by Jade Waltz
In another time and place, I would have attempted to flirt with her, wanting to kiss those lush lips of hers. It didn’t matter to me that she lacked wings and a beak or had flat, five-toed feet that lined up in the front, leaving her heels bare. She was beautiful to me despite our differences.
I’d become concerned for her safety once I saw that both her toes and fingers lacked claws, leaving her naturally defenseless. No wonder her human ancestors had been easily conquered. Their teeth weren’t even sharp enough to adequately defend against an enemy.
“Anyway, let’s get going.” B turned toward the door, which automatically swooshed open for her. “I want to confirm your innocence so that we can move forward. Perhaps I can help Kaica with her mission once Oeta finishes scrying you.”
“Why would Kaica need your help?”
She glanced over her shoulder as sadness flooded her eyes.
“Xylo and Odelm may not make it.”
Four
Bryeca
We made it through the palace halls without incident. I hadn’t expected a problem, but emotions were running high due to the recent change in rule, so I decided I’d rather be safe than sorry. A female and a Quaww walking amongst the Aldawi could’ve been bad news, but luckily most of the males within the palace knew not to mess with the Fab Five. Now that Z was in charge, we wielded more power than ever.
Mess with his clan and be prepared to die. As Zirene’s personal super-soldiers, we were an extension of his family.
I’d like to see Z get his paws on anyone connected to Selena’s kidnapping. If I were the Quaww merchant who had started this all, I would hide on some remote planet and pray to the Stars that Z didn’t catch a whiff of my hidden location.
After speaking with Oeta, I was even more positive that my gut feelings about Qran were accurate. But I also knew that evidence was vital to prove his innocence. I couldn’t allow my personal feelings about him to cloud my judgment.
What she had told me about Kaede had shaken me. If my brother had kept his spacecraft a secret from us all this time, did that make me a poor leader? Did he really think he couldn’t trust his sisters?
Perhaps Z had been right to criticize our behavior toward him. While we were having fun on our hunting missions, Kaede had been stuck guarding Selena while she remained hidden in the safety of her villa for a month.
With the new technology available to us, Kaede could have accomplished many things in an uneventful month. Selena’s team had been able to build most of Destima’s new buildings within a week with the gems and bots. Who knew what in the Stars’ creation Kaede had been able to do within that time?
“Are we going to travel in silence? Or will you tell me what’s bothering you?”
I opened my eyes and glanced at the cockpit door.
Qran was leaning against the threshold with his arms crossed, only the faint glimmer of his golden beak showing from underneath his hood.
“Why should I tell you?”
“Because deep down, you know that I was just a victim in the wrong place and time. I’m still on your side.” He sat down on the Co-Captain’s chair as if he belonged there, crossing his arms as he leaned back and kicked his taloned feet onto the edge of the control panel. “Now, let’s act as if I’m not bare-feathered and you aren’t taking me to get my memories searched. Tell me what’s wrong.”
I checked in with LUO, who reported that we were still a few hours away from Destima, even with our superior engines. We were only halfway through our journey.
How could I trust myself around Qran?
We were alone on my personal ship, Furious, where we had spent intimate times together between missions, away from my siblings.
“Why do you want to know what’s bothering me?” I mumbled and glanced out the cockpit’s window, watching the star systems fly by. “Shouldn’t you be more worried about what Oeta will see?”
“That would be a waste of time,” he muttered. “I offered to be searched, even though it’s a procedure only done to criminals.”
“What if she sees more than you want?” I licked my lips nervously. “I heard what happened to the Circuli princes when they scried Selena. They saw everything.”
“What are you afraid of, B?” His melodic voice struck a chord within me, forcing me to face him. “That she will see how much I want you to be mine?”
My heart fluttered within my chest.
Oh, how I yearned to be with him and for all of this trouble to be over.
Traveling amongst the stars alone, with only my AI for company, was difficult, especially now that we were searching for Selena. In the past, our missions had never been this complicated and time-consuming.
Who knew how long it would take to get Selena back?
Instead of helping my siblings with the search, I was stuck escorting Qran to Destima. Treating him like a criminal even though I believed he was innocent felt cruel, like a harsh punishment from Z or the Stars themselves.
“Why do you keep saying that?” I asked, my voice wavering. “Why can’t you be happy with being friends—Stars, coworkers—who are only relieving an itch between missions?”
“An itch?” His pale eyes dimmed. “You promised you would give us a chance. Why are you going back on your word?”
Shaking my head, I closed my eyes as I tried to battle the wave of emotions coursing through me.
“Don’t make me cuff you to the pole in the storage bay until we arrive,” I muttered, my threat sounding weak even to my ears.
“We both know you wouldn’t do it,” he said softly. “If you didn’t trust me, you would’ve bound me for the trip. Instead, you’ve allowed me full reign of your ship because you know that I won’t do a thing.”
His words hurt, but only because they were true.
I had trusted him enough to sleep with him—not once but multiple times over the years—so it was only natural for me to allow him to roam around.
“What is preventing you from being with me?” he sighed. “How many times do I have to do a mating dance before you accept me?”
I opened my eyes to see him staring intently at me.
“You don’t want me, just the idea of me. Why ruin our working relationship? Can’t we go back to what we were?”
“Because there’s no one else I want.”
