Page 42 of Bikar

BAMBI

Ican’t tell if this is going well or not.

Vornek—the surly, unattractive male—is, as it turns out, related to both Lurtza and Myev. Lurtza is his little sister, and Myev is their first cousin. Witnessing the tail end of their reunion was heartwarming. I’ve never seen any of the female Ruks act… well, emotional.

Who knew that they cried?

I had to hold back my own tears when the massive brown-skinned male clung to the two females and refused to let them go. Even when the discussion deepened and turned to our tenancy in their community, bringing Vornek’s beloved sister and cousin back won us a lot of brownie points.

So… we at least have that going for us.

What we don’t have going for us is how belligerent some of our guys are being.

Specifically, Bikar and Murgul.

Einar, Ruarc, and Slavic are trying to negotiate the terms for our stay on Rembz, and are giving it a solid effort. However, each time Vornek proposes something, Bikar opens his big, fat mouth and pops off sarcastically. I don’t know what his problem is, butit’s like he’s pushing Vornek’s buttons on purpose, despite not knowing anything about the other male.

Right?

Literally makes no sense.

It’s also driving me freaking bonkers.

I think the only reason the three elder siblings haven’t attempted to beat the hell out of him is that Murgul has—for some reason known only to him—decided to be just as much of a pain in the ass as Bikar today. He might not be able to talk, but there’s nothing wrong with his fingers, so he’s been sending messages to everyone’s comms at random, making them ding with an alert.

Einar’s been rubbing his nose trying to keep from laughing, but Slavic and Ruarc don’t have a sense of humor that I’ve ever seen. If their faces get any scrunchier, they’re going to freeze like that. Three against two would normally be an advantage, but not in this case. None of the older brothers want to tangle with Vrog, not that I blame them for that.

Just as Bikar opens his mouth to add his two cents again, I whip out from under his wing and point a finger up at him. “That. Is. Enough.”

Golden eyes twinkling, he leans down so we are nose to nose. “I know not of what you speak, little doe.”

Growling in frustration, I grab him by the beard and pull him even closer, glaring the entire time. “You’re being a shithead and so is Murgul. I know it. You know it. Your brothers know it. EVERYONE knows it. I don’t want to get back on a spaceship. I don’t want to have to go somewhere else to finally have a home. I’m not sure what Vornek did to piss you off, but get the hell over it. You’re going to shut the fuck up and let the adults talk, do you understand me?”

That’s the best I can do to reprimand Bikar for his shenanigans. If that doesn’t work, no one else is going to gethim to behave. By the time I’m done berating him, my chest is heaving, and I’m out of breath. My anxiety has only risen a little—by now my nervous system knows that I’m safe with Bikar—so no second panic attack for me today.

Glaring over at Murgul, I shoot him a pointed look, doing my best to hide how nervous he makes me. “And you! Quit it with the comm messages. It’s driving us all nucking futs.”

Murgul smirks. Holding both hands up, palms out in an appeasing manner, he makes a show of behaving. Gwen elbows him in the stomach and shoots me an apologetic smile. “He’s sorry for being a twatwaffle, Bambi, and heisgoing to stop acting like a child.”

We all know they can talk to one another mentally. I’m not sure what she says to him, but it makes him wince.

Significantly.

Nodding in thanks, I turn and look back up at Bikar. His face has softened, and I know he’s about to let it go when Vornek opens his stupid, vexing face.

“Yes, Bikar. Listen to youralmost-mate. What she says is sensible. You do need to let the adults speak of matters you know nothing about.”

I don’t know if it’s the“almost-mate”comment or the fact that he mentioned me at all, but any levity Bikar had drains, replaced by cold fury. Picking me up and out of the way, Bikar gently sets me next to Murgul and Gwen before determinedly walking towards Vornek. Ignoring Slavic, Ruarc, and Kallen’s attempts to divert his attention, he steps around them as if they’re not there at all.

Bikar’s eyes are glowing as he extends his wings out to their full span for the first time since we met. His feet leave the ground with one downward sweep, and he’s in front of Vornek in a blink.

Absently, I note they’re much larger than I expected.

But… that’s not the alarming part, not in the slightest.

What happens next is like something out of one of the sci-fi movies Heather made me watch on the way here. The area the Zenith and Scythe landed in is massive and flat, abutting a large building where ships can be taxied from. It’s basically an alien airport, so there’s techeverywhere.

Safe to say, Bikar’s lost his temper as well as control over whatever part of him that’s not flesh, because he’s literally destroying the hangar around us. Long pieces of wiring, unrecognizable components, and small pieces of equipment are being torn apart and flying through the air all around us. Something big zings past our little group, and I duck in reaction, even though it’s nowhere near us.