Page 66 of Essa

At least everyone around us is starting to chuckle at the events. They don't think they'll be blown up, my friends are slowly lowering their weapons, and they now know I'm not here to object to my sister and Iddis's union.

"You promised to message us, Essa," Alik says, his words tense and stern. Adam growls behind me before trying to shoulder in front of me like he'll be the only one in this place to take on one of the Varons. "You didn't comm when you said you were going to. We waited for a while, but it's been days. We didn't know what was happening down here. We were too worried to message you if something had happened and someone else had your comm."

I place my hands on my hips and tilt my head. "What? I messaged Phial. Many times, I messaged him."

There's a long silence in the room as we all wait for a response from the male who has been the reason for all of this happening. Finally, the speaker device he's using to project his voice into the room cackles to life.

"I can explain."

Alik growls so loud it makes me tense, so I'm sure plenty of other Havenths are now uncertain about what's about to happen. I walk further up the aisle, my males trailing behind me so I can reach Alik before he does something that might start fights. When I reach him, though, he's already putting his guns back into their holsters, his gaze apologetic as he looks at me.

"We thought you were in trouble," Alik says softly, his shoulders slumping the slightest amount.

"So you brought everyone." I laugh, pushing his shoulder and trying to make him not feel too bad about the interruption.

Honestly, I'm glad for it because the interruption that was about to happen was going to be me crying out one of my male's names as they continued to tease me by touching my tail. This is a much better thing to have happen.

"Yeah, we brought everyone," Alik says, shaking his head. "Fuck. Did we ruin your sister's wedding?"

As though she knows she's being talked about, Niivi pokes her head in the door behind Alik. Her pupils constricted slightly, but she wears a strained smile. She lets out a relieved sigh when she sees me standing near the door, talking with Alik.

"Oh, good. Is the male with the primitive looking weapons with you?"

"Holoth is out there on his own?" I ask, eyes wide as I hit Alik's shoulder again, this time not in a playful way. "He could've been hurt."

"He was told to wait on the ship with the humans," Alik growls as he looks past Niivi through the crack in the door she's peeking through.

"Yes, very well. Are you about done with my sister? I'd like to get on with the ceremony," Niivi tells us.

Jovi and K'Vella have moved closer, their blasters all holstered now, their chests dark purple as they feel the shame of being sowrong about what was happening and interrupting a wedding. It'll be something we all laugh about later.

I know I'm feeling more than a little loved by my friends' loyalty and urgency in protecting me. How many females could say their friends would cause an intergalactic incident for them? I suspect not many.

"Sorry, yes, we'll just be going," Alik says, rubbing the back of his neck as his flush grows darker. "We're illegally docked nearby. If we go to a docking station, would that be okay?"

Niivi waves her hand. "Leave it where it is, send Essa your coordinates. Are you all going to watch? I can make seats available for you. You're obviously coming to the reception. My sister has told me so much about each of you, and I never thought I'd ever actually meet you."

A male clears his throat behind us. Iddis is standing behind me, his smile a little strained as he tries to keep his voice low. "We should get on with the ceremony, Niivi. And Essa's friends have something they need to take care of as well. I'm sure they'll be at the reception, though."

"Oh, what do you–"

My eyes go wide as I think about all of the explosives. I don't think Phial would be reckless enough to set them off now that he knows I'm safe, but it would be for the best if they found them all and returned them somewhere that wasn't threatening to blow up my family home before anyone else finds them.

"I probably don't want to know," Niivi says. "Very well. Go do what you need to do, but I expect all of you at the reception."

With that, she turns and closes the door, disappearing back into the hallway while she waits for the moment she's meant to join Iddis on the stage. I give each of my friends a quick hug before they sheepishly retreat. Holoth's purr rumbles loudly when K'Vella returns to him, but the sound is muffled when they close the door behind them again.

"Okay, wedding."

I turn to face my males, not trusting either to be behind me. They might try to grab my tail as we walk back to our seats, and the lights are all back on. No, I can't take that risk. Since we're already a strange grouping, I urge them in front of me, following behind them as we find our seats again.

Iddis returns to the stage. A bright smile on his face as he addresses the crowd. "It wouldn't be a true Haventh wedding without a little plotting to murder at least one of us, would it?"

His question earns him a great roar of laughter from the crowd. He's not wrong, either. Many unions have been stopped with a quick killing or cut short by the request for a one-on-one duel.

In many ways, Havenths have progressed, but in others, we cling to our traditions no matter how bloody they might be. I'll be happy when this is all over so we can leave this place. The music begins again, and this time, there are no interruptions.

twenty-eight

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