“Trust me. You wouldn’t want me if you knew what secret I’ve been hiding,” I mumbled as tears started to stream down my face. “Go find yourself a flock or build one with other females.”
He swiftly tore his hood from his head. “What female would want someone like me, B?” he spat. “My chances with females are over. My feathers won’t grow back for at least a year, and it may take another just to groom them into their perfect shape. Even then, no one will want me, a lone Quaww without a nest or flock.”
“So I’m just supposed to accept you out of pity?”
“No, but I thought you wouldn’t be petty or shallow about my shortcomings, considering everything we’ve been through.” He stood, glaring. “Is that why you don’t want me? Because I am now hideous, disabled, and unable to fly?”
I shook my head. “No, that isn’t it at all!”
“Then what is it? Why don’t you want me?”
“I can’t tell you!”
“Then, this conversation is over.” Qran strode to the doorway and sneered over his shoulder. “I thought you were better than this. I no longer know what I saw in you.”
Five
Qraniebi
We landed flawlessly onto the landing pad at the Fab Five’s base.
I expected nothing less from B, but I wasn’t going to tell her that—not after our argument.
She was hiding something from me. What secret could be so bad that she thought it would drive me away?
We were both elite soldiers working for the same male and knew many secrets across the galaxy due to our similar professions. Other than her siblings and perhaps Selena and her clan, I didn’t know who I would be able to trust wit
h the knowledge that I’d gathered.
This only added to my frustration about her rejection.
It wasn’t like I could easily mate with any other female, including ones I could pay for a bit of pleasure. I belonged to one of the most disliked species in the CEG and worked as a mercenary, therefore, I am a walking target. For the right price, anyone I met might be hired to kill me.
I would rather use my hand than hire someone for a quick lay only to get a dagger in the back.
I knew that from experience. Surprisingly, it was one of the easiest ways to assassinate a target.
But the danger didn’t explain B’s sudden change of heart. She already believed I was innocent; she just needed to go through the motions to confirm it officially. Though I understood her actions, I had still taken out my anger on her and been harsh with her. I had realized my mistake as soon as I had left the cockpit, but I had been too proud—and perhaps stupid—to turn around and fix it.
The damage had already been done.
I was a broken male with nothing to look forward to.
Once Oeta proved what I had been saying all along, what would be left for me? I had no ship, no crew, and no one to go home to.
The only female I wanted had broken her promise to consider an exclusive relationship with me.
A ding filled the storage bay. Tilting my head in its direction, I found B, dressed in her tight black-and-purple trimmed suit with a pair of cuffs dangling from one finger.
I smirked and held out my wrists. “Have you changed your mind and decided to have your way with me after all?”
“You wish.” She rolled her eyes and walked over. “You know full well that I can’t let you walk off my ship as a free man. Z would have my feathers if he knew that I allowed you loose in here.”
“Z doesn’t need to know,” I whispered, holding her bright-blue gaze. “It can be our little secret.”
She clasped a handcuff onto my wrist and stilled, narrowing her eyes. “You sure know how to drill in a point, don’t you?” B snapped the other into place, tightening both just enough to sting.
“You know how much I love when you get tough with me,” I cooed, making her cheeks darken.
“If you don’t stop it, I will make sure you remain in these cuffs,” she snapped as she turned to open the ship’s bay door.
The ramp lowered, revealing a sunset against a darkening sky.
Oceanic winds blew against my robe, threatening to reveal my bare head in the moonlight. Another time I would’ve welcomed the wind, but now its brush was just another bitter reminder of my crew’s betrayal.
Vagren and Oeta welcomed us, dressed in Aldawi uniforms with stern looks on their faces. Instantly, I schooled my expression to reflect the seriousness of the situation as I followed B down the ramp.
Vagren snarled, and his puffed-up tail swished wildly. “You dare betray my brother after everything he’s done for you? You are lucky your feathers are plucked out already, or I would’ve done it myself to make toys for the cubs to play hunt-and-prey with.”
“I will have none of that here.” Oeta glared at the Aldawi male and flared her purple, stained-glass-like wings, blocking Vagren’s view. “You’re not in charge here; I am. Until I need your help concerning the moon and its citizens, you may go.”
“I am completely within my rights to be here—”
“Sovereign Zirene put me in charge of Qraniebi’s fate, not you,” she hissed, turning to face the angry male with both wings fully extended. Her black skin’s fuchsia glow flared brighter, along with her mohawk. “I am fully capable of handling this male. You may think me weak, but my mental powers are strong enough to mute the entire island if I see fit.”
“And my brother trusted you?”
A burst of chilly laughter rolled from the Chamber Master’s daughter.
If I didn’t know how strongly both her and her father worked to remain neutral in all disputes, I would’ve feared Oeta’s power. But they never abused their powers, beyond sometimes accidentally overhearing loud thoughts and unshielded conversations.
The Circuli princes had told me they struggled to constantly block out their population's mental web, though their shields had grown stronger since they had joined Selena’s clan. Mwe and Oeta had a harder time even though they were more powerful because their mental range was much more extensive than the Circuli princes’. Everyone within range was a part of their web, whether they liked it or not.
It was fortunate that Oeta had discovered the mental signature of Selena’s stalker and had passed it along to her father. The two of them would be able to prevent the male from ever attempting to contact her again, as long as she remained within their range.
The farther she traveled from Mwe