IT TOOK a moment for my vocal cords to come alive again. When they did, they gave my voice a rusty tinge. “That means we need to find all those breeding stations scattered in our galaxy and get rid of those beasts. Correct?”
“That’s correct,” Ylkurt agreed.
“Why are you telling us all this now? You could have told us about it years ago. Maybe we could’ve prevented the building of all those breeding stations.” Admiral Kringst’s brows knitted together closely.
Ylkurt’s face became a stony mask. “We would have if we’d had the knowledge. For a while we only suspected, but we had no evidence. We received evidence only a few days ago, and we were already in the process of diplomatic contact. Some of your leaders seem to think we’re exaggerating.”
“I don’t want to come to our leaders’ defense, but if anyone had told me about war beasts and breeding stations a week ago, I wouldn’t have believed you either,” I said.
“Exactly,” Ylkurt agreed. “And so far our alliance consisted mainly in the form of trading goods.”
“With the newly gathered information, I’m sure HQ will listen,” Baker said. He glanced over to Kringst, who nodded almost imperceptibly. “Admiral Kringst and I will talk to HQ after this meeting to emphasize the severity of the situation.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to explain why we didn’t contact you earlier, even though we suspected the Tash’Ba of targeting you,” Ylkurt responded.
Baker gestured for Ylkurt to go on.
“We didn’t know why the queen of Tash’Ba withdrew after the last war. We kept an eye on her as well as we could, but we didn’t catch any suspicious movements. We had our own issues to sort out. Another race, the Brolinar, attacked Nadiscar, and the Tash’Ba had converted some of our outer planets into breeding stations. Only when we’d won against the Brolinar did things quiet down and make it possible for us to attend to the worries of our allies.”
Tom’s breathing changed from soft, regular breaths into strained puffs that seemed to strangle him. I glanced up into his face, only to find his eyes gleaming and his jaw muscles clenched. His frill fluttered slightly, and it seemed to cost him great effort to keep it down. I reached out with my right hand and stroked over the thin skin.
His arms tightened around me, and a low growl reverberated in his chest. He pressed a fierce kiss on my forehead, snatched my wrist, and pulled it away from his frill.
Did I do something wrong? I’d just wanted to comfort him, but obviously that wasn’t working. I should’ve figured that out right away. I was an excellent pilot, I knew how to fight, and I was damn good in bed, but comforting someone? No, really not my métier.
Embarrassed and distressed by the way my eyes stung, I gazed where Tom’s hand had locked itself around my wrist. He could encompass my wrist without trouble. He could probably do the same with both my wrists. I shuddered at the thought.
Someone cleared their throat, and I jerked my head up. Ylkurt inclined his head toward Kringst, obviously approving of a comment I hadn’t heard. I needed to pull myself together—quickly—or I was going to miss crucial information.
“We came upon the knowledge as to why the queen of Tash’Ba wants your home planet only a few weeks ago. Many Nadisc had tried before one was successful. Many Nadisc have lost their lives for this information, but we needed to make sure the data was correct, so we performed a thorough scan and we found around thirty breeding stations,” Ylkurt explained.
“Thirty?” I echoed. “You mean there are thirty planets inhabited by those monsters?”
Ylkurt nodded.
Baker bowed and said, “We’re grateful to you for bringing us this information, and I’d like to offer my condolences for the people that have lost their lives. As I said before, we’ll contact HQ immediately after this meeting. Would it be acceptable to send a delegation to King Mellar?”
“Do not send a delegation to my father. Under no circumstances send anyone to my father,” Tom said, his voice laced with ice.
Baker looked surprised. “I don’t wish to offend you, but why wouldn’t you want the Alliance to give their condolences to the king?”
Ylkurt lowered himself into his chair, a forlorn expression on his face. Tom’s arms tightened around me even more, making breathing rather difficult. Tom exhaled. “The person who brought the picture and information was my mother. She’s the only person who ever confronted the queen of the Tash’Ba and managed to flee. She died in my father’s arms only an hour after her return. My mother’s death is still heavy on my father’s mind. I’m sure he’ll help you in any way he can so my mother’s death wasn’t in vain, but he doesn’t want to have a lot of people around him at the moment, least of all a delegation from another planet.”
No one said anything for a long time.
I leaned against Tom’s chest, and tried not to squirm from the sheer pressure on my ribs. He radiated so much tension I didn’t know what to do. At least his reluctance to take me with him to Ligador made more sense now. The queen of the Tash’Ba wasn’t there, but her war beasts were, and I doubted Tom could differentiate between them and the queen herself.
Admiral Kringst rose to his feet and bowed respectfully to Tom. “I’m very sorry for your loss, Your Highness.”
