“You pest!” He slammed his fist down on his worktable.
And she did the same, roaring adorably and hitting her little hand against the side of the opening. He wished she wouldn’t. Human females had such soft skin; he was afraid she’d bruise herself on the hard metal.
Now that he was thinking about it, had he done enough to ensure that the inside of the nest was soft enough for her? Though he built it with the intention of never catching anyone in it, his instincts still demanded that he prepare the finest of places for his imaginary mate to lay her head. The outside of the trap had to be hard and harsh and inescapable, but the insidemust be comfortable enough for a female to be cradled and adored.
And though the females of his species would have skin just as tough and rock-like as his own, they still enjoyed soft things. Such was the way of females, he supposed. And he was grateful for it, because it meant that there shouldn’t be anything in there that would bruise the pest’s delicate skin.
But he still hadn’t built it with a human female in mind! He should probably double check that it was soft enough and that she had sufficient blankets to keep her tender flesh warm and well cradled within the metal-
“How did you get in here?” Tanin demanded to know, his hard voice thankfully cutting through the insane thoughts going through Vytln’s head.
Though he lowered his fists, they were still clenched tight, and his quills were fully extended. A threatening display that infuriated Vytln at the sight.
How dare he attempt to threaten his mate. Vytln would crush him for-
“Excuse me,” Alred interjected, his voice confused now, that soft, soothing tone gone. “Who, exactly, are you talking to?”
“You can’t see her,” Tanin said. It wasn’t a question.
Vytln didn’t realize until he actually stated it out loud that the captain was right. Alred, their ship AI, who had cameras and microphones everywhere, who watched over everyone and everything at all times, couldn’t see his pest. Had never seen his pest. And even though she was right there, surely in full view of his cameras, her chin resting down on her hands folded over the edge, he could neither see nor hear anything she was saying.
Wait. Did that mean Alred was just seeing him talking to himself? Isthatwhy he sent the captain down here? He thought Vytln was going mad? That explained the strange questions, completely unfocused on the actual problem at hand.
But also just brought up more questions. Vytln looked back at the innocent, unsurprised face of his little pest in his trap, and the realization burned away his anger and fear at finding himself, for the second time in his life, in a position of being near mated to a female.
Now, there was only the obvious question.
How had she done this?
Chapter 4
Haven
Ah, it was the Captain. The gray male was shorter than Vytln, but stood in front of him, and his aura was far more dangerous. The Big Guy was just angry and loud, and the burning of the cracks through his body and in his eyes made him seem more fiery. But the captain had a quiet, stern, stoic sort of vibe that was all the more intimidating for its subtlety.
But Haven also knew that he wasn’t a bad guy. Well, not in that way. He would quickly figure out that she wasn’t a threat to him, and then he wouldn’t be a threat to her. At worst, they would drop her off on the nearest space station, and she’d lose her friend Grace, but he wouldn’t hurt her. No more than any of the others would.
Haven was a vagabond. She always had been. Moving from one place to another, chasing after her curiosity. She’d certainly miss the Humility. This was probably the best home she’d ever had. Even if she was squirreled away in the walls. She’d learned so much, had so much fun, and she enjoyed everyone on this ship. She didn’t want to leave.
But she lost this grand game of hide and seek. She couldn’t say that they’d be wrong when they kicked her off. She’d just have to restart again. No matter how sad it was.
However, she couldn’t do anything until someone let her out of this comfortable nest. She had to gather all the cushions that were inside to make something like a fluffy ladder that even allowed her to get up to the hole without sliding down the smooth ramp. She definitely wouldn’t be able to get out until one of the others let her.
So, she just hung there, socked feet on the pillows – she’d taken off her shoes so she didn’t get the pretty satin dirty – waiting for them to decide her fate.
They were speaking in rapid Standard – the official language that bonded all Coalition planets. It was a language she had picked up and learned by exposure and attempts to learn through the subnet connection she’d managed to forge. She was fluent enough to understand others without much issue, though she knew her own ability to speak was weak. Not helped by the fact that she didn’t get to speak with anyone but herself, so she never got to practice.
That was probably why her voice was so rough from disuse when she responded to the first, hard question Tanin threw at her.
“Who are you?” He demanded to know, his red eyes narrowing on her.
“Haven Clarkson,” she answered immediately.
“How did you get on my ship, Haven Clarkson?”
“Sneaking.” She said, using two of her fingers to creep along the edge of the opening.
“How?” He repeated, his tone harsh, and she realized he wanted details. Her being here was a security risk that he needed closed. That was fair.
