“Yeah. I guess to claim Earth as under drakcol protection they have to say Seth is the leader, and since he’s mated to Kal, theplanet belongs to the Drakcol Empire. They're doing some fast wording that I’m sure Caleb gave them. It’s a ploy to establish a base nearby, but undetectable by human tech. It should keep any xoi ships away. The vveki apparently support it. They want to stop illegal trafficking of Earth spiders. One of the priests went so far to say he had a vision of the goddess telling him Seth was the earthen ruler.”
Vince broke into a fit of laughter. “God, Seth’s so uncomfortable. He wanted so badly for Teddy to be the one they used, but all the humans we’ve rescued and who want to stay have huddled under Seth’s protection. I think it's because he’s so normal. Everyone’s comfortable with him. And Seth’s so terrified of power he’s never going to misuse it.”
It didn’t surprise me that the vveki had supported the claiming of Earth. If it worked, the Coalition would turn it into a reserve of sorts, to keep the remaining humans safe until they were ready to travel among the stars. The vveki had great camouflaging technology—it was how they survived. They were a small unassuming race, but they were insanely intelligent.
“Did you know the vveki inject themselves with spider venom to speak to their goddess?” Vince asked. “It kills some of them. But they call it dying in her embrace. It’s so sought after that they have to limit it to a select few who build up an immunity.”
“I did.”
He grinned. “You’re so smart, Sweetheart.”
Warmth flooded me at the compliment, even though my first instinct was to deny it.
Vince snuggled closer to the screen. “I’m falling asleep.”
“Then go to sleep.”
He shook his head. “I miss you. I want to talk to you.”
“And I shall be here tomorrow.”
“I know, but all I can do is send messages until tomorrow night. That’s not enough.”
It wasn’t, but it was all we had. During the day we would exchange countless notes. Vince would send some as innocuous as what he was eating, which I liked because it alerted me to the fact he was taking care of himself, or what his plans were. I would send him snippets of my day, omitting how increasingly hard it was to be apart from him. Then every night we would see each other. Sometimes we stared at each other, others we talked, and most nights we pleasured ourselves. With each release, it made me more lonely for him.
“Sleep, my Vince. I shall stay here until you fall asleep.”
He grunted, squishing a pillow to his chest. “I love you.”
I wanted to return the words, but then he would know he was my mate. “I am yours,” I told him, and he smiled.
It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep, but I didn’t end the session. Instead I got as close as possible to the screen and listened to my mate breathe. The sound was the most wondrous thing I’d ever heard in my life, and I never wanted to stop hearing it for as long as I lived.
I bounced Bob—or Bobbinvoxlyn— in my arms as Seth slowly moved around his and Kal’s apartment, straightening shit up. I had no idea how much of a mess babies made before Seth had one. It made me a tad hesitant about having one with Don, but I wanted to see his face on my own child, so I would get over it. Besides, the image of the massive Don so gently holding our baby wouldn’t leave my thoughts. One day, we’d have one, maybe two.
Kal had stepped out for a moment to speak to his father about the coming journey and smooth over the fact that in the threeweeks since Bob’s birth only I, Wyn, and Fyn had held him, beside Kal and Seth himself obviously.
Seth was trying, but he was paranoid as hell about his kid. He knew he had to loosen up for the good of his baby, but knowing something and getting your brain to calm down about it were two very different things.
He wasn’t the only one who was paranoid. Wyn checked in often to make sure Bob was healthy, Urgg called at least once a day—I loved the barbarus who was Seth’s mentor as well as his friend, and I couldn’t wait to meet them in person—and Edith had constant sensors on him. Bob was going to grow up surrounded by overprotective adults.
I figured once Kal and Seth had another, which they both wanted, and other humans started popping out hybrids, everyone would calm the fuck down. Until then, Bob was going to be a spoiled little monster. As he should be.
Grinning, I ran my finger down the center of his forehead to the tip of his nose. He was adorable. A perfect mix of Kal and Seth, leaning more to Seth’s features, which I highly approved of.
“I can’t believe I’m not going to see you or this little tyke for a year, at least. Maybe two. He’s going to be huge by the time you get back,” I said. I would miss Seth fiercely, but I couldn’t go. I didn’t want to be separated from Don for that long. Six, almost seven, months was more than enough. I was getting desperate for him. Talking to him over video chat wasn’t enough. I needed to hear him in person, to feel the rumble of amusement in his chest, and experience the scrape of his scales against my skin.
Selfishly, I also wanted him back because I’d slept horribly since we’d separated. Nightmares plagued me almost nightly. I’d wake up terrified, and Don wouldn’t be there. But it was more than that; I missed spending time with him.
“I can’t believe I have to go,” Seth said, sitting next to me. His brown eyes were ringed with dark circles and his shoulders were slumped in obvious exhaustion. “I don’t want to.”
“I know.” I bumped his shoulder with mine. “But think of all the hoodies you can steal.”
He chuckled. “You just want me to bring back chocolate.”
I’d made an extensive list of plants and things I wanted, as had Caleb, Teddy, and Seth. Of course, the Council of Seekers wanted their own samples, and Fyn had requested certain plant samples he wanted—flowers mainly.
“I do want chocolate and coffee.”
