“REI, swear to me that if I ever attempt to assault Selena, you will knock me out,” he pleaded, drowning in Selena’s concerned stare. “Promise me that you will make sure I never take advantage of her or our connection.”
“Your will is mine.”
“We will be fine, Kaede,” Selena whispered as she leaned over and lightly pressed her lips to his. “I know you won’t hurt me. The Stars brought us together for a reason. We will work through this... together.”
“I won’t push my problems onto you,” he grumbled. “You have enough pressure to deal with, especially once we return to Destima. Let me deal with my troubles.”
Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. “You aren’t alone anymore, Kaede.”
Her words struck him.
Indeed, he wasn’t alone anymore—but that didn’t mean he wanted to become needy.
While he respected all her mates, her Circuli males were dependent on her to fulfill their instinctual need for a nestqueen. They yearned to be chosen for the opportunity to sire her children; some, like Odelm, were more desperate than others.
Kaede had never fathomed fathering children, nor joining bodies with a female. He never had the desire to do either. He was designed as a specialized assassin with the drive to kill, free of those urges…
Until Selena had woken them from the depths of his very being, buried underneath all that he was. She had activated something within him, and now he had to deal with his awakened instincts that he didn’t know existed.
“I know,” he breathed.
Sighing, he kissed Selena’s forehead and turned to the crimson doctor.
“EYN, a round of Osso tea, please.” Flicking his wrist, he gestured to the table. “And clear the mugs.”
Instantly, the dirty dishes disappeared and fresh mugs of steaming tea replaced them. Smirking at the others’ expressions, he grabbed his cup and absorbed its warmth.
“Thank you, EYN.” Lifting his cup to the ceiling, he toasted the Oetsae before taking a sip.
“Summon me if you need anything else, captain,” EYN replied. “I will gladly be of service.”
“Now that that’s settled.” Kaede nodded toward Zyxel, addressing the doctor who had started this conversation. “You say I carry the genes of an alpha, but what about you? Based on your explanation of your species’ mating practices, one alpha tied to Selena is already abnormal. Two? That should be impossible.”
Pursing his lips, Zyxel’s forked tongue nervously tasted the air and his fiery, slitted gaze flicked toward Selena.
“Study him, REI,” Kaede ordered. “Something is off about his behavior.”
“On it.”
“Kaede,” Selena murmured as she squeezed his leg, drawing his attention. “I haven’t claimed him as mine yet, and I don’t know when I will. Until things are settled between us and our clan, there is nothing for you to worry about.”
“I’m not an alpha, nor am I interested in you, Kaede.” Zyxel’s eyes narrowed as he scanned Kaede, purposely avoiding his gaze. “Selena is the only one I want to be with. No one else.”
“He is hiding something.”
“I know.”
Chapter Thirty-Five Selena
About a week had passed since we had left the asteroid base. Every day, we were one day closer to Destima. Kaede had kept to himself on the bridge during the day, claiming his instincts told him to make sure no one was following us until we were in the safety of our galaxy and had rendezvoused with his sisters.
The Oetsae crew had decided to maximize their speed boost while outside the galaxy. Once we arrived, we would be escorted, so we wouldn’t be able to proceed at full speed anymore. The escort ships would be older models, slower than the Abyss even without its special speed boost.
I was happy to leave Kaede on the bridge since that gave me time to reflect on my life and socialize with my ambassadors in the galley. Kaede and I shared every meal, and at night, he joined my bed, wrapping me in his arms as I met Zirene in the dreamscape.
Today, Tori was teaching me an Earth game called beer pong. To circumvent the lack of cheap alcohol on the ship, we used drinks that tasted strange and could only be consumed in small doses. While worrying about my mates was taking a toll on me, drinking wasn’t how I wanted to handle my daily stress.
I was about to throw the mini drone we used as a ball at my remaining glasses when a familiar presence pressed against my mental shields.
Gasping, I dropped my ball.
The brush could only mean one thing: Someone was trying to break through my mental shields, even while Vowels protected my mind.
“Selena, are you okay?” Tori asked, her voice laced with concern. “Did something happen?”
“I need to find Kaede.” I waved, leaving her calling my name behind me as I dashed toward the bridge.
Someone was reaching out for me, and it wasn’t my nestmates.
The bridge doors slid open too slowly. I burst through the entryway and Kaede jerked in my direction, teleporting closer as soon as he read my expression.
“What’s the matter, Selena?” He scanned my body, his slitted eyes searching for something he couldn’t find. “Why are you in such a rush?”
Vowels materialized in all his golden glow beside me, addressing both of us.
“Oeta is requesting communication.”
The room dinged as violet YUO fabricated next to the vidscreens along the far wall. “Agent B, A, N, EZ, and Q are all requesting contact, do we accept?”
“Yes, accept,” Kaede ordered YUO. “They are family.”
Turning his attention to my golden Oetsae, he nodded. “Euouae, tell Oeta that Selena and I will reach out to her later. I need to speak with my sisters and rejoin the family network. She will understand what that means.”
Almost instantly, the light pressure upon my head lifted.
“She asks me to relay that she will be waiting for you both to contact her.”
“Thank you, Vowels.” I sighed. I was relieved that Oeta was reaching out instead of Xenak, though I wouldn’t put it past him to try something again even if his brother were
