The Ulax Prince stepped forward, nodding to Xylo before turning his gaze to me.
Unlike Prince Z’fir, Prince V’dim’s skin was cobalt, covered in a wide range of blue, turquoise, and indigo swirls. Unlike the Wudox, his blades grew from his forearms and hips. They were colored in graduating shades of blue with speckles in the same variety of turquoise and indigo as the rest of his body. His tentacles matched his skin but with turquoise tips. There was no nose, and he had a slit for a mouth. Deep indigo anemone-like hair, turquoise irises surrounded black pupils, and small fins folded against his head where ears would be completed the picture.
I glanced down and noticed the Ulax feet differed from the Wudox. They were like a human’s in shape, but with three longer, thicker, webbed toes—in Prince V’dim’s case, the webbing was dark teal.
“I am Prince V’dim, third-ranking Prince of the Ulax. These males claim they were sent by the Aldawi to guard you for the remainder of our trip to CEG HQ.”
Prince Z’fir turned toward the visored male. “This is Kaede—a special agent sent as your personal guard.”
Kaede stepped smoothly forward and knelt. He clasped my hand in a firm grip and lifted it to his face, kissing it beneath the cloth covering his face. As my hand fell back to my side, he bowed his head to his knee.
My cheeks warmed with embarrassment.
“I am Kaede. My life is yours.” His voice was melodious and echoed with his pride in this duty.
Shocked, not knowing how to react to the dramatic pronouncement, I gave him a small smile and tilted my head as I’d seen Xylo do.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Selena. I appreciate the offer, but I’m sure it’s not necessary. I’m nobody and certainly don’t want anyone sacrificing their life for my own.”
The avian alien slid between us. He pounded his chest with his right fist, pale green eyes filled with mischief.
“That’s where you’re wrong. You’re important to the Aldawi and CEG—or they’d never have offered to pay me such exorbitant credits to escort you. I’d say you’re worth a lot,” he joked in a singsong voice.
Oh yes, the peacock was clearly male and with a personality to match the plumage. It explained his showy clothing. I recalled reading male birds on Earth often attracted females with their gaudy displays.
Giving him a pointed stare, I replied, “And you would be?”
“I am Qraniebi, hired mercenary, at your service.” His wings rippled behind him as he placed his right fist on his chest and made a shallow bow. “I do the dirty jobs the Aldawi can’t without creating problems at CEG. I’m getting paid a hefty retainer to ensure your exquisite self makes it to CEG HQ without a single hair missing from that pretty head of yours.”
I rolled my eyes. Of course! He would reward such a flamboyant male with a fortune to deliver me to him at the space station.
“Whoever would pay that much for my safety is insane,” I said, hoping to bait him into revealing something of his employer.
“Believe it, female. I don’t work for free.” He winked as he looked me over. “Though were circumstances different, I’d say you could pay me in other ways. But given who has hired me... sorry, you’ll have to keep your hands to yourself.”
My mouth fell open in shock. He couldn’t possibly believe I would throw myself at him to gain his escort to CEG HQ...
Before I recovered enough to reply, Qraniebi turned to the princes.
“Now, if you’d send crew to unload the crates on my fighter, I’ll return to my own ship. The crates are for Selena. A gift. If you’d make sure they’re delivered to her cabin?”
“Of course.” Z’fir turned to one of the crew. “M’nto, would you please arrange for the crates to be taken to Prince V’dim’s suite. We are making it Selena’s for the remainder of the voyage.”
Kaede stood and turned to face Prince Z’fir. “I’m connected to several special military-grade drones. They’ll help me protect Selena. Though I don’t technically need your permission, I’m requesting permission to deploy them aboard your ship and ask that you instruct the crew to ignore them.”
Prince Z’fir glanced at Prince V’dim before replying. “Permission granted. As long as they do not get in anyone’s way, we will make an announcement to the crew. I do not want you or your drones to cause any problems on our ship.”
“Of course. You probably won’t even notice them.” Kaede’s voice was filled with laughter.
Gasps erupted behind the princes, and I spun to look. Ten drones the size of my fist hovered above our heads in a loose circle. They had appeared out of thin air, and I hadn’t heard a thing. Had they been here the whole time?
Xylo pulled me behind him as his vines unwrapped themselves from around his torso. They whipped through the air, a waving shield protecting me from the drones. I wrapped my arms around his chest, feeling his cool, smooth scales under my hands as I leaned into his back. His petal-wings shifted to partially shield me in their embrace.
I peered out at the drones from the safety of Xylo’s back. Surprisingly, I hadn’t been scared by the drone’s sudden appearance. I marveled at the audacious display.
“Stand down everyone. The drones will not harm you.” Prince V’dim’s voice was full of amusement as he stared at Kaede. “Amazing devices. Perhaps a little warning next time?”
Laughter exploded from Qraniebi, sounding like ringing chimes. “There is no warning when it comes to Kaede. He wouldn’t want to warn his target and make it harder to kill them. It’s why he is the best. You’d be shot—dead before your body hit the ground. Just make sure no one messes with Selena, and you have nothing to worry about. Your ship just got a little more interesting.”
“I can discuss logistics with your security if required, but I insist
