Page 63 of K'Vella

"I want you to stay here with your crew for a little. I need to do something," K'Vella says, pushing away at my chest.

She backs up a few steps until her words register, and I lunge out of my chair, grabbing her around the waist and holding her close.

"You want to leave me the morning after I find out you're my scent match?" I ask.

I try to mask the hurt in my words, but it's a blow to my ego to know my female doesn't want to be plastered to my side and ridemy knot all day after mating. I want nothing more than to crawl into the nest with her for the foreseeable future.

"Just for a little while," K'Vella says, cupping my face between her upper palms. "I promise it'll be worth it."

I want to believe her. I choose to believe her. It doesn't stop the way my fists clench and my lips pull up into a snarl as she steps away from me. She takes slow, deliberate steps toward the door.

She gets too close to Jovi and Alik, and while I know they'd never do anything to her, I still growl at them. Alik frowns and steps further against the wall. Jovi gives me a knowing smirk and steps next to Alik. K'Vella gives me a curious look, making sure they're far enough away. I give her a soft, approving nod, and she scurries the last few paces out of the kitchen.

"How should we kill time?" Phial asks when Jovi and Alik leave.

"We could talk about how many knots K'Vella's probably being propositioned with," Essa says, smirking up at me when another growl rumbles through my chest.

"You're going to get us killed," Phial groans as his feathers shoot high on his head. "No, let's just count to a thousand. If you miss a number, you start over. You can go chase after your mate as soon as you get to a thousand."

"Are you serious?" I ask, arching a brow at the two of them. They make themselves comfortable at the table while I stand there, clenching and flexing my hand, trying my hardest not to run after K'Vella.

"I swear on the mother," Phial holds a hand over his heart, and I have to roll my eyes.

I'm glad he's in a good mood, though. Last night, I thought he might ruin all our chances of staying on this planet long enough to get Avery help. As far as I know, he stayed on the ship last night. Or he did after he tackled me and tried to drug me with Essa's venom.

"One. Two. Three…" I start counting, hating how Phial and Essa look at each other with stupid, smug smiles.

I don't let it get to me because they want me to mess up on counting, and there's no way I'm going to be gone from my mate for longer than necessary. Nope. I'll count to one thousand faster than any male ever has.

twenty-two

K'Vella

The first layer of the nest is made up of the foam mattress that used to be in Holoth's room on the ship. It took quite a bit of finagling to get Phial and Essa into Holoth's room while I kept him busy in the kitchen, but we made it work.

I messaged Essa this morning while Holoth was in the shower, begging her to help me get everything situated so I could surprise Holoth. She didn't need my begging. She was in as soon as she heard that she and Phial could keep Holoth occupied when, more than anything, he'd want to chase after me.

They're great friends. They worked fast to move the entire nest into Holoth's house. I have to rebuild it, but they got everything here.

The nesting platform is a large circular raised stone platform in the master bedroom. The edges are slightly raised, so I can fill it with plenty of soft things, and they won't go spilling out. Not that Holoth won't make a mess of the nest every chance he gets. Even just the thought of it has my chest flushing dark violet.

I pile on the furs and blankets, making up the second layer. I want this nest to be perfect, and the longer I work on it, the more I know Holoth will love it.

I'll need to fix the holes in the wall, but that's a problem for another day. Right now, the only thing we need is a nest—a nest in our home, in our clan, where I want to raise our children.

I don't know how long I've been working when the door to the house opens with a soft thud against the wall. I don't need the superior sense of smell that Holoth has to know it's him walking down the hall. I don't need to turn around to know when he's coming into the room.

I listen for his sharp inhale. When I hear it, I melt a little inside, knowing he's smelling me. My mate is scenting me.

"What are you doing, K'Vella?" he asks.

His body is tense like he's forcing himself not to come to me, wrap me in his arms, and tug me down to the nest with him.

"I want a home," I tell him. I let my arms hang free by my sides, not covering my abdomen and his babe from him, not covering my chest or the dark flush that's peaking out from my halter. "I want a home with you in a place that accepts me."

Holoth's lips twitch up at the corners, his chest heaving silently. I know he's trying not to get his hopes up, not yet. I know because I was the same way when it came to being with him. But I want him, and now that I've started to want and realize I deserve to want, I haven't stopped.

"I want to run in the fields with you. I want to spend your ruts in this nest. I want to fill this house with as many babies as you can give me." I reach out for his hand, and he gives it to me without hesitation. "I want to be with you, Holoth. No matter what, and in all ways."

---