If the Yaarkins had somehow discovered a way for humans to interbreed with the Children, the potential for hybrid offspring from interspecies couples could be both enormous and dangerous. CEG would want to conduct its own research.
Xylo worried about that now that he had a courting bond with Selena and knew her story. This could potentially cause ripples that could even impact the Ulax and Wudox’s relationship with the Aldawi—and that was without factoring in Selena’s pregnancy.
Xylo had not found a good opportunity to tell Selena the night she had lost her virginity had resulted in pregnancy. He had not known how to broach the subject with her. She was so overwhelmed by sharing her story, he had focused entirely on comforting her—not to mention he had been still trying to process the shock of the courting bond.
Selena was now his nestqueen and in charge of their newly formed clan, whether or not she knew it. She would remain so until she broke the courting bond with him. He hoped she might decide to keep him in her clan and make their bond permanent—even if she did not make him the Prime or the Second, even if she never graced him with her favor or love.
It would be better than to have the court bond severed.
He was used to being alone. If she accepted him, his mind would remain at peace, and he would do his best to honor and please her, to protect both her and her offspring’s future. If he proved himself to Selena and she accepted their bond, he would no longer be an outcast.
They were kindred souls in that regard.
Already the bond was making itself felt—Xylo could feel a pull to return to the room he had just left. A small smile tugged at his lips. If the courting bond felt this wonderful, he could not comprehend how it would feel once and if Selena accepted his bonding spore. His studies had not prepared him for what he was feeling.
Shaking off the distraction, Xylo sent a mental brush to his prince, Z’fir. The princes were inseparable, so they were more than likely together right now.
“Report.”
“I seek an audience with both you and Prince V’dim, Sire.”
“We are about to retire to my suite. Meet us there.”
“Yes, my Prince. I am on my way.”
When Xylo arrived at the floor for the Royals—the topmost floor in the ship—he strode unseeing past the dining hall that overlooked the terrarium, heading directly for Prince Z’fir’s Royal Suite. It was designed to house the prince and any clan he might one day have and overlooked the terrarium. Prince V’dim was housed in an identical suite.
Xylo sent another brush—the mental equivalent of a knock—to Prince Z’fir as he approached the suite door.
“Come in.”
Xylo closed his eyes and took in a deep breath to prepare himself for the coming conversation. Releasing the air slowly, he reopened his eyes, then walked through the door as the light above flashed green, and it opened for him.
Prince Z’fir and Prince V’dim were in the common room, sitting relaxed on the settee. Prince Z’fir’s vines and Prince V’dim’s tentacles were loosely tangled together behind them.
Xylo felt honored the princes were comfortable enough to show affection in front of him. They were much less formal than their Queen mothers, and many on the crew had grown close during their voyage.
The Queens had believed this mission to be a waste of resources and had been unwilling to put anything toward it, though they had not outright forbidden the venture. The princes had remained persistent and had drawn on the Aldawi alliance to obtain an old ship—an appreciation for the assistance defending the territory during the Yaarkins war. They had struck a deal with the Aldawi to travel in their territory as long as they used the voyage and their crew to report any unusual activity in the sections of space they explored.
“To what do we owe this pleasure?” Prince Z’fir questioned as he gestured to the chairs in front of them. “Have a seat. You are welcome to use our dispenser if needed.”
Xylo smiled and bowed his head. “Thank you. I would appreciate a drink.”
Prince V’dim tilted his head, eyeing Xylo. “Your aura seems different. Explain,” he demanded.
Xylo froze, forgetting the drink.
His vines contracted around his torso. He was disappointed in himself. Of course, the princes could to see a change in him—they were the most powerful telepath and empath on the ship. Prince Z’fir would be able to see the nascent bond-strand connecting him to Selena, and Prince V’dim would be able to see a change in his aura.
Xylo wasn’t an Ulax, so he did not know precisely what the auras they saw looked like—though they had been described as a glow of colors radiating from each sentient being. Wudox saw feelings as colors; they could “see” emotional thought.
“I have been honored. A female has accepted me into a courting bond,” he stated, hoping to ease them into the discussion. He was not sure how to discreetly broach the subject of being bonded with Selena, his patient.
Prince V’dim’s gaze skimmed Xylo’s body, and he could almost feel its weight.
“Your aura is surrounded by an unusual sphere as if it is being protected. It is dim, but I have not seen the like before.”
As Prince Z’fir’s eyes narrowed, Xylo was struck by an impending sense of doom. It grew as he felt Z’fir probing his mental shields.
“Your mental shields have strengthened too. I can still enter them, but they are stronger than before,” Prince Z’fir added, his statement devoid of emotion.
“Why is this? Who is your nestqueen?” Prince V’dim questioned, locking his turquoise eyes on Xylo’s.
Another mental push from Prince Z’fir made Xylo wince.
He looked away from Prince V’dim, toward the terrarium window. “I could use a drink now. A hard one.”
“Get three. Then you are going to sit down and tell us who your nestqueen is,”
