“Sounds good to me.”
Chapter 23
Come fly with me.
I skipped beside Fyn as he led me to the port. I recognized it because this was where I first came to Tamkolvanloknol. The wide open space had several sleek silver shuttles, and drakcol in black uniforms darted around doing something important, I was sure.
It took me all of one second to find who we were searching for because there were no shuttles or people around them. Seth stood beside Kal with an arm around his trim waist. Serlotminden was gesturing to the shuttle behind him, beaming. The shuttle, while gleaming silver like most of the others on the lot, looked different. It was smaller and had a sharp nose and slim wings.
“Zoltilvoxfyn,” Kal called when he caught sight of us, or rather, his brother.
My Sunshine returned the greeting, tail wiggling in what I believed was agitation. I rested my hand on his lower back before sliding up his spine, over one shoulder, and down his side.
He relaxed under my non-existent touch, which made my heart soar.
Serlotminden rushed to the side of the shuttle as he called, “Let’s go.”
We all clambered aboard. There wasn’t much room inside. Two seats were at the front of the craft, and Serlotminden slid into one. The stool, I guessed was the way to describe it, didn’t have a back, but it did have arms as well as buckles. The drakcol needed space for their wings, I supposed.
Kal directed Seth to the two other seats, leaving the co-pilot seat for Fyn. Sunshine glanced at me. There was no place for me, but I could hardly hold it against Serlotminden. I was a ghost. He couldn’t see me. Hell, he probably didn’t think I sat down.
“I’m fine,” I told him before Fyn said something.
“You’re not,” he replied. Seth glanced at us, but Fyn ignored him.
“I don’t need to sit down. Like I don’t even feel my legs. I can’t even get tired. Trust me, I’m fine. All fine. No issue. The ship won’t even vibrate me or throw me around. I’m dead, Sunshine. It’s all good.”
He jerked back like I struck him. We liked to pretend I was actually here, but I wasn’t. I motioned for him to sit in the remaining seat with a bright smile, refusing to allow his reaction or our reality to bother me.
Serlotminden glanced over his shoulder as he flicked several switches and jiggled a yoke. “Is there a problem?”
“No,” Fyn said before sitting down.
I stood behind him. “It’s fine, Sunshine.” I bent to place a non-existent kiss on his head. “I’m fine.”
When he didn’t react, I stroked the point of his ear, making him shiver. I smirked and kept brushing the sensitive spot until he was wiggling. While I enjoyed the thought of Fyn getting aroused in front of everyone, staking my claim on him publicly, I stopped. I wasn’t sure if that was something he liked.
The sleek craft slowly lifted off the ground. Before long, we were whizzing over the trees and steep mountains of Tamkolvanloknol. I peered over Fyn’s shoulder at the deep canyon. The walls were sheer, and I didn’t see much of the bottom from our angle, but I did catch sight of the sandy ground.
“We’re not leaving the planet, right?” Fyn asked.
“Of course not,” Serlotminden replied. “I know I can’t take you away.”
Why couldn’t Fyn leave? Kal had. Serlotminden did. Their other brother Dontilvynsan certainly did. I wasn’t sure about whether the eldest Hal or his mate Gil left or not. Why would Fyn have to remain planetside?
A silence hung in the air, and I peeked back at Kal who had his arms crossed, and Seth who looked as confused as I was.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Fyn replied, “My parents don’t allow me to leave Tamkolvanloknol.”
“Why?” Seth asked.
“How can they stop you?” I asked at almost the same moment.
“Caleb,” Fyn said after relating what I said to the group, “my parents can keep me here because I’m in the first phase of adulthood until I’m mated. And Seth, they keep me here, in part, because of my inner fire. It is exceedingly rare. And for other reasons.”
I stroked his hair, wondering if his depression was one of the reasons they kept him close.
