Zirene locked his tablet and attached it to his loincloth’s belt. Odelm had paged for food to be delivered. He may as well take this time to introduce Selena to the staff and give her a tour of her villa’s property grounds.
Soon, he would need to stop neglecting his duties and leave Selena behind on Destima. He hoped they could work out their differences beforehand. They were going in the right direction, but he needed to make sure everything was right between them. If war broke out, he didn’t want to be distracted by what ifs and regrets if it was the last time he would be with her in the flesh for a while.
She didn’t need to be told about the war—she had overheard enough as it was. It was his duty to make sure she was protected and hidden away from others; Selena ending up in the wrong hands was not an option. Not only could they use her as a pawn to get their way, if they knew what she was capable of, she would fall back to the ways of her past—an object to be experimented on.
Zirene growled. He would make sure that never happened.
He hoped by giving her this moon, she would keep herself occupied, spending her time building it to her vision while being protected. Once things calmed down, and he found out who was reaching out to her, he would allow Kaede to fly her around the Aldawi territory. Their technology was advanced enough, it shouldn’t be an issue.
Zirene walked past the dining hall and nodded at its workers. All three watched him in shock as he passed by as if they didn’t believe someone of his status would acknowledge them. That was something they would have to get used to.
Selena’s villa had twelve staff members employed to keep it running smoothly. Each one was vetted and trained by his senior staff from his palace on Lunkai. They didn’t want to work at the gem mine or any of its support companies and were among the first to request a chance to prove themselves worthy. Vagren said they had passed all the tests and were hard workers.
Secretly, Zirene hoped Selena would get used to the idea she wasn’t alone anymore and form friendships with those around her. There were over five hundred demi-humans on Destima waiting to meet its owner. Because of her past, he would not pressure her to introduce herself publicly, but it was expected of her. Once the Destiny arrived and its crew settled, he would try to convince her to host an assembly. Until then, she could relax and explore what Destima offered.
The doors to Selena’s master bedroom were open as an empty delivery cart waited in the hallway. Zirene was pleased to see Odelm’s order had arrived at an acceptable time. These next few weeks would determine if the staff members were serious about their responsibilities. It would be interesting to see who survived the pressures over time.
Silently, Zirene walked into the doorway in hopes of watching the worker in action.
Zirene was glad to see the Villa Headmaster Symi proudly describe the dishes before Selena, Odelm, and Xylo. Her tan Aldawi ears framed the top of her long, light brown hair, which traveled to the base of her matching tail. Dressed in the modified Aldawi service uniform, Symi wore her violet and silver clothes confidently as she worked hard to impress Selena.
“Is there anything else you want? Or can I clean up your dishes?” Symi asked, her cheery voice ringing throughout the room.
Selena glanced at both of her nestmates, who both nodded in reply.
“I believe we are done for now. Is there a set time for meals here, or do we request it?”
“Lady Selena, I don’t know to explain this to you, but this property is yours.” Symi picked up multiple empty dishes as her bushy tail twitched behind her. “If you wanted a multiple course dinner in the middle of the night, it might take some time, but they would make it.”
Symi curtsied and turned around, halting as her golden flecked green eyes met his. Her mouth gaped.
“Sire, I didn’t know you were here.” She gulped as her hands trembled. “Is there anything I can do for you?” she asked softly, dropping her gaze.
Zirene pushed himself off the doorway and advanced over to the table, smiling gently at Symi. “No need for titles. Selena doesn’t like it, and this is her home after all.”
Zirene chuckled to himself as she glanced between Selena and him, her face scrunched in confusion as if she was trying to figure out if it was a test or not.
“He is correct. There are enough titles attached to many of my nestmates, so I would rather save time and skip the formality, in hopes it will make everyone comfortable.” She covered her mouth, smothering her giggles. “Odelm knows firsthand I don’t like any peacocking around me—especially my mates.”
Zirene stuck out his chest. “That is because I would win.”
Selena rolled her eyes. “You aren’t in my bed at the end of the day. I wouldn’t call that winning.”
Symi gasped as her face paled, eyes wide. Xylo and Odelm stared at Selena in shock.
Zirene purred, his lips curling in a sly smirk. Selena’s fiery sass was refreshing. He hoped she would continue to blossom now that she could relax without fear about her immediate future.
“No… but I am in your dreams every night.”
“And?” Selena taunted, tilting her chin at him.
“Perhaps I need to remind you what I am capable of.”
“Perhaps… but that doesn’t help you here and now.” Selena reached over and grabbed her nestmate's hands. “Good thing I have two willing males who can fulfill my needs.”
“Lady Selena—”
“Symi.” Zirene held up his hand to silence her. “Don’t take banter between Selena and me seriously. She is still recovering from all the stress from the CEG Space Station while
