Page 30 of K'Vella

"I need to tell you some—"

My bedroom door slides open, and a panicked Phial stumbles inside. His clawed hand covers his eyes, and his feathers are standing at their tallest. I grab a blanket and cover K'Vella's body with it as I try not to kill my best friend for coming into my room unannounced.

"Holoth, I need you now. I think there's something wrong with Avery," Phial says, his voice higher pitched and hissier than usual.

I'm on my feet and tugging on my pants before he has time to spread his fingers and check to make sure he didn't interrupt anything. He definitely did, but he also seems scared enough for it to be forgivable. While I finish tugging on my pants, I lean down and press a palm to K'Vella's cheek.

"We'll talk as soon as I check on Avery, okay?"

K'Vella nods, pulling the blanket higher to cover her chest as she sits up. "Can I do anything?"

"Will you get Essa?" Phial asks. "She's not answering her comm. She's probably already asleep."

"Of course, of course." K'Vella starts to move, not caring that the blanket slips enough for the small swell of her breasts to make an appearance as she reaches for one of her dresses.

I snarl at Phial, who turns around almost immediately. I press a last kiss to K'Vella's lips, follow Phial out of my room, and make the short walk to his.

"I don't know what's wrong. She was sleeping fine but started talking about how she's too hot and then crying because she doesn't want to do it again." Phial runs his hands over his feathers, trying and failing to smooth them down.

When we approach, his door opens, and he makes a series of taps on the glass dome that encircles his nest. Right now, it is cloudy white, but there are settings that can make it transparent.

"Go away!" Avery screams, and Phial looks like he's about to throw up.

"Avery, I brought Holoth. Maybe he knows what's happening to you. Maybe he can help." Phial's words are shaky and stuttered. My friend is breaking apart on the inside, even though he's trying his hardest not to look like it on the outside.

"No!" Avery screams the word, and Phial flinches like she's struck him. "I thought it was over. I thought I didn't have to do this again."

I grab Phial's shoulder and give it a soft squeeze. He gives me a pained expression, but I hold up my hand, telling him I'm going to try to help.

"Avery, I know you're upset right now, but I just want to see if I know what's wrong with you." I keep my voice calm and hope what I think is wrong with her isn't what's actually wrong. It'll mean she was experimented on even worse than what we thought. "I know you don't want to think about it, but did the male who took you ever purr for you?"

Phial hisses in my direction, not liking how I'm about to help Avery. I understand. I wouldn't want another male purring for K'Vella, but this is important. I need to make sure Avery isn't in any danger or going to be sick.

I expect her to scream again, but her answer comes out in a hiccuped sob. "No."

"Okay, that's good. Thank you for telling me." My purr begins to vibrate in my chest, and I hope she can hear it through the dome's glass. "Does that make you feel any better?"

Phial gives me the dirtiest look but doesn't swing at me or ask me to stop, which means a part of him knows this will help the female he's gotten close to. I don't miss how his claws have extended or how his lip is in a perpetual snarl now. We can work through those things later when we know Avery's okay.

"Yes, that helps," Avery says after a few long seconds. "What is that? Is that coming from you?"

"It's my purr. It can help relax others. It's especially calming for Rytharian females." I keep my voice even and soft. "Can you let me see you for a second, Avery?"

"No, no, I can't," she cries again, but the sobbing is softer and not as uncontrollable. "It's so hot. I took off all my clothes, and I don't want any of you seeing me like this."

I rub my hand over my face and try to figure out the best course of action. Phial might kill me if I see Avery how she is now, and that's not something I want. I don't want Avery in any romantic or sexual sense.

Now that I've been with K'Vella, I want only her for the rest of my life. How do I explain that to a female I'm almost certain is about to go into heat and her overprotective male?

"Okay, Avery, I need you to tell me if any of these things are happening. I'm not judging you, and Phial doesn't care, okay?"

"Okay." Avery sniffles.

I cringe a bit as I turn to look at Phial as I ask my questions. I figure this is the safest route since he might murder me if I were to ask them directly at Avery.

"Are your breasts swollen and tender?"

"Yes," the word is small and sad.

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