Her hair was bound in the same crown-like design that he had helped Symi finish yesterday, but her outfit made her look like a living art design.
Odelm had requested that she wear something elegant, yet comfortable—but he never thought she would emerge dressed in something like this.
Standing proudly, she wore a royal-purple halter dress that tied behind her neck. Her necklace hung between her breasts, which were supported by the dress’s deep V-cut. Delicate black beading along the seams added to the dress’s design, and the hem barely reached her knees. Slits down the sides showed off the spots along her long legs, making her look like she had waist petals like the Circuli.
She wasn’t only his clan’s nestqueen, but a queen in her own right.
Selena was his as much as he was hers until the Stars took them both.
“Wow,” he breathed. “That is all I can say.”
Her cheeks darkened as her spots flickered a shy pink. “Thank you.”
“There’s no need to thank me; I should be the one thanking you.” He glanced at the sky outside, noting the sun would set soon. “Are you ready to leave? Or do you need anything before we go?”
“No, I’m ready if you are.”
Odelm walked up and took one of her hands, kissing its back as he stared at her magnificent blue-green eyes. “Let’s go, Kaede awaits.”
Hooking his arm with hers, he led her through the sanctuary and down a hallway into the garage. The silent assassin was leaning against his hovercraft as he fiddled with his wristband.
“Took you long enough,” Kaede scoffed, pushing off the side of his vehicle. “At least it wasn’t as long of a wait as yesterday.”
“I believe we’re fully capable of finding another ride to our destination, if you would rather be doing something else, Agent Kaede,” Selena snapped.
“After what happened yesterday?” Kaede chuckled. “You’re lucky Odelm here had enough decency to contact me about your plans to enter that chamber. Though I had a drone reporting on you up until that moment, so I already knew.”
“So why were you so angry when we returned?” Selena asked as Odelm helped her climb into the hovercraft. “You could’ve spared us the lecture.”
“Because if Odelm hadn’t kept me posted about your status within the chamber, I wouldn’t have known about that senseless demi-human who harassed you,” Kaede seethed, jumping into the driver’s seat. “Don’t worry, Selena, I took care of him.”
Selena’s gaze shot in his direction as she buckled her seatbelt. “Took care of him, how?”
“Let’s just say the male is going to have an itching problem.” Kaede threw back his head as he barked laughter into the garage, the sound bouncing off the walls. “Stars, I always hated that male. Too cocky for his own good, too dumb to see the truth right in front of him.”
“What did you do?” Odelm asked, scared to know, yet too curious to pass up learning.
The garage doors opened, revealing the magnificent sunset that hung over Zirene’s capital planet, Lunkai. Selena gasped as she grabbed his arm.
“I may have replaced his skin cream with one of my sister’s lotions, which helps dry out her oily skin.” He shot them a smile over his shoulder that looked too maniacal for Odelm’s taste. “Don’t worry, Selena. If you ever want to tour that cave with your clan, I will personally lead you myself. You don’t ever need to be bothered by that useless male again.”
“I would like to thank you for trying to defend me, but it seems like you were looking for a reason to harm him,” Selena commented. “Just warn me next time you seek revenge on someone, so I know what’s being done on my behalf.”
“Deal.”
Kaede dropped the conversation, giving Odelm the illusion of privacy he’d requested.
Odelm watched Selena study the bright colors of the local flora they passed. The remainder of the sun’s light reflected off violet waters and lavender waves crashing onto the white-sanded beaches. Soon, they passed over the sleek white high-speed tram track bordering the inside of the atoll.
The scene made the trip along the winding mountain road a treat as they neared their destination. He could feel Selena’s excitement bubble as she realized where Kaede was leading them.
Suddenly, she gripped his arm with both hands, squeezing it tightly as she turned to pin him with wide eyes.
“We’re going to your performance hall, aren’t we?” she beamed. “You’re going to be giving me your first performance within the auditorium, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know.” Odelm looked away, toward the fishing docks. “Didn’t you say that you wanted to go fishing? Something about wanting fresh fish to eat?”
“I heard something about winning a fishing trip,” Kaede added. “Meti told me how her mother beat Pavryn; that means the cubs are allowed to go fishing.”
“Odelm,” Selena hissed, yanking his arm to grab his attention by making him look at her. “You wouldn’t have asked me to go out on a date after dinner and dress up elegantly if we were going to go fishing.”
“Unless you were fishing for more mates,” Kaede mumbled.
Selena shot Kaede a glare. “You sure love to bring up my mate count and how much I need more mates. Why haven’t you settled down, Kaede?”
“Because you’re already too much to handle,” he snorted. “I can barely keep up with your activities—how am I supposed to keep another female happy?”
“Just allow the drones you love so much to do all the security work, and you’ll have all the time you want to court a female.”
Kaede didn’t respond, and Odelm knew why.
He had known why ever since their argument on the Destiny some time ago.
Kaede loved Selena—but the male was either too afraid to admit it or couldn’t let his feelings interfere with his job. However, just like Zirene’s secrets, Kaede’s weren’t his to tell. Odelm just hoped that his feelings wouldn’t come to light at the wrong time or cause tension in the future.
They arrived at the performance hall in silence, and Odelm helped Selena
