My blush returned in full force.
The door swished open, and NAID winked, which made her look like a cheeky grandma, before vanishing.
Kal paused. “My Seth, are you alright?”
He took a step forward, and Lucy bolted off my lap to rub against his legs—the traitor. She’d decided to like him a couple of days ago, always demanding his attention.
When I didn’t respond, he scooped Lucy into his arms and strode toward me. “Seth?”
I took several deep breaths, longing for the redness to recede from my face and make it less tomato-like. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yep.”
His tail hooked around my wrist. “You are red.”
“Yep.”
“Why? What does it mean?” he asked, sitting beside me. Lucy wriggled out of his arms and headbutted me.
“Nothing,” I lied. His mouth thinned, and I averted my gaze. “I was speaking with NAID about different things.”
“Which were?”
“Personal.”
“Was there something that bothered you? Maybe I could explain better.”
His tail let go of my wrist and twitched. His fingers tapped incessantly on his knee before he dragged his claws against the fabric of his black trousers. He was nervous, an all too familiar feeling for me.
“It wasn’t anything bad.” I didn’t like him upset, and oddly enough, I wanted to soothe him. My fingers itched to run over his arm or draw him close, but I kept them at my side. “I do have a question.”
“I will answer anything.”
“I know this Crystal showed me to you, but why did you go to the Crystal in the first place? Or does everyone on your planet do that?”
Kal lifted one of his legs and tucked it beneath him to sit in my direction. “Not everyone seeks the Crystal. Once the Crystal reveals your soulmate, you have no other option. There is a longing that cannot be overcome.”
“So why did you?” I asked when he didn’t continue.
“It had been a childhood dream of mine. I tried to court men on my own planet, and it never amounted to anything. Eventually, I wanted someone to love and be loved in return. So I sought the Crystal, and it gave me you,” he said, smiling softly as his tail curled around my wrist.
“Oh.”
Kal's expression darkened, and his tail tightened. “Did I take you from someone?”
His scales were so warm, much warmer than my normal temperature. Pulling my focus from his tail, I said, “I haven’t been with anyone in a while.”
“I’m glad.”
“Yeah, that would’ve made you abducting me even more awkward,” I said sarcastically.
He released me. “I am sorry this is how it had to be.”
I literally felt the people-pleaser side of me rising, wanting to absolve him of guilt, but I viciously squashed it. Kal had taken me, and he deserved to feel bad about it.
“Can I ask another question?”
