“I’m sorry for my reaction,” I apologized. “You reminded me—”
The emerald male held his four-fingered hand up, halting my explanation, soft sympathy suffusing his amber eyes.
“I understand quite well, Seedbearer Selena.” He extended his hand, offering it to me as his eyes held mine. “My people, the Trr-kiki, are a scavenger species. We have been feared for our shady dealings and are known as mercenaries. You must have come across one of my kind while you were with the Yaarkins, yes?”
Blinking slowly in shock, I nodded, inhaling a deep breath of fresh air as I accepted his hand. “That’s correct.”
We fumbled our way through the handshake, his three fingers and thumb making it awkward to find a way to enclose our hands. Surprisingly, his rough hand felt cold in mine, cooler than my Circuli males.
“I am ashamed of what my people have become, prioritizing their greed for credits above basic morality,” the older male explained. “I’m afraid that they have fallen from the Stars’ grace, and will burn out into dust once they leave this plane.”
“I’m sorry.” I glanced between the two males. “I didn’t catch your names.”
He smiled—or at least, I interpreted the flash of sharp teeth as a grin. “I am Master Geologist Mafari, ruler of Destima’s caves.” He smacked the male next to him on the shoulder. “And this here is my assistant, Karfic.”
The young demi-human stared at me, starstruck, and lost for words. I didn’t know if he was nervous like me, or shy when meeting new people, like my Favored.
Karfic’s genome had been spliced with Trr-kiki genes. He had the same forehead ridges turning into long sapphire tassels, and instead of regular human ears, his were a pair of sapphire fan-like ears with golden shells.
As I scanned his body, I noticed his tan skin lacked any scaling, unlike other demi-humans who were spliced with a scaled species. The black trousers did nothing to hide his aroused state.
Tearing my eyes away, I could feel my cheeks begin to heat from embarrassment.
Maybe I was used to being around my Circuli males, who never became aroused during their body’s dormant state. They were content to pick up on my lustful moods, knowing that they would enjoy sharing the bliss of my climax.
Zirene, on the other hand, wasn’t afraid to surprise me with an embrace from behind, rubbing his hidden erection against my ass cheeks as he whispered what he would rather do to me instead of his royal duties.
It had been a week since he had returned, and we’d come to terms with our relationship that fateful night. Since then, he hadn’t bothered to hide his attraction to me, like he had done while we were still arguing. Now he was more direct, showing his affection with stolen kisses, lingering touches, and traces of his tail on my bare skin.
However, to have a male outside of my clan looking at me with desire felt... different.
Kaede was an outlier because I still hadn’t resolved my feelings toward the frustrating male. Every time I believed he was about to confess some hidden desire to be with me, he threw up his walls and became the hardened male the universe knew him as.
No matter what, his loyalties lay with Zirene and not me. If I gave him a piece of my heart, he would only shatter it.
“It’s an honor to be in your presence, Seedbearer Selena,” Karfic breathed, his bright, cheery voice more subdued than earlier. “I’ve heard all about the wonders you are building on the Main Island and the changes you are making. Your speech yesterday was magnificent.”
“Really?”
“Affirmative, My Lady.” He saluted.
I waved him off. “Just call me Selena, please.”
Xylo walked up next to me and wrapped a few vines loosely around my bare torso, giving me his silent support—but I also suspected he was asserting his claim on me. Ever since I had declared my Favored, I’d noticed Odelm had more pep in his walk, but Xylo’s reactions were more subtle. He now acted with confidence that rivaled both Kaede and Zirene.
“What did you like about her speech?” Xylo asked, picking up on my thought process.
“Her dream for Destima.” The nervous male licked his lips as he glanced between Xylo and me as if he didn’t know who to address. “I’m not saying Prince Zirene hasn’t done a good job taking care of us. No, he has. We never lacked anything, but we didn’t have goals to make us proud as a community. While most of us fish or provide basic work for the Aldawi, a select few of my people, like myself, were selected for specialty jobs, and as a result, we have a better shot at reaching our dream careers. You’ve given us a way to access everything we ever wanted all on one island. By designing the moon the way you have, you’ve given the citizens a sense of community while providing hope for a better future.”
“What ‘basic work’ do you provide to the Aldawi?” I glanced at the workers around the landing pad area and noticed they were almost all demi-humans. “Slave work?”
The three males recoiled as if I had hit them.
“No, Selena,” Xylo replied hastily. “The Aldawi tend to delegate certain jobs . . . ”
“Like fishing,” Karfic added.
“And working underground.” Mafari shot me a quick smile. “Something about getting their precious fur dirty and wet. They would rather pay a nice price for others to gather their favorite fish and excavate their gem mines. Especially since Aldawi bodies are bulkier, they have issues squeezing into tighter spots inside the caves. You will notice that most of my demi-human crew is smaller in body structure and spliced with the genes of species who excel underground.”
“Like me,” Karfic beamed. “My Trr’kiki attributes allow me to see in the dark and swim through flooded underground tunnels. I can breathe with the gills behind my fanned ears.” He turned his head
