“I’m glad you did, too.”
“I don’t want to interrupt,” ZYU began, moving to stand before them. “But I would like permission to disembark.”
Glancing at the female in his arms, he nodded. “Permission granted.”
Smiling to himself, he enjoyed explaining to Selena how ZYU took off and flew the ship. Instead of being aroused by the female in his lap, he felt content that she was finally aboard his ship and on high alert of what could come. He knew they would all feel anxious until they were in the safety of their galaxy, so he had commanded VYA to leave drones behind to report if anyone was following them.
He couldn’t afford another failure. Not when he was still correcting this one.
Chapter Twenty-Five Kaede
She fell asleep on his lap, where she belonged. Though he didn’t want to move, he needed to wake her so they could finish the tour of his ship and place some ground rules into place with their unexpected guests.
Combing her short hair back, he whispered her name until her eyelids fluttered open.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.
“Everything is fine, but I need to let the crew know that they can start roaming the ship if they want to.”
“Oh.” She yawned.
“How about I lead you to your room so you can get some sleep then freshen up?”
“I would like that.”
Kaede left her in the master cabin. He had no use for it since he spent all his time on the bridge or in the galley. However, she deserved all the luxury he could give her, and he had made sure to bring duplicates of her favorite nightgowns and robes from Destima for her.
When he arrived at the galley, all six new passengers looked at him warily as if they expected him to eject them now that they were on their journey and Selena wasn’t here to temper him. Fortunately for them, he was trying to become a better assassin, learning to have mercy for his targets and not kill anyone who angered him.
“Welcome to the Abyss,” Kaede announced. “This vessel was designed, built, and is piloted by me. I have no crew but myself and the AIs that run the vessel. If you need anything, just speak out loud and the system will assist you, whether you need to control the temperature of your cabin or get a list of foods available and prepared for you.”
“You designed and built this?” Auro, the emerald-winged male, asked. His mouth dropped in shock. “How?”
“I got bored supervising Selena’s sunbathing all the time,” Kaede teased, knowing that wasn’t the answer the poor male was looking for.
Tori laughed and covered her mouth, her bright, green eyes filled with mirth.
“How’s the weapons system?” the other emerald-winged male, Luwyn, questioned.
“You saw my drones, right?” He nodded. “Picture them attaching to your ship and exploding.”
He whistled. “Stars, our base didn’t have a chance, did it?”
“Nope.” Kaede shrugged. “Selena was the only reason I didn’t just break in, find her, teleport to my ship, and take off, leaving the base to blow up. You can thank her for not seeking revenge.”
“You are a ruthless male, aren’t you?” Tori mocked, crossing her arms. “Maybe if you weren’t so busy building fancy gadgets and trying to show off, you would already have Selena as a mate.”
“Tori!” Celyze hissed. “What has gotten into you?”
“Nothing.” She rolled her eyes. “After watching how close the two of them are and how they are always watching each other, it’s clear they have feelings for each other, but both are too afraid to make the first move.”
“I’m not afraid.” He sobered. “I just know there is only so much pressure she can take at any given time. I don’t want to add to her worries.”
“Uh-huh,” Tori drawled. “Whatever you say, Captain.”
He went over the rules, which he’d kept basic. The bridge and master cabin were off-limits, for one.
“Any questions?”
“What exactly is your relationship with Selena?” Ryzen hedged, crossing his arms.
“Protecting her from ishing fraxes like your brother.” He smirked at Dagger-boy. “Beyond that, it’s none of your business.”
Chapter Twenty-Six Selena
Closing my eyes, I felt the gentle rumble of the Abyss traveling through space and sighed. Finally, I was making my way back home where I belonged, with Kaede as my savior once again.
Smiling, I grabbed one of my favorite nightgowns from the drawers and made my way into the bathroom. I never got a chance to shower while I had been on the asteroid base. They hadn’t offered me a spare outfit and I had been too afraid to jump into the pond or any of the bathing pools while Xenak was about. It was a good thing I had only been there for a few days because I didn’t know how long I could last without basic hygiene.
Standing nude in front of the mirror, I took in the damage this trip had inflicted on me. My silver hair was shorter than any of my nestmates’ and the scar on my chest stood out starkly. Paired with how thin I had become, I wondered how long it would take for me to fully recover.
I knew my hair could grow back and I would fill out once again; those were losses that didn’t matter to me. It was the scar straight down my chest that scared me. What if the mercenaries truly had taken something from me? I wouldn’t have known; I was unconscious for most of the torture. I had to get my body examined as soon as I finished checking on my clan.
Opening the shower, I pushed a few buttons to select the temperature and soap before turning on the system, but for some reason, I couldn’t enter the stall. My
