by Octavia Kore
His inkei pulsed behind its plate at her words. Goddess help him, he wanted to come.
“Xuvri!” The sound of Trakseer’s voice was like a splash of ice cold water to the face.
He met Esme and Ky’s amused gazes and growled. “Go on,” Xuvri jerked his chin toward the house. “I will deal with this while you clean up.” Esme patted his arm before letting Ky drag her inside, the sound of their laughter floating out into the courtyard behind them.
“Good to see you all up and moving so early in the day,” Trakseer said as he appeared at Xuvri’s side. “Getting in a little sparring time?”
Xuvri turned all six eyes on the male and snarled. “Teaching self-defense. Whatever business you have with me better be worth it.”
“Worth what?”
“The beating you are going to get for interrupting.”
Trakseer laughed, apparently missing the seriousness of the threat. “I thought I might take the opportunity to teach you a new skill.” The male held up a variety of potted plates inside a shallow wooden box. “I imagine up there in space you do not have much of a chance to work with plants or any aspect of gardening, but Kythea’s mitera was very proud of her collection and she would be disappointed with its current state and this weed infestation.”
Xuvri looked around the courtyard at the overgrown plants and frowned. This male had risked his life to tell Xuvri his mate’s dam would be sad over the state of her garden? Perhaps this was one of those times where he simply didn’t understand the importance of something because it was not considered a high priority for the Grutex. Maybe this was a good opportunity to learn something that his females found useful.
“This gardening is important to Ky?” Xuvri asked, his eyes narrowing.
“Absolutely. Some of these are very useful for healing, which comes in handy for many of Kythea’s duties.” Trakseer grinned as he shoved the box into Xuvri’s arms.
“Very well.” Xuvri sighed after a moment. “Show me how to defeat these damned weeds.” He was a conqueror of warriors, of armies. What were a few weeds to a warrior?
“A few weeds,” Xuvri grumbled as he threw the last of them into a pile in the center of the courtyard. They’d combed the entire garden, and he and Trakseer were both covered head to tail in soil and plant matter. A good portion of the morning had passed, but even Xuvri had to admit that the grounds looked better.
The sound of quiet laughter caught his attention, and Xuvri glanced up from his work to see his females step out into the courtyard. Eina was lying against Ky’s chest, her fist, as usual, shoved into her mouth as she attempted to swallow the entire thing. Esme walked beside them, her hand clutched tightly in Ky’s, but when he saw what she wore Xuvri felt his jaw go slack. Gone was the black Grutex suit she’d worn the entire time on the ship, and in its place was a cerulean blue dress in the same style that Ky had on. Matching gold belts were wrapped around their bodies just beneath their breasts, cinching the material.
He must have been staring at them because Esme shifted uncomfortably, her fingers coming up to touch the material stretched across her chest. “What do you think?”
Xuvri heard the question, but his mind didn’t seem to be able to come up with a suitable response. His gaze moved up and down the both of them.
“I um, I asked Ky if she would help me adjust one of her dresses. I guess I just didn’t want to feel like I stuck out, you know?” She twisted the fabric of the dress in one hand as Xuvri stood.
“Leave, Trakseer.” Xuvri growled as he approached his females.
“I am already gone,” he heard the male mumble a second before the gate latched.
Didn’t Esme know that she and Ky would never fit in? They were not made for that. They drew every gaze the moment they stepped out. There was no way for them to disappear into a crowd when they shone so brightly. No, his females were not meant to fit in, but he didn’t tell them that.
Xuvri tucked his finger beneath Esme’s chin and leaned down. “You look beautiful,” he whispered against her lips before turning to kiss Ky as well.
Weak, he heard the darkness hiss.
Maybe they were his weakness, maybe he had allowed them to soften him, but when Xuvri looked at them, when he was with them, he didn’t feel weak. When his females gazed up at him like they were, he felt strong and alive in a way he never had before. He looked down at them and his heart thundered in his chest. Xuvri loved them. Somewhere along the way he’d allowed them to slip inside of him and now they held his heart in the palm of their hands, cradled it in the same way they cradled his offspring.
They were his beginning and his end. They were going to ruin him, and Xuvri was going to enjoy every moment of it.
Chapter 23
Esme
The market square was filled with people by the time Xuvri and Esme made it back into the center of the village. Like every morning for the last three days, they’d spent a couple hours with the vouken, and Esme was starting to see a considerable shift in her male’s behavior. He was out in the garden more often as well, learning how to plant and tend to the different herbs, and on more than one occasion, she and Ky had even heard him laugh at something the chieftain said.
Esme was starting to allow some cautious optimism about their future here. It seemed like they’d dodged a bullet when it came to whatever was in those ‘warrior injections’ Xuvri was taking. During his time in the coma on board the ship he’d been without them, and she hoped he hadn’t been taking them often enough after waking up to have caused any more damage. There were times during the day when Esme could tell he was struggling, but it wasn’t clear if it was some sort of withdrawal or Xuvri trying to work past lifetimes of brainwashing.
