Boring.
Then again—I glanced up at the glass ceiling—it was probably good it hadn’t done any of those things, because I would have died from glass shards raining down on me.
“If they are drakcol or one of the humans here, we will know in a moment, as they have been soul tested. If not, then we will know a general direction you must follow.” He glancedat the console, then proclaimed. “Your soulmate is Prince Dontilvynsan.”
I released a huge sigh of relief. Thank fucking god. I’d been almost positive, but how could I actually know when a magical crystal was involved?
The door whooshed open, and I groaned. In came Kal and he was looking pissed. How in the hell did he even know where we—or more accurately, Seth—was? Did he have a tracker implanted in Seth? I wouldn’t put it past him. Kal was a possessive fucker. On his heels was Fyn, holding Bob.
“Prince Zoltilvoxfyn and Kalvoxrencol,” Dax squeaked, offering his throat. “It is so lovely for you to visit.”
Yeah, he didn’t sound any more happy than I felt. Of course, Dax had just done something wrong at my behest. I supposed I could let him get in trouble for me, but I wasn’t that much of an asshole—I would take the blame.
“Kal,” Seth breathed and rushed over to him.
Kal instantly pulled Seth closer and growled at me.
I crossed my arms. “I was just following your advice, asshole.”
He paused. “You sought the Crystal?”
Fyn sidled up right next to Kal, handing Bob to Seth, and asked, “Who is your soulmate?”
They both looked at Dax, who cowered under their stares. I frowned at them. “Leave the poor guy alone. All of this is my fault, not his. If you’re going to blame someone, blame me. Alright?”
“And your soulmate?” Fyn asked again.
“It’s Don. I guess you’re stuck with me. Suck on that, bitches.”
Relaxed smiles spread over both their faces. Fyn whispered, “Thank the Crystal.”
“Stars,” Kal groaned, shoving a hand in his hair. “Captain is going to be so relieved.”
Interesting. None of Don’s brothers were particularly fond of me, but I guessed their love for their brother outweighed any dislike of me.
Seth smiled, holding Bob close. “I’m happy for you, Vinnie.”
“Me too. Now Don just needs to come home.”
Chapter 48
Limping home.
Our ship’s NAID and touchstones were functioning on the ship, but NAID had said it could not connect to the hub. Our long-distance communication and sensors were dead. The communication node that had been malfunctioning was destroyed, and there was a Coalition-wide shortage for the part. The long-range sensors ran along the same hub in the ship and also had been fried in the blast from the planet.
Unfortunately, we were flying blind.
My first instinct had been to order us to head toward home. I wanted to see Vince and I couldn’t even speak to him now—his time here was so short—but I reined in the impulse. The Immortal Planet was my responsibility, and even if I left rightthis instant, I wouldn’t see my mate before he departed to Earth. So I remained, even though it felt as if it was going to kill me.
I had to wait for the relief ships to arrive and hope that, by some miracle, they had the parts we needed, or else we were going to have to stop at the closest Drakcon station for repair or head directly home without long-range sensors. I could pass reports to my parents and superiors when the relief ships arrived, but I wouldn’t be able to do the same with personal notes, as they wouldn’t remain in my private system and might be reviewed by others in the transfer. We royals had strict rules on the lines of communication we could use. Besides, sending notes wasn’t the same thing as seeing Vince and helping him fall asleep. I needed that.
Time passed slowly, and I buried myself in repairing what I could on my ship. It was better than focusing on never seeing my mate again.
When the relief ships arrived, they had what we needed to repair the long-range sensors, but not our communication. Such an innocuous thing as a part shortage, and it was separating me from Vince. I wanted to scream, but I contained it. Instead, I passed on notes of what was going on, turned over what we knew about the current flux of the Immortal Planet, and headed home.
When we passed a Drakcon ship, I used it to retrieve my notes and send more reports. One that I received stopped my soul from beating and sent shards of ice through me. Father had sent me a note. They had finalized plans, and theAdmiral Venwas on its way to Earth. Kalvoxrencol, Seth, Serlotminden, and Bartholomew were going. He’d said nothing of Vince, and I hadn’t expected him to.
My Vince was gone, and he wasn’t coming back. Everything in me wanted to curl into a ball and never move again. I couldn’t. My family needed me, but the emptiness of separation ate at me, and soon I would give into it. The despair was so thick, Ihad a hard time breathing. I now understood why drakcol didn’t continue on if their mate rejected them or they died.
