Page 9 of Tomlin

The farm was an easy ride from town, but he was… reluctant to let the others know that he was so near. He suspected that S’kal at least would be likely to come after him, to urge him to return, and as much as that thought pleased him, he couldn’t face it. Better to leave them in doubt as to his location.

The farm actually consisted of a number of individual farms. The former owner - the one who had revealed the presence of the morchev to Marshall - had acquired most of them in less than honorable ways before finally being driven out by one of the few remaining landowners and her Riasi mate. They in turn had arranged for Commander Temel to take over the majority of the land. Temel intended to use the formerly abandoned farms to create homes for members of his squad still troubled by long years of war on another planet.

Temel has been remarkably successful, he thought as he flew close enough to see the farm, peaceful and prosperous in the warm afternoon light. Not all of His warriors had become farmers, but they had all found peace here. Although perhaps that had as much to do with their human mates as their location.

If only Etta could bring him that same peace… But a Krythian’s mating instincts turned him into a feral animal, not a contented husband. It was an impossible dream.

As he came in for a landing in front of the big white farmhouse, he automatically noted that one of the fields had been harvested while he was gone and another herd had been brought in from a more distant pasture. Before he left, he and Temel had been making plans for the winter and the following spring, considering ways to make the farm more prosperous and expand the products they sold.

The loss of that role, of the place he’d found for himself, was an almost physical ache and by the time he climbed out of the flyer, exhaustion swept over him. Temel and S’kal were waiting for him, along with several of the other warriors and their mates. He flinched internally when he saw that one of them was Constance, Marshall’s daughter. The man had not cared for her, using heronly as a pawn in his schemes, but he still regretted the necessity of what he had done.

“I see I have a welcoming committee,” he said, attempting to sound like his usual self, but he suspected he was not entirely successful.

S’kal came to meet him, asking quietly if he’d prefer to meet with Temel by himself, but he shook his head. He needed to deliver his news and leave as quickly as possible. Perhaps his exhaustion was showing because Kara, S’kal’s sister-in-law, immediately insisted that they all have a seat.

He obeyed, then began by delivering the news of Marshall’s death. He had to force himself not to react when Constance’s sorrow battered against his weakened defenses.Fuck. He was still far too sensitive to the emotions of others.

“I am sorry, Lady Constance,” he said, taking refuge in his usual formality.

The fact that she understood the necessity - that she had been as much a victim of her father as the others - didn’t make it any easier. Her mate took her away almost immediately, easing the pressure of her sorrow, but now that his barriers had been breached once, he could feel the emotions of the others pressing against them.

Doing his best to hide his discomfort, he revealed the rest of what he had uncovered, reassuring them that there was no further danger.

“He kept the project very secret. Only a few people knew and they were working on separate aspects. And even if they had the knowledge, few people have the same level of resources.”

He chose notto reveal Etta’s research. There had been no plebanium in her lab and her interest was academic rather than military. However, he still needed to discover the extent of her knowledge.

“There are a few… loose ends to tie up,” he admitted. “I’m going to do that now.”

S’kal frowned at him.

“You’re leaving again? Don’t you want to rest first?”

It was a tempting prospect, but there was no rest for him here. The need to return to Etta was already growing more demanding.

“I can’t. I have to leave immediately.”

“But you’ll be back, won’t you?”

As much as he wanted to say yes, it would be impossible unless he could regain his control.

“I… I don’t know.”

“You will be missed, but you will always have a place here,” Commander Temel said quietly, dropping a hand on his shoulder before entering the house.

Even that brief touch exposed him to the other male’s emotions. They weren’t negative, but they were still strong enough to make him shudder.

“What the fuck is going on?” S’kal demanded. “You can’t just walk out on me—on us. You’re going to be the godfather to our child.”

The knowledge that S’kal and his mate had chosen him, had accepted and trusted him to that extent, still made him smile. He desperately wanted to be able to take that role in the child’s life.

“I do not want to miss that honor. I will return if I can.”

“If? You sound like you’re going to die.” S’kal gave him a horrified look. “That isn’t it, is it? You aren’t dying?”

Wasn’t he? He was terribly afraid that if he couldn’t regain control over his Krythian side, his human side would die, disappearing beneath a storm of primitive emotion.

S’kal immediately noticed his hesitation.

---