Ky and Esme did their best to encourage and nurture his growth, but she knew Xuvri would need to do most of the work himself. Addiction was cruel and hard, and if anyone knew what it could do to a person and the ones they loved, it was Esme. She’d loved her father, but he’d never been able to completely overcome his demons.
Xuvri’s actions had already changed the course of many lives, and that would always be his burden to bear. What made this all so much worse was that using the drug hadn’t even been his choice. The Grutex were giving children the injections, they were brainwashing young warriors into believing this was something that gave them strength, that made them better. It shouldn’t surprise her that the Grutex had such questionable morals, but the deceit and the damage they’d caused turned her stomach.
She looked down into the sling and was thankful, not for the first time, that Eina hadn’t been born on the Kaia’s ship, that she would never be subjected to any of their tests and torture. Xuvri’s hand rested against the back of Esme’s neck as they walked, and she felt his fingers flex gently when she tensed. His thumb brushed against her skin, and he began to purr softly, obviously trying to ease her, but it did little to help the onslaught of emotions. Ky was teaching her how to block unwanted thoughts and feelings, but Esme hadn’t mastered it yet.
Better hurry up and figure it out, Es. If they really were making this their home, then they would need to be around the others. Eina would eventually make friends and want them to come around, and Esme couldn’t just hide away from everyone for the rest of her life.
They’d spoken with Ky’s parents, Kyra and Viseer, over the video comm the night before last and the memory of it was something that still tugged at Esme’s heart. Ky cried when her mother appeared on the small forearm projection holding a tiny bundle in her arms. Baby Terazon, only hours old, had greeted his older sister with an impressive grimace. He looked so much like Ky and her mother, with his pale skin and white fuzzy hair, but all four of his eyes were a deep violet like Viseer’s. The look on their faces when Ky pulled Esme and Eina into her lap was one of shock and unmistakable joy.
Esme still recalled the conversation she’d overheard that first day on the ship when Kyra warned her daughter about ‘the human female.’ Her words had hurt Esme then, and she’d been
afraid they might not get along because of that, but Esme genuinely liked Kyra and her mate and she hoped one day they might actually be able to meet. Eina and Terazon were so close in age that it would be wonderful to watch them grow up together.
When Kyra asked about their male, Esme saw the uncertainty in Ky’s eyes. After pleading with them to say nothing to anyone inside the dome, she introduced Xuvri and gave them a condensed explanation of everything, promising to go into more detail another time. There had been no judgment, or at least not from what Esme could tell, and they’d congratulated them on their mating and Eina’s birth.
Finding out they were living in the village had upset Kyra, and she’d sternly told her daughter that she wasn’t ready to return and that she might never be ready, but that she was glad to hear Trakseer had taken her accusations seriously and banished the elders for their crimes. Even if they never returned to the village, Esme still hoped to meet them all someday. She wanted Eina and any other children that came into their lives to know their family.
“Xuvri! Esme!”
The sound of Ky’s voice drifted toward them through the crowd, and Esme spun around, searching the faces around her for their female. At five foot six, Esme hadn’t really been considered short among her peers, but that was far from the case here. When their mate’s excited face appeared, Esme couldn’t help but smile.
Ky glanced around before pulling them off to the side. “I found it. I found the password,” she whispered.
“To your statue?” Xuvri asked.
“To the goddess, yes. I spoke with Mitera again, and she remembered a book the Elders kept locked away when she was High Priestess, something they had guarded and refused to allow her access to. She thought it may have answers to some of our questions, but she could not tell me where it was kept.” Ky’s fushori raced, giving away her excitement. “I feared it might have been taken when they were banished, but I found it!”
Esme could feel the elation her mate was experiencing wash over her and she basked in it, enjoying the way it moved through her. “So what did it say? What was so important that they kept it hidden?”
“Well,” Ky frowned, “I was so excited to have found it that I did not finish going through it, but from what I did read there was, in fact, a portal that linked our worlds together. It was used as a way to travel through space without requiring ships and other tech.”
“Is this portal still functional?” Xuvri asked.
A portal to Earth? Would she go back if she could? Esme looked back and forth between her mates and then down at Eina as she stirred within the sling. No. From what she had gathered from Jun and Telisa, the war was still raging and there was no way she was going to endanger her family. This was home now.
“Unfortunately, the link between Venora and the human world was destroyed just as Una said.”
“Was there anything else?” Esme asked.
Ky shook her head and looked away almost bashfully. “That was as far as I got before coming to find you.”
“Well, I for one am glad you came,” Esme said as she pressed her lips to Ky’s bare arm. “Xuvri and I have absolutely no idea how the market works.” She remembered Ky mentioning something about coins and bargaining, but this was completely foreign to Esme and it seemed even more so for their male.
A small group of children rushed past them, bumping into Esme’s leg as they slipped between her and her mates. They shouted apologies before disappearing into the crowd. Emotions from those around her pressed against her fragile mental walls. Annoyance at the children for causing a ruckus. Frustration with a vendor over a price they couldn’t lower any further.
Esme’s head pounded as her eyes scanned the square. Although the village was clearly a mix of species, so many of the males could have easily passed for Grutex. Her mind began to play tricks on her, blurring their faces, turning them into the scientists and guards who had stalked the halls outside her cell. Each accidental brush of an arm or tail was a potential attack.
