And he was kind to us.
In the worst years after our parents’ death, when we were demoted, and Daxon was banished. We were shamed and sent to the compound at the dead end of the road, when the whole colony decided the Fever Brothers were a stain they’d rather not look at — half the beings who’d smiled at our father crossed the gallery to avoid his sons. During this time, Ordek treated us exactly the way he always had. He’d nod at me in the lift and ask after Trunk’s shoulder and complain about his knees, like nothing had changed, like we were still just the loud sons of a male he’d worked beside for thirty years.
You don’t forget the ones who stayed the same when everyone else looked away.
He’s old now and may have seen nothing, or seen it and thought nothing of it, or seen it and forgotten it a decade back. But he was in the walls on both the days that matter, and he’s the only being left who was, and he was always decent to us.
I’m going to go talk to Ordek.
The first live lead in two moons that doesn’t dead-end at a locked door on Chronos. A good old male who might hold a piece of this without even knowing he’s holding it. I’ll bring him something from Jana’s kitchen — he always liked Jana’s cooking. I’ll sit with him and let him complain about his knees and work my way around to it slow, the way you have to with the old ones.
Soon. This week.
I say none of it out loud, because a lead is a fragile thing. And while I fully trust Mara, I still haven’t learned whether Andrew can be trusted the same.
“Cayzor?” Mara’s looking at me. “You went somewhere.”
“I’m here.”
Before I can fully decideif I want to mention Ordek in front of Andrew…Roxy knocks on the door of my office and pokes her head inside.
“Oh good, you’re all in here.” She’s still in her lab coat, Illibrium dust on one sleeve. Her smile lands on Mara, warm and easy. The two of them have become friendly in the halls of the mine.
“We’re doing a proper dinner at the compound tonight,” Roxy says. “The whole family wants to actually meet the humans who are fixing our grid, instead of just hearing about you.” Her eyes flick to me for half a second, bright with something she doesn’t say. “It’s time.”
And I am surprised.
I shouldn’t be surprised, the family closes around its own, and two humans have gotten close to one of us, and the brides in particular will want to see this for themselves. This is exactly the kind of thing my family does. I should have seen it coming.
I am pleased at this outcome because I get to eat with her again tonight.I get to eat with her again tonight.Another meal. Across another table. The same as last night. And something in me that has been dormant for eight years, that has nothing to do with my body and everything to do with the rest of me, lifts a little at the thought, and I keep my face perfectly still and let it.
“We’d love that,” Mara says, lighting up. “Andrew, right? You’ll come?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” Andrew grins at Roxy, easy and warm, already charming.
Roxy grins back, perfectly friendly. “Good. Nineteen hundred. We’ll see you tonight.” And she’s gone, back down the corridor toward the labs.
Chapter Nine
Scar
The compound is pleasantly loud when I come in from shift, the way it always is now.
It didn’t used to sound like this. For a lot of years this place was depressingly quiet, with nine bereaved males and not much else. Now there are seven Brides and a rising tide of young offspring, and the noise of it comes down the hall to meet me before I’ve taken my boots off and removed my gear.
A baby cries and a child shrieks with laughter.
“Dinner will be ready in an hour and a half,” Jana calls out.
Our collective domicile is filled with life now and I’m glad to be living here, which is all the more reason I must protect this family. The Fever Brothers have survived all that has been thrown at us and we will continue to thrive, find justice and take down our enemies.
I leave to find Ines.
She and Trunk have quarters down the east hall, and I hear the baby before I reach the door, the thin cry of a newborninfant, only one moon cycle old. I knock once and Trunk opens the door and waves me inside. My brother holds his daughter like she’s made of delicate crystal.
“She won’t settle, Ines fed her. I don’t know what she wants.”
I glance down at the infant, noting again how I like the features of all the half Xylan, half human, offspring in our family. The features of the two species blend well together. I also have grown very comfortable around humans these last few years. Rook told me, prior to him scenting Hallie, that he assumed the fact that the rest of our brothers has mated with humans, was simply a weird anomaly. He planned on requesting to be signed up again to the Xylan Mating Database so he could find possible mates to clasp hands with on Chronos. He never thought he’d also find a human bride. And yet he did.
