“So does that mean you don’t know, or you know, but you’re not going to tell me?” I asked, resting my elbows on the counter.
Their lips flattened into a line before words spilled out at an alarmingly fast pace. “I suspect it has to do with his past. He is the sole creator soul in the royal family. I believe it’s made him overcompensate. He was constantly causing trouble, getting into fights, issuing unnecessary challenges, and the royal family forced him into the military when he was fifteen. He helped colonize Takzil and establish the base on its moon, but it didn’t help calm him. There have been many,manyreports of his brawls on multiple planets.
“If the reports are to be believed, the royal family, including his older brothers, have had to clean up his mistakes. But over two years ago, he disappeared from the reports,” Urgg finished, taking a heaving breath.
“Why did he change?”
“I honestly don’t know. You need to talk to him.”
“Easier said than done.”
I hung out with Urgg for a few more minutes, chatting. They invited me to take blaster training with them, and I agreed to think about it. Urgg figured if I was going to get into fights, I should be able to defend myself.
I decided to visit the garden—the one place to get fresh air on the ship, though there were plenty of plants everywhere. Reverent stillness wrapped around me, and the floral scents tickled my nose, soothing my tension. Finally, I released the stranglehold on my touchstone.
I wandered among the plants, and the few people here ignored me as I ignored them. I followed the winding paths, not payingmuch attention to where I was going. Vines heavy with flowers hung from the trees and brushed me, releasing more light scents.
I came to a sudden stop. A hatch hung open in the ceiling. A metal ladder on the wall, mostly obscured by plants, was beneath it. Lips pursed, I looked one way, then the next. No one was near this corner on the third-floor terrace. Without thinking, I climbed the ladder.
The hatch opened into a cramped space. On one wall was a round window, currently showing the watery planet below. On the other was a closed door requiring access to open, which probably went to a crawl space to work on ship systems.
I sat against the window, knees to my chest. It was peaceful with the blue light from the panel illuminating the room. No noise. No people. Just the universe in front of me.
Time passed as I simply enjoyed the silence, thoughts roaming where they will. Nothing important, mainly about how Kal and I would beat the next mission in our game, the way Kal had felt in my arms this morning, working with Dr. Qinlin on NAID’s independence to name a few.
A warmth in my pocket started the moment Kal’s voice sounded in my ear. “Seth Harris.”
Scrambling, I grabbed my touchstone. “Kal.”
“My Mate, where are you?”
“Hiding.”
“From me?”
I heard the worry in his voice. “No,” I said quickly. “I found a comfortable hideaway.”
“Did you want to play our next level in the experience?”
“I was just thinking about it. I’ll meet you there.” Climbing down the ladder, I left the garden and headed to the experience suite.
We stepped into our quarters, and I snagged Seth about the waist, tail curling around his leg. “That failure was your fault.”
“That was your fault, completely. You distracted me.”
“I held your hand.”
“And kissed my palm,” he barked with no bite. “I accidentally pulled the trigger, which may or may not have awakened a horde of muk, who killed us.”
“It was your fault.”
Seth frowned.
“Can I kiss you?” Seth hadn’t given me his permissions yet, so I wanted to respect his boundaries, though it was hard. I wanted to touch him all the time.
He didn’t answer, and, instead, kissed me. He pressed against me, shoving me into the wall. I groaned, and his tongue slipped into my mouth. I gripped the front of his shirt, holding on. After a few moments, I drew back, biting his bottom lip.
“I have a question,” Seth said, breathless.
