Pookie snorted, snout wiggling as she crawled all over us, sniffing. I planted a kiss on her, and she squealed. “Have Uncle Caleb and Seth been taking good care of my daughter?”
“Daughter?” Kalvoxrencol asked.
“Humans sometimes refer to pets as their children.” For once, I got to educate Kalvoxrencol about humans.
He glanced at Caleb, who nodded enthusiastically. “We do.”
“Even cats?” Zoltilvoxfyn asked. “I thought you worshiped them.”
“Even cats,” Caleb said.
Bartholomew ran his long fingers over Pookie, who pressed against him, her spiral tail wiggling. “She hasn’t been any trouble, has she?”
Caleb sat on Zoltilvoxfyn’s lap and replied, “Not for me. She’s been stalking and play-attacking me when I visit her, which is cute. Oh, also, I turned the environmentals in your quarters way down, so it’s cold in there. She seemed fine with it being warmer, but I was worried. Anyway, she freaked Seth out. She was on the wall above the door when he came in and launched at him.”
I winced.
Kalvoxrencol crossed his arms, tail thrashing. “She terrified him. He doesn’t like spiders, and your pet attacked him.”
I put a protective hand on Pookie’s back. “She didn’t mean to.”
“And we’re not calling her a spider,” Caleb said. “It’s illegal to own spiders, so she is a rabbit-pig hybrid. Maybe throw in crab or something. You guys have those spider-crabs on your beach. We need to lean into the fur and mammal-ness of her so the Vveekian Authority doesn’t take her.”
Bartholomew looked at me, eyes wide. “She won’t be taken from us, right?”
“Of course not, Mate.”
He snuggled Pookie close, and I nuzzled his leg to soothe him. No one would take her from us. We were a family.
My brothers and Caleb continued to talk to Bartholomew, who cuddled a happy Pookie. I didn’t pay any attention to their words, instead focusing on the solidity of my mate. He was here. Pookie was here. My family was here. Everything was fine.
Chapter 39
Alone at last.
“Here we go,” I said, supporting Serlotminden to his room on Don’s ship.
Serlotminden and I werefinallyleaving the medbay. It had been a week or so—the days had sort of blurred together—since he’d woken up. Having a moment alone with him was a relief, not to mention having some breathing room without so many people buzzing around.
I helped settle him onto the backless couch, how comfortable, with a groan. He kept a hold of me, pulling me next to him. I glanced around, fiddling with my new glasses. Their computer had created new lenses for me, so I could finally see clearly.The apartment wasn’t large, with only a living room and a single doorway, which led to a bedroom.
Racing stuff was everywhere, but it wasn’t displayed. It was haphazardly scattered around. Pookie had made a nest with flags and racing suits. I didn’t currently see her, which meant she was either in Mindy’s bedroom or with Caleb—he was rather attached to her.
The temperature was frigid, as Caleb had warned; we were going to have to raise it for myself and Serlotminden. It was too cold for us. In time, we’d have to see if she tolerated a warmer temperature or if we needed to construct some kind of home for her. I wasn’t sure, but we would provide the best possible home for Pookie.
Pressing a kiss to his bare shoulder, I asked, “Do you want to lie here or in the bedroom?”
“Bedroom.”
I helped him to his feet again, swearing. He was fucking solid. We should’ve gone to the room first. I yanked the blanket back before helping him lie down. He whined in obvious pain.
Gently, I tucked his hair behind his tapered ear, tracing the studs and long earring down to his neck. “Are you sure you’re ready to leave the medbay?”
“Yes.” He was panting, which made me pretty sure he should still be there.
I didn’t argue, and closed the door before adjusting the environmentals to raise the temperature. “Lean up, Honey,” I said, tugging on his shirt.
Serlotminden complied, allowing me to get it off him. He bit his bottom lip. My eyes latched onto the gold ring and my cock twitched. God. It took nothing to set my heart racing. I forced my gaze away. It was wrong to get horny when my boyfriend was in pain.
