“Sleep.” He pulled the covers over them both. “Everything else can wait until morning.”
She was asleep within minutes, her breathing evening out into the slow rhythm of deep rest. He lay awake a while longer, staring at the ceiling, feeling the warm weight of her against his side.
What do I actually want?
He smiled into the darkness.
I want this.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Emma woke to an empty bed and the distant sound of children laughing.
She stretched beneath the soft covers, wincing at the pleasant ache in muscles she’d forgotten she had. The memories of last night flooded back—Doren’s hands, his mouth, his tail—and heat rushed to her cheeks despite herself.
So that happened.
She pressed her palm to the pillow beside her, and found it still warm. He hadn’t been gone long. The thought settled something anxious in her chest that she hadn’t realized was there.
The door chimed softly, and Faith’s voice filtered through. “Emma? Are you awake?”
“Just a minute.” She scrambled out of bed, grabbing the robe that had been left draped over a chair. It was made of something impossibly soft, the color of sea foam, and she wrapped it around herself before crossing to the door. “Come in.”
Faith entered carrying a tray laden with food and a steaming pot of something that smelled like coffee but probably wasn’t. She wore the expression of someone who had been awake for hours and accomplished more than most people did in a week.
“I brought breakfast. Ari is with Taresa in the nursery. Taresa has decided she wants to be her big sister and refuses to leave her alone.” Faith set the tray on the small table by the window. “I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course, that’s fine.” She accepted the cup that Faith pressed into her hands, breathing in the rich aroma. “Thank you.”
“It’s not coffee, but it’s the closest thing I’ve found in this part of the galaxy. Takes some getting used to, but it has caffeine.” Faith settled into the chair across from her and tucked her legs beneath her. “How are you feeling?”
Like I just had the best night of my life and I’m terrified it was all a dream.“Good. Really good.”
Faith gave her a knowing smile. “I’m glad. Doren seems different, with you. Lighter, somehow.”
She didn’t know how to respond to that, so she took a long drink of the not-coffee instead and let the warmth spread through her. The flavor was darker than she expected, with undertones of something almost chocolate-like. “This is actually really good.”
“I know, right? I nearly cried the first time Athtar brought some back from a trading run.” Faith’s face softened with memory. “The little things are harder than you’d expect. I missed coffee. And the way autumn leaves smell when they’re wet.” She shook her head slightly. “But I’m not here to be maudlin. I wanted to talk to you about Ari.”
She set down her cup, suddenly alert. “Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing like that. She’s perfectly healthy, as far as I can tell. But I’ve been doing some research since you arrived, and I think you need to know what I’ve found.” Faith pulled a small datapad from her pocket. “Do you know much about the Aurelians?”
“Only what Doren told me. That he thinks they are one of the Seven Key Species. And that the Grorn think they need her to open the Vault.”
“That’s the simplified version.” Faith tapped the datapad, and a holographic image sprang to life above its surface—a planet covered in vast dark green oceans, dotted with scattered island chains. “The Aurelians were an aquatic species from a water world called Aurelius Prime. They were ancient even by galactic standards, possibly the oldest of the Seven Species. Some scholars believe they were the first to develop true sentience after the Precursors disappeared.”
She studied the rotating image. The planet was beautiful in a haunting way, all greens and silvers and the occasional flash of white where islands broke the surface.
“They were also,” Faith continued, “almost completely wiped out about several centuries ago.”
“Wiped out? How?”
“Disease, primarily. Their homeworld was quarantined after a plague swept through their population. No one knows where the disease came from—some say it was natural, others claim it was engineered.” Faith spoke with the clinical detachment of a scientist discussing data, but Emma could see the sorrow in her eyes. “By the time the quarantine lifted, there were fewer thanten thousand survivors scattered across various colonies. And those numbers have only dwindled since.”
She thought of Ari’s silver skin, her delicate features, the slight webbing between her fingers and toes. An entire species, reduced to fragments and scattered survivors.
“That’s why you said she was rare.”
