“I’m listening.”
Chapter Nine Selena
“We are here,” Luwyn announced, jerkily landing. “You can open your eyes now.”
My stomach lurched at the jarring experience. I slowly opened my eyes to see Luwyn peering at me with a cocky smirk on his face.
“I told you that I wouldn’t drop you.”
“That doesn’t mean I enjoyed the flight,” I breathed, releasing my arms from around his neck. “Please, tell me that I don’t have to do that again anytime soon.”
“If you want to get down from here, you do,” he chuckled, slowly placing my feet onto the ledge’s surface. “Unless you are planning to stay here to try and avoid Xenak.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” I muttered, peering over the ledge to the ground below. Tori was right about the beauty of this view of the lifedome. It was easier to see its layout and how every space flowed together. I could tell that whoever had planned it had put much care into organizing the plant life. “He can’t fly, can he?”
“Who knows?” Luwyn shrugged. “He seems capable of anything but bringing his brother back. I think that’s why this whole situation frustrates him so much.”
“Luwyn, you know full well that he can’t fly,” Tori hissed. “Stop scaring Selena.”
“He isn’t scaring me.” I stepped away from the ledge, having had enough of the view. While I was used to living high above the main island on Destima, my villa was equipped with railings, whereas this outcropping was not. It was a long way down if I accidentally fell. Shivering at the thought, I stepped toward the safety of the hole in the wall, surprised when a green forcefield greeted us. “What’s this?”
“Our entrance,” Tori explained, scanning her hand on the side panel. It blinked green and the force field dissolved. “Supposedly, it’s easier on the asteroid’s structure if we don’t install doors or individual service tunnels unless necessary. This is why we have communal bathing pools for the aquatic species who need to access water. Each cabin has an ultrasonic cleaning station and provides for the inhabitants’ basic necessities. Since we have a family cabin, we get our own kitchen to go with our drink dispenser.” She shrugged and crossed the threshold. “It’s not much, but it’s the best the commanders could provide for a sense of a home. The base’s citizens are just happy to avoid the Federation.”
These people were like Destima’s population—they all wanted an escape from unfit rulers and a chance to live their lives freely. While living on this base, they probably wondered when they might be discovered by outside forces and attacked.
As we entered their lounge, Tori pointed toward an L-shaped couch, large enough to seat her whole clan plus some. “Feel free to sit down while I fix something up over here.”
“Do you need any help?” I asked, hesitant to sit in the open spot between her two mates. I knew Circuli nestqueens were territorial about other females around their mates if they were in the courting stage of their bond, but I didn’t know anything about Swynemi mating rituals. Earth-born humans had so many customs on record that it was difficult to know which she followed and which she had abandoned for her mates. The last thing I wanted to do was to accidentally upset her by sitting near her mates, even though there was a respectful distance between us.
She waved me off, shooting me a smile as she strolled into the kitchen. “If I need any help, I’ll ask any of my three mates before I ask you, our honored guest. I invited you here, so you should be the one tended to.”
“I can grab some fresh fish or fruit from the lifedome if you think we need it,” Luwyn offered, already making his way toward the opening.
“Good idea. Let me check our stock.” Tori hurriedly swiped her fingers on the wall display, humming and muttering to herself. “It looks like we are out of qwetre, but I don’t think we need any fruit.” She turned off the vidscreen and walked over to her mate. “If you can, find a fish to go with all the vegetables we still have in storage. I would feel bad if anything went to waste, considering how scarce supplies are now.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” His face softened as he cupped her face and leaned in for a soft kiss. “Don’t worry, Tori. Things won’t always be like this.”
“I know.” She gave him a soft smile and pushed him away. “Go, so you can return sooner.”
“Is there some reward if I do?” Luwyn smirked, stepping away.
“We’ll see, but first, bring us something back.”
Chuckling, he spun around as the fluttering of his wings picked up. Tori leaned forward and slapped his ass. He shot a devious grin over his shoulder before he took off down the tunnel.
“Stars, he has a fine ass,” Tori muttered as she stared down the tunnel. “But he’s so much trouble.”
It was odd to watch their interactions. I could see how much Luwyn cared for Tori, and that he had a kind heart under his cocky attitude. Their playfulness made me miss my mates and our fun times together.
Was this how I looked with my mates? Everyone I interacted with on Destima was either mated to me or entirely unmated. Now that I had watched someone else’s display of affection and noticed how it made me feel, I wondered if I had ever made others feel like they were missing something.
Checking my mental threads for the millionth time, I confirmed once again, that my nestmates were
