Page 4 of Matthew

“I’ll miss you guys.” Sincerity rang in his voice. It renewed clamoring from the pair of rough, bearded thugs to reconsider leaving them.

Berkan and Dakmo had been infatuated with Matt at first sight. Kom realized they only half-joked, and they’d run off with the Earther if they had an actual chance. Nonetheless, he took no offense at behavior most Nobeks would have beaten the shit out of them for. He’d known them for years, and they wouldn’t step over the line where Matt was concerned. He let them carry on for a few seconds before growling a warning.

“You have our com frequencies,” Berkan whispered loudly to Matt after they said their goodbyes. “When you’re ready to return to us, let us know.”

“I guess we’d better not mess up,” Avir chuckled to Kom, his beefy arm around his waist. His handsome face beamed from Kom to Matt and back. “He’ll have his pick of suitors if we don’t keep him happy. Welcome home, Matt.”

He released Kom to hug the calmer Earther. Matt’s smile was tentative, but Kom thought it was because he was still a little shy where Avir and Masok were concerned. Their few visits over the past seven months had been brief. Most of the relationship they’d forged with the Earther had been over vid coms.

Matt’s gaze flicked here and there, but since no one reacted to his embracing a man, there was no freakout. Kom mentally sighed in relief.

Masok nudged him and whispered, “Why were you so worried? He seems perfectly fine to me.”

Chapter Two

“Still no problems with the new arm and hand then?” Masok had opted to sit on the back bench of Avir’s personal shuttle next to Matt. He leaned forward, gripping Kom’s shoulder.

The long wait to have his Nobek home for good was over. Masok didn’t understand why Kom hadn’t returned to Kalquor as soon as he’d found Matt. His protests the Earther needed time to settle in and feel safe had been ridiculous. Safe on a rough-and-tumble cargo ship where Kom had lost his arm? How could such an environment offer Matt any sense of security?

Nobeks were an odd breed, however. The warrior’s mentality when it came to what constituted danger was far different from a nurturing Imdiko’s.

Kom waved away his concern with a grin. “It’s all good. The prosthetic beats what I had. Do you know the tools, devices, and weapons I can attach in place of my hand? How much is in my savings, Avir?”

Their Dramok laughed, his usually intense features softening. “A couple of cartons labeled ‘hand substitutions’ have already arrived at the home. How many more could you ask for?”

“All of them.”

Masok chuckled and turned to the small figure sitting beside him. Ancestors, he’d never get over how sweet Matt looked. He had to keep reminding himself the Earther was a full-grown man, not a doll to be carried. “I’m so thrilled you two are home. How are you, Matt? Good?”

“I’m okay.” Matt smiled to show how okay he was, and Masok had to resist sitting the beauty on his lap. It was no wonder Kom had driven them crazy by searching for him, though the odds had been stacked so high against tracking him down.

“Did someone else give you these clothes?” He kept from grabbing Matt by tugging on the collar of his shirt instead. The fabric was rough, as if it hadn’t been quite finished. “They’re too big. They look cheap, too. Look, this is unraveling here. Kom, you said you’d bought him a decent wardrobe.”

“I did!”

“I picked them out. I think they’re okay.” Matt sounded defensive, but he didn’t appear embarrassed. Masok guessed he simply refused to allow Kom to take the blame.

Kom had mentioned Matt had issues with feeling undeserving of nice things. Even so, there was no reason for their soon-to-be-official companion to go around looking like a waif.

As if hearing his thoughts, Avir threw a warning glance over his shoulder at Masok. He set the automatic pilot and twisted in his seat to better talk to him. “Earthers probably have a different view of fashion than we do. As far as Kom’s choosing nicer clothes, what did you expect from a Nobek? Especially a Nobek who’s a nudist?”

“Clothes are for those whose bodies are better left unseen,” Kom proclaimed loftily. “Matt and I are walking pieces of art.”

“You’d better put me on a really tall pedestal so I can be appreciated then. Provide a magnifying glass while you’re at it.”

Laughter filled the shuttle at Matt’s rejoinder. Masok had noticed he was always ready to poke fun at his height.

“You and I are going shopping for decent clothes at the soonest opportunity,” Masok promised him.

“I don’t need anything. What I have is fine.” There was a minute hunching of his shoulders.

Masok refused to let the jab of sadness he felt show. Kom had overstated Matt’s emotional state, but there was no doubt he’d been through the wringer.

The Earther had come from a world that refused to accept who he was and would have tortured and killed him had he been discovered. And those terrible stories of what his father Sven had done…

It would be all right, Masok promised himself as he patted Matt’s thigh and received a sweet smile for the attention. Kom loved their new companion unconditionally. Avir cared about him, thanks to their few visits and many coms. Masok adored him and was certain real love was mere weeks, maybe only days away.

Love was the best cure for everything. Matt’s past injuries, although admittedly severe, would be healed in no time at all.

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