Page 64 of Rebels Rising

All it did was provoke the beast even more.

‘Dorian, don’t move,’ Artemis warned, slowly approaching Dave Junior like he was about to biteherhead off. I obeyed.

She got close enough to rest her hand firmly on Dave Junior’s back, stroking down his purple fuzz. Unfortunately for her, he whipped around and bit her, mangling her arm with a single clamp of his jaw. When he saw it was her that had touched him, however, he immediately let go and backed away with an apologetic whimper.

‘Dave Junior,’ she snapped, sounding exactly like my ma when she was telling off me or my siblings. And sometimes pa. ‘That wasnotnice. We do not bite or growl at friends.’

Blood dripped from her arm momentarily, but then she was fully healed and standing with her hands on her hips, her lips pursed in displeasure. The fact that she didn’t even flinch at the pain was chilling in and of itself, but after everything I’d witnessed when it came to Artemis, it shouldn’t have surprised me that a bite from a fucking mythological creature of death and destruction wouldn’t faze her.

The three red eyes closest to me darted in my direction with a glower while the three on the other side peered innocently up at Artemis. I didn’t think she’d fall for it, but I was shocked yet again when she melted, bending down to press a kiss on his snout.

‘Be nice, Dave Junior.’

He backed down, ears flat against his head as he conceded to her admonishments, acting as if he were genuinely apologetic for his actions towards Artemis while still glaring daggers at both me and Baldr. I was certain then that he was more than just an animal. He may have been a baby himself, but there was intent in the way he behave that belied an intelligence that matched our own, and I wondered if we’d gotten them wrong the whole time. What if they weren’t animals but a sentient species in their own right, and they were just sick and tired of being treated like lesser beings simply because we failed to understand them?

I cradled Baldr to my chest protectively as I met the Kikshrut’s eyes defiantly. I was the adult here, not him. I was putting my foot down, even if his temper tantrums would kill me.

Artemis’s gaze bounced between us, catching onto the showdown and her frown reappeared, a V forming between her brows. ‘I think I’ll just keep Dave Junior here while you take Bal,’ she said, her fist gripping Dave Junior’s scruff and making him cower from her. I understood the dynamics of their relationship a lot better after that display. Artemis was quite literally the only person in the entire Intergalactic Union that he couldn’t kill, so listening to her was his only real option. Whatever else their relationship contained, it really only boiled down to that one point. Artemis was the top dog, and his job was to fall in line.

The final epiphany I had was that I was in no uncertain terms going to be found alone with that creature. Ever.

‘Right,’ I said, not knowing what else to say. ‘I think I’ll just… take him to the cafeteria to play with the other kids. Keep him occupied.’

‘Okay. And I’m sorry about Junior, Dorian. I didn’t think he’d react like that. He’s been fine with everyone else I’ve left him with.’ She gestured to where GC Stanson and Adara was sharing a chair, Adara perched on the arm.

‘Maybe he’s not so great around me?’ I suggested.

She contemplated that for a beat. ‘It’s possible. Regardless, I won’t ask you to look after him again.’

I gave her a bleak but grateful smile, already backing out of the room. ‘Thanks.’

Baldr settled back into me as we headed down to the cafeteria. As I approached the door I doubted my decision as he snuggled into me sleepily, debating whether the cafeteria was the best choice for him when it was so noisy. I wasn’t sure what he’d been subjected to while The Program had him captive, nor was I sure if he had bonded with any of the children just beyond those doors. My new inclination was to seclude us in my bunk where it was calm and quiet, but the impending danger of the ship following us and the asteroid field we were about to enter had rattled me enough that I didn’t want to be alone.

Settled in my decision, I stepped through into the habitually hectic room, only to stop short as soon as I entered. Someone rushed towards me, and it took a moment for me to process that it was Foryk, his finger raised to his lips as he shushed me. And I understood why. For the first time ever after stepping into this room it was silent. Like, completely and utterly quiet. The only sound to be heard were the soft snores of all the children as they slept peacefully, not a single one of them awake. Baldr’s breaths soon joined in with the others having fallen asleep in my arms.

‘How?’ I mouthed the word, completely astonished.

His response was to shrug and gesture towards Bal as if his sleeping state was answer enough.

The Tornu I recognised as his and Tormik’s mother approached, eyeing Baldr in a way that reminded me of Dave Junior, like she wanted to steal him for herself, though obviously not to eat. I hoped. I watched her cautiously as she took up a position beside Foryk, my gut twisting uncomfortably when he scrunched his nose in disgust and moved away to the other side of the room.Her eyes tracked him mournfully, but she was quick to dismiss the brush-off and focus back on Baldr.

Her attention never drifted from him once, not even to glance at me despite the fact that I was holding him. It was disconcerting, to say the least, and my guard immediately went up. Something about the way this woman was behaving wasn’t sitting right with me, and I didn’t like the way she had fixated on Bal.

My instincts were correct when she wordlessly reached over to pluck him from my hold, but I pulled away and gave her my back to block her access to him. I shot her a glare over my shoulder that I hoped conveyed my distrust in her actions, and she scowled right back. Instead of backing off she tried to move around to my front. When that didn’t work, the bitch actually tried to reach over my head to take him from me that way.

I was about to lay into her when Tormik suddenly popped up, inserting himself between us. I couldn’t see the look he gave her, but whatever that look said she didn’t like. He shook his head curtly, using his larger body to block her view of us, and I finally figured out what it was that Artemis had first seen in him. Their past may have been shrouded in mystery and betrayal, but he was fighting to protect a child he had no connection to from his own mother and that was enough to prove to me that he wasn’t a complete write-off.

Now, if only Artemis could see it for herself, she might be able to sleep a little more peacefully at night. I could see how much strain she was under every time someone brought him up.

Morgrid finally gave up her attempts to get around her son, choosing instead to motion for us to leave the room so we could speak freely without disturbing the kids. I shot Tormik a questioning look, and he nodded with a slight frown and slumped shoulders, as if the weight of all our problems were physically crushing him.

I made eye contact with Foryk from across the room, the same question in my expression which he also responded with a nod of approval. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I decided to trust that the brothers, Foryk at the very least, wouldn’t let anything bad happen to Baldr.

So, I followed Morgrid out into the hallway, Tormik a step behind.

As soon as the doors shut, blocking any noise we made from entering the room, Morgrid rounded on me.

‘You need to give me the boy. Now,’ she demanded, taking a stern tone with me that made my spine straighten. Who was this woman to speak to me as if I were a misbehaving child?

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