by A. G. Wilde
It was looking at her warily but as she stroked it some more, its tail began to move again.
It was enjoying her touch.
Evren grinned. “You like that don’t you?”
Another rumble left the animal, its gray eyes softening a little.
Maybe it was that she missed her cat, Nigel, but this was oddly comforting.
“You’re one strange little thing,” she murmured, taking in the animal’s skunk-like tail, the single lane of dark fur that ran along its back, and the tuft of fur behind its ears.
As if the animal agreed with her, another rumble left its chest and it sat on its haunches, surveying her with what she could now see were strangely human-like eyes.
“You know,” she murmured. “You remind me of someone. Your eyes...”
The animal blinked and she swore it stiffened underneath her hand again as its tail stopped moving in that lazy pleasure-movement it was doing.
It was notable that she couldn’t stop thinking about Kyro to the point she was seeing his likeness in animals. Next, she would be thinking she saw him in other random people walking down the street.
Still, the thought of him brought a smile to her lips.
He was constantly on her thoughts and she didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing at all.
With a sigh, Evren glanced at her datapad. She should head home. It was getting late and she was exhausted.
“Gotta go now, little guy.” Her eyes focused on the animal again and she noticed it was watching her intently. “You have a home to go to?”
The animal purr-rumbled and stood, causing her hand to fall off its back. With graceful strides, it walked along the roof of the shuttle and away from her.
As it reached the edge, it gave her a backward glance, and hopped off the shuttle, disappearing around the other side.
Well, she guessed that meant it had a home to go to.
With one glance at the shelter where the pig-man rested, Evren sighed once more and headed towards home.
She’d rest and prepare for tomorrow.
All things going well, this was just the start of something good.
19
Kyro stretched lazily, his eyes on Evren as she cleaned yet another one of those filthy vessels.
Why she insisted on doing this, he didn’t know.
He’d already offered her credits to do whatever she wanted the credits to do, but she’d refused. He would offer her again except, he needed to keep his distance from her.
Well, that was going just perfectly—keeping his distance.
She’d been working for several days now, rising early and leaving late, and he had followed her every single day and spent the entire day watching over her only to trail her back home again.
You’d think he’d get tired after the first seven days but no.
Self-torture. It was a new trait he never knew he had. He’d just add it to the list of things he had to hide.
Somehow, he managed to stay out of her range of vision, but close enough for him to see her from his hiding spot in one of the waiting shuttles. This distance thing was proving hard, but at least it was good for her. She had no idea of his presence, so in her mind, she was alone.
That was how it had to be. She couldn’t know he was so invested.
She couldn’t suspect it, for nothing could come of anything that grew between them.
That’s what he had to tell himself each and every day.
It was getting tiring.
At this point, it was more of a warning to himself more than anything else, because every day it got harder and harder to stay away.
So, each day he woke as early as she did, and he came to the shuttle port to watch her work.
It was hard watching her scrub the grime from the dirty transports, grime that should be cleaned by machines if the cheap shuttle manager had paid to keep the machines serviced.
He was sure the Restitution gave the shuttle manager credits to do so but he suspected, and Evren’s presence doing such a job was proof, that the male had pocketed those credits for himself, opting to lure unsuspecting beings to do the dirty work instead.
He shivered to think of the paltry amount the shuttle manager must be paying her to work so hard. If she didn’t seem to enjoy working so much, he’d have made sure the manager learned the error of his ways a long time ago.
But she was happy.
Every evening when she finished working and was given her credits, the smile of gratitude and accomplishment that spread over her face was so vivid, he knew he couldn’t take away this one pleasure from her.
She wanted to work.
She enjoyed it.
Who was he to dictate what she could or couldn’t do with her life? He had no claim on her.
But you want to.
Even as he watched her now, climbing atop the shuttle to clean the gazer, a bitter taste formed in his mouth.
That was his problem, wasn’t it?
He had no claim on her. Trouble was, he wanted to.
This feeling was like a beast growing in his gut, clawing and thrashing and trying to make itself known.
Ever since that night she’d stirred in her bed and he’d joined her to calm her, the beast had taken root and would not go away. Even now, he could still feel her soft body nestled against his, he could see her smooth naked legs, see the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, see her long, smooth neck bent back as she’d rested her head against his chest...
And her scent, wild and sweet—he could scent her as if she was still right beside him, nestled against him.
He would groan in frustration, but he couldn’t give away his position. And he wasn’t ready to speak to her yet. He had to steel himself for such contact.
And every day he steeled himself.
As he watched her scrub the gazer of the ship, Kyro frowned.
The shorts she was wearing were hugging her rump as she knelt on the shuttle...and that top...her entire midsection was showing.
His eyes narrowed.
It irked him to think that other males were going to look at her as she headed back home. It irked him. Every. Single. Day.
