Page 46 of Chained

“Tibi guessed and she told me. I don’t know why Cleo tried to hide it from us. Whatever she wanted, we would always be there for her,” he says kindly, his eyes glittering. “I was young once too, you know.”

He walks down the stairs, and I follow, my wings brushing either side of the narrow passage. Behind us I hear the door click and a whoosh of air as our scents are cleansed from the area.

Retah knows his business.

The stairs open out into a large vaulted room, oddly not dissimilar to the one Pryax had. It’s filled with boxes marked with various symbols, some of which my translator can interpret, some of which remain a mystery. I spot several cratesof pulsar weapons and a brand new pulsar cannon, along with various types of disrupter small arms.

He definitely knows his business. There’s enough weaponry here to take down a small army.

“You seem like a connoisseur,” Retah says, pushing the top off a nearby crate with a wince before delving inside and pulling out a small pistol. “What do you make of this?”

He tosses it to me, and I catch it in one hand.

“Prefer blades,” I say, turning the thing over in my hand.

It’s small and solid, but it doesn’t look like any pulsar or disruptor I’ve ever seen, The metal gleams with a dull iridescent sheen. At the handle, there is a small window which is filled with a glowing blue light.

“What is it?”

“It’s the latest in Sartak tech, a pulsix. It packs as much power as three pulsar cannons.”

“This does?” I stare down at the small weapon.

“And I have the only supply,” Retah says proudly.

“I presume the Gryn wants to eat. They’re always hungry.” A female Cirmos peers around the side of a crate marked ‘psi-grenades’.

She appraises me with an almost professional interest.

“You must be Tibi,” I say.

She snorts and disappears again.

“Tibi takes some impressing.” Retah chuckles. “Knowing her name isn’t going to assist.” He motions to me as I pocket the weapon. “But if you make the right noises while she feeds you, that might help.”

I follow the direction the Cirmos took and the scent of roast meat reaches me. It seems like a long time since I ate the toasted rolls and had anything more substantial.

We wind through several more piles of crates before we turn into an area which has been specifically set out as a dwelling.There is a table, comfortable seating, and cooking facilities. The tiny Cirmos has prepared a veritable feast laid out ready for us. My Cleo is already seated, and she pats the bench next to her.

I sit, flicking my wings back. Luxuriating in her scent. It’s like being in the dome, only I am not in the dome. I am here, with my mate.

As she slips her hand into my feathers, it feels like home.

CLEO

Maxym seems to be vibrating as I touch the skin at the base of his feathers. He relaxes a little, but they remain pricked up like spines.

“Eat, eat,” Tibi exhorts as Retah also takes a seat, moving stiffly with his injuries.

Maxym bows his head for an instant, almost as if in prayer, before he picks up a piece of roasted meat and hands it to me. I go to take it, but he moves it away, holding it to my lips instead.

I feel myself flush. He wants me to eat from his fingers, with both Tibi and Retah watching. Something rumbles in his chest, and I feel his desire swirling around my head, a desire and a need to take care of me, and this is the only way he knows how.

I take the bite, and the rumble increases, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“You’ll be nesting soon, Gryn,” Retah says genially as he chews.

This time, Maxym does growl, the noise echoing around the chamber we’re in.

---