Chapter 17
Gifts are great, right?
I left the meeting with Talvax smiling, though it had nothing to do with the discussion, as that had been routine and monotonous. All my happiness had to do with Seth. My Seth. The way he smiled. The feel of his lips on mine. The way his voice had grown bolder. With every passing day, he was becoming the light of my life.
When I met Pimtimzol, he suggested we walk the promenade while we talked. As we strolled, I searched for something to buySeth, barely paying any mind to Pimtimzol’s rattling. Purchasing Seth things was exhilarating, and I wasn’t sure why. My eyes landed on a simple silver chain and I paused. In the back of my mind, I imagined placing the necklace on Seth.
I bought it without hesitation.
Pimtimzol touched my arm. “Kalvoxrencol, you are not paying attention to me.”
“My apologies,” I said, shoving the chain into my pocket.
“You’ve been buying Seth an inordinate amount of gifts recently.”
“I can buy my mate what I want.”
“You can, but it has been excessive.”
I snorted, crossing my arms. “I’m not being excessive. My Seth deserves all of it. He deserves everything.”
“You are marking your territory. Quite thoroughly at that.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’ve done everything but pee on him.”
“What?” I asked in a strangled voice.
Pimtimzol’s eyes glimmered in amusement. “You’re acting like a zurqi when they’re worried about their mate. You’re telling everyone Seth is yours, which is unnecessary. Everyone knows.”
I scrubbed my hair. Was that what I was doing? I did like seeing him wear the things I’d purchased. It made something primal inside of me relax. “I never thought I could care this much about someone, but Seth.” I couldn’t explain the deep, throbbing emotion in my soul. “He’s mine, and I like buying him things.”
“That’s not wrong, but try being yourself. Be open and honest with him. Don’t try to buy his love with gifts. Gifts cannot replace the truth.”
“I do everything wrong.”
“You’re young. Of course you’re doing everything wrong.”
Lucy rushed toward Kal when he came inside, rubbing along his legs. “Hey,” I said before turning back to the book I was reading. NAID had translated the history of Tamkolvanloknol, and I found it interesting.
Like drakcol and barbarus—Urgg’s species—used to be at war. Their truce was a recent thing, a little bit over a hundred years, though tensions remained high between the two species. The past animosity made me wonder about Urgg and Talvax. No wonder Urgg had thought Talvax was crazy when she’d come to date them.
Kal draped something over my head. I reached up and touched a chain warm from his body heat. “What’s this?”
“An apology for leaving you earlier.”
“You don’t need to apologize. You had a meeting.”
“Still,” Kal persisted.
I sat up, setting aside my tablet. “Kal?”
“Yes, my Seth.”
My jaw clenched. I wished I was wearing my hoodie. It was like a security blanket. It added another layer of protection. But I didn’t need protection from Kal, right?
Something inside of me quaked. Maybe I did? Maybe he would get mad? If he did, what would he do?