It took almost all of his restraint not to unleash his fury on them for even daring to look her way.
The only thing holding him back was the fact that SHE WAS NOT HIS.
He had no claim on her.
No claim.
How many times should he have to repeat those lines to himself? Apparently, a thousand times would not do.
And she didn’t need him.
She hadn’t even tried to contact him. Apart from them sharing jokes via datapad daily, they hadn’t spoken otherwise.
She was keeping away from him, just like how he was keeping away from her or, at least, should be keeping away.
Still, it bothered him that she hadn’t reached out to him. She hadn’t reached out to any of the other humans either.
He knew.
He was watching her every second of the day, his own life forgotten.
Every day she worked and headed home to repeat the process the next day. No friends were visiting and she wasn’t visiting them.
M’Agunt still tried to catch her attention in the street, but she always managed to spot him before he spotted her and she’d take another route.
He took pleasure in that.
He hated the merchant.
Still, for her to yearn for no one to keep her company...
It echoed a life he knew all too well and he didn’t want her living like that.
It was a lonely existence.
Was this how she lived on Earth?
No.
She’d mentioned her pet.
“A calico cat,” she’d said. One that was mostly white with black and brown spots and a black spot that was shaped like the beast’s own dark heart.
Kyro smiled.
She’d mentioned no lovers, no friends, only her cat.
Looking at her now, ass in the air as she used h
er entire upper body strength to scrub the gazer, his insides began to warm.
Why did that make him happy? That she’d left no one behind?
Why did that bring him such joy within his being?
Because he was qrakking selfish that’s why.
He wanted her all for his own, even though he couldn’t have her.
If that wasn’t the most selfish thought in the world, he didn’t know what was.
And still, even though he knew and acknowledged this, it did nothing to quell the beast growing within him.
Polvrak was cruel to dangle something in front of him that he could never have. But he’d be lying if he didn’t admit that he was enjoying the view.
20
He was getting ill.
He was definitely coming down with something.
For the third time, Kyro pressed his datapad against his neck so it could run its diagnostic program.
As the ping sounded, his gray eyes skimmed over the results even as he weaved through the crowd that was heading to the market.
The results came back negative.
All his vitals were normal. According to the datapad, he was as healthy as could be.
But he was sure it was wrong. There was definitely something off with his brain and most definitely something wrong with his heart.
Both organs, perhaps the most important next to his skin, were not working correctly.
As he weaved through the crowd, heading in the opposite direction to most of the shoppers and merchants, Kyro frowned.
It was the first day that Evren had decided to stay in and not go to work and he assumed it was because she was knocked out cold from exhaustion.
She’d been working hard day in and day out without a break. He was even feeling the effects of it and he hadn’t been the one doing the labor.
For countless days he’d watched over her and for countless nights he’d laid in his bed unable to sleep as thoughts of her plagued his mind.
Qrak.
There had to be something wrong with him. He was going insane.
Pressing the panel by the door to a dwelling that was not his own, he waited for the occupants to answer.
It took a few minutes before the door slid open and Xul, his captain and one of the individuals he would dare call a friend, looked back at him.
Brief confusion flooded Xul’s eyes. “Kyro?”
“Oh, it’s Kyro?!” He could hear Xul’s mate within the rooms of the dwelling and soon the soft pat of her feet came near.
“I apologize for the surprise visit,” Kyro said, just as the human appeared by Xul’s side. She gave him a grin as if him stopping by was not an inconvenience at all, though he was sure it was.
Surely, she’d have preferred to be alone doing whatever they did as couples—he could well imagine what that was. He’d considered not visiting but he needed Xul’s assistance.
Xul had been the first to fall to a human female.
“It is a surprise indeed.” Xul’s eyes now reflected mild surprise and when Athena jammed her elbow in his side, the large soldier crumpled a little as if she actually managed to hurt him. “Kyro never visits.” Xul chuckled.
“Where are your manners?” Athena glared at her mate, though the look was only superficial. Kyro could see no actual contempt behind her eyes. “Come in, Kyro.” She smiled at him and pulled Xul out of the way.
Nodding, Kyro entered their quarters and came to stand just in front of their sitting area. His eyes widened a little.
The entire living space was decorated with flowers and pretty things. He could hardly imagine this was Xul’s doing.
Free material like the one Evren had bought hung at the windows, colorful soft oofla was bundled into small balls in the seats...there were even squares with images of inanimate objects like flowers and landscapes on the walls.
“This is...” He looked around. He didn’t quite know what to say. All he could imagine was Evren’s quarters. It had no such color and life like this. Was this what humans were supposed to do with their living spaces?
Colorful and, dare he even think it? Homely?
Kyro squeezed his eyes shut for a second. See, this was his problem.
Something was wrong with him.
He was having constant thoughts of her, even when he least expected it.
