Page 66 of Whispers of the Void

Her eyes flutter open and she blinks a few times to orient herself. “Thank you. I was having a nightmare.”

“About the attack?”

“Yes.” Her voice is meek as she rolls away from me. “Will you hold me?”

I thrum for her as the mate bond awakens. She feels safer with me near her, and nothing in all my life feels as fulfilling as that. I slide my arm under her head and mold my body against hers. Being meticulously careful I put my other hand over her hip where I know she has no injuries.

“Is this okay?” I ask once I’m settled.

“Yes.” She kisses the arm that’s curled under her. “Thank you, Raiz.”

I wait to even attempt to fall asleep until her breaths even out. The warmth of her body pressed against mine seeps into me. If it were up to me, this is how every night of the rest of my life would be spent.

With her.

There’s nothing more important to me. Even when I consider how much work there is to do to save my people. A part of me could walk away from it all, just to have a chance at life with her.

We have to figure out who wants her, and why. Even with everything that’s happened down on the planet, I can’t stop thinking about the man she’s spoken with in her head. The way she describes his eyes as being identical to hers doesn’t make sense. Humans generally don’t have violet eyes from what I and Hyva have read. Her seeing someone with such a unique feature makes me wonder if whatever form he’s taking isn’t just mimicking her own.

There are a lot of beings across the galaxy that have that skill, though none are able to mind walk that I know of. But the galaxy is vast, and there are portions we still haven’t explored yet so who is to say it isn’t possible. Anything is possible when there are so many stars in the sky left to travel.

By the time I finally drift off, I know I’ll only have a few hours of rest before Altis and Vynia arrive to debrief me. The best I can hope for is a deep and dreamless slumber with my mate snug in my arms.

* * *

The next morning I’m sitting at the table finishing a late breakfast when Vynia and Altis arrive along with Hyva. I asked Mydax to join us as well, but he hasn’t shown up. I’ve closed the door to the bedroom so Neev can continue to rest, but Hyva goes in to check her vitals quietly while he’s here.

“Are the arrangements made for Uzold?” I ask while it’s just the three of us.

“Yes. The pyre will take place the night before we leave for the temple.” Altis pulls out the chair across from me and sits.

The guilt of not informing his family myself, as well as making all the arrangements for his pyre, has been weighing heavily upon me the past few days. As the Lord of House Aste, as well as his superior, it falls on me to take responsibility for all those tasks. But I can’t leave my mate to fend for herself, even with those I trust the most. It goes against my nature as a male, a warrior and provider, to not be here for her.

“How is Neev?” Vynia shoots a worried look toward the bedroom.

“She slept well and seems to be in good spirits when she’s awake. Hyva gave her several shots of the bone healing serum. Hopefully when she wakes the residual pain will be gone.”

The door opens, and Mydax enters. He greets me with a salute which is customary, but as far as I’m concerned unnecessary in this scenario, so I wave a hand for him to sit and relax.

“How is everything on the bridge?” I ask.

“Nothing to report.”

I nod. “The way I like it.”

Hyva appears, quietly closing the door behind him and taking a seat next to Vynia. “She’s almost back to new. All her bones have mended, and her concussion has healed entirely.”

My shoulders drop in relief as the heavy weight of the unknown evaporates from my shoulders. I have to dig the tips of my talons into my thigh to hold back the thrumming building in my chest. If Mydax weren’t here, I’d feel comfortable releasing it. He doesn’t need to know that she’s my mate, I’m not sure he’d be able to keep the news to himself. Nor would he know how to act around her.

I’m not going to tell her until after our mission is completed. We need to have her translate the tome as soon as possible. Especially now that we know someone is on to us. The quicker we do so, the safer everyone will be. I refuse to lose anyone on my watch this time around.

“Go ahead and share everything you know,” I instruct Altis.

He gives a run down, most of which I already knew. He’s sent two of our most trusted intelligence officers out into other territories to see if there is word of what happened to Neev floating around on the surface. So far no one is talking about the attack.

None of us can figure out if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. It brings comfort to know that no one knows exactly who Neev is or why I have her. At least they don’t seem to even want to find out. But that leaves the question of who the two males worked for.

I hear movement from the bedroom seconds before the door opens and Neev steps out. She pauses when she sees us all gathered around the table. Her eyes meet mine in question, and I give her a slight nod, letting her know she’s welcome to join us. Aside from the mate bond, there will be no secrets between us ever.

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