Page 40 of Healing His Mate

NALBA

The next morning, I wake with a start, frantically looking for something in my room. What that is, I do not know. I climb out of bed and rush over to the window. Throwing back the window covering, I hear Waldric groan crankily as I take in the late morning sun poking through the trees. “How long have we been asleep?” I ask without turning. We fell asleep before final meal and did not wake once.

“Not long enough,” Waldric insists as he stuffs his head beneath his pillow.

He might wish to continue his slumber, but I do not. I feel . . . invigorated this day––eager to continue working on the sticky bomb until the design is perfected. Eager to protect Ekoya and strengthen her reign. Eager to eat Waldric’s delicious food, and to hear more of Cloh-ee’s odd tales about Earth. Perhaps Waldric’s glorious member is precisely what my body has needed since the injury. I would not be surprised to learn it has magical healing powers.

I refuse to let the dark haze of Lahkzo’s words hinder my work or my mood. If there were a way to wipe him entirely from my memory without sustaining another head wound, I would do it.

Shuffling around the bed, I pull on leggings and a new tunic. I need my mane string, however, and I cannot find it. “In my pocket,” Waldric mutters as he points to his pants on the floor. Reaching into his pocket . . . “Not that one. The other one,” he clarifies. Reaching into his other pocket, I find three mane strings, exactly like the ones I use.

“You use these too?” I ask, surprised. I know his unruly mane is always tied into a tight knot, but I thought he used a kind of wire to hold it in place.

“No,” he replies simply. When I continue to stare at him, he adds, “I keep them for you. In case you need them.”

For me?

“How long have you done this?” I ask, my throat tightening with emotion.

His cheeks darken, and he pulls the pillow up slightly, so it hides part of his face. “Since the time your mane string broke while you were in line at the food hall, and your mane fell into your stew. I could do nothing to help you. I hated that feeling. From then on, I was prepared.”

I wish I could remember it the way he does. I wish I could remember any of it at all.

“When did this happen?”

“Two years ago,” he says quietly.

My hands drop to my sides, not knowing what to say.

“It is a silly thing, I reali–” he starts, but I leap onto the bed and kiss him hard before he can continue to downplay his thoughtfulness.

He pulls back, breathless, and laughs, pressing his forehead against mine.

“It is the least silly thing in the world,” I tell him.

He kisses me again, this time plucking at my lips with his, slowly, sensually.

Then we are interrupted, once again, by the voice of a human female down in my shop. I race down the steps, throwing my mane into a high twist as I go, and find a short female with a mane the color of fire and brown spots covering her cheeks and nose. Beside her stands a tall, muscular male with shimmering blue scales, wearing a tight black shirt that matches his horns.

“Ah, Kay-teh. Nee-roh,” Waldric greets from behind me. I am grateful for his presence because I had certainly forgotten their names. The fact that Nee-roh is a draxilio, however, I remembered.

“You are the draxilio,” I state, uncomfortably shifting my weight between my feet. I have never been in the presence of a fire-breathing draxilio before. Well, he was on the screen pad in Kaiva’s med room, but that is not the same as having him stand beneath my roof. I am not thrilled to have him in my shop surrounded by a million things that could easily be destroyed if he were to let out an ill-timed sneeze. “What is it that you want from us?”

“Relax, Nalba,” Kay-teh says with her hands raised. “He’s cool. I know you don’t remember, but you’ve met my mate several times. He’s not going to shift and blow your little house down. I swear.”

“Little?” I repeat, taken aback by her choice of words.

“I’m sorry to bother you guys,” she says, her mouth forming a sly grin. “Didn’t mean to interrupt . . . anything. But, uh, I wanted to let you know that Jo sends her love, and she still feels like a total shitburger for accidentally causing your injury.”

Jo. I search my mind for the name. I find nothing. “Who is Jo?”

“Jobaki. She is a Hexrin,” Waldric whispers. “You tried to assist her in the battle against Bzzsil Chi when she tried to cast a spell and Tibik interfered.”

Tibik––the male I spotted on the path that gave me a bad feeling. I remember him well.

“That fucker,” Kay-teh says with a bitter tone. She does not like him either? Interesting. She seems to notice my puzzled expression. “Has no one told you this whole story yet?”

“I have heard versions of it, but I would like to hear yours as well,” I tell her.

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