Page 50 of Essa

His surprise at her question is only shown in the burning red of the tips of his ears. He grunts and nods, ever the gentleman. I snort at my own assessment, and he narrows his eyes on me.

I hold my hands up, not telling him even in our minds what I was thinking. He's on edge with what we have to do today, or really on edge with how Essa will take the information of her sister wanting to marry her fiancé. We should've spoken with her about it this morning, but by the time Ilyna came by with traditional Haventh attire for us, it was time for breakfast.

The loose-fitting black pants are made of a thin material that makes me feel like I'm not wearing anything. They're cinched at the ankles and around the waist, but other than that, the material isn't fitted. We weren't given shirts, which seems about standard for Haventh males. It makes sense, considering we're on a desert planet, and through the few windows we've seen, the dual stars outside are bright, and the sand seems to stretch as far as my eyes can see.

Essa's wearing another dress like the one from yesterday, but this one is charcoal instead of pure black. She didn't dress herself with any jewelry or have Adam braid her hair. Instead, she twisted her hair into a bun and called it good. She also didn'tcover us in paint today. Something about not seeing anyone at breakfast and then retreating to the room before we proceeded with the rest of the day.

Footsteps down the hall signal that having breakfast, just the three of us, isn't what will happen. Good. Maybe it's Niivi and Iddis, so we can get this awkward conversation out of the way and make sure Essa isn't still thinking she has to martyr herself for no good reason.

If she had to marry Iddis, I'd find a way to be okay with it. Adam would struggle with it and probably hate Iddis for the rest of their lives, but he would deal with it, too. Thankfully, none of us need to deal with anything because there's no reason for Essa to marry him, not if she pays attention to the hints her sister's been showing like flashing neon signs.

"Good morning." Iddis's cheerful voice has Adam gritting his teeth and flaring his nostrils.

He knows as well as I do that we're not letting our girl marry him, but for some reason, until that's made clear to all parties involved, Iddis has become public enemy number one in Adam's eyes. Honestly, it's nice for him to have a petty enemy like this instead of fixating on what the researchers back on Earth did to us.

"Morning," I tell Iddis, offering him a polite greeting as our eyes lock.

I hope to convey to him that we mean him no harm, that we understand the conflict he's trying to avoid, and that we're not going to force him into a relationship he doesn't want either. At least his emotions are cheerful and carefree, something I would think he was faking with Essa's announcement last night of marrying him.

What's not surprising is the dark cloud of energy behind him. Niivi enters the dining room with a scowl that matches Adam's,and when they look at one another, it's almost comical how their lips pull back at the same time.

"I was just making Adam and Seth's plates," Essa says as she leans over the table to grab a pastry of some sort.

As much as I'm not as territorial as Adam, I'm not about to let anyone look at her in any sort of position that could be provocative. I tilt my body just enough to put myself behind Essa, blocking anyone from looking at the body of the woman who owns me.

Adam's jaw ticks as he nods at me, as though I don't hear him in my head telling me not to let Iddis look at what's ours. I'd roll my eyes if it wouldn't make the two practical strangers in the room with us suspicious.

"You truly care for your humans," Iddis says. It isn't judgmental or said in disbelief. It's just a statement. One he directs at the unhappy Haventh female behind him. "I was telling Niivi they probably mean a great deal to you since our kind doesn't accept concubines as passing infatuations."

Essa stands behind me, her tail releasing my ankle just long enough for her to turn around, and then it's around me again, just as tight as before. "Of course, I care for them."

"So much it's a wonder why she would need to marry someone else," Adam adds, his nonchalance failing him as the words come out as a snarl. The statement does the trick, though. The subject everyone in this room wants to skate around is now the topic of conversation.

"She doesn'tneedto do anything," Iddis says, emphasizing the word 'need' as though it isn't the same point Adam and I are trying to make. Unfortunately, our sweet Haventh isn't picking up on anyone's hints if her bristling beside me is any indication.

"I'm doing what I need to do," Essa states, handing me a plate overfilled with food.

I stare at it for a second, trying to stifle my laugh at how much she thinks I can eat. When she watches for my reaction, the soft look in her eyes keeps me from laughing. She wants to take care of me and know if she's doing a good enough job. God, I need her to be more sure of herself because she could serve me a plate of actual garbage, and I'd eat it if it made her happy. She is enough, and the fact that she doubts it sometimes is something I'll fix.

Not alone.Adam's voice cuts into my thoughts, making me realize I'm sharing them with him, probably because I know it'll take the both of us to be enough for this amazing female.But not right now. Bigger fish.

"What do you think you need to do, princess?" Adam asks, his voice antagonizing.

The effect is instant, and thankfully, Essa's good about turning to face him before her pupils start to constrict. That and I lower my eyes, knowing full well she's about to get all scary face if Adam has any say in it.

"You mind letting me sit?" I ask Essa, nudging her tail with my other foot. "I have a feeling you two are about to go at it and not in the fun way."

She releases my ankle instantly. "Yes, yes, of course."

I plop into a chair facing away from everyone else so I can ignore the prickling on the back of my neck, the thin coat of ice inching its way down my spine, the way the hind part of my brain is chantingrun, run, run. I grab a pastry off the top of the heap on my plate and start munching on it, forcing myself not to get too scared from the conversation behind me.

"You know what I need to do," Essa says. "The whole reason we're even here."

"Why are you here?" Iddis asks, and both Essa and Adam snarl at him.

I do let out an awkward chuckle at that. Ignoring my fight-or-flight instinct is hard, but it's gotten easier the more I've beenaround Essa while she's all scary. Maybe it's because, rationally, my brain knows she'll do anything in her power to keep me safe. The only reason she even lets her scary face out as easily as she does with Adam is because it doesn't bother him. I wonder if it bothers Iddis or her sister.

"Because, I– Well, you know–" Essa stumbles over her words, obviously not ready to admit out loud to the very man she doesn't want to marry that she doesn't want to marry him. She can't even tell him she wants to marry him, either. She might think she needs to, but there's no way she wants to.

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