouldn’t matter if Eleri chose him to form a mating bond, and per the rules of engagement, S’samph would have no choice but to accept her decision.
“Are you on my side or not?” He grumbled as he accepted a glass of fruit beverage from K’kaen’s outstretched hand.
“I’m not.” K’kaen contorted his face into an expression of amusement as he slugged back his own drink. “Why would I be on your side?”
“What is that supposed to mean?” S’samph’s hand gripped hard around the cup asking just as much about the mocking expression as the words themselves.
“I’m on Eleri’s side. Goddess knows she needs someone in her corner. It hasn’t been you, so I will keep an eye on things for her. I oweher that much for saving your sorry life. Besides, she is much more likeable than you are.”
“Eleri is a good female.” S’samph made a grunt of approval. Good. The more people to keep an eye out for Eleri the better. And he knew K’kaen wasn’t interested in her romantically, so there would be no competition in that regard.
“Better than you deserve.”
“I am aware.” S’samph shifted his position and made a groan of pain as he agitated his injured arm.
