Don paused as well.
I enjoyed the feel of his hand in mine. I liked the feel ofhim. That hadn’t happened since… I refused to take that thought any further. Instead, I interlaced our fingers. Don’s were so much thicker and longer than mine, not to mention tipped with those deadly-looking claws. I wasn’t afraid, though. He wouldn’t hurt me.
I pressed my palm flat to his and smiled softly at our two hands. His was so large next to mine, and his scales were so dark next to my deathly pale skin. I liked it. Our hands looked good together. And hell, he was warm. I swore I was always cold now, and he was so hot.
“So the Crystal?” I asked, restarting the conversation.
He cleared his throat and began eating again as he spoke, but his hand remained in mine. “As far as we can determine, it’s an entity or thought. It came from space long ago before we were a space-faring culture. A religion was built around it. It identifies our soul types and finds soulmates.”
“Soul types? Right, I remember. Scientist, fighter, and something or other.”
Chuckling, he said, “Warrior, spiritual, seeker, and creator. I’m a warrior soul type, as are all my brothers, except Kalvoxrencol, who is a creator.”
My eyebrows raised in disbelief.
“He makes lovely paintings,” Don said. “Seth is also a warrior soul.”
If my eyebrows lifted any higher, they would join my hair.
“Seth has the purest warrior soul ever tested, and the Crystal called him chosen.”
“What?”
“While spiritual souls have a sense of the Crystal, we drakcol cannot hear it. Humans can. I don’t know why.”
“And Seth being this great warrior matters?”
“Indeed,” he said. “We record all soul tests. The four purest souls in history are: Seth Harris as the warrior soul, Monqilcolnen, my cousin, as the spiritual soul, Lexvonqyn, who was a research scientist, as the seeker soul, and Min, who was a gardener, as the creator soul. These things matter to us because we believe in the Crystal.”
“Hmm,” I said, snagging some of his food. Don prodded the plate closer to me, and I took another piece of purple fruit that was crisp and tangy like an apple. “So is your cousin like a priest or something?”
“No. It was quite the scandal when he joined the Planetary Navy. The Ranks wanted to keep him close because sometimes he simply understands the Crystal in ways no one else does.He has a deep link to it, though perhaps not as deep as you humans. When we arrive on Tamkolvanloknol, you will be tested for soul type. The Ranks are trying to force all humans to touch the Crystal, but we only do that in adulthood when seeking our soulmates so it will probably not be a requirement.”
“Soulmates? You mentioned that earlier.”
“Drakcol only mate once. Usually, we fall in love and the bond will naturally form. Some appeal to the Crystal for their perfect soulmate. Not everyone has one, or your soulmate could be dead or not born yet. Once your soulmate is identified, a link is formed between the two of you. That’s it for you. No other mate or person will ever happen. Your last chance for romantic love. You find, court, and affirm your bond by creating a genetic link. To break it or reaffirm it, you touch the Crystal again. If rejected, no matter whether bound or chosen, the other drakcol doesn’t often survive. We mate for life, and living without your mate is near impossible.”
“Interesting,” I said as my thoughts whirled. That was hella romantic and sad all at the same time. Naturally, I loved it.
“Crystal-bound mates can speak mind-to-mind and cannot be more than a certain distance from each other. It’s quite special to have a soulmate, but not all desire it.”
I frowned. “You’re talking around something.”
“Kalvoxrencol appealed to the Crystal, who gave him Seth.”
My mouth opened. That was how Kal got Seth. It wasn't a random chance. Also why they quietly stared at each other made sense—they were talking.
His fingers tightened on mine—I’d forgotten we were holding hands—and he asked, “Are you alright?”
I wasn’t sure. That some rock thought Kal and Seth were perfect soulmates didn’t mean anything, or at least I tried to tell myself that. I forced a smile. “I’m fine.”
I had no sooner taken off my uniform when the door chimed. My soul leaped as I searched for Vince with my inner fire, desperate for some reason to see him again and maybe feel his much smaller fingers slot between mine. Disappointment flared. He wasn’t outside my room. In fact, he was with Seth, Caleb, Bartholomew, and a handful of other humans in the canteen. It was my brothers who stood in front of me, and their thoughts were similar. They wanted to know what I thought of Vince.
Zoltilvoxfyn had witnessed me laughing, a rarity. I’d growled at Caleb for touching Vince without permission. Both Kalvoxrencol and Serlotminden had seen encounters between Vince and I that they had questions about.
“Come in.” There was no escaping this. If Hallonnixmin and Monqilcolnen were on my ship, they would’ve joined in. As a family, we were united, but sometimes the closeness was irritating when I was forced to answer questions that I had no response to.
“You know why we’re here,” Kalvoxrencol said.
