Page 92 of Baited

I slip my hand into his and gently remind him through the bond that no one rejected him. He looks down at me and tries to smile, but it remains tight, his feathers shaking slightly.

“If they’re not here, if they’re not interested, which I doubt, then we can go somewhere else.” I run my free hand over myrounded stomach. I look like I’m six months gone already, and I have the appetite to match. “Because we’ll be a family soon.”

I’m not entirely sure what I’ve let loose within my mate, but I’m tossed into his arms like a feather and kissed to within an inch of my life as Blayn murmurs my name, his hand over mine on my belly. It’s only when the interstellar transport bumps down that he realizes we’re not in our quarters and therefore his cocks will have to wait.

Blayn blinks at me, a lopsided smile on his face.

“You are my perfection, mate,” he says, slowly wiping the back of his hand over his mouth.

Unable to help myself, I do an eye roll while grinning from ear to ear.

“You say that, but I know what you really want,” I tease him as the airlocks hiss loudly and the scent of dirt and vegetation enters the spacious cockpit.

Blayn growls into my hair, unwilling to let me go as my heart swells with love for my sweet, vast Gryn who can’t help but shake his feathers as the wind rustles through them.

“Did you get a reply when you messaged the planet?” I ask him as we follow the other passengers (some of whom were somewhat disconcerted with Blayn’s presence on the voyage) through the airlock and into a long tube-like passage with light at the end.

“Not before we left,” he says. “And nothing while we were in flight.”

The trip has taken a little under a nova-week. We’d have come earlier if I hadn’t been recovering from my injuries and Blayn hadn’t had to force the Tatatunga council into recognizing his claim to the credits he’d accrued while in the employ of the dome. Fortunately Madame Birrix wasn’t prepared to let the matter go, and she pulled in favors (and yes, I do mean those sort of favors…) from every one she knew.

Riklinn also somehow tracked down Yelii. I’m not entirely sure what my quiet and unassuming Tref friend did, but Yelii paid me back all the credits she stole.

It’s more than enough for us to take this trip and then find somewhere to settle down. But the underlying feeling I’m getting through Blayn’s thoughtbond is he is searching for something. Not just his adoptive family, but other Gryn, in order to understand how he ended up on Trefa in the first place.

The tunnel brings us out into the light and heat of Aztralis. It’s warm, like a summer’s day in England, with the three suns providing a heat reminiscent of an early morning.

Blayn lifts up his wings and gives them a gentle twirl as he rouses, enjoying being outside for the first time since we left Trefa. The bond resonates with a feeling of being free.

“There he is, Mama!” A voice cuts through the general buzz of the spaceport. “There he is!”

Both Blayn and I turn at the sound of the voice to see a group of furry creatures, like Cirmos only much larger. Nood told us Blayn’s adoptive family were a species called Mochi, but I couldn’t find out much about them with my newly acquired language skills.

One of them starts to run towards Blayn. His wings flare and his claws come out as he attempts to tuck me behind him, danger filling the bond.

“Wait.” I clutch at his arm. “This isn’t dangerous.”

The creature looks like an upright cheetah, his strong features enhanced by the markings on his face. He skids to a halt in front of Blayn, long spotted tail lashing behind him.

“Brother?” he queries. “You do remember me, don’t you?”

Blayn’s wings flare at his words. He takes a step back, confusion and a deep desire to get his mind working warring within him. At once terrified and curious. His tongue tied.

I don’t move and the young Mochi male’s eyes move to me.

“I’m Blayn’s mate, Izzy,” I explain as I see the rest of the group making their way over to us. “Like we explained in our messages, Blayn had a hard time after the accident and the trauma. It caused him to forget so much.”

“Rangr?” Blayn asks haltingly.

“Yes!” the young male says enthusiastically. “You do remember me, brother, don’t you?” he adds, his deep voice cracking.

The rest of the group arrive, a slender female Mochi, holding a little cub, and two muscular males who flank her.

“Is that you, my Blayn?” the female asks, her voice a low, sweet purr.

“Mother.” Blayn tilts his head to one side and gazes at her, eyes narrowed, the bond filling with emotions he cannot hope to process.

He pulls himself upright to tower over everyone, taking in a deep breath.

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