Page 31 of Tempting Fate

Rage bubbled up my chest, stronger even than intensity of kalidi. I would not have that female touch me. “No.”

The word came out a deep rumble. I rubbed my chest at the unfamiliar sensation. My differences meant my voice didn’t rumble like a kri’ith’s should—and yet that sound had come from me.

I do not know her.

I do not like her or the way she looks at me.

She reached for the sheet herself. “Stubborn male.”

I summoned what little energy I had and channeled it into my hands, gripping the covers tight. “I said no.”

The female sighed, an ugly sound that reminded me of a nurse I’d once had, and as soon as I had drawn this parallel, I could not forget it. It would not matter what care task Grilahki was set; I could not accept her help.

“Don’t be foolish, Airida. You need my help.” Grilahki pitched her harmonies with such precision, they carried a note of compulsion with them, pressuring me to comply.

Yes, I did need help, but not from her. Never her. I gritted my teeth, pulsing my jaw so hard it flexed my ear ridges. “I do not wish it.”

“Do not be difficult.”

Had I travelled weeks across deep space to be treated like a child again? I summoned all the command I could, pushing it into my voice with such force she almost stepped backwards. “Leave me.”

My cock chose an inopportune moment to buck under the sheet, and the unpleasant female glared at it. “I will leave when I have done my duty.”

Gods. Why couldn’t Tokki come back? He and Orukem were efficient and polite, and didn’t make me feel uncomfortable. Or Daiytak. I at least knew her, liked her presence.

But my mind’s brush didn’t paint Daiytak’s face, nor Orukem’s. No, it chose entirely different colours and shapes, painting a human with sparkling eyes, a halo of dark hair, and a warm embrace.

“Get me Daiytak,” I demanded, knowing I’d pay for this burst of energy later. “Now.”

“Once I have helped you.”

Grilahki was stubborn to the point of exasperation. But she had not grown up with Marsyi mai Tasra for a mother, and I would not be cowed. “I said now!”

The shout drained me so much I had to close my eyes. Over the ringing in my ears, I heard the swoosh of the door and the sounds of feet upon the floor.

“Are you okay, Airida?” As if I had summoned her, Aimanei—Imani—pushed past Daiytak, filling the room with her soothing, floral scent. Her eyes were round and bright with concern—until they landed on Grilahki and narrowed.

“He is a stubborn male,” the objectionable female said. “Let me relieve him, and then he needs to rest.”

She dared to answer in my stead? Despite my weakness, the kri’ith urge for battle coursed through my blood. “No. Leave me.”

“Stubborn, unbound ki’tsi! Is he always this difficult? Let me—”

“He said no.” Imani’s voice rang clear and confident. Such a tiny thing standing between the two shaa’ith, her feet planted on the rug, dainty hands on her broadly curved hips. “I don’t know what’s happening here, but Airida is clearly not happy with it. No means no.”

A pinpoint of warmth lit in my chest and grew.

“She has a point,” Daiytak said.

Grilahki gave a dramatic snort, vibrating all her nostrils. “This isn’t the place for a human. Leave us be.”

“She can stay.” My words rang out with my own exact harmony, a low dyad to inspire certainty. How I’d done it so precisely, I wasn’t sure, but I knew with conviction, Imani belonged here.

A small part of me cringed at the thought of Imani seeing me like this, weak and needy, but she was being my light, my voice, and I no longer had it in me to care whether she saw me in kalidi or not. “Daiytak, I do not want to be passed round yet more people. I know this is how you do things, but it doesn’t feel right.”

My gaze landed on my Aimanei. I shouldn’t desire someone’s touch, but I didn’t feel comfortable with Grilahki, and certainly not now. Nothing about this was supposed to feel right, but perhaps… Imani made me feel safe. Made me feel seen. And after years of not being seen, I found I craved it.

She took a step towards me. “Can I help you?”