Chapter 81: Together.

Chapter 81: Together.

JP’S PRESENCE VANISHED, leaving a sudden, echoing silence. Before the air could even settle, Nigel pulled Pete into him, wrapping all six tentacles around the alien’s frame. Pete felt strangely stiff, a tremor running through his muscles. A familiar, insistent thrumming vibrated through Nigel’s sense tentacle, a direct feed of Pete’s agitated thoughts. Something was deeply unsettling the chap.

Was it JP’s casual mention of mind-sharing? The concept still disoriented Nigel. He’d grown up communicating mentally with his brothers and creator, a network woven through their shared family connection and his unique hair tubes. Was this mind-sharing similar, or something entirely different? The idea that Pete, a Dagerstanteen, could simply communicate with non-family members in such a profound way was foreign, odd, and interesting.

“I sense your knickers are in a twist,” Nigel murmured, his voice low.