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“But you’re dead,”I blurt, dropping my arms to my sides.
Mori snorts and slips my menu tablet out of my loose grip.
“I will do the ordering then,” he grumbles, checking off options on the screen. “Clearly, you have shocked the female short a few brain cells. I am too hungry to hear this nonsense without something to eat while I do so.”
Vallaki is frowning, but he lightly tugs on my wrist to sit me down at the table.
“Is that what my brother told you?” he asks. “That I’m dead?”
“No,” I say, settling onto the cushioned bench. “I guess I assumed based on…”
“… The attempted extermination of our entire species?” Mori finishes for me.
I clear my throat. “Yes, because of that. He told me the last time he saw you was on Kar’Kal.”
Kalla’s brother nods his head, revealing nothing to me in his expression about his feelings on the catastrophic interaction that Kalla described.
“Hang on a moment,” Mori says. “I am sending in this order on your system. If you require something specific, say so now. Otherwise, you will be forced to endure the choices that I have made for our sustenance this evening.”
Vallaki shrugs. “Whatever you like.”
Mori looks smug as he does my job for me and then hands my tablet back. “Wonderful. Sophie always makes us ‘try something new’ even when I would not like anything new at all.”
I’m realizing that the so-called ‘Deadheads’ do have a coldness to them that must not do much to help smooth over the tension between them and the Kar’Kali that I’ve come to know. Their stilted way of speaking, and their apparent lack of feeling towards such a sensitive topic… It’s certainly an adjustment.
“Sophie,” I repeat, cocking my head. “Is that a human name?”
“Shouldn’t you know that?” Mori raises a brow. “It is. My mate is a human.”
“Both of us have human mates,” Kalla’s brother provides. “This is Mori, by the way. And you may call me Vala.”
“I’m Kaye.” It would be an appropriate time to tell them I’m Kalla’s mate, but I’m not sure how much information I should be spilling right now. I’ve spent over a year never speaking of him outside of private moments with Raffa. These men are strangers to me, so how can I open up immediately?
“I have asked other waiters, the Kar’Kali ones, whether they knew my brother or anyone by that name or a similar name. None of them recognized it, or perhaps they lied to me. But now, we meet a human, and you know him well enough to startle at my similar appearance….” Vala frowns. “Can I ask you where my brother is and how you know him? I’ve been searching everywhere in hopes of seeing him again.”
“He’s part of the war effort,” I say. “And he’s a very private person, so that would be why most other Kar’Kali don’t know him.”
Mori stares at me with unblinking attention. “You do not trust us. It is plain to me that you must be his brother’s mate.”
Vala glares at him. “Do not be rude.”
“Is it that obvious?” I sigh, my shoulders dropping.
Vala pats my hand.
“You should have seen your face when you saw me,” he says with a chuckle. “As he and I are both mated, I think we both understood quickly what was going through your mind.”
“Look, I know you’re not the enemy,” I say quietly. “But your brother is a dangerous man, and he’s worried about my safety. I’m his mate; you’re right about that. He probably wouldn’t want me telling you much about what he does.”
“So he is a spy for that king, Makiva,” Mori concludes.
“Let’s just not talk about what he does,” I hiss, palms flat on the table.
“Female, do you know you are talking to the very reason that Kar’Kal is in our hands with fully engaged defense weaponry?” Mori asks imperiously. “My companion has been searching for his Deviant brother, and he wants answers, so do not waste our time with your suspicions.”
“Watch yourself,” Vala warns his friend. “She is my family now too. Be patient.” He turns to me. “Ignore his attitude. He cannot help but to be a nuisance to everyone around him. Mori is trying to say that you should feel safe around us.”
Kalla’s brother seems kind, if strangely expressionless at times. It’s unsettling to see what’s essentially my mate’s face without any dark smirking or disapproving frowns. I naturally feel comfortable around Vala, but I can’t tell if it’s simply his aesthetic similarity to the one I love. The sight of him alone makes me yearn for Kalla. What would he say if he knew I met his brother? It would bring me so much joy to see them reunited, to see Kalla forgive himself for losing this brother.
