I smirked. “You’d better get used to having a lot of firsts with me around. I’m having three cubs. I’m going to need a lot of help handling them.”
“I’m willing to experience whatever firsts you’re willing to give me.”
He stood and reached out his gloved hand to help me up from the couch. The sudden change in position made me dizzy, and I swayed. Kaede grabbed my hips to steady me.
“You okay?” Kaede asked, worried.
I nodded then glanced at Xylo standing beside Odelm. “I’m so over this pregnancy. The first time I see my cubs’ sire I’m going to kick him in the genitals for doing this to me.”
Kaede chuckled. “You may not want to do that.”
“Why not? He had his fun then left me alone with the pain and inconvenience of the results.”
His tongue flickered as he smirked at me. “Well, I’ll certainly enjoy watching you try.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Now that I’m awake and standing, can we go eat?”
Kaede jerked his hands away from my hips and backed up, glancing at my nestmates.
“I’ll need to put my visor back on before we leave the suite.”
“Of course. Do what you need to, and I’ll go get ready. We can all have dinner together.”
As I leaned against the corner of the bathtub with my arms resting on the edge of the tub, I considered the evening. The conversation over dinner had been light. We’d settled on Kaede staying in the bedroom closest to the common room and main door. He’d registered himself to our suite and gotten it approved by the princes, then transferred the rest of his belongings.
I knew he wanted that room as a first line of defense if anyone forced an entry—though it worried me that he felt he needed to prepare for an attack or an abduction. Until now, it hadn’t really sunk in that having me on the ship posed such a risk.
My nestmates hadn’t questioned Kaede or me about why he’d had his visor off nor why we were in the bedroom together. I wondered if they’d had a chat while I slept, or if they’d decided to let it go so Kaede would not be uncomfortable.
I glanced over at Xylo beside me, his vines floating on the surface of the water. Odelm soaked in the center of the tub—its deepest part—his tentacles waving lazily in the water. He’d dropped one of the soaps he’d used before into the water, and the purple bubbles made their drifting appendages look funny—almost like the snakes or sea dragons I’d read about in my studies of Earth.
When my nestmates decided to team up to wash me, Odelm focused on my lower half, while Xylo concentrated on my upper. To my surprise, I experienced none of the arousal that had been present any time they touched me. Whether an intentional massage or an accidental graze of my breasts, until now any contact with them had been highly arousing. I thought about that and realized I hadn’t been aroused, not once, since I’d claimed Odelm last night.
Instead, I felt cherished and cared for. Even when Kaede had massaged my feet earlier, it felt wonderful on my aching feet, but there had been no excitement. When he’d held me, I’d felt comforted and safe.
I wondered if it had something to do with nearing the end of my pregnancy. Xylo and the healers were convinced it would be closer to the usual fifty-day Aldawi gestation period, rather than the normal human 280-day gestation. Thank the Stars! Which meant I could be as few as eight days from delivery.
After our relaxing bath, Xylo assisted me out of the tub and Odelm dried me off. Together we went into the bedroom and they helped me into bed, tucking one of the silver blankets around me.
As I lay in contented silence, Odelm closed the curtains and turned off the lights, the room lit only by Xylo’s nebulae and galaxies and the spots on my arms. After a few moments, Odelm’s violet speckles became visible. They gradually brightened until they’d reached the brightness of Xylo’s patterns.
“Why do your speckles take a while to start glowing while Xylo’s and mine instantly do?” I asked.
Odelm looked down at me.
His ombre anemone hair glowed brightly as it rested on his shoulders. Pale violet spots glowed along with the edges of his fins and blades and the tips of his tentacles. His pale green eyes met mine.
“Wudox have no control over their bioluminescence glow—it simply glows. But the Ulax can control when each of their bioluminescent parts glow. Typically, we only turn the glow on when we are deep diving or in dark caves where we need to see. But since you both glow and you enjoy seeing it, I decided to turn mine on and join you.”
Xylo lay down on my right, covering himself with a blanket and wrapping his vines across mine. Odelm followed his lead and allowed his closest tentacles to rest on top of my blanket.
I smiled, unbelievably content. My nestmates treated me well and made me feel so cared for.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve you both.” I sighed.
They both rolled to face me.
“What do you mean?” Xylo questioned, sounding confused.
I rolled my eyes. “You tell me. I thought you couldn’t get out of my head.”
Odelm chuckled as Xylo replied, “I cannot, but that does not mean I constantly listen. I would not be able to get any work done if I listened to every thought you had.”
“It is the same with me. I cannot prevent myself receiving strong emotions, but I try to mute all your minor ones. I would love to study what makes you feel each one, but you deserve privacy—especially since you cannot reciprocate.”
“He cannot filter strong emotions. I cannot filter loud thoughts. We both are fully capable of communicating with you. I have noticed you have grown comfortable speaking Galactic Common aloud and I
