“Where are you going?” she asked, confused as she searched for Qraniebi with her hands. “I need youuuuuuuuuu,” she said in English.
< REI. ANALYZE INCOMING SAMPLE. >
< CONFIRMED. >
Kaede knelt and grabbed her wrist, bringing it to his lips, and took a bite.
Alarms blared in him when Selena didn’t flinch at his touch and was completely unresponsive to his bite. Her blood tasted impure, laced with something that did not match with her blood he had stored in his system.
Someone had drugged her.
He released her wrist and licked it, sealing his marks, and picked her up off the ground, his arms wrapped around her tightly as he cradled her in his arms.
< REI. WHAT IS THE BLOOD LACED WITH? >
< UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE. >
Kaede cursed his luck. The one night he listened to Selena and put her wellbeing in another’s—five others’—hands, she was taken advantage of. Now he didn’t know what was in her system or who had put it there if Qraniebi was telling the truth about not being involved.
“If you wanted to dance with her, you could have told me,” Qraniebi muttered as he stood nearby, watching him.
Kaede ignored him and walked away, needing to get Selena out of the club and somewhere safe. He couldn’t port out without knowing what affect it would have on Selena with the unknown substance in her system, and the nearest safe location was the apartment he shared with his sisters.
“Don’t worry, Selena, I have you now. Everything will be all right,” Kaede whispered into Selena’s ear
She tried to grab his face but missed and caught his hair instead.
“Kaede… I need you,” she pleaded as she rubbed her face with his hair.
“Kaede! Wait!” B yelled behind him.
Kaede could see his sisters closing in on him on his radar, his drones easily confirming their locations. He turned around as soon as he exited the club onto the empty floor.
“You failed, B. Your team failed to protect Selena, and instead of doing your job, you allowed someone to drug her. Or was this some sick game to prove something?” He took a step toward B. “Your trust in that feathered lovesick fool blinded you. If he is responsible, I will have the pleasure of slitting his throat in front of you. I will personally have his feathers made into a fan or perhaps a dress piece for Selena.”
Her eyes hardened. “Qran had nothing to do with it. He would never betray Prince Zirene. You know this.”
Kaede chuckled. “I also know the Quaww are waiting for Selena to slip up so they can claim she is too unstable to be in public. They want her—so much, they almost started a war.”
“Qran left the Quaww a long time ago, you know this.” She looked down at Selena’s form. “We are responsible for this. Let us find who is to blame and bring them to justice.”
Kaede glanced at all five of his sisters and pursed his lips in disappointment.
“I want a full report. Don’t fail Selena—or me—again. I won’t protect you from the Prince.” He turned to Kaica. “Take a sample of her blood and try to figure out an antidote. Hopefully, the others will catch who is responsible, and we can make them talk.”
Kaica nodded and took out a hidden syringe from her belt pouch. Kaede watched Selena’s reaction to Kaica taking a sample—once again, she seemed unfazed.
“Kaede… I need… I need,” she begged as she tried to rub her legs together.
Kaica backed away and secured the sample, watching Selena worriedly. “I will go to my lab on our ship and report any findings.”
Kaede nodded as he struggled to keep Selena from falling out of his arms.
“I am going to take her to my bedroom since it is the closest safe point and page her clanmates.” He gazed at B. “I will report to the Prince as well.”
B nodded. “I know… We will correct this and face our punishment.”
“I would say happy hunting, but this isn’t a joyful moment.” He stepped away from them. “Don’t fail me again, and if I find out you guys did this as a joke, be prepared for my wrath.” Kaede turned and left toward their shared apartment.
“Kaede… Kaede… I have a secret,” Selena murmured.
“And what is that?” he replied, trying to keep her coherent.
“I wonder… would you dance like… your cock?”
Kaede almost tripped. He shook his head, lost for words as he tried to will his body to not respond to her. Now wasn’t the time to have urges.
“You know? Would you fuck me? Hard? Gentle?” she asked as she looked up at him, her eyes filled with a clouded lust. “Would you fuck me now? Please? I need you.”
Relief flooded him when their apartment door opened as he stepped to it.
< REI. SEND A MESSAGE TO XYLO, ODELM, V’DIM, AND Z’FIR. WRITE - “EMERGENCY. SELENA NEEDS YOU.” GIVE THEM THIS LOCATION AND TEMP ACCESS TO BOTH THE MAIN APARTMENT AND MY ROOM. >
< MESSAGES SENT. >
< SEND ANOTHER MESSAGE TO Z. WRITE - “EMERGENCY. SELENA DRUGGED. I HAVE HER. FF HUNT. CONTACT B.” >
< MESSAGE SENT. >
< WERE ANY OF THE MESSAGES OPENED? >
< 1. Z OPENED. >
He cursed. Why weren’t her nestmates responding to his messages? He brought up their drone’s feeds. They were sleeping, nestled together in Selena’s nestbed.
Kaede walked into his bedroom and placed Selena onto his bed. As he tried to pull away, she wouldn’t let go of his hair.
“Selena. Can I have my hair back?”
“Kaede. Why am I so hot?”
He scanned her body with his visor. Her temperature was well above normal.
“Someone drugged you. You aren’t feeling well,” he explained.
“I would feel better if you took care of me,” she said, rubbing her legs together.
“What do you mean?” Kaede asked,
