Page 7 of Unhaunt Me

Waj followed me into the bathroom and stood in the doorway as I undressed. Normally, he’d be with Iz, Nycto, and the baby but today it appeared he was babysitting me.

“Are they making another egg?” I asked him.

But he wasn’t telling if they were. When I turned on the shower and stepped in, he stood at the edge where the water splashed him. On Earthside, they’d have dubbed him an emotional support dotter. Well, maybe. On Earthside, the scientists would probably want to study him since they’d never seen anything like him before.

“Not that I would let them,” I reassured him in case he, unlike my mate, could pick up my stray thoughts.

What a bloody day it turned out to be. Ren. Hean. Tritus now.

Tritus.

His name circled my thoughts now that I was alone.

Well, mostly alone.

Waj counted as a person but wasn’t always a judgmental ass like people tended to be.

Tritus.

His name circled my brain again despite or maybe because of the warm water raining down on me.

“Probably thinks I’m crazy,” I told the dotter.

Waj cupped his hands and caught a bit of water in his paw-fingers and dumped it on his head.

“Are you telling me I need to wash my hair or my brain?” I managed a chuckle.

Then it was Tritus back in my thoughts. His face burnt itself into my memory. His scent played all over me. Had he followed me home? No. Of course, he hadn’t. I’d have heard him come down the slide. Izora would’ve given me a head’s up that we had a guest. Tritus was at work. I mean, unless he already took new mate leave.

Shit.

New mate leave.

If he didn’t think I was crazy, he was planning his life out. Our lives out! Stupid bloody star. The color of Ren and the heartbreak of Tritus. I couldn’t give my omega what he wanted and undoubtedly he’d want what every mate does – to be all knowing about their partner. To understand all the nooks and crannies. At the very least he’d want to exchange the claiming vows and I couldn’t give him that either.

“You know, if that damn ship wasn’t docked, I’d steal it right now, Waj. I’d steal it and live out there somewhere. Save us both the trouble.”

I glanced down. Waj had wondered off sometime while I was thinking about Tritus.

“Get it together,”my dragon growled.“One way or another we have to get it together. Nothing’s changed. We don’t speak about it. We don’t think about it. We live on. We move on. If he’s really fated to us, he’ll get it. If not, well, he’ll get it or he’ll have to move on. Not moving on looks like Ren. Not moving on looks like Hean. Not moving on isn’t an option for us.”

Chapter Four

Tritus

The Star Room Council sent out my replacement almost immediately. I was one of two unmated guides before Casimir strolled into the Star Room with the delivery from Castor. Now, I wasn’t unmated. At least, I wouldn’t be for long. Right? I wouldn’t be for long now? I bit my lip and tried not to smell unsettled.

“What’s eating you?” Roary asked.

They were tall with dark hair that fell to a blunt edge at their chin. Today, like most of Starscale 1, they were shirtless and showing off the line of scales that marked where their surgery scars once lived. That was another great thing about being a dragon. Most of the time, our scars decorated themselves if they didn’t disappear completely. Roary’s star-shaped scale was maroon in stark contrast to the silver scales that lined their scar lines.

“Not my mate,” I said, deflecting their question.

Roary and I attended guide school together. We’d known each other before that because, despite the flight being spread across three worlds, there weren’t many teenagers who wanted to be guides but most guides knew they wanted to follow the path before they ever finished high school.

“Is there a word for that? Hangry is being mad because you’re hungry. What’s the word for being mad because you’re horny?” they asked.

“Sexually frustrated,” I offered up.

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