Teddy grabbed my hand, and I flinched, tensing from the press of his skin to mine. I tried to breathe through the initial panic, but it vibrated under my skin and sent my heart racing. I did better when I initiated physical contact, not that Teddy would know that.
“We’ll be fine,” he said, his voice ever calm. “It’s safe. Mindy wouldn’t let me go with everyone if it wasn’t.”
I nodded, but the wriggling fear didn’t abate. I pulled my hand out of his, and he glanced at me, forehead crinkling. I never pulled away first. Teddy wasn’t physically affectionate, but he knew I needed it. Or at least I had on Xome. Now… Well, I still needed it, but I didn’t want to need it.
“Are you alright?” Teddy asked, his gaze scouring my face.
Thankfully, Don sank down next to me, resting against the wall, and saved me from answering. His long hair was trapped in a messy knot, but a few strands had escaped and stuck to his forehead. I wanted to push them back behind his ears, then trail my fingertips over his piercings before teasing him.
Fuck, what the hell was wrong with me? I clearly needed more physical attention.
Don’s lips quirked.
“You did well,” I said.
Teddy agreed, “You’re so fast.”
“Thank you. Kalvoxrencol is better.”
“Does that bother you?” It sure as hell bothered me.
“Not at all. He has worked hard for his skill.”
Teddy leaned around me, resting his elbows on his knobby knees. He was still far too underweight from our time under Agk’s ownership, as well as being stranded on the icy planet. I was too thin as well, but I wasn’t actively trying to gain weight like Teddy was.
“Not to be mean, but how does he win?” Teddy asked. “You read minds.”
“I take no offense,” he replied. “Kalvoxrencol has an annoying habit of letting his mind go blank. He doesn’t think when he fights. No plan, just instinct. He perfected this skill to beat me. He’s talented enough that he can react to my attacks or attack me with little to no plan. There’s also the fact it takes me a second to process what I’m hearing and form a response to it.”
Kal was fucking annoying. I wanted to tie an anchor to his ankles and throw him off a cliff into a raging ocean. See if he could fly then. The fucker would drown or crash into the jagged cliff on the way down. I chuckled darkly, then frowned. But with howperfecthe was, I’m sure the bastard would escape.
Don cast me a look, eyebrows drawing together, and I refused to back down. Yes, he didn’t like me plotting his beloved younger brother’s demise, which was fair, but I was allowed to think what I wanted. It wasn’t like I wouldactuallyhurt Kal. It would make Seth, Don, and all of Kal’s brothers sad. Besides, I wasn’t a murderer. As much as I disliked Kal, it wasn’t enough to hurt him.
Now Tryk or Agk? Yeah, I would kill them given the chance. I wouldn’t even feel a shred of guilt.
Don’s tail coiled around my ankle, and I leaned closer to him, basking in the warmth of his arm and his fragrance. His usual soft scent was stronger with all the sweating he was doing; it was spicier too. I wanted to lick his fucking armpit and taste him.
He coughed, and I grinned, pushing my forehead against his bare arm. I might have said no to physical contact in public, but I liked Don’s tail touching me and I liked being able to snuggle with him when I wanted. It was comforting, and I deserved to feel better, right?
Mindy bounced up. “Flower, did you see me?”
“I did,” Teddy replied.
“Makes you want me, doesn’t it?”
Teddy rolled his eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”
For whatever reason, that made Mindy grin. He held his hand out, and Teddy took it, slipping away.
“You’re going to the station?” Don asked in a low voice.
No one was close enough to hear, so I said, “I don’t know. Apparently, it will just be Team Human.”
He rested his hand palm up on his thigh in an invitation, probably in response to the sudden trickle of icy fear at his question. I didn’t have to take it—Don wouldn’t care—but I needed his reassurance. I slid my fingers in between his to interlace them. The burning heat of his palm seared me and soothed the tension from my chest.
“I won’t allow anyone to harm you. If I thought the space station was in any way dangerous, we would not be stopping or I wouldn’t allow people to disembark. But you don’t have to go.”
“I want to.” I sighed. It was nice that Kal, Fyn, and Mindy wouldn’t be hovering. I liked the idea of us humans hanging out and exploring together, and this was the first time I actuallywantedto do something other than curl into a ball and never move, but what if someone grabbed me? I couldn’t go back to that life. I refused to. I would rather die.
