Page 23 of Mated in the Stars

“If he wasn’t your kid,” Nelum teased but it was teasing of course because before now he had no way of knowing that Minter was the kid of his true-mates.

“Look, I’ll pack your stuff up, if you’re comfortable with that and you and Elio can go ahead and go to the house. Not because I’m the alpha trying to boss anyone around or take over,” I said, shooting Elio a look. “Anyone can veto the idea but because I’ve had the most practice with true-mate responses.”

“I’m okay with that. I don’t think I want to talk to the others right now. They’re good guys and all but,” he shrugged and we both glanced down at his still hard dick.

“That’s going to suck on the shuttle,” Elio said.

For a second, I considered hijacking the shuttle that flew between Starscale 1 and 2. They didn’t really have stuff like that here. They wouldn’t be expecting it and probably didn’t evenhave a way to punish anyone for doing it unless I hurt someone or broke it in the process and that wasn’t my plan.

“How about not?” Laken said, stepping outside with one of the twins latched onto his chest and feeding. “I can still hear you over the flight link and that’s not the way to go about this. They have special shuttle cars for newly responding mates. Tell them you need one at the station.”

“But we’re both omegas will they believe us?” Elio asked.

“If they can’t smell it on you two, they need to go visit a healer,” Laken frowned. “I’ll get dressed and walk to the station with you two.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Elio said.

“I will,” Laken said. “I don’t foresee it being a problem. Half the flight probably guessed who he was.”

“That’s not embarrassing at all,” Nelum blushed, and I pulled him close again because I couldn’t help it.

My dragon nuzzled against my ribs trying to reach out to him. I kissed the top of his head and breathed in his scent while he tried to gather what was left of his wits.

“What do I tell Teddy?” Elio asked.

“I’ll call him while I pack up Nelum’s stuff. If it’s okay, maybe he should take Minter to his house for a few days. Shit! Should we explain it to him before that or….?”

“I think he knows. Well, sort of,” Elio said and bit his bottom lip. “Going to Teddy’s house is the best thing for him until we get our shit together. Fred, my shit is so not together right now. If anyone on the shuttle looks at him wrong I’m going to burn them to a crisp. I’m going to burn down empires and I don’t want to! Well, I do want to but I don’t want to have to!”

“Do you need me to go with you?” I asked, cutting to the chase. “We can always ask Sunny to bring his stuff over later or send Teddy for it. I just thought….”

“Thought what?” Elio asked, taking my hand in his and entwining our fingers.

“You’re both omegas. I thought you could calm him down and reassure him. We don’t know how things are where he comes from and ---”

“Oh, because you’d have something to say to him if he came back as an alpha, wouldn’t you?”

“It would be the same for me. My mate would be my mate. Alpha, omega, beta, or some secret fourth option. It wouldn’t matter. Now, stop avoiding my question. Do you need me to go with you?”

“Yes,” he said and that was that.

I’d find a minute to get my thoughts straight later. A few moments alone might’ve gone a long way but not at the price of Elio’s wellbeing. Sometimes a mating response led to heat. Usually, that wasn’t the case if the omega in question had an egg around but our situation was anything but ordinary.

Chapter Twelve

Nelum

My first ride on the Starscale shuttle was uneventful in the way of push back for our untraditional mating responses. Fred asked the ‘helper’ at the station about the cars for newly met mates. The guy grinned at us, congratulated all three of us as if all true-mates came in threes and talked to the pilot when the shuttle arrived. We were ushered into a car in the back where the door locked.

“Ride as long as you like,” the helper said. “The shuttle never stops except at midnight for an hour of maintenance and cleaning. Even then, if the door is locked, they’ll leave you alone.”

“Thanks,” Fred nodded at the other dragon and shook his hand.

When the guy was gone, Fred locked the door and sank onto an empty seat. I almost asked if he was okay but then realized he hadn’t wanted the guy near either of us. I blushed again. It was as if someone stuck a lightbulb inside my head from the moment these two walked through Laken’s front door. I couldn’t stop bloody blushing. What was happening to me?

“The mating response,” Elio said, picking up my thoughts over the flight link. “That and it’s rather hot when he gets territorial. I’m glad you think so too because it happens a lot. A lot more than I would’ve expected from someone who once had an open relationship.”

“It’s not territorial in that way,” Fred rolled his eyes but patted his lap for one of us to sit down. I moved to do so but realized at the last second the natural instinct to do that probably meant itwas for Elio. My face burnt hotter, but Elio grabbed my hand and put me on Fred’s lap before sitting down next to us.

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