by Jade Waltz
As we stopped in front of his door, I realized his cabin sat between the lifts and my own suite. I knew his cabin was marked on the ship’s directory, and its location made sense in terms of being a strategic location for my protection, but I’d never needed to look up exactly where he was staying.
Kaede’s door opened, and we entered.
I examined his cabin curiously. I had only seen the infirmary recovery room and my current suite. The walls and ceiling were metallic silver like the rest of the ship, and black carpet covered the floor. His common room looked similar to my own but smaller, with only a single couch and a pair of chairs grouped around a center table. He had a drink dispenser and a data screen along the wall, but his data screen was connected by wires to a portable stand containing computers and other gadgets. I assumed they were part of his job.
Eying the additional doors, he noticed my curiosity and said with a chuckle, “Not much different from your Royal Suite, just smaller.” He pointed to the left. “Bedroom and bath. The others lead to a guest bathroom and a storage room. Have a seat, and I can get us drinks. What would you like?”
He walked over to the drink dispenser as I collapsed on the couch with a sigh. Leaning back to get comfortable, I grinned at him.
“I’ve enjoyed playing the ‘surprise me’ game with Xylo. Everything is new to me, so I have few favorites. It’s fun trying new things. Haven’t found anything I dislike either.”
He selected two drinks and brought them over.
He handed me a familiar dark cup, steam rolling off the rim. I cradled it carefully in both hands and sniffed, inhaling the familiar sweet herbal scent of green tea.
I giggled.
Kaede had served me the same drink Xylo had that first night. I was touched Kaede had remembered something so minor. It was also the tea that smelled like Xylo, and I wondered if Kaede knew.
“What’s funny?” Kaede asked, sounding confused.
“You really have been paying attention. This is the drink Xylo served me. I’d thought you’d give me something you liked or something you thought I’d like.”
He set his drink down on the table and focused his attention on me.
“I assumed you liked that one, and since I tend to keep my cabin cooler than yours, I didn’t want you to get cold”—he shrugged—“so I got you something warm. Do you want me to grab you a blanket from my bedroom?”
Now that he’d pointed it out, his cabin was slightly chillier than mine. “Thanks, I’d appreciate it.”
As I sipped my tea, he brought a dark green blanket—the same material as the silver ones on my bed—and tucked it carefully around me. He sat beside me when he finished, careful not to sit on the legs I had tucked up beside me, then turned to face me.
“How do you want to do this?”
“I don’t know. Are you really so scary, you’re worried you’ll cause me to go into labor?” I asked, tilting my head to the side as I examined him. A sly smirk pulled at my lips.
“Some considered me to be. I don’t want you to be disgusted or afraid of me after I show you. That’s my biggest fear. How am I supposed to protect you if you’re scared of me?”
To my surprise, he seemed serious. I leaned forward and placed my hand on his knee. He looked down at it.
“I promise I’m open-minded. I’m used to a variety of species, and as far as I can tell, you don’t have any extra appendages. You’re bipedal like me. And I don’t judge someone’s worth based on their looks. How someone behaves is what matters. Who they are, instead of what they are. I mean, I’m attracted to both Xylo and Odelm, and they are quite different.”
Kaede looked up at me, considering for a moment.
“I need to dim the lights for this. My eyes are extremely sensitive to the light. It’s one of the primary reasons I wear this visor all the time. I can’t handle all the light on the ship and do better in the dark. The mystery helping my job is just a side benefit. Just promise me you won’t scream and run off.”
I squeezed his knee, surprised at how pliable and spongy his bodysuit felt.
I whispered with a smile, “I promise I won’t run off. I asked you to do this, and I won’t make you regret it.”
He touched a button on the ship’s wristband and the lights dimmed as the curtains lowered. Only the filtered light coming in from the terrarium remained.
