“There isn’t anything to forgive,” Kaede scoffed.
In an instant, he was gone.
“We will return to our apartments, Prince Zirene. And continue… supervising from there if that is okay with you, Sire,” B asked.
“Permission granted,” Zirene said, nodding to them.
They saluted and left, not looking at or saying anything to me. Were they upset at themselves for failing? Or at me, for trying to seduce both Q and Kaede?
“Are things always this exciting around here?” Mwe murmured.
“I could use less excitement. You don’t have another trial or something I need to attend—unprepared—do you?” I asked.
“No, but I do want to know something.”
“What else is there to know?” I asked, drying my eyes.
Mwe looked down at all of my nestmates' appendages wrapped around my limbs. Instead of feeling restricted, it was comforting as I leaned back against Odelm’s chest.
“I sensed the presence who spoke to you.” He winced. “Could you tell me what it said? I know its signature, so if they reach out again while you are on the space station, I should be able to intervene.”
“I will be able to as well,” Oeta voiced. “That is, if I am approved to work with your team.”
“Her credentials are outstanding. The best in the batch we received,” Xylo said.
“And the others?”
“There are a few that stood out from the others.”
“Any Quaww?” Z’fir asked.
“One. A stubborn and arrogant male but intelligent with the credentials to back him up.”
“Contact whoever you believe is worthy and won’t cause any problems. I trust your judgment.”
“If you are still interested, Lady Oeta, we would love to hire you to be a part of Selena’s team,” Xylo announced.
“Excellent,” she smiled as her fuchsia glow brightened. “I will prepare my things once we are done here.” Her wings fluttered. “I believe my father asked about the presence, which I am also interested in. We have never felt such a strong thread before.”
I sighed and looked down at my hands as I gently grabbed the princes' appendages, tracing their unique skin with my thumb.
I told them everything—what happened from the moment the presence took over to when Zirene saved me, not leaving out at any detail. They needed to know what he had said because I feared he would come for me again… or worse, invade while looking for his lost brother.
I could feel both Odelm and V’dim trying to calm me and sent them my appreciation.
“And then?” Royak asked.
“I don’t know how to explain it other than I felt like I was choking.” I looked up at Zirene, meeting his amethyst eyes. “Can you die while you are dreamscaping?”
Zirene glanced at his brother.
“Until today, I would have said no, but you have a lot of unknowns to consider,” Royak replied.
“Dreamscapes should have no factor in reality, but what I saw and felt today went against those rules.” Zirene sighed as he met my gaze once more. “Selena, I don’t know how to explain this, but you almost died.”
Chapter Thirty-Three Xylo
Xylo knew there was something wrong with Selena when he first felt the extreme heaviness that fell on him. His vines went wild as his bond thread tugged on him, forcing him to follow it.
Reflecting on that moment, Oeta must have felt a similar disturbance as he did, for she stared in the same direction as Selena as soon as it started—occasionally giving him curious glances.
Mwe and Oeta were two beings he didn’t want to anger. They were rumored to be more powerful than the Circuli Queens—fully capable of scrambling connections and mind-wiping those who needed. Not that Xylo ever witnessed such things. Those were the things they whispered in the shadows of the space station.
Mwe was the sole being capable of gathering information from a Yaarkin via interrogations whenever they were unlucky enough to get caught instead of killed. Most warriors killed them on sight, for the Yaarkins killed those who weren’t worthy and enslaved those who had an attribute they were looking for.
Earth was their last invasion, with humans being their latest test subjects.
How did they get so deep into the Euph Galaxy without getting noticed? And why was Earth their goal?
“Once they discovered humans on unregulated ships, they captured and studied them. By using the ship's logs, they learned of Earth’s location, and the rest is history,” Mwe said, his mental voice like a gentle whisper caressing his shields.
Xylo jerked, sitting straight up on the couch, his teal eyes meeting Mwe’s magenta.
“Is something the matter, brother?” Odelm asked, voice slightly alarmed.
Xylo waved him off, not wanting to waken the drowsy Selena, who had dozed off.
“Are you saying there may be others like Selena somewhere in the galaxy—the universe? Other humans altered so much, they hardly have their original base forms?”
Mwe sighed and surveyed the remaining occupants of the room.
Oeta had left to gather the cubs from Pavryn and Vikvez. Zirene was nursing an alcoholic beverage, keeping his focus on Selena’s sleeping form, the only movement from his agitated tail. Royak had been conversing with Mwe before he interrupted Xylo’s thoughts. The princes were silent, observing Selena as she relaxed between them, in a deep mental conversation with each other.
Now the room’s focus was on him.
“That is to be determined,” Mwe replied. “We do know that, for some reason, she is being targeted by an outside presence unlike anything I have ever felt before.” He studied Selena’s sleeping form. “Tell me. You both are bonded to her…” He tilted his head toward Zirene. “You three are permanently bonded with her, with both princes working toward that goal.” He pursed his lips and looked up, his lavender wings shuffling behind him. “Has anything similar to today happen before?”
“Oh, Stars…” Xylo murmured, his vines shivering as realization dawned on him. He looked down at Selena’s sleeping form curled up on Odelm’s lap.
“Xylo?” his nestbrother asked, concerned.
“Once,” he whispered. “It happened once—on the morning after Selena officially claimed me—the day Selena also established a court bond
