in a bad way. P-Please ignore him, we all do. Begin whenever you are ready, H-Harlow.”
Okay, it’s now or never.
“Well, it started on the mountain…” I dive into everything that’s happened, trying to remember details. I mention the Yarek ship behind us which helped Klan Gryme win. General Trov growls at that, but I forge ahead, describing their calls and conversations, and everything I tell them only makes them angrier.
“Vekking traitors,” General Cryk hisses.
I nod and recount my escape and finding Sev and Dev. I skip over some personal details, including the fact we’re mated… I don’t know if I should tell them, but something inside tells me not to. I also freeze when it comes to the dream.
Tell them, mate, it’s okay, Sev urges.
Swallowing, I look down for a moment, wondering if they will believe me. They have so far, but I guess there is only one way to know. “I-I had a dream about him. I didn’t know it was him at first, I just heard him. But then every night, I kept seeing him in a cave, locked away and tortured. His skin is covered in scars and blood, and one of his eyes is ruined… He’s in pain,” I whisper, feeling Dev’s and Sev’s sadness and guilt next to me. “I-I think he felt me too.”
Sev and Dev sit quietly through it all, and when I stumble, they encourage me on in my head, their hands staying in mine. Sev sweeps his thumb softly over the back of my hand, while Dev grips it tightly and gives me strength to carry on, especially under all the sharp eyes.
“I keep seeing him, again and again. I even heard his name, Takkar, before Sev and Dev even told me about their…” I stumble over the word. “They—we—think he’s alive.”
“If he is, we have to find him,” Dev growls.
“My twinling is right, he is our elon, it is our duty to find him,” Sev states more calmly. “We knew we had to come back and let you know what Harlow saw as soon as she told us but…but we have to find our elon. You must understand.” His eyes run across Klan Avuk. “There’s a hole in our souls where they should be, we have to-to know…”
“Either way,” Dev finishes, and it’s my turn to squeeze their hands, feeling their pain.
General Trov shares a look with the others and jerks his head towards the door. They head out silently as he stares at me, searching my face for a moment in consideration. I almost shrink under his gaze, he’s so intense, so strong and big. How does Shiloh deal with that?
“We will be back in a moment, anything else you missed?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I don’t think so. I might have missed something when I was unconscious or locked outside, but-but I don’t know.”
His face turns thunderous at the reminder of my treatment, and it softens me towards the general a bit to see the anger he has on my behalf. I can understand why Shiloh is drawn to him, well, at least a little. But these red aliens have nothing on my green mates.
And don’t you forget it, Dev teases, making me smile.
With one more glance at me, Trov follows behind his Klan and leaves the room, the door shutting gently behind him. Once they’re gone, I slump, my breath leaving me in a wobble. When they’re in here, the room is too full and it’s slightly hard to breathe. I think I will always be uncomfortable around new aliens, especially males. I guess that’s something else Gryme broke in me.
Are you okay? Sev queries, turning to me.
I debate his question before I open my mouth and answer out loud, trying to get used to talking again. “I’m okay, are you two? What happened while I was gone?”
Just questions on who we are and where we have been, nothing we couldn’t handle, Dev responds, leaning in and rubbing his cheek along mine. But you were gone too long, I don’t like not being with you.
Me either, Sev murmurs, kissing my shoulder and making me shiver between them.
I didn’t like it either, I agree, and they smile against my skin.
We break apart though, in case the generals come back in, and wait patiently. They play with my fingers while chatting in my head. I listen to them discuss the generals and what the questions mean. Just then, the door opens and all of them come back in.