I had no idea what “babe” meant, though it didn’t sound like a bad thing. NAID gave me the words infant and child before switching back to the human word, but that didn’t seem to fit his soft tone.
“I’m well.”
He sleepily muttered, “Go to sleep, Babe.”
I snuggled close, breathing in his scent.
Chapter 26
Let's talk.
“You haven’t told him.” Talvax sat on the stool behind her desk. The lone personal touch in her office was a screen that cycled through images of Urgg and herself.
“No.”
“Why not?”
I’d known this would come up after dinner. Being open with your mate was important, but I struggled to do so. Seth had told me of his past, yet I could not tell him of mine.
“Kalvoxrencol, why have you not told Seth?” she repeated.
“What if I tell him, and he doesn’t want me? What if I’m a disappointment to him like I am to my family?” I gripped the stone hanging from my necklace. The gold metal didn’t match the silver jewelry I always wore, but I didn’t care—my Seth had given it to me.
“Then he is not for you.”
“He is mine,” I snarled, unable to stop the words.
“Then he will understand. Your Seth seems kind. Do not do him the dishonor of not believing in him.”
“I do believe in him,” I said in a petulant voice, crossing my arms. I swear whenever I was with Talvax I felt fifteen again.
“Have you spoken to Pimtimzol about this?”
I frowned, which made her laugh.
“So you have, and his advice was similar to mine. Trust your Seth.”
“What if he doesn’t want me afterward?”
“Then that is his choice. You cannot make it for him.” She sounded eerily like my older brothers and Pimtimzol.
“I can’t live without him, not anymore.”
Talvax came around the desk and draped an arm over my shoulders, her tail coiling around mine. “Hiding anything you think he might not like is not the way to keep him. Seth might end up resenting you. Be honest, Kalvoxrencol.”
“So you want us to talk?” I asked the group of scientists who gathered in the corner. In the front sat Dr. Qinlin, whose tail wriggled, making me think of Lucy and her excitement for food.
She tapped the tablet on her lap. “Talk about whatever you two want.”
The scientists wanted us to speak as they studied NAID’s code to find out where her independence was coming from. We were in some kind of laboratory on the eighth floor, filled with monitors and consoles, all of which were alive with readouts.
“What do you want to talk about?” I asked her. My hands fisted in my hoodie, one grasping the touchstone. Part of me wanted to call Kal to rescue me, but he was meeting with Talvax, then Pimtimzol. Besides, after this me, Urgg, and Wyn were getting together.
“I have no preference.”
A flurry of whispers sounded from the scientists.
Yeah, this wasn’t fucking awkward.