He turned away and placed both of his elbows on his knees with a sigh. Leaning forward, he grabbed the visor with both hands, his fingers moving as though he was hitting a release or a button. The front of his visor slid forward, taking the attached green cloth drape with it. He was twisted slightly and was able to pull the entire thing free. He looked at the visor in his hands for a moment before placing it on the table between our drinks.
I studied it for a few moments before returning my focus on him. His hair hid his face from me like a black curtain as he remained frozen, his arms resting on his legs.
“Kaede?”
He didn’t respond or move.
I pushed the blanket off my lap and slid to my knees in front of him. He didn’t move—almost as if he wasn’t even aware of my presence. With both hands, I reached out to touch his face.
His gloved hands grabbed my wrists, halting me.
“Are you sure you want to do this, Selena? You can’t unsee it.” His voice was raw with emotion, and I wondered why.
“Yes.”
He gave a slight nod and sighed, releasing my hands and allowing his own to fall back on his knees.
I cupped his face in my hands and tilted his face up to mine.
A gasp escaped my lips before I could prevent it, and my heart sped up.
Kaede looked almost human.
His eyes were neon-green with a thin black pupil down the center—much like all the pictures I’d seen of snakes on Earth. He had no eyelashes, and I watched his eyelids close as he blinked. Above his eyes were eyebrows the same blue-black as his hair. His nose was small, with an angular point at the end, yet it was human. His lips were like mine, but thinner and black. Two long, thin fangs were visible at the upper corners of his lips.
I could feel lines beneath my fingers. It made me curious. I tilted my palms away to reveal thin scars bisecting the beige skin covering Kaede's angular cheeks. My eyes roamed his face, as my fingers traced the marks of the injuries done to him.
He shuddered in my hands and closed his eyes.
I paused. “Are you okay? Am I hurting you?”
“No. I’ve just never met someone who wasn’t repulsed by how I looked. I’m both shocked and relieved, but I’m afraid to make any sudden movements for fear of frightening you.”
I placed a finger under his chin to lift his face, forcing him to look at me. Using my free hand, I brushed back his hair—the strands thick and silky as they ran through my fingers. Curious about his horns, I traced the knobs and ridges along their length, feeling the coolness and rigidity of the bone.
He shuddered again from my touch.
I wondered if his horns were sensitive, or whether his shudder was an emotional reaction. Not wanting to test him, I refrained from touching his long pointy ears—though I was tempted.
Brushing his hair back once more, I whispered. “Kaede, look at me.”
He squeezed his eyes shut harder and blew out a breath before opening his eyes. His neon-green eyes traced over my face before they locked onto mine.
He looked fragile in my hands as if his soul was begging me to accept him—asking for me not to be afraid and for his appearance not to ruin the beginnings of a friendship between us. Kaede reminded me of myself, wanting to be seen and valued as a person, not by how he looked.
Another kindred spirit.
“Kaede. I don’t know why you were so afraid to show me how you looked.” My voice was low and gentle as I tried to soothe his worries.
He jerked away from me as if I had shocked him.
I removed my hands away and clasped them in front of me.
“Are you serio
us? You aren’t scared of me?”
I shook my head. “Didn’t my actions tell you that? To be honest, I think you’re quite attractive even with all of your scars.”
His mouth dropped open in shock, and I caught a glimpse of his long, thin, black, forked tongue. Following the direction of my gaze, he snapped his mouth shut.
“I don’t believe it.” His eyes hardened and his expression closed.
I noticed my knees were getting stiff from kneeling, and I was getting chilly again. I decided he also probably needed space to process everything. I stood and took half a step toward the couch only to stumble, throwing out a hand to try and catch myself on the table.
Before I could even reach it, hands wrapped around my hips and caught me, setting me upright.
I gasped, unable to credit the speed with which Kaede moved.
Afraid he’d scared or hurt me, Kaede yanked his hands back and put them in the air.
“It’s okay, Kaede. You just surprised me with how fast you moved. I’ve never seen anyone move that fast.” I looked straight at him, staring into his eyes to show I was telling the truth.