Just when Esme began to feel like she was drowning, Ky reached out and pulled her close. “We have you,” she whispered as Xuvri positioned himself at Esme’s back. “Come here. I want to show you something.”
Ky guided her through the crowd to a small stand close to the entrance of the square. There was an assortment of weaponry and metal works set on and around the stall, beautiful, intricate pieces that fascinated her. A massive, muscled male stood as they approached, and a dazzling smile lit up his face.
“I heard rumors that you had returned with a triad and a youngling, but I refused to believe it until I could see the truth with my own eyes.”
“For once, it seems the gossips have gotten it correct. This is Kigno, our village blacksmith,” Ky said before she turned and gestured toward them. “Kigno, these are my mates, Esme and Xuvri, and our daughter, Eina.”
“May Una protect her,” Kigno said softly, peeking into the sling when Esme opened it for him. “A blessing. I have something here from my sister.” The male spun around to dig through a woven basket. “She made me swear to deliver this if I ran into you today.” He opened his hand, and in the middle of his palm rested a thin golden chain attached to a tiny pendant of a sun with two moons within it. The piece was painstakingly crafted and had to have been one of the most beautiful things Esme had ever seen. “Arrel was unsure of the youngling’s age, but now that I see she is so small, perhaps it can be put away until she is old enough?”
“Thank you.” Ky lifted the delicate chain. “I will stop by soon and let Arrel know how much her gift means to us. I actually came by to see about a dagger.”
Kigno’s grin widened, and he pointed down at the stall in front of them. “I have many to choose from.”
“Something lighter,” Xuvri said from behind Esme. “It’s for our female.”
“Ah.” Kigno grinned at her before selecting a blade with a black spiraled handle. “This one should work well for you.” Ky took the weapon and reached into her skirts, pulling out a small bag, but Kigno held up a hand. “Keep your coins. Consider this a gift, in honor of your mating and the new life you bring to the village.”
They thanked the male again and left with a promise that they would return soon. When they were finally outside of the market, Ky stopped Esme, bending down to attach the dagger and its sheath to the belt of her dress. “I hope you know that Xuvri and I will always be here when you need us. Remember that you are capable of great things and that you have overcome so much to be here with us.”
God, why did Ky always say things that made her want to bawl? Ky had been the first one to make her feel safe and cared for, who made her feel hopeful. If it weren’t for her, she might never have taken the chance on Xuvri and in turn, she would have never known the happiness she felt now. Because of Ky and her ability to find light in the darkest of places, Esme was able to imagine a future where she wasn’t crippled by her fear, where she might be able to close her eyes at night and not see the face of her tormentor. One day, with the help of her mates, Esme might heal.
There would always be a place in her heart for her baby, but now her heart had grown large enough to allow all of them in, and she couldn’t imagine a life without them. Eina squirmed against her chest, stretching her arms above her head as she grimaced up at Esme. Someone was getting hungry, and it wouldn’t be long before she became extremely vocal about it. Esme was starting to get the feeling that Eina could sense more than just the emotions of her parents. If that was the case, she imagined the infant was just as exhausted as she was from fighting them off.
With a weak, forced smile, Esme looked up at her mates. “As much as I’m enjoying this outing, I think it’s time for Eina to eat and take a little nap.”
Ky glanced in the direction of the temple before leaning in to kiss Esme’s forehead as her short white hair fell into her face. “I was hoping to gather more information from the text before returning home. I should not be much longer.”
“Finish your reading, and
when you get back remind me to braid this out of the way for you.” Esme tucked Ky’s hair behind her ear before tilting her face up for a kiss.
“Be safe,” Xuvri murmured against Ky’s lips when she stepped into his arms.
Esme followed Xuvri through the streets, her hand tucked securely in his as they made their way back to the house. Just a little bit farther, she told herself when the gate and the outside wall came into view. Her head was pounding something fierce and Eina was beginning to fuss. Xuvri reached for the metal bars of the gate, and Esme nearly screeched when Trakseer swung it open.
“You made it back.” The male grinned as if he had no idea he’d scared the hell out of her.
“You wish for death, don’t you?” Xuvri growled, yanking the gate open the rest of the way. “Don’t sneak up on us like that. What were you doing in here while we were out?”
“Waiting for you to come back, naturally.”
“Naturally.” Esme rolled her eyes, trying her best to stifle her laughter.
“I brought more cuttings and a few seedlings that are in season.” Trakseer swept his hand toward a box at the edge of the courtyard near the section of garden they’d worked on the day before.
Esme watched her male eye the plants and felt the excitement radiate from him. Working in the garden with the chieftain was something she and Ky hadn’t expected Xuvri to like, but he’d taken to it almost as quickly as he’d taken to the vouken. Lifetimes of living on ships and never being on a planet for too long meant this was new to Xuvri, and Esme loved seeing him come out of his shell.
“Actually, that’s perfect,” Esme said, squeezing her male’s hand when he opened his mouth to protest. “Eina and I were just about to lie down for a nap. You two can work out here and we’ll join you after.”
“Are you sure you want to be alone?”