I look at Trunk.
He’s still in the doorway, arms crossed, expression unreadable. He inhaled near me last night at dinner. And in the hallway outside my room.
He knows. He already knows the answer.
I force my attention back to Naomi. “And this scenting ability protected them from the mist?”
“Somehow, yes. Them and their Brides, who had already shared pheromones through the claiming.” Naomi shifts in her chair. “But I wasn’t Chief’s Bride yet. I was just... close. Close enough that when everyone was falling and panicking, we reached for each other.”
“And your gloves came off.”
“In the chaos, yes. People were trampling each other trying to get to the exits. I got knocked down, crushed under two males who passed out on top of me.” She takes a breath. “Chief found me and pulled them off. And when he took my hand to help me up...”
“You weren’t wearing gloves anymore.”
“Neither of us were. And the moment our bare skin touched the claiming hit. Right there on the floor of the cavern, surrounded by hundreds of sleeping beings.”
I’m quiet for a moment, processing this. “Was the mist ever investigated?”
“Minecorp said it was natural. Illibrium gas escaping during the Dark Moon, apparently it’s happened before, but not in generations. Not in anyone’s living memory.” Naomi’s expression hardens slightly. “But Scar doesn’t believe that. He thinks someone triggered it deliberately.”
“Why would someone do that?”
“He thinks they were gathering intel. Testing who could remain standing. Identifying if anyone else had the same abilities as the Fever Brothers.” She pauses. “Grytel, the CEOof Minecorp, left the ball about thirty minutes before the mist rolled in. Scar thinks that’s suspicious, and so do I.”
I write this down. Grytel. CEO. Left early.
A knock at the door interrupts us, and Naomi’s face lights up. “That’ll be Leah.”
The woman who enters is smaller than Naomi, with golden-toned skin and a bright smile. She’s visibly pregnant, further along than Naomi, and she’s carrying a container of food from the cafeteria. She sets it down on a cluttered table and immediately wraps Naomi in a hug. “How are you feeling?” Leah asks, pulling back to study her friend’s face. “Still nauseous in the mornings?”
“Getting better. Jana’s been making me this ginger tea that actually helps.”
“Good. Make sure you’re eating enough. You’re growing a whole person in there.”
The easy affection between them is obvious. These two women have history. Years of friendship that predates their lives on this planet.
Leah turns to me and extends her hand. “You must be Ines. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Leah. Saxon’s wife.”
“Thank you for taking the time.”
“Of course. I love the idea of you doing an article on our lives for New Earth News. I read their stories all the time.” She settles onto the couch next to Naomi, their shoulders touching. “What did I miss?”
“The mist,” Naomi says. “The ball. I told her how Chief and I ended up together.”
“Ah.” Leah nods. “The night everything went sideways in the best possible way.”
I turn to Leah. “Naomi mentioned that you were the first human bride in the family.”
“I was.” Leah tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I originally came to Timbur as a mine tech and met Saxon on my first day of work, actually. There was an accident with one of the lifts, and we ended up... well, it’s a long story. But by the end of that day, I was his wife.”
“That fast?”
“The claiming doesn’t wait for convenient timing.” Leah’s smile is wry. “He scented me before I even knew what that meant. The Fever Brothers just know. One breath, and they have their answer. I didn’t understand what was happening until we touched our bare hands and suddenly I couldn’t think about anything except him.”
I glance at Trunk again. He hasn’t moved from the doorway, but I can feel his attention on me like a physical weight.
“Were the brothers suspicious of you at first?” I ask Leah. “Being the first human?”