“I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Rolling my eyes, I walked around the table and back to my seat, tucking my legs next to me on the couch. Kaede hurriedly tucked the blanket around me again and handed me my tea.
I took a sip of the cooling tea and studied him.
He returned to his spot on the couch but kept shifting in his seat, staring fixedly at the table. He was clearly uncomfortable.
“Kaede. If you’d feel more comfortable putting your visor back on, it’s okay. But you don’t ever have to wear it around me. I’m being honest when I say I’m not afraid of you. You have a unique beauty all your own—much like I see in both Xylo and Odelm. I truly don’t see the big deal.”
He tilted his head in my direction and squinted his eyes. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. I mean, I understand you can’t see well in bright lights, so you need your visor, but if we’re ever alone like this, feel free to dim the lights and take your visor off. I bet you’d feel better not having to wear it all the time. It must get annoying.”
I watched him study me and was glad I could finally see his eyes as he did so.
“My visor does much more than protect my eyes from the light, but I’ll think about it if we’re alone like this.”
He turned away from me and grabbed his visor. He reached behind his head, lifting his hair to thread it through the visor’s rear gap. Once the visor was back in its original position, he allowed his hair to fall over it. Using both hands, he pulled the front of the visor down and secured it before pressing a few buttons at the sides. Then he grabbed his drink and took a sip—once again from beneath his cloth drape.
“I appreciate you being honest with me, Selena. I just never met someone who didn’t find me hideous. It’s taking a bit to sink in.”
I smiled and took another sip of my drink.
Perhaps Kaede used his visor as a shield to protect himself from others—to prevent others reacting poorly or rejecting him. More importantly, I could tell—from the quick glance I’d gotten of the inside—it was high-tech. It’d be foolish to assume it was just to protect his eyes or his feelings. I wondered how large a role his visor played in his abilities. He was powerful—he’d proven he could fully control ten drones simultaneously and had mentioned even greater feats. His visor must be part of it and part of why he was so resistant to taking it off.
“Thank you, Kaede. I know that wasn’t easy for you. I’ll remember this moment, and hopefully, we can use it to begin to build a friendship.”
He tilted his head in acknowledgment. “I would like that.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Odelm
Odelm stood, amazed, in the doorway of the room that now held his belongings.
He knew his collection of instruments took a lot of space—he owned more things than most as the son of two merchants—but he could not believe it all fit, with room to spare. Each of the five spare rooms in the Royal Suites was as large as his entire cabin.
There had been no problem updating his registry. The princes had approved it—perhaps a little surprised—wishing him and Selena well. Xylo had found a few others to help transfer Odelm’s belongings, and the entire move had gone quickly and painlessly. He was the only one still struggling to catch up with the changes.
He glanced at his wristband and noticed the time.
It was getting late.
Odelm closed his door and returned to the social space. Xylo nursed a silver drink, staring out over the terrarium.
“I thought Selena would be here by now,” Odelm said to his nestbrother, concerned at her long absence.
“Check your bond thread,” Xylo said absently, his focus clearly elsewhere. “You should be able to feel her enough to tell she is well. She is with Kaede in his cabin. I am testing him—I want to see what he does with her.”
Odelm closed his eyes and focused on the faint golden thread that connected him to Selena. His bond thread was limited, allowing him only to bypass her mental shields enough to detect any high emotions her aura projected. A few times he’d picked up loudly broadcast thoughts since their bonding, but nothing compared to what the Wudox were able to hear. Right now, her aura was indeed calm, lessening his worry.
“I can sense she is calm, but that does not explain why she is not here.”
Xylo turned around and faced him. “I am assuming she is sleeping, given the peacefulness she is projecting. My question is why she is not sleeping here, where she belongs.”
Their wristbands beeped simultaneously with incoming messages.
Odelm flipped his wristband’s screen up and clicked to read the incoming message.
