They might not be in love—romantic love was not common among Circuli—but he felt he could easily come to love Selena. Regardless, he would give her the support she needed, ensure the best care possible, and he would never fault her if they remained simply friends. He would still co-father her offspring.
The gift of Selena as his nestqueen was enough.
Xylo had already benefited from their bonding. He had noticed early in the day, he did not need to maintain his mental shields around others—not unless they were more powerful than he.
He had not believed she would accept him so soon—if at all—but he now understood her need for stability, her guilt for accidentally creating a court bond with him. And the instincts that had made her trust him, to feel he was safe... she was amazing. She was willing to accept whatever the Fates had planned for them, hoping for her chance at love, her chance to travel the stars as she had always dreamed.
Ever since he had woken this morning, he had been picking up thoughts and emotions from Selena. He could not block them—only dim them.
Not that he wanted to.
He loved learning how she thought, hearing her unvoiced thoughts, coming to understand her better.
Selena was a strong female. Others who had been through what she had would have crumbled, would have reacted in fear and lashed out—not Selena. She focused on the future. On surviving. Learning. Adapting.
Her drive made him proud to be hers. She was a fighter, and he respected her for it.
He smiled as he felt Selena sneak out while his coworkers were distracted, hounding him with questions. Kaede would keep an eye on her, and now that they were more intimately connected, he would know if she needed him.
“Is it contagious?”
“Should we put him under quarantine until we figure out what it is?”
“I cannot believe she attacked him.”
Xylo ignored their dithering and turned to his computer.
Kaede had known how to use their equipment better than they did. Xylo did not know if he should be alarmed or relieved, but he was happy they now knew the correct number of cubs in her litter. Images Kaede had pulled up showed they looked exactly like Aldawi cubs at this stage of the pregnancy. Xylo wondered if they would prove to be enhanced with her as their mother and whether they would follow the typical coloring or patterns of the pure Aldawi.
A burst of emotion shot down the bond from Selena. She was hurting. Concerned, he listened in as Kaede reassured her. Kaede was right, Selena’s silver hair was unusual—no species had that color naturally—but silver was precious, many would find that beautiful. And Selena’s bronze skin, even her white spots, were very similar to the Wudox patterning. That did not make her unusual among his species. He knew she was insecure about her physical differences but hoped he and Kaede would be able to alleviate them with time.
Xylo had a feeling Kaede would always be a mystery to him.
He did not seem inclined to share anything about himself, though it was clear he had a care for Selena, which made him a useful ally. Kaede was a dangerous individual with a clear affinity for technology. To be able to run so many drones, all while monitoring Selena and interacting with others was an impressive feat. If Kaede proved he was trustworthy, that he had Selena’s best interests at heart, then a friendship was something he was willing to offer.
But he would not allow Kaede to hand Selena over to his client without her consent.
Comparing Selena’s scans with notes on both human and Aldawi gestation periods, he determined Selena’s stomach would expand at an ever-accelerating speed from now until her litter's delivery.
He needed to talk to the princes about these new developments.
Something touched the bite on Xylo’s neck, and he jumped, immediately on the defensive.
Chyox backed away and put his hands up in surrender.
“What was that?” he demanded of the Senior Healer.
“We were wondering if she hurt you, and if we could take samples of your mark.”
“Next time, ask first—”
Behind him, the infirmary doors opened, and a powerful presence filled the room. Turning, Xylo spotted the princes watching them.
“Is there a problem?” Prince V’dim asked.
Chyox jumped in, hastily explaining, “It seems Master Scholar Xylo and the human, Selena, completed their bond last night. Selena attacked Xylo, and he now has a bite mark that will not heal. A mark like that should have healed within an hour of receiving it.”
Xylo glared at Chyox.
“Prince V’dim, my nestqueen Selena fully accepted me—this is true—but she did not attack me. Senior Healer Chyox is speaking out of turn. In the heat of the moment, as she received my spores, she bit me. Kaede has provided us with Selena's medical records. Given her body adapts to whomever she mates with—taking something from their genetic code to adapt and enable procreation—it seems logical the Aldawi sire of her cubs has gifted her with Aldawi traits. Female Aldawi are highly aggressive and bite a male if they bond and wish to mark that male off-limits to other females. I am not positive, of course, nor do I know why it would be white, but the theory is sound. As I think on it, perhaps her spots have affected the mark, and it is white because of it. Nevertheless, I was neither attacked, nor am I in pain. Other than feeling the effects of having my bonding spore accepted, I am fine.”
The princes approached, Prince Z’fir searching his face, assessing. Prince V’dim touched Selena’s bite mark. Tilting his head, Xylo gave the prince better access.
“And you are well?” Prince Z’fir asked.
Xylo felt Z’fir lightly request to skim his memories. Nodding yes to both questions, knowing his prince wanted to see what had happened for himself, Xylo lowered his mental shields. If he resisted, it was likely
