“Is he combative?”
“No, he’s hesitant and distant. Doctor Qinlin has advised psychic shock, but she doesn’t have more than that. She and NAID are working through the medical texts of his planet.”
Pimtimzol placed a dirt-covered hand on my arm. “His soul type may be hurtful to you, but he is your match, Kalvoxrencol. Do not doubt it.”
“I don’t. He’s mine.” I felt it in my soul and body. Seth was mine, and I didn’t want any other nor would I ever.
Time and patience. I’d crossed the universe for him, and I would find a way to keep him now that Seth was within my grasp.
Chapter 7
Is this my new home?
I carefully stepped into the living room. Even though NAID had said Kalvoxrencol left, I didn’t quite believe her, but he was gone. I sagged as all of the tension fled. I was truly alone for the first time in days. A prickling sensation crept up my spine and settled behind my eyes.
Normally, I was relieved to be alone; I loved it, reveled in it, but when I looked around the empty apartment, my heart clenched and tears gathered. I was completely alone. The only human. One of a kind.
A meow came from behind me, and I swiped at my cheeks but found them dry. Lucy rubbed along my calf before sauntering into the living room. Her round eyes grew, and I knew what was going to happen next. She took off like a bolt of lightning, zooming around the room and leaping onto the couch for the barest moment before she sprang off.
Lucy was over this whole abduction thing. Then again, she was a cat. She was fed, safe, and comfortable; why wouldn’t she be happy? Maybe that’s what I needed to be like—accept everything and not care.
I sank to the squishy ground because my legs no longer supported me. I tried to fight against the allure of old patterns. This always happened. I would lose myself, hide, or become someone else entirely to please whomever I was with. Such changes were easier than hoping they would see me for who I was and want me. They never had anyway.
I’d sworn after my last relationship I would never enter another one. Travis had gotten a job in Washington, and he’d asked me to come with him. I’d thought, for once, I’d been chosen. I hadn’t been. I’d paid for the entire move from San Francisco to Olympia, and six days after we arrived, he broke up with me. I had been his ticket to moving. By that point, he’d isolated me from what few friends I’d had, namely one, and I had no family to help me, so I was stuck.
Which was why I’d promised myself to stay away from people. They only hurt me. But Lucy, she’d been a gift. I’d gone to a shelter to get a dog, but the woman had convinced me a cat was better for my apartment. She’d walked me by Lucy’s cage two times in the hopes I would adopt her.
Each time, Lucy had clawed at my sleeve, crying. She’d been so scared and alone, like me. Her previous owners had abandoned her when they moved, leaving her behind in anempty apartment. I’d decided to adopt her as soon as the lady told me. She’d practically cried when I picked Lucy.
I’d brought her home, and that was it. I didn't need anyone else. Lucy didn’t make me change. I didn’t annoy her. It was perfect.
Lucy landed on my lap, which made me jolt. She used me as a springboard and leaped to the bookshelf. Two sculptures teetered, and my mouth dropped open as I scrambled to my feet. They crashed to the floor before I could catch them.
“Shit.” I picked the sculptures up, flipping them over to inspect for damage. I couldn’t imagine Kalvoxrencol being pleased if Lucy broke his things. They could be valuable. The manwasa prince.
Thankfully, I found no damage.
The first statue was an animal mixed between a cat and a fox, but scaly with wings and bright red in color. The second was a tree, except with a deep purple trunk and light blue flowers resembling wisteria.
Putting the two sculptures back onto the shelf, I ran my fingers over the spines of the books. I couldn’t read any of the titles, but their presence was comforting. Human. If that made any sense.
I wandered toward the paintings on the walls, my gaze moving over them until I came to one that made me pause—an abstract done in shades of blue with splashes of purple and gold. Art had never been my thing, but I liked this one. There was something about it, something compelling.
Slowly, I inspected every inch of the apartment, except for the other bedroom. Everything was clean and well-made. The room didn’t seem planned or designed, since nothing matched. If I had to guess, I would say everything belonged to and was chosen by Kalvoxrencol.
I sat on the couch, my feet barely reaching the floor. Most drakcol I’d seen were quite tall, Kalvoxrencol being anexception, well into the six-foot range to my average height. I leaned back, then stopped. There was nothing there. The couch didn’t have a back, though the seat was wide enough for two.
Wiggling, I readjusted until I sagged against the arm that reached my shoulders. I didn’t know what to do. I had no responsibilities. I had no job. Nothing to clean. There was literally nothing for me to do.
“How do you like it?” NAID asked, manifesting on the small monitor next to the door.
“I don’t know.”
“You have no opinion?” she pressed.
My jaw clenched, and my pulse began to race. I had no idea why, but my anxiety spiked. I tried to breathe through it and focus on the softness of the couch, the spicy scent of the room, and the sound of my own heartbeat, which began to slow.
“I’m detecting stress hormones. Are you alright?”