“SELENA IS SAFE WITH ME IN MY CABIN. WE DECIDED TO COME HERE AND TALK. SHE FELL ASLEEP. I DIDN’T WANT TO DISTURB HER WHILE YOU FINISHED UP. -K”
Odelm reread the message a few times before shutting his wristband’s screen.
He looked up at Xylo.
“I am assuming you got the same message?” Xylo asked, glancing down at Odelm’s wristband.
“About Selena falling asleep in Kaede’s cabin?”
“Yes. It seems Kaede passed my test. Let us go get our nestqueen and bring her back where she belongs.”
Odelm followed Xylo down the hall, but he still could not figure out why Xylo had felt he needed to test Kaede. From what he had seen, Kaede was a respectable male who had been hired to protect her.
Why would Xylo doubt him?
Certainly, some nestmates might feel threatened by an outside male helping protect their nestqueen, but Selena was a unique case. Xylo had proven he was not threatened, given he had not minded Odelm spending so much time alone with Selena. Given all the obstacles facing her, he seemed to feel they could use any help they could get to keep her safe and healthy. But if Xylo saw something that bore watching in Kaede, Odelm would keep a watchful eye on him as well.
As they approached the lift, Xylo stretched a hand out toward a nearby door scanner, but it opened before his hand connected. He paused, glancing with surprise at his hand before walking cautiously through the doorway. Odelm followed right behind him, scanning the room as he entered.
Kaede sat in one of the chairs along the terrarium wall, typing on his armband. Selena lay on her side stretched out on the couch, a dark green blanket spread over her. Her face was serene, silver hair spread across the pillow her head rested on. Kaede closed his armband’s screen with a snap and stood, nodding to them both.
“She wanted to talk to me here and fell asleep shortly after having a cup of hot tea. I left her here to sleep, knowing you were still moving Odelm’s things, and it would be hectic in your suite. I knew you’d look for her once you were done. If I assumed wrong or worried you, I’m sorry,” Kaede whispered, trying not to wake Selena.
Odelm surveyed the dimly lit room. His gaze landed on the table in the center of the seating area, and he n
oticed the empty mug near Selena. His eyes roamed over her once more before he returned his gaze to Kaede.
Xylo spoke up, “You assumed correctly. Thank you for keeping an eye on her. I did not want her trying to help. She would have insisted on carrying things. A lot of Odelm’s belongings were too heavy for her to lift, especially in her pregnant state.”
Kaede studied Odelm for a moment before returning his gaze to Xylo.
“I’d like to take a more active part in Selena’s daily life. I’ve been supervising her from a distance since I arrived, but I’d like to play a more active role. It’s likely I will be assigned as her permanent Head of Security once we arrive at CEG HQ. Earning your trust, and hers, would make the job of keeping all of you safe much easier. I’d like us to become friends.”
Odelm was stunned. He would not have thought Kaede capable of that level of emotion or that he would wish to become close to them all. He tried to get a read on Kaede’s aura, but his mental shields were too strong. Kaede’s emotions were mute to him.
“What did you have in mind?” Odelm asked.
Sometimes, he was able to sense when others were lying, and he wondered if he could do so if he kept Kaede talking.
“I’d like to continue going with you to breakfast and the infirmary each morning. I know you want to give Selena swimming lessons before lunch, and the exercise is good for her. I can use that time here to do my work. Then I figured I could meet up with you and Selena for lunch. Perhaps help Selena with her research while we listened to your performance. I can either join you for dinner or leave you alone if you wish some private time as a clan. It can be flexible. I just thought it might benefit Selena to take advantage of the nine years I have spent in close association with the Aldawi and CEG.” Kaede shrugged, keeping his tone matter-of-fact.
Odelm glanced at Xylo. He liked Kaede’s plan but knew Xylo felt hesitant about trusting Kaede. A mental brush came across his shields. Odelm grabbed the teal strand that matched his nestbrother’s eyes and accepted it, allowing Xylo to bypass his mental shields.