Page 39 of Avery

I push away this time, and he lets me. A snort leaves my nose as I laugh. He beams down at me and presses a fork into my hand. I don't waste any time sliding into the seat at the island and digging into my food. I don't know its name, but it's some sort of meat dish from Essa's planet that tastes a little bit like spicy curry.

"I'll go see Kithi and Jia on my own," I tell Phial after a few bites. "I'll probably cry, and you've seen me do that enough today."

Phial snorts and then realizes I'm being serious and lifts his tail from where it's lying limp behind him to wrap around my middle and pull me half out of my seat and closer to him.

"I don't know if you remember our first days of knowing one another, but all you did was cry. Your tears won't scare me away." He narrows his eyes, his tongue flicking out. "You're stuck with me, Avery, always. Not to mention, if I'm not here for you, who's going to keep you fed and full of come?"

My cheeks heat at the reminder of how needy I am for him—something I haven't even started to process yet. He notices my embarrassment, making his lips kick higher and his eyes crinkle.

"Finish your food so you can say goodbye to your friends," Phial says. "We have much work to do to get the ship ready.You're copilot now, which means in between feasting on my cocks, you'll have other work to do as well."

"Shut up!" I squeal and push at his shoulder, which only has him tightening his hold on me.

"Never." He smiles, grabbing the back of my neck and dragging his lips down to meet mine. "Never."

Kithi wraps her arms around me as I leave her office. "I'm so proud of you," she tells me as she pulls away, her hands on my shoulders. "You have my comm number, and we're scheduled for a meeting the week after your heat's over. If you need to talk sooner, you can just call or message me, okay?"

"I will, and thank you for everything." I wipe away the tears that are trying to fall down my cheeks. "You have no idea how much I appreciate you."

"We all need someone to talk to," Kithi says, her hand tightening on my shoulders as she smiles. "I'm glad I could listen to you."

I wipe away the tears that have definitely started falling. Kithi pulls me in for another hug, and then her door opens. Jia stands there wide-eyed and frantic. Her eyes land on me, and she lets out a long breath. She walks over to where I'm still being squeezed to death in Kithi's hug and wraps her arms around me.

"Phial said you all were leaving, and I thought he was trying to be an ass, but then Holoth was hugging Jovi, and I realized Phial was telling the truth, and I didn't know where you were."

"I'll miss you, too." I laugh as I turn my head toward Jia. Unable to wrap an arm around her with how tight Kithi's hugging me, I nuzzle my head against the side of her head. She does the same to me.

"Do you need anything from us?" Jia asks, wiping her tears as she pulls away.

Kithi lets me go, and I follow Jia out of the room. I wave goodbye to Kithi, who has a meeting coming up. Otherwise, she'd probably be coming with Jia and me. I've grown close to the two women since being here. They've both helped me so much.

"I don't think so," I tell her. I chew on my lip, my fingers fiddling with one another as I debate, telling her how I plan on getting through my next heat.

"Have you spoken with your male about your heats?" Jia asks, her gaze turning sharp as she looks at me. She sniffs the air as we enter the alcove, but when she doesn't send a scathing look to the corner, I assume Phial's not lying in the dirt, invisible and eavesdropping on us.

"I'm going to when I get back to the ship," I tell her.

"I wish you would've done this with him while you were still on Rythar," Jia says, her voice turning soft. "I only worry that he won't be enough."

My fists clench at my sides, my teeth snapping at her. I'm territorial over my male, just like any other Rytharian would be, but I've always managed to keep it in check. Mainly because I'm not strong enough to fight anyone. The more that Phial and I do with one another, the needier I am for him and the more protective I seem to be.

"I'm not trying to upset you," Jia says, choosing her words carefully, which is good because this is the angriest I've been at any of the females. Phial is enough. He'll always be enough. He's perfect. "I only worry because you need a lot, and he's not a Rytharian. There's a chance he won't be able to satisfy you during your heat."

I'm throwing a punch before I fully realize what I'm doing. One second, I'm about to punch Jia in the face for saying anythingnegative about Phial, and the next, my arm is in a firm, cool grip an inch from Jia's face. Her eyes are wide, and her cheeks are stained pink high on her cheekbones.

"As much as I'd love for you to fight for me, I don't think Jia deserves this," Phial says, his voice teasing and close to my ear. His body is pressed against my back, his hand wrapped tight around my fist, keeping me from making a mistake and hurting my friend.

I drop my hand, worry settling in over the anger. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"No." Jia holds her hand up, shaking her head. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have talked bad about your mate."

Phial's other hand is wrapped around my waist, and his hand flexes against my abdomen at the word mate. My cheeks flush with embarrassment, arousal, and a little bit of anger still.

"Do you care if I steal her away from you?" Phial asks his question aimed at Jia even as he stays pinned to my back, touching me with as much of his body as he can.

"No, go right ahead. She's all yours," Jia says, her words a little shaky. "You'll visit again, right?"

"Of course," Phial and I both answer at the same time.

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