I shrugged.
The doors opened and worse than death happened.
I crossed the finish line marked by the lighted buoys, and a number flashed on the screens. Fifth. Not bad. Up from last cycle where I took seventh in the annual Coalition Charity Race. I slowed to drifting speed, then directed my racing shuttle to the docking ring of the station to begin my post-flight checks. Many racers had their teams handle shuttle maintenance, but I preferred to do everything myself. While I wasn’t an engineer, it was my ship and therefore my responsibility.
When I stepped onto the promenade, people cheered, and I waved, giving everyone a wide smile, but my eyes went to the terrace above. All four of my brothers and my sole cousin leaned against the railing. Kalvoxrencol, the youngest, cheered loudly, while his human mate, Seth, was bright red at his side, clapping in that human manner. Not to be outdone, Caleb shouted, jumping up and down, only to pause with a deep grimace. Zoltilvoxfyn, my next youngest brother, instantly checked on his mate.
Dontilvynsan, my directly older brother, politely lifted his hands in approval, as did my cousin, Monqilcolnen. Hallonnixmin, the eldest, yelled my name, and his mate, Gilvaxtin, matched him in volume, though she was significantly more animated, jumping and bouncing. They’d left their kids at home with Father and Mother; that was the requirement Father had given when all my siblings insisted on coming to watch me.
Father and Mother didn’t often allow us all off the planet at the same time. We were royalty, and with that came risks. Hallonnixmin, the heir to the throne, left as little as possible, as did Zoltilvoxfyn because of his mental health and rare inner fire. However, Caleb, his mate of three cycles, assisted with both, allowing him to leave more frequently.
I lifted my fist, and the crowd grew louder. I flicked my long white hair over my broad shoulder and smiled, giving a few people winks. They screamed in response. I was a fan favorite for many species, as I was exceedingly attractive or, as Caleb liked to say in English, “Hot as fuck.”
Monqilcolnen rolled his eyes while Kalvoxrencol pretended to fluff his hair. I laughed at their reactions. I didn’t mind them teasing me for my vanity. They did it in good humor and with love; besides, I poked at their flaws as often as they did mine.
I spoke to a few reporters about the race and how I felt about my ranking, then finally snuck to the quarters my familyhad claimed. We were all in one suite with separate rooms for each of us. It made security easier on the station master and Dontilvynsan, who oversaw our safety, but we hadn’t all been in the same crowded space like this many times in our lives, and it had gotten overwhelming fairly fast.
My family all beamed when I came inside; even Father, Mother, and my two nephews were on the large screen spanning the shared space. Everyone congratulated me, and I thanked them before slipping into my bedroom to change. I pulled off my racing jumpsuit and donned black trousers and a simple orange sleeveless shirt that showed off my muscular arms and contrasted excellently next to my purple scales.
Knees trembling, I sank to my bed and breathed deeply to calm the rapid beat of my soul. I loved racing. It was in my blood, but it sent my soul pounding like I’d been fighting for my life and made me exhausted afterward. I always had the urge to curl up and sleep, which my brothers understood, but today I wanted to party, so I took a single moment for myself, then rushed out.
Caleb was the first to greet me. He used to be a human spirit that wandered the stars, but the Crystal had placed him in a drakcol body, shocking everyone. His reddish-brown hair was cut short, no longer than his finger, and one side of his scalp had a massive scar showing his mottled gold and emerald skin devoid of light gray scales or hair—lingering evidence of what had happened to his body before he’d occupied it.
He squeezed me, making me grimace. Caleb didn’t know his own strength, and he was taller and broader than most drakcol. I carefully patted his back so as to not injure him. “Air.”
“Sorry, Mindy. I always forget. I used to be tiny, and now I’m huge. Fyn keeps trying to help me, but I swear I wake up and expect to be smaller. Three cycles later and it’s still weird being in a different body. I never meant to hurt you, but—”
“I’m fine.” I interrupted, smoothing my shirt. When Caleb started talking, he didn’t stop. Zoltilvoxfyn had assured me that was simply how Caleb was, whereas I thought it had resulted from him being a spirit for over twenty cycles and being unable to speak to anyone.
“You did awesome,” he said, switching to English. The ship’s NAID—Network of Artificial Intelligence for Drakcol—didn’t understand Caleb when he spoke in English, because of his rough accent, but he spoke Drakconese fluently, so it wasn’t much of a problem for him.
Currently, I am attempting to perfect my English. Seth and Caleb were teaching me, as well as our friend Edith. I loved learning languages, rather than relying on a translator. This was my seventh language, and, according to them, I was basically fluent. Not surprising. I was that amazing.
“Thank you.”
Seth moved to Caleb’s side, and I greeted him with a smile.
Humans were odd creatures. Seth had round pupils, round ears like they had been docked—Kalvoxrencol had assured me they were natural—pinkish white skin, no tail, no wings, no sharp canines, and no claws. He was also short. Seth had told me he was the average height and frame for human males. His shoulders were far narrower than a drakcol’s, and his stomach was pudgy. He was soft all over. I didn’t think he was unattractive, just different in an overly squishable way.
Kalvoxrencol loved his little mate, and that was all that mattered.
I hugged Seth, and he squeaked. I released him instantly. I must have startled him. When I’d first met Seth, it had taken months to discuss permissions with him, because each time I’d brought it up, he became distinctly uncomfortable. But I’d wrangled him into a conversation eventually. He allowed me to hug and touch him occasionally, as long as I didn’t suddenlygrab him. All in all, Seth didn’t like being touched by anyone except Kalvoxrencol, and sparingly by his close friends Urgg and Wyn.
He went bright red and buried his hands into his thick jacket pockets. “Good race, Mindy.”
I fought a frown at the endearment, or nickname as my mate-brothers called it. I wasn’t particularly fond of it, but Seth struggled with our long names. Also, humans shortened names with alarming frequency. I’d accepted it as inevitable and as a sign of affection. Not to mention, I would much rather have received one than be left out as the only person in my family without a human endearment.
“Thank you,” I told him.
Kalvoxrencol wrapped his blue arms around Seth, tail winding up his calf. “Fifth.” His silvery-blue hair fell over his mate’s shoulder.
“Two better than last cycle, though this outlying location leaves much to be desired,” I commented.
“The Coalition was trying to entice the Maykian Papacy by having the race near their territory,” Hallonnixmin said as he moved to stand beside Kalvoxrencol. “It was discussed in the last Cohort meeting, which you missed. Father was hoping to send you to Voyk to discuss the proposal with them. He had to send Fynlincoxmin instead.”
I was a diplomat, which I loved, but I hadn’t wanted to go to Voyk so I’d skipped the Cohort meeting.
“I’m impressed with your ranking,” Monqilcolnen interrupted, giving me an indulgent smile.
