Don’s breath rushed over my ear. “You are safe, Little Warrior. I promise. No one will ever touch you without your permission again.”
I took a shuddering breath. “I believe you.”
“If it makes you feel better, I’ll be on the station. I have some work. I’ll be able to hear you from anywhere on board. If you were in danger, I would know.”
“You would come?”
“Yes.”
My fear rushed out, leaving me so weightless it was a wonder I didn’t start hovering. Don would keep me safe. I trusted it. I believed it.
I sagged against him, my gaze wandering absentmindedly as I ran my fingers over his palm. No one paid any attention to us. I hadn’t told anyone about me and Don, not because I was embarrassed or ashamed. I hadn’t because no one had asked, and it hadn’t come up naturally. I did need to tell Seth and Teddy because they would read into what me and Don were—friends with benefits.
I blinked. Seth was gone. I hadn’t noticed him and Kal leaving. I shrugged. I would see him later. It wasn’t a big deal. Besides, I liked sitting here with Don.
Resting my chin on his arm, I asked, “Would you teach me to protect myself?”
“If you want.”
“I don’t know if I want to or not, but it might be nice to know how to fight, if only to kick someone’s ass.”
“Not Kalvoxrencol’s.”
I kissed Don’s sweaty arm, fighting the urge to lick him. “No, not your precious brother, not that I could beat him.”
“You could not, but yes, I’ll teach you if you desire.”
“Or,” I said, grinning at him, “you can protect me.”
Don stared at me, tail squeezing my ankle. He eventually said, “I wouldn’t mind that either.”
I nuzzled his arm. “I’d like that.”
He held my hand close to his chest, his heart vibrating beneath me. “As would I.”
I was in danger. I held Vince’s hand like it was my source of life. When he asked me to protect him, I wanted to offer to do so for the rest of my life. That wasn’t possible, because he was leaving and Vince didn’t want it.
If I wasn’t careful, Vince would steal my soul, and the mate bond would follow.
He nuzzled my arm, enjoying my scent as waves of contentment radiated off him. I should’ve pulled away to protect myself, but I didn’t. I wasn’t strong enough. Instead, I rubbed my forehead against his hair, scent marking him.
Chapter 18
Spider, pig, or rabbit?
I walked away from the medbay more irritated than when I’d headed there, which was a fucking feat because I hated going for any reason. Klars was still upset that I wasn’t gaining weight. He’d promised, or more like threatened, to appeal to Seth or to take medical action if he didn’t see a marked improvement by my next appointment. I’d refused the nutritional slurries, and I wasn’t eating much—I had no appetite or interest in food. But I didn’t want Seth to find out about anything, nor did I want to put Don in a hard position of keeping his promise to me while fighting Klars.
That meant I was going to have to eat more.
My stomach protested the very thought. I did eat some when I was with Don. He never pressured me, but he would eat and I couldn’t seem to stop myself from picking food off of his plate if to do nothing more than make him smile or to tease him. It also helped that he was currently determined to try human cuisine. It was incredibly fun to see him eat different things, half the time attempting to keep his expression bland and not succeeding. Just thinking about it made me smile.
Hands behind my back, I walked down the hallway, which was nearly covered in entirety with vines. The vines were a deep green, a pale blue, and a basic red. They all wove together in an explosion of color, aided by the flowers growing on them. Gardeners were currently pruning them back so they remained on the ceiling and walls and didn’t overtake the spongy floor.
It made sense, in a way, for space vessels to be covered in plants. They provided oxygen and cleaned the air. I assumed that none of these plants took much water, but I could be wrong. I paused in my step to round a gardener who was attacking a particularly thick vine, then continued down the hall with nowhere in mind.
I could always return to my room, but there was a chance that I would simply lie in bed and not move. Honestly, thatwaswhat would happen. I had little urge to do anything, which was so unlike me. I usually flitted around, busy as hell, never stopping. Now, I wanted to be alone and lying on the bed, numb.
Seth was busy. He had to speak with the ruling group of the Drakcol Empire, the Cohort. Caleb was with him. Apparently, Wyn, their friend, and some other drakcol were bringing up concerns of accessibility for the flightless population on the drakcol homeworld. I had no idea what Teddy was doing, besides fucking his husband—that was basically all they did.
