Leaning in, he whispered, “I’m glad we have a few moments alone. I wanted to talk to you. Is everything okay? I can have you off this ship before anyone would notice.”
“What? What are you talking about?” I shifted away in shock, placing my drink carefully on the table, then eyed him. “Kaede, I am now permanently bonded to Xylo and court-bonded to Odelm. Why would there be something wrong? Besides, their connections would allow them to find me, no matter where I went.”
He rested his elbow on the table, propping his head on his hand, visor aimed at me. I felt the weight of his gaze. It made me uneasy to be subjected to his scrutiny while being unable to see his face. It was hard to read him without being able to see his expressions. I only had his voice to judge his moods, and sometimes, his tone did not match his words. It was confusing.
Sitting there next to me, silently observing, I could feel him trying to decipher what I’d said.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Of course, I don’t wish to go anywhere. Everything is fine. Well, if you discount the fact I’m pregnant by some mystery male who doesn’t want me to know who he is—someone you work for, by the way. And that I don’t know precisely when I’m due. And that when this ship arrives at CEG HQ, I have no idea what will happen to my children and me. But both Xylo and Odelm are treating me well if that’s what you’re asking. And why the hell would you wait until now to offer, when it would have been more logical days ago?”
“The Aldawi trusts this crew. The Circuli have been faithful to them. Given all the uncertainty and danger, my client wants to make sure everything’s worked out and taken care of before you arrive. My latest reports indicate it may be more difficult than we thought to protect you.
“You and your cubs will need to be registered with CEG as citizens in order to be given the standard IDs and credit scanner. But since you’re human—and Earth is gone, nor was it ever an official member of CEG—you will need to declare yourself citizens of another species. Preferably the Aldawi, since your cubs will be at least partially of that species. That will cause an uproar in CEG, which my client is trying to prevent. It’s taking him longer than he thought it would.
“We both believe Master Scholar Xylo is capable of caring for you and your cubs, and I feel like you are pretty safe on this ship, but I worry whether you are happy. And I worry we will arrive before my client is ready. If need be, I’m prepared to move you to our escort vessel and get you away from here for your safety. Until my client’s ready for you to get there.”
“I’m not leaving them. Honestly, I feel like I know both Xylo and Odelm better than you. And with my bond to each of them, I trust them more, too, Kaede. I’m still struggling to get a handle on you.
“They won’t endanger me—it goes against their species’ very instincts. If anything happened to me, they would know. I’ve been afraid to ask what would happen if a bonded male's nestqueen died, but I know it can’t be good after hearing about what a severed male goes through. So, even if I hadn’t begun to build something special with them, I trust they’ll do everything in their power to keep me safe. No, that diminishes what I feel with them, something my soul yearned for throughout my captivity—companionship, friendship, and acceptance. I know it’s too early for love—and let’s be honest, all I know of love is what I’ve read—but I’m content with the friendships I’ve built with them both.”
I turned away from him and reached for my drink. Kaede’s black-gloved hand covered mine, stilling me.
“Selena. You don’t understand how much it hurts to hear you trust them over me. I’ve sacrificed so much to help find you. I was the one who located the Yaarkin ship and hacked their systems. I was the one who helped launch the attack—though you escaped before we could rescue you. I invested so many years searching for you, and I volunteered for this mission. I wanted to be the one to escort and protect you. Please keep that in mind when I’m trying to explain things or ask you to do something. My only concern is for your wellbeing—and that of your cubs.”
Shock ran through me at his confession. “You’ve known about me all these years?”
A heavy sigh escaped him. “Yes. My client knew you existed and sent me to locate you. When the Yaarkin War ended and you hadn’t been located, we knew there must be at least one more Yaarkin ship in our galaxy, but I couldn’t find it. They’d recruited pirates and mercenaries, who dip into the black market to protect them and hide their location. According to the records we found on the ship after you escaped, the Yaarkins were trading time with the pleasure workers for protection and allowing their ship to be used as a base for black market dealings, and making a profit in the meanwhile. Word spread and unsavory sorts traveled great distance to sample the Yaarkin pleasure slaves. All of this while hiding in plain sight since unlicensed mercenaries and pirating are illegal in CEG space.”
As though just becoming aware he still held my hand, he yanked his away as if burned. I eyed him a moment before taking a sip of my drink.
“What are you telling me, Kaede? What do you want? It almost seems you’re asking me for obedience because of all the years you helped your client search for me.”
Kaede jerked, then reached to take both my hands in his
