Page 170 of Tempting Fate

The sapient gave Trin a look I couldn’t decipher.

Trin put her hands on her hips, looking for all the worlds like a smaller version of my Imani. “What? Am I not supposed to say your full name or something?”

“It is not that.” He turned to us. “Everyone calls me Zakai.”

“Because they can’t be bothered to say Dunuutasfaalkhzzakai,” Trin muttered.

Zakai stroked smooth, thick fingers over his chin. “Or they cannot say it. But you can?”

“I practiced.”

“And is your name Trin? Or is it…”

“Mine to know, yours to find out.”

Imani elbowed me. She raised her brows as high as I’d ever seen them and nudged her head towards the pair, who were lost in their own banter.

The angry shout of a supervisor cut through the afternoon air. Zakai returned to work, and my mind drifted as Imani spoke with her friend.

When Trin, too, returned to the construction, I took Imani’s hand. “When they are built, we will live in one of these dwellings. On the lake, would you like that?”

She put her arms around me, burrowing into my chest. “So much.”

Back in her room, everything looked the same, as though we’d never run, never hidden, never danced under glowbug chandeliers or slept on the moss.

Except Orbit.

The flower lizard trilled when she saw me, fluttering her wings from Kri’s shrine, and stepped to one side.

Imani grabbed my arm. “Kitten, look! Aren’t they adorable?”

A writhing mass of baby lizards surrounded Kri’s feet, some emerald and cobalt like their mother, others with bright orange bodies or pale, golden elytra.

I held out a hand to Orbit, who plodded onto my palm. “Look at your beautiful babies.”

She gave a soft coo and fluttered back to her brood, settling in front of them and closing her eyes.

“I want that too,” Imani said, letting out a long yawn. “All I want is to curl up in our bed and sleep.”

Our bed. “And I, but I must message my sister.”

“Quickly, then.” She pressed a kiss to my chest and headed to the bathroom.

Home at last.

I sent a brief voice comm. “The bounty is cancelled. I am safe. Kimivha and Rokharu are the most honourable of males. And I am mated to Imani. I will speak to you soon, sister.”

Her reply came back immediately. “About bloody time. You did so well, little brother.” A pause. “I am proud of you.”

I glowed under her praise. “I am all grown up. In every way.”

A live comm request came through as Imani stepped out of the bathroom. I flicked my eyes between my sister’s name on the holoscreen and my mate. My beautiful, naked mate.

She gestured at my comm. “Are you going to answer that?”

Did I have to? Imani was perfect, and I could talk to Shohari tomorrow. I brought a hand to my stiffening cock. “I can’t speak to my sister like this.”

A wicked smile spread over her face. “Oh, I think you can. Answer it, kitten.”