“Do you like it?” Athena’s voice cut into his thoughts and he was brought back to reality? “I tried to make it as comfortable as I could.”
“It is,” he replied and when she blinked at him Xul intervened.
“‘Comfortable’ he means,” Xul clarified before turning his gaze to him. “So, what brings you here, brother? You should be resting. This is a much-needed break I ordered.”
That was his problem. He couldn’t rest.
He couldn’t even sleep at night anymore.
“I need to talk to you about...” Kyro’s gaze moved to Athena. “...something.”
Athena’s eyebrows moved up a little before she mentioned about needing to do something in the “ki-shen.” With that said, and much to his relief, she moved out of the room.
“What is it? What makes you so...disturbed?” Xul’s brow furrowed a bit. “It is not like you, brother.”
“I have a problem.”
Xul’s eyebrows rose. “Sit.” He motioned to one of the seats. “Speak. I will help you if I can.”
Kyro sat, his eyes following Xul as he watched the large male do the same.
“I am having...feelings for a hu—...a being.” Kyro cleared his throat but he didn’t miss the way Xul’s eyes widened a bit before he composed himself.
“You come to me for relationship advice?” Amusement began to flood Xul’s eyes and Kyro sighed, settling more into the seat.
Maybe this hadn’t been the best of ideas.
“I just need you to tell me what to do. I can’t stop...thinking about her. I can hardly eat. Sleep is becoming hard. My mind is clouded. I am not as alert as I am used to being. It is as if there is a need I must fill.”
Kyro swallowed hard. He hadn’t meant to pour out all that to Xul. Heck, when he’d left his quarters that morning, he’d intended to be as discreet as possible about what exactly his problem was.
But his mouth and brain were not on the same side.
Xul blinked at him, the amusement draining from his gaze. “You are serious.”
He could feel himself glaring at Xul. “Yes. I am serious. And it isn’t in the least bit humorous.” Kyro adjusted himself on the seat. “This is...torture.”
There was silence for a few moments before Xul spoke.
“Who is the lucky female?”
“Do you really need to know?”
Amusement filled Xul’s gaze once more. “Hey, I’m just curious.” Kyro could feel him studying him. “In all my years working alongside you, brother, I would have never expected you to fall for another.”
Well, surprise, surprise to them both.
Just then, Xul’s human walked back into the room, a tray in hand with cool beverages on top. This human custom of serving beverages to guests would take some getting used to.
“Just...tell her how you feel?” Xul offered, as Athena set the beverages down.
Kyro found himself glancing from his captain to his captain’s mate. “Was that what you did? To make it stop. Did you tell her”—he pointed his gaze at Athena—"how you felt?”
A sudden laugh bubbled from Athena. “No, he didn’t. He insisted on ignoring what was happening between us,” she said, shaking her head. “Puny human this. Puny human that. I sure showed you.” She grinned before doing the strangest thing. She stuck her tongue out, the tiny pink organ pointing in Xul’s direction.
Was this some other form of human mouth-mating that he didn’t know of? It was not in the data.
“I did confess...” Xul’s voice notably softened as he pulled Athena into his arms. ...eventually.”
As he watched them, Athena raised her gaze to look at him, her eyes and smile kind
. “Look, you’ll get over this lovesickness. Just follow your heart.” With that, she stood. “I’ll give you two some privacy.”
Kyro watched her go.
Lovesickness?
He’d never heard of such a thing before.
So, he was ill.
It must be some error in the brain. It would explain why it seemed that every single one of his mental processes had been hijacked by thoughts of Evren.
He’d seen enough of what had happened to his brothers to conclude that humans were indeed bewitching, but this “lovesickness” theory may be the answer he’d been looking for all along.
Not that his brothers seemed to mind.
They all seemed perfectly happy living with this malady...happier than they’d been before.
He couldn’t help but wonder if it would have been the same for him. Had he been able to follow in their footsteps, had he and Evren formed a bond together, would he be happier?
Would she be?
He would give anything to make her happy, but himself? He couldn’t give her himself.
He was destined to be alone.
“Just tell her,” Xul repeated. “Whoever she is. What’s the worst that could happen?”
Kyro turned his gaze on his captain.
Death. Torture. Servitude. Those were just a few of the worst things that could happen.
Xul had no idea.
The rest of his brothers had no idea.
No one knew his secret.
Everything would have been so less complicated if he wasn’t what he was. His life would have taken a completely different course and maybe, just maybe, he could have even entertained the thought of having a life with her.
Coming to Xul for advice didn’t help. It only underlined the one thing he couldn’t do: confess.
How could he confess what he felt for Evren when she didn’t even know who he really was...what he really was.
Only Rokan knew, because Rokan was the same.
They both had a terrible secret no one else knew.
No one knew he was Vorti.
No one knew he was a shifter.
21
Evren yawned and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, smearing a thick line of dirt over her forehead in the process.
