“If you keep your hands to yourself.”
“You’re no fun.”
“I know.” I had to drag Seth to his room as he stumbled beside me. I swore Lucy was trying to kill us when she kept twining around my calves. Then Lucy darted right in front of me, and I tripped. Hissing, I managed to catch myself and Seth before we landed on the floor.
Once we got into his room, I pushed him onto the bed. Seth spent the entire time reiterating he wasn’t tired. I ignored him, tugging off his shoes and jacket and placing his touchstone on the nightstand.
Seth wrapped his arms around me. “Don’t leave.”
“I’ll be right back.” With a damp cloth in hand, I returned and wiped his face, arms, and hands. Seth groaned, rolling to his side. I tossed the towel into the laundry chute before settling behind him.
My tail hooked about his ankle, and I gathered him to my chest. His citrus scent invaded my nostrils and made me moan. Words tumbled from my lips without permission. “I love you.”
“That’s nice,” he whispered, words jumbled.
I froze. “You’re not going to remember this, are you?”
Seth grunted.
I tugged him as close as possible. “I love you, my Seth.”
Chapter 25
Hangover.
I woke with a moan. My mouth was bone dry, and my head throbbed angrily.
“Are you dying?” a voice asked.
“Yes.” It felt like I was. Kal forcefully shifted me onto my back, which made me snap, “Fuck.”
He hovered over me. “Do we need to go to the medbay?”
“I’m joking, obviously.” When Kal opened his mouth, I covered it with my fingers. “No talking. Please.”
He got out of bed. I automatically reached for him, but he didn’t see. He set a glass of water on the nightstand beforedisappearing into the bathroom. When he came back, I forced myself upright. Kal sat on the edge of the bed, then he wiped my face with a cool cloth.
I couldn’t remember the last time someone took care of me. It probably hadn’t been since my mother had died.
Kal draped the damp cloth over my eyes. His mouth pressed against my ear, and he asked in a low voice, “Is that better?”
I nodded, tears prickling the backs of my eyes.
“Drink your water. NAID says hydration is the key to curing hangovers for humans,” he said, breath tickling my ear.
I blindly reached for the cup. Kal placed the glass in my hand, and I took a sip. My stomach protested, but I swallowed the bile. I would not vomit on Kal. I would never recover from that level of embarrassment.
With the towel over my face, I drank my water, and Kal sat next to me, his tail securely wrapped around my ankle. I patted the bed until I connected with him. My fingers ran down his arm, his scales scraping my palm, then took his hand.
I couldn’t remember much about last night. There was a lot of laughter, Urgg and Wyn singing, and more laughter. The commander made an appearance, but I didn’t recall more than him rolling his eyes as Captain Talvax led Urgg out of the mess hall. The main thing I remembered was having fun.
“What?” Kal asked.
I tugged his hand to my chest. “Last night was fun.”
“I’m glad, though you might not want to drink so much next time.”
“Urgg started it.”
