Star Side

Chapter 60

I recovered from birthing eggs by the next day, to Gilrack's dismay as he had been hoping to baby me longer. He and his father had done my hair up in elaborate, jewel dotted braids and Gilrack enjoyed redoing and cleaning them up way too much. I kind of felt like I'd become his doll in that regards, but I didn't mind too much. Who knew claws along the scalp could feel so good?

Gilrack would leave every few hours during the day to do 'hunts' or to fetch stuff from the pod. He did so just in time, as I finished exploring every nook and cranny of the royal nest within an hour and needed something to do outside of trying to get my muscle back. The first time he had walked in on me doing pushups he'd freaked out. Even after I explained to him about feeling fine and working on getting my strength back, he'd whined about 'bleeding' and straining myself. Naomi had told me that bleeding post birth lasted for a week or so and that, as long as it wasn't heavy bleeding, was completely normal, and since my bleeding had already decreased to a trickle I figured I was fine. I'd had worst periods.

Still, I let him drag me to the bath once I had done and carefully scrub me down from all the sweat. Then he'd settled me down in the nest, once more done up in silk wraps, to feed me seared meat and strange gray pears that tasted like a mix between watermelon and mangos. It was a surprisingly delicious meal, for being so utterly alien.

I couldn't remember ever being doted upon like this. Gilrack even fed me a few bites before I came back to my senses and demanded my independence back. I wondered why it didn't bother me more. I had arms and legs that worked. My natural strength had been one of my few prides. And yet here I was being treated as though I were small and delicate, something most girls wouldn't stand for, and...

I think I loved it.

Being done up in silk and jewels, cooked for and fed, scrubbed and hugged—something deep in me that had been empty all my life began to fill, and if I could I would have purred. Had I only been pretending to be strong? Or was it simply that tiring to be strong all the time?

Thus, when Gilrack reached over one evening to caress my cheek with the knuckle of his thumb, I found myself leaning into the touch without even thinking about it. He purred at my reaction and leaned his face forward to carefully brush his cheek against my own, spiking the air with a musk and pine scent, like cologne made out of mountain snow.

"Precious. Beautiful. I love you."

And I felt it, washing over me in warm waves to contrast with his cool scent.

I hugged my eggs and felt, for the first time, that maybe it would be okay even if they hatched into monstrous, ugly hybrids. Because at least Gilrack would still be there, and at least he'd still love me. Right?

He didn't let my uncertainty linger long, curling himself around me and demanding to know what had upset my thoughts. When I told him, he crooned comfort and assured me I would be his only mate for the rest of his life.

"You could always get another if I die. I don't mind." I said.

He'd chuckled at that. "Jo, your beauty and kindness has ruined me for any other female."

"Your females can't be that mean, can they? Your mom's nice."

He hadn't liked that. To Gilrack, his mom was only ever overbearing and nosey.

His father, though, Gilrack looked up to as his personal hero. He was smaller than Gilrack, probably because of the wings, and had Gilrack's reddish shade with dark maroon at his extremities instead of purple like Gilrack. He had black hair and yellow eyes and the largest curved, black horns that I'd seen yet. It made him seem more threatening than he actually was when I'd first seen him, but he was anything but. Soft spoken, considerate, and I swear on my life was psychic. Gilrack explained to me that his father just had a talent in reading mindwaves and interpreting emotions, but I wouldn't be persuaded. Horack was a mind reader. It helped a lot since I was still getting a handle on their noise-based language, especially since he was the only one Gilrack was comfortable with having around while he was gone on his hunting/fetching trips.