NAYTH

  Ryst put her pad into a hover in front of us. She didn’t care that she was only clad in my tank, so I pulled her back against my chest and wrapped my arms around her middle, hugging her to me.

  “Ren is Peydran’s boyfriend.”

  Boyfriend? That was new information.

  “They just got together, but they met ages ago in Uni. Actually, I don’t even know their story yet because—”

  Two mens' faces appeared on the screen. I didn’t know what time it was in Shurwinn, but apparently Ryst and I weren’t the only ones naked in bed for this conference. We should’ve been on Floria for this chat, not Sturm.

  The man I didn’t recognize—a beautiful, bearded man, actually—looked me up and down and said, “Nice to see you in the flesh, Minister Carmidee.”

  A flirt, oh goody! “Greetings, fair stranger from distant lands. Who might you be? I’m afraid my recon didn’t include handsome lovers in Madrano’s bed.”

  Madrano was kissing his way up the man’s neck. Obviously, the Shurwinn were just as comfortable with public displays as the Florians. Or maybe that was just the dynamic between Ryst and her friends?

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  I rested my chin on Ryst’s shoulder. She leaned into me.

  “Nayth, this is Ren Crieve,” Ryst said in a near whisper, with awe. “Ren is how I found you. He sang me into a trance that sent me out of my body, across the galaxy, and straight to you.”

  I sat up, and peered at that beautiful man. Emotion more intense than anything I’d ever felt for a man welled up. I could feel it in my eyes as I looked at the faces before me.

  My eyes roaming back and forth between Peydran and Ren, I asked, “You said something about friends, right? I wasn’t sure. Were they there? Tell me what happened!”

  It was Peydran who answered. “Ren decided he’d had enough of Ryst being alone and started humming a drumbeat.”

  Ren started humming, and at that instant, I felt something stirring inside me. “The two of us went up the hill to Ryst’s house. It’s about a five minute walk. They met for just a second, and he started chanting ‘MEHTH-eh-la. MEHTH-eh-la. MEHTH-eh-la.’"

  Ren chanted softly through the video. I felt tingly and odd, like I was going to pass out or like I was two glasses in. Floaty.

  “Then Ryst just sort of collapsed on him. She started saying things: ‘younger than me, but very accomplished, great wealth, two worlds, a skyscraper that isn’t an office, a building that might look like a candle, the story of Earthens leaving Milky Way Galaxy.’ It was the building, the non-candle building that did it. We, finally, for the first time in four years—finally! We had real, solid clues.”

  Peydran looked with wonder at Ren, and I was certain I had the same look in my eyes.

  “Ren, Peydran. Guys. Brothers. I can never repay you. Anything. Anything in 9 Galaxies. Anything. Everything—it's yours. I owe you more than my life. More than several lifetimes. I had everything, but I had nothing without my Methela. Thank you. Thank you,” I said.

  It came from my heart and my soul, but it would never be enough.

  “We don’t want anything, Nayth,” Ren said. Then he chuckled a little, “Well, I’d love a cuddle party once we’re all together.”

  All four of us laughed then. Ren was irresistible.

  “I’ll cuddle you all day and all night, if that’s what you want, Ren,” I promised him.

  Madrano—no, Peydran—kissed his cheek, and the screen went dark.