Page 65 of I Married Kayog
“Right, I can see that,” I conceded begrudgingly.
She smiled and gently caressed my face. “If it’s any consolation, Colin and I had extensive discussions about this. He really wants you to join them so he will make an offer that will likely be appealing.”
Although Linsea said that she would support whatever decision I made—and while I didn’t doubt that she meant it—my mate clearly hoped I would accept. If only because she saved my life, I likely would. But there would be time to dwell on this later.
I glanced around the room in complete awe, still struggling to believe this was my new reality.
“This is so unbelievably quiet,” I whispered wistfully before looking back at my female with adoration. “Thank you for saving me, for not letting me give up when I was at my lowest.”
To my shock, Linsea’s beak quivered, and a powerful emotion mixed with intense relief flashed over her face.
“What is it, my dove?” I asked, confused by her reaction.
“I was so scared you would hate me for forcing you to stay when you begged me to grant you peace,” she said in a shaky voice. “I just couldn’t let you go. It was selfish of me, but so long as there was hope that you could be healed, I couldn’t give up.”
“And I’m glad you didn’t,” I said forcefully. “Do not apologize or feel guilty for what you did. It was my pain speaking at that moment. I just wanted it to end. But had our roles been reversed, I also would have fought with everything I had to keep you. Thank you for fighting for me when I no longer had the strength to do so.”
Tears welled in her eyes while another wave of relief, gratitude, and deep affection surged within her. Linsea wrapped her arms around my neck, and we exchanged a deep and tender kiss. Maker! I was falling madly in love with this female.
With much reluctance, we stopped before passion would run away with us. While I doubted they were spying on us, our intimacy wasn’t something for prying eyes to witness or stumble in on. My mate snuggled against me and rubbed her face on the crook of my neck. Fuck, how I loved when she did that!
“For what it’s worth, Isobel helped a lot as well,” Linsea said wistfully.
My chest immediately warmed for my human friend as my mate recounted how she intervened, using her priestess status to help Linsea in her effort to protect me. Isobel vouching for me with Colin, the Enforcers, and the UPO as a whole furtherappeased some of their concerns. In fact, her words weighed more than Linsea’s, to the extent that she had known me for years. As my spiritual advisor and meditation mentor, she was able to provide an extensive track record of all the ways in which I showed restraint and no propensity to violence.
“She truly is the sister of my heart,” I said affectionately. “Where is she now?”
“Isobel has taken a temporary assignment in a refugee shelter nearby so that she could be here for you. She’s an amazing woman. You were blessed the day she entered your life,” Linsea said warmly.
“I was indeed. Just like whenyouentered my life,” I said with adoration. “But what of you?”
She scrunched her face. “I’m working for the UPO. Although that had always been my goal, I’ll be happy when I can change positions.”
“Oh?” I asked, worried. “Things aren’t working out how you hoped?”
She shook her head. “It’s not that,” Linsea said in a reassuring tone. “I settled for a desk job so that I could stay close to you, right here in the research center. For now, I provide advice on various conflicts.”
“And you don’t like it?” I asked carefully.
“I don’t mind it,” she replied with a shrug. “In truth, it’s an excellent learning experience. But I would prefer to be the one negotiating rather than just reading about the conflicts and providing talking points and potential solutions. Working with text isn’t the same as direct interaction with people. Written words can be so easily misinterpreted…”
I nodded with sympathy. “Believe me, my mate. I know exactly what you mean.”
“I bet you do,” she said with a smile. “But for now, we need to feed you. You’ve been fed intravenously for far too long. Andthen, I’m sorry to say that a highly unpleasant amount of tests awaits you with Arafin and Ellen, your two doctors.”
My shoulders slumped. Naturally, it made sense. In fact, I would have expected them to drag me directly into it. So this short reprieve with my dove meant a lot. It also struck me as their way of saying that—as inevitable as it would be for me to be somewhat treated as a lab rat—they would make it as comfortable an experience as possible. I hated that it was necessary, but the incommensurable gift of peace they had given me warranted any test they wanted to subject me to.
Lunch went by too fast. At least, Linsea was able to give me an update about everyone. Mares and Tala both graduated and were each participating in a different internship. To my delight, Mares had taken on the mantle of protecting the Syllens and joined a team dedicated to presenting a detailed plan for the slow phasing out of off-worlder presence and touristic installations in their ancestral lands. It didn’t guarantee that their plan would be adopted, but he wisely involved the Edocit government in the whole process. Their obvious kinship with this primitive species had his people fervent about keeping them safe. Tala took on a similar internship to the one my mate had just completed before joining us at the university.
As for the band, they initially wanted to wait for me to come back, but Linsea made it clear that it would be unlikely. The Enforcers spun quite the tale as to why I never returned to school, claiming I sustained grievous cerebral injury following the explosion. And although I would make a complete recovery, it would take many months followed by even more time in physiotherapy and readaptation.
In the end, they took on a new lead singer and ended up signing with a label. As much as I rejoiced for them, it stung my ego a little that they replaced me so quickly. Granted, it took them over four months with countless rejections amongthe hundreds of applicants. However, learning that they shot down any requests from Temerns did something funny to me. According to Linsea, Ben declared that Echoes of Madness only had one Temern, and it was me. No one else would ever hold that title.
Did that stroke my ego? Absolutely.
At the same time, it struck me as a wise decision. Having another Temern lead singer would only have him constantly compared to me. By choosing someone from another species, they could make the role their own, bring in their own flavor and style without people having unrealistic expectations purely based on race.
Once our meal completed, I subjected myself to a never-ending string of tests. It sucked even more that Linsea couldn’t stay with me through it all. Anyway, she had work to do. But my dismay hit a whole new level once they informed me that I would spend the night in observation in my medical room. Obviously, I hadn’t expected to be allowed to return home. However, I foolishly thought I could stay with Linsea in the apartment they had temporarily assigned to her while she worked the advisor role for the UPO.
