Caught Between Two Blue Aliens - Celia Kyle Page 0,36
staggering loss of Drokten females, planet-wide. Sevith opened up in this manner too, letting their human Oso understand that they, too, understood the pain of a devastating loss.
“What are we doing?” Jenna whispered after a few moments.
“Holding you in a triad embrace,” Sevith answered in the calm, deep voice he had seldom used in the past. “You are our Oso, Jenna, and this is proof. Whatever you are feeling now is natural and right. We want you to understand the way we think, to know that we communicate not just through our words, but also with our thoughts and feelings.”
Hiren explored his Oso’s mind, digging farther into her emotions, and the more he saw, the more astonished he was at the beauty therein. She was riddled with worries, but to Hiren, that just meant she cared deeply about everything she was involved in. Humans seemed to worry about much, and all that told him was that they didn’t know where and how to channel their worries.
“Fear is acceptable,” Hiren assured her out loud, his voice as soft and comforting as he could make it. “You need not shy away. It merely tells you there is a risk. But a life without risks is not a life worth living.”
She said nothing in response.
Her fears seemed to come with even more love than anxiety, though. What kind of man would Noah become? Where would he put all that energy? Would his sickness ever be cured?
Sickness?
Hiren felt Sevith’s surprise at this too. Neither of them had realized Jenna was carrying the burden of a sick sibling on her frail shoulders.
Jenna adored Noah, and that made Hiren learn to care for him, too. Like her, he felt the desire to see him flourish in this new world he grew into. Jenna wondered how he would handle being part of the first generation of humans who would have spent their entire lives with non-humans in the picture. That was something not even Hiren had considered, and it made him thoughtful.
Bea was just as much of a mystery that Jenna adored. She was smart, terrifyingly so. Jenna worried about the devastation her sister had witnessed and the anxiety she was trying to overcome from past trauma. A dozen questions came behind every answer Hiren uncovered, and each one showed him how empathetic Jenna was. It made him want to know even more about her.
“Tell me what you’re feeling,” she asked, and Sevith gave his head a slight shake. Hiren knew his Azi was almost in a trance, much like himself, as they sorted through Jenna’s emotions.
“The need for safety,” Sevith said honestly, furrowing his brow. “Worry for my comrades. Worry for the things I love. They are your feelings, Jenna, but I know them well. I have felt them since the day I began fighting the Zignill on Earth. Those feelings kept pushing me to fight through everything I have seen in all the battles I have won—and lost. You felt some of that. Did you not?”
Hiren knew Sevith’s mind dealt with something new. He wasn’t used to such strong drives for anything but war. Drokten males could lose themselves in martial life if they weren’t careful. The love of family that Jenna cherished so dearly made itself known in Hiren and Sevith’s minds.
I want that, Hiren announced through their link, hoping his Oso could hear a faint echo of the truth in his heart. I want a family with you.
I want the same, his Azi answered.
And then the timer in the kitchen buzzed.
“Breakfast is ready!” A tiny voice shouted from the bedroom, followed by the soft thump of feet.
Hiren smiled and then he let go of his Oso and stood. He reached down to help her to a standing position as well. She stood between them, using her hand to brush her hair back from her face as the room flooded with the noise of the young ones and his fellow Drokten.
“Wow,” she whispered, a genuine smile spreading across her beautiful face.
Hiren met his Azi’s gaze over her head and felt a new feeling pass between them, a bond in knowing they’d pleased and comforted their mate in her time of need. A new level of understanding had grown between the three of them, which was the first step toward their triad.
A few minutes later, everyone was seated around the kitchen table, eating hungrily. Jenna sat between Hiren and Sevith. Bea and Noah sat close together, and to Bea’s discomfort, the Drokten guards flanked them.