I stepped into my room, sore even though Doctor Muznim had helped promote healing and fixed my cracked ribs. I couldn’t believe I let Ensign Gogvon kick me in the stomach, but I’d been distracted. Vince’s thoughts wouldn’t leave mine. It didn’t matter if he’d been across the room or not. It had been as if he was whispering in my ear.
He’d been distracted by Seth and his ability to fight, as well as tinged with jealousy. Vince wanted to ensure by his own two hands that no one would ever hurt him again. Then he’d begun to think of the three of them being in a triad. While many species had multiple partners, drakcol did not. Our single mate bond made such a thing difficult. Before a drakcol formed a matebond, it wasn’t uncommon to have multiple partners. But as far as mate bonds went, either a drakcol sought the Crystal for their soulmate and was bound to someone, or they fell in love and the bond formed naturally—bound or chosen mates were the only ones in existence for us.
On Tamkolvanloknol, a single triad existed who were all mated to each other, but they were the first in our recorded history.
I knew my brother well enough to know Kalvoxrencol would never wish for such an arrangement. He would never be alright with Seth fucking someone else—it would break his soul—nor would he desire another person besides Seth.
Once we formed a mated bond, it was impossible for us to want or desire anyone other than our mate. Seth was it for Kalvoxrencol; there would be no others.
But none of that was what had caused my distraction to the point I’d allowed an ensign to send me to the floor. I growled as I ripped a hand through my hair, my tail lashing and my wings flaring. Vince was actually considering offering himself to Kalvoxrencol. He’d allow my brother to fuck him to have Seth.
If I thought for even a moment that Kalvoxrencol would accept him, I wouldn’t have been able to leave the training room, to leave Vince with a competitor.
I sat abruptly when my knees trembled, losing the ability to support my weight. Why? Why did it bother me? Vince didn’t mean anything to me. He was a human that we’d rescued and would escort home. Nothing more. Him contemplating a physical relationship with my brother shouldn’t bother me. There was no competition. I wasn’t and never had been jealous of nor bothered by Kalvoxrencol’s relationships before.
Why did the mere possibility of this one upset me?
I feared I didn’t want to know the answer.
My eyes closed as I took a steadying breath to try and regain my calm, but it didn’t want to come. Giving up, I limped to the shower and washed off the sweat and frustration. Once clean, I donned my uniform and headed back to Command.
When I entered Command, Bimwoxcol said, “Captain entering.”
Everyone faced me.
“Return,” I ordered, and everyone went back to their duties. “Report.”
Bimwoxcol started to update me on a few new problems with the ship. Nothing too alarming, though our long-range communications and sensors were fluctuating a bit more than usual. It was possible we needed to replace some parts or a few nodes. I made a note of it, then continued to my seat at the front of Command, wincing when my ribs compressed.
Hopefully, I wouldn’t be sore for more than a few days.
I flicked through the reports that had been submitted from the different departments. I flagged the important ones to review and respond when I went back to my office, then I started working on system functions while keeping an eye on the long-range sensors. They were still functional, but without them we’d be flying blind; also I needed to be aware of what was around my ship. It didn’t matter that we were in Coalition Space, which was relatively safe; I refused to take that assumption as law.
Besides, staying focused on my duties kept my mind from Vince, which I desperately needed. The small human was taking up more and more of my focus, and it unnerved me to say the least, but more importantly, he was stealing my attention from where it needed to be. I took a deep breath, then shoved Vince from my thoughts.
An agonized scream made me leap out of bed. I was on my feet and out the door before I’d consciously thought about it. My bare feet dug into the soft moss and my hair hung around my broad shoulders as I panted, chest heaving. I forced myself to stop and search my mind for the origin, though deep down I knew where it came from.
Vince’s terror spiked as fuzzy memories raced across my mind. It was another nightmare.
I hesitated. He hadn’t asked for my help tonight. If he didn’t want it, I shouldn’t impose it on him simply because it disturbed my sleep. Of course, I hadn’t suggested it, still oddly hurt by Vince contemplating offering himself to Kalvoxrencol. I started to turn around, shoving a hand in my hair, when another sharp jolt of terror washed through me.
My hands fisted as I fought the instinct to protect Vince for a single beat of my soul, then I was racing down the hall toward him. I overrode the lock on his door and slipped inside.
He was in the center of the bed, thrashing. The sheets were twisted around his thin waist and sweat covered his bare chest. I was across the room in two steps and beside him. I wanted to crawl onto the bed and draw him close, but that would be a mistake.
Instead, I gently brushed his cheek.
Vince struck my hand away and his eyes snapped open, wide and unseeing. “No. No!” he screamed, trying to get away from me.
“It’s me. It’s me,” I repeated over his cries. I caught his face in my hands so he would look at me. His deep brown eyes landed on me as he panted, writhing. I repeated, “It’s me, Little Warrior.”
His breathing began to slow.
“No one will ever touch you again without your permission. Not ever.”
“Promise,” he demanded, voice breaking.
“I promise.” If he stayed, I’d protect him for the rest of his life. If he went home, I would ensure he was placed in a safe situation on Earth. Nothing would ever happen to Vince that he didn’t want if it was within my power to prevent.
