Page 3 of Accounting for Drakes

Emperor Yorath sat straight. “What? You said you had a bride of your lineage for me.”

“I did. You aren’t worthy of her. Get off my station before I tear you to pieces for your insult to my grandchild.” Mbrak could feel his eyes flaring, and fire wreathed him.

Yorath stood up and stumbled back. “Oh, shit. That was her?”

“Yes.” The words came out in a hiss. “My little girl raised herself until we could find her. She doesn’t know how to navigate the worlds. You stated she would be protected and sheltered. Get. Off. My. Station.”

Yorath stood and inclined his head, confusion in his expression. “Thank you for considering me.”

Mbrak left the restaurant and went in search of Abil. She hated her block to interaction and forcing her into the simulator had been a whimsical means to introduce her to Yorath.Fucking hell. She’s probably doing inventory or auditing the programs.

He walked through the station, and everyone got out of his way.

When he stalked into the supply area, he caught her sad scent. He sighed and went to find his granddaughter halfway through the stacks of supplies for the mechanical section of the station.

He walked up to her, and she looked at him. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

He wrapped her in his arms and rubbed her back. “He wasn’t good enough for you anyway.”

The hot, wet trail of tears on his chest broke his heart. “Come on, let’s go get dessert, and then you can audit the cargo department.”

She hiccoughed and smiled up at him.

“You can even do a weapons count if you still have a sad.”

She smiled and nodded.

“Did you want to do another language course?”

She paused. “I can use language; I just don’t know when I am supposed to. It isn’t needed all the time, and I forget when I am supposed to use it.”

He frowned. “What else are you forgetting?”

She swallowed. “Protocol for going into the simulator, which pod to use for maintenance, and how to find the guests once I am in there.”

Mbrak felt unwell. “When did the memory loss start?”

“When Styra left. I... uh... anchored to her, and then, she was gone.”

His eyes widened. “She let you?”

“When I was smaller, she said that whatever I needed, I could have, so I linked to her for balance, and that helped, but now she’s gone, and I...” She shrugged.

“Oh, honey. Okay, I am going to work to find you someone you can link to who is right for you.”

“Can’t it just be the station?”

He ruffled her hair. “No. The station is my prison, and I am not going to make it yours.”

She frowned. “I don’t mind.”

“No. You can’t link to me. Period. I am in your genetic line.”

“Wait. So, the link is like mating?”

“What you did to Styra was more like holding on to a big sister. She didn’t mention it to me, so I don’t think she was aware of it. She had a lot going on.”

“I attached to her pain. When the pain was fixed, the link was gone,” Abil mumbled.

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