“This is Euouae, Selena’s Oetsae companion, wishing to confirm our identity with your symbiont,” snapped a male voice he didn’t recognize. “We don’t have the energy or time for you to deny the truth.”
Before he had a chance to absorb what was happening, REI stepped in to handle the situation.
< EUOUAE SPEAKS THE TRUTH. HE’S WITH SELENA AND ONE OTHER. >
< DO YOU KNOW WHO? >
< NEGATIVE. >
“Who has you, Selena? What frax do I have to kill to rescue you?”
The gold faded, returning to its original color.
“Xenak arranged help to kidnap me. He currently has me in some asteroid base and is demanding that I heal his brother like I’m some miracle healer or somehow responsible for his condition. I don’t know what to do, Kaede. I’m scared—and I fear for my clan. If this clan hadn’t taken me in and offered me their help, I would be completely lost.”
Fire coursed through his veins at her plea. He had to control his reply so he didn’t take out his anger at the cyan frax who had started it all on her. The vulnerability in her mental voice triggered his protective instincts.
He needed to get to her now.
“Don’t you worry, Selena. I am coming,” he soothed. “Hold on a little longer and I’ll be there to return you where you belong. Do you happen to know where you are?”
“No idea. There aren’t any windows, and I haven’t been able to roam without an escort.”
“It won’t matter,” REI interjected. “Now that I know her mental signature and the one she’s tethered to, I will be able to find her easily, even without your body’s blood compass.”
“Blood compass?”
“Don’t worry about that, Selena. I will explain another time,” he muttered, not wanting to delve into a matter he wasn’t prepared to discuss at the moment. He was alarmed that she had allowed another inside her mental walls so willingly. Was this another mate? Or someone of concern? He didn’t trust anyone outside her clan and his family. Not after what had happened with the late Sovereign and Q’s crew. “Who’s with you?”
“I am Celyze, a Swynemi Cosmic Soul,” an unfamiliar tenor mental voice explained. His species and title didn’t register with him either, which concerned Kaede. “My StarPyre, Tori, showed interest in aiding Selena in her dire need. If I couldn’t find anyone familiar to Selena, then my clan brother was willing to try to sneak her off the base.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Kaede hissed. “I will make sure no one even attempts to harm her again—Selena or any other poor soul in the universe. Xenak will pay for what he’s done.”
“You can’t punish the base’s citizens for one of their commander’s actions,” Selena pleaded. “This base is full of refugees looking for a place to call their own. They are innocent in my kidnapping and don’t deserve to be killed for their association with Xenak. Kaede, there are humans here… pure, unaltered humans abducted from Earth before the Yaarkins could touch the planet. You can’t erase what little history we have left in the universe.”
“Humans?” Kaede repeated, dumbfounded. “You must be mistaken.”
“She is not,” Celyze replied. “My mate, Tori, was one of the last humans abducted before the Yaarkins conquered Earth. We have a total of seventy-two humans—pure, unlike Selena—on this base, plus many other refugees.
“Most are Swynemi here, but a variety of other species were abducted from your galaxy and mine, who now reside on this base. Do not punish the rest of us for our leader’s poor judgment. We just want to live in peace.”
“Give me your coordinates and I will spare you and your clan. I can’t make any promises about the others. Their lives mean nothing to me on this mission. If they want to blame someone, then blame your ishing frax of a commander.”
Celyze rattled off the coordinates, along with the location of a hidden hangar on the base. REI filed all the information in her system to share with the crew.
“I’m approximately three days away,” Kaede announced to whoever was listening. “Selena, can you stay out of trouble until I get to you? Once I arrive, I don’t care what you must do to get to me—just do it. As soon as I have you aboard my ship, we are leaving.”
“I believe I can, Kaede, but…” Her mental voice sounded strained. He could almost feel her swirling emotions cascading through their connection. “Have you heard any word from Destima? My mates…”
“They are alive, Selena,” Kaede replied gently.
He didn’t want to divulge anything that could cause her more distress than she was already experiencing. She needed to remain calm and level headed until he got there. There was plenty of time for her to learn the truth about her mates’ conditions later, when he could comfort her in the safety of his Abyss.
“Kaica, Oeta, and their staff are working hard to keep them stable until you return. I am more worried about Z than your Circuli mates. At least they have a safeguard. No one can control Z if he spirals. Have you spoken to him?”
“Not yet,” she said, worry slipping into her tone. “I only came to earlier today. You’re the first person I’ve been able to reach.”
“How are you?” He didn’t want to have to beg for forgiveness now, across a distance and in front of an audience. He hoped she was willing to hear him out once they were on their way back to Destima. She seemed relieved to be in contact with him, which brought Kaede hope. “Have they treated you well?”
“Physically, I’m healed,” she murmured meekly. “But Kaede… my babies and my mates. How am I supposed to live on if something happens to them?”
“I am going to make sure you won’t ever have to worry about that,” Kaede swore, his heart breaking at her tone. “Selena, hold on. I am coming. When I get there, that ishing frax better be ready.”
Chapter Twelve Selena
One moment, I
