“In the bedroom. Don’t worry, I’m decent.”
Seth chuckled and appeared as I was chucking more of my crap into the bin. His eyebrows drew together. “Weren’t you unpacking?”
I snorted and threw shirt after shirt into the metal crate, each giving a satisfying slap. “Nope.”
“Vince, what happened?” Seth rested a hand on me to stop my frantic movements.
With a deep breath, I shoved the hurt down. Don wasn’t rejecting me. He simply needed time, and I could—would give him that. He was worth every effort, every risk, every sacrifice—Don was worth everything. Whatever he needed, I would give to him and more. Or so I told myself.
“Don wants me to go home.”
Seth’s mouth fell open. “What the fuck did you just say?”
I laughed, a true one. “That was my response. He thinks I’ll be happier and safer. And I might be. But he’s here, and I don’t want to leave him.”
“Buthewants you to?”
“No, yes, maybe.” I ran a hand through my hair, then took another breath. I had to keep my emotions relatively calm. Don would expect some anger and frustration, but too much and it would distract him from the humans who needed his full focus. “He needs time, I think. This is all happening super fast.”
“That… I guess that makes sense,” Seth said. “But you don’t want time.”
“I want Don.”
Seth frowned. “That fucking bastard.”
I almost laughed, but it turned into a sob of pain. Don wasn’t rejecting me, but it felt like he was, and, fuck, it hurt.
Arms surrounded me and drew me in tight. “He broke your heart.”
I slapped away the tears. “No. He didn’t. We just need time.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“Give him what he needs. I’ll go back to Tamkolvanloknol, and Don will go wherever he’s been ordered to go. When he comes back, we’ll try again.”
“And if the ship leaves for Earth before then?”
I glared at him. “I’m not leaving Don. If he needs time, he has it. But make no mistake, Seth, Don is fucking mine and no one will take him from me.”
Seth shook his head. “It’s no wonder Don likes you. Drakcol have a thing for possessive people.”
Well, that suited me just fine.
Suddenly, Seth reached into his pocket and pulled out a touchstone. “Kal? What’s wrong?” He paused for several seconds. “I did tell you I figured that would happen.” Another pause. “Yes, yes, you didn’t want to risk me. Mindy and Fyn can bring me onto the station.” He slid the light blue stone back into his pocket.
“What?” I asked.
“It’s the humans. Kal found them.”
“I know that.”
“There’s a little over three hundred,” he continued, “and they’ve been shoved into a rather small space.”
I swallowed as memories surfaced. I knew exactly what that felt like.
“Kal didn’t want me to go, because—” He cut off to wave at my still visible bruises and my bound arm.
“Naturally.”
