Page 34 of K'Vella

Is she disappointed that I'm the female her brother is putting a fur on? Does she want it to be someone else?

Ugh, I hate that my mind is deciding to panic about all of this when we're only here because Holoth thought we had to come.

Helna looks over at the rest of us and then tilts her chin back. "Come on, let's go introduce your crew to everyone. We're all curious about what you've been doing since you left."

"Do not embarrass me, Helna," Holoth grumbles under his breath. His smile is wide, though, and when his sister tries to guide him down the path away from the ship, he stays put, eyes trained on me. "How about you give the full tour to my friends here?" He motions toward Sloane, Jovi, Alik, Phial, and Essa, who are all looking around this new planet with wonder.

The part of Rythar that Holoth's clan is in is a densely forested area. The tall trees surrounding the clan are filled with lushgreen leaves. The clan's buildings are weaved through the trees, making them part of the landscape instead of destroying the forest to make space for them.

Hundreds of years ago, Rythar was on the brink of destruction. They reverted to a simpler time with most of their living. Trees were planted all over, cloning was used to bring wildlife back from the brink of extinction, and the Rytharians became less reliant on technology. They still have the same technology as most planets in the Intergalactic Alliance, but there are hubs on the planet where different technology can be found instead of each clan using it in their everyday life.

"What are you going to do?" Helna asks, her eyes looking worried like her brother might leave her again after just returning.

"I need to explain some things to that pretty Varon female over there." He gives me a wink, and my flush grows under my dress. Helna seems even more surprised by his obvious acknowledgment that, yes, he wants me, but she doesn't fight him on it. "The great hall is where it was when I left, yes? I can meet you there."

"And you're not leaving without saying goodbye again, right?" she asks, her fingers twisting in front of her when she asks.

"I'll make sure to tell you before I go," he says, hugging her again before pushing her toward the rest of our group. "Now give them the tour, and don't tell them any embarrassing stories."

"No, tell us the story of why Holoth fled this planet," Essa says, her eyes bright with mischief as she asks.

Holoth groans but doesn't tell his sister not to. We watch the group disappear down the path. The other females only linger for a moment before Holoth waves them away, too. I don't know what they're hoping to accomplish when he just said he thought I was beautiful, but then again, I'd want a chance at seducing him if I were them.

"You're tense," Holoth purrs as he pulls me close. "What are you so scared of?"

"The females are all very beautiful," I whisper, not wanting to meet his eyes when I confess my fear to him.

"Rytharians are a beautiful species." Holoth smiles at me, refusing to let me ignore his eyes. "But there's only one female I want, K'Vella, and she's more beautiful than anyone I've ever met."

"You're being sweet." I push at his chest, but he doesn't budge.

"I'm more than sweet," he counters. "I'm yours, and no one here will change that."

I swallow down the lump in my throat, not wanting to ask my next question but knowing that I need to. "What about if you scent match one of them?"

Holoth's brows almost meet his hairline, and then he shakes his head and chuckles to himself. "I'm not going to scent match any of them."

"You don't know that," I say, pushing at his chest again, needing him to take this seriously. "You could scent match a pretty female here. She'll make you an even nicer nest than me, and then you won't even need me anymore."

Holoth stares at me with a dark intensity that has me wanting to curl up into him. His purr is still rumbling in his chest, even though he looks like he'd rather be growling and snapping his teeth at me.

"I'm not scent matching anyone here because I'm not taking the blocker out. It has a lifetime of up to two years, and I've only been wearing it for about a month. Even if the male I got it from used it, I still have enough time to last until Avery's heat is over, and then we can leave this planet. As for the rest of your statement, well, we both know no one can make a better nest than you, and I will always need you."

"Holoth," I say, not wanting to let this go.

I'm pregnant with his child right now, and still, I feel like I could lose him at any moment. The only thing keeping us together is an air filtration device clipped into his nose. If it malfunctions or falls out somehow, he's going to smell someone else, and he's going to want them more than me, and I can't handle it.

"What do I need to say to make you believe me?" Holoth asks, his tone genuine as he asks, even though there's no good answer to that.

"I believe you believe you want me more than anything," I say, hoping I'm choosing my words right because I don't want to hurt him. "I don't want to keep you from finding someone who completes you, though. What if she's here, and she smells amazing? How can I live with myself if I keep you from her?"

"Considering neither of us will ever know if she exists, I think you can live with yourself just fine," Holoth snaps, his irritation becoming clear in the change of his tone. "K'Vella, I want you. I want no one but you. Why can't that be enough for you?"

"It is," I try to argue, but even it feels like a lie on my tongue.

"It's not." Holoth turns from me, his hands going to his neck as he groans to himself. "What do you want me to do? I'll do it, but I need you to tell me."

When I curl my arms around myself and don't answer him, he turns to face me. "You want me to take the blocker out?"

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