They knew this was wishful thinking, and they should learn to be content with what they had. Through Selena, they had a nestqueen, a clan, a home for their people, and the support system they needed to rule.
When Z’fir’s nestbrothers had discussed what a date was, the concept had intrigued him. Why would other species go on special excursions to court their significant other when they were already mated? The battle was already won; they’d won the female, so why was upkeep needed?
The customs of other species within the CEG were confusing at best. The Quaww used their females as a bargaining chip to convince males to swear themselves to a flock’s leader. The Aldawi males and females outright hated each other and only tolerated each other during a female’s heat cycle. And the demi-humans? They believed in free love, which he’d encountered many times already.
How could they treat their females so carelessly?
A nestqueen should rank above every member of the clan; it was an ancient tradition. Nestqueens purposely gathered large clans, so males who weren’t her Primary, Second, or Favored were sacrificed first in battle. Circuli males were driven by an instinct to protect the nestqueen, as naturally as breathing.
“Do you think she will like our date?” Z’fir asked his brother.
“I believe Selena has always been easy to please,” V’dim replied. “She loves the beach and water, so our plan is almost fail-safe.”
“Was it wrong to ask Kaede to drive us after yesterday’s disaster?” His gaze flicked to the standoffish male who sat in the hovercraft. Ever since he had appeared—right on time—he had only nodded a greeting as he jumped into the vehicle and hadn’t moved since.
“Selena said she was fine with it. Kaede is the only one who was acting weird and left suddenly unannounced,” V’dim replied.
“Maybe we should’ve asked Xylo to drive us,” Z’fir mused, watching the garage’s double doors for their nestqueen. “He’s capable of piloting a hovercraft, and would be—”
“Z’fir, stop it,” V’dim hissed. “Your emotions are making mine go haywire. Don’t start second-guessing everything. I don’t want to start this date in a panic because you worked the both of us into a frenzy.”
“I am sorry,” he apologized. “You’re right.”
The twin doors slid open, revealing their nestqueen in all of her glory. Her hair was still braided and twisted into a crown on top of her head, making her look like the royalty she was fit to be. Tied around her waist was a tropical plant patterned cover similar to a scarf, which covered her matching golden bikini—at least that was what Symi had told them she would wear for their date. She had explained the garments demi-humans liked to swim in and provided a set of swimsuits for them to choose from.
Selena usually swam naked in their pool, but Symi had insisted that she shouldn’t be swimming naked in public and had requested they pick a swimsuit. They’d chosen the bikini because it had the least amount of fabric. Logically, less covering made sense to them, but they didn’t wear clothes, so the idea was still foreign to them.
Had they made the right choice? What if she didn’t like the color? Or style?
Females were already confusing, and never having to deal with providing clothing for one made everything even more stressful. Perhaps they should’ve asked their nestbrother’s for help. Xylo was the first one to dress her, designing what he called ‘slip-on’ tunic-like dresses for her as she lay unconscious to the universe, and Odelm had traveled with his merchant fathers doing trade runs, so he would’ve had a better idea of what clothing Selena would like.
They would have to make sure to find out more about clothing and fashion styles if they were going to be in charge of picking more outfits in the future.
“I’m ready!” she giggled, her voice like one of Odelm’s chimes as it rang in the air. “I can’t wait to see what you two have planned for me.”
“I told you,” V’dim shot at him. “You were worrying for nothing.”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Kaede mumbled.
“Nothing is obvious when it comes to you, Mr. Doom and Gloom,” Selena hissed. “By the way, my ear is fine, thank you. Xylo checked on it as soon as he returned.”
Z’fir watched as he stiffened, yet refused to respond.
“It seems like our nestqueen is upset with him,” V’dim muttered.
“Or his mocking comment earned him a lashing.”
V’dim leaped into the hovercraft and offered a hand to Selena as Z’fir picked her up by her waist and placed her gently into the backseat. He jumped in and sat down, sandwiching their nestqueen directly between them.
“Are we going fishing? Swimming? Sunbathing?” Selena listed excitedly. “Whatever we do, it will beat being trapped inside all day yesterday. I’m glad that the weather is perfect today for whatever you two have planned.”
“We figured we could do some shell hunting, followed by lunch and then swimming, if you want,” Z’fir answered, watching her reaction closely.
“Sounds perfect!” she beamed. “Exactly what I needed.”
Z’fir watched his nestqueen as she leaned into V’dim’s side to get a better view of their twisting descent down the mountain. He wasn’t jealous of his nestbrother, for she looked terrific against the dark blues and violets of his scaled skin. Her golden bikini and silver-crowned hair glistened against his dark patterns, and he committed the beautiful image to memory for the future.
V’dim and Z’fir had never imagined that they would share a nestqueen, and yet Selena had claimed them both and agreed to a joint date. He knew that sooner or later, he would want to spend some alone time with Selena, without V’dim present. He wasn’t frustrated about their situation, but he believed that they would have to approach her separately if they wanted her to love them as individuals.
His gut instincts told him that they needed to form nestbrother connections with her Favored to