“Thank you,” Tom replied. He gave a curt nod to Ylkurt, who rose to his feet as well. “Ylkurt will discuss with you the equipment that needs to be taken to Ligador. I will leave this meeting now. I’d like to take Commander Turner with me if he isn’t needed at the moment.”
Tom stood me on my feet, his tail still wrapped around my waist. I opened my mouth, ready to protest, because how in hell was I supposed to lead a team tomorrow if I didn’t know the details?
Ylkurt’s next words shut me up. “Admiral Kringst, Admiral Baker, please allow your men to rest. We’ll need several of your most skilled technicians so they can duplicate the devices against the perons. My delegation will provide you with all the information we’ve gathered during our fights with the Tash’Ba war beasts. We’ll inform and train your men late in the afternoon, which will give Our Highness time to deepen the bond with Commander Turner.”
“I get to have a few hours off to have sex?” I blurted.
Ylkurt’s lips twitched into a smile while several other people coughed. Carson walked up to me and clipped my ear. “Couldn’t you just shut up? Oh, I forgot! You have basically no brain-to-mouth filter.”
Enough was enough. I met him halfway, pushing against Tom’s tail around me, but annoyingly he didn’t let go of me. I squared up in front of Carson while most people filed out of the room.
“Okay,” I said, “let’s have it. What’s gotten into you?”
“Into me? You’re the one who acts like an idiot all the time. Do you even realize how embarrassing it is to listen to you sometimes?”
I admit it hurt to hear him say it aloud. I’d suspected that was how he felt at times, but to have it confirmed did nothing for me. Well, it did, but nothing good. I wanted to snap right back at him, I did, to tell him where to stuff it, or maybe to start a good old fistfight. Then I frowned. Carson’s pupils were huge, his breathing came in sharp, shallow whoops, and sweat stood on his forehead.
Concern won against the urge to pummel him. I asked, “Carson? Are you all right?”
“No! I’m sweating like a pig, and I feel ready to explode. I didn’t mean to lash out at you. It just seems as if I’m totally losing control over my feelings and temper, and I hate it.” Carson shifted from one foot to the other, glaring all the while.
I shrugged and averted my eyes. “Well, you do have a point. I just thought you’d be used to me by now.”
Carson sighed, then roughly grabbed my neck with one hand and pulled me into a quick hug. Niyara hissed behind him. He pushed me away and whirled around to face her. “Stop the hissy fit. You’re not a cat. It has got to be the most annoying thing ever that you keep snarling and hissing. Berit’s like my baby brother, and why are you even having those jealousy fits? Since we’re mated and all that?”
Niyara blinked at him, obviously taken aback. Tom closed the short distance between us, resting one hand on my shoulder. “Niyara, I think you should take Carson to your quarters and strengthen your bond. He’s sweating really badly.”
Niyara’s gaze zeroed in on the beads on Carson’s face. Her tongue sneaked out to lick over her lips. Carson moaned and stepped into Niyara’s arms, wrapping himself tightly around her.
“I believe you’re right,” Niyara said. She tangled her hand in Carson’s hair and tipped his head back to give him a kiss.
“What’s the significance of the sweating?” I asked.
Tom smiled at me as he drew me closer. “It means they need close physical contact. Preferably they should connect their bodies in a physical way. That’s why newly mated Nadisc usually don’t leave their bedroom for the first twenty-four hours. Obviously Carson is in dire need of reassurance from Niyara.”
“I’m not!” Carson cut in hotly. He wiped his sleeve over his forehead and whispered, “I feel like I’m unraveling. Nothing feels right and… and I don’t want to become some kind of sex maniac or whatever.”
“You won’t,” Niyara said, a great deal of confidence in her voice. More softly, she said, “But you need to stop fighting me. You’re my mate, and therefore my equal. I wish you’d stop worrying how anyone else sees you.”
Carson hid his face in Niyara’s long hair. If he said anything, I couldn’t hear it. When he lifted his head, he smiled at Niyara. It was a tired smile, but nonetheless it was a real one. She gripped his hand and they left the conference room without saying another word to me or Tom.
“Tsk,” I said. “The least he could do was to say ‘see you later’ or something.”
Tom unwrapped his tail from my torso and rested the tip of it on my shoulder. While he still squinted, he looked more like himself than he had when he’d talked about his mother. Maybe I could lift his mood further?
I slid my fingers into his and squeezed his hand. As I batted my eyelashes at him, I said hopefully, “I’m sweating too.”
Tom barked a laugh. “You’re not.”
“I totally am.”
“I can’t see any traces of sweat on you.”
“I’m sweating very discreetly. It’s a gift.” I grinned up at him.
Tom’s eyes twinkled as he walked toward the exit, never letting go of my hand. “I should investigate your discreet way of sweating.”
I might not be good at comforting, but at least I knew how to take a guy’s mind off his worries. Smirking, I said, “Oh, you definitely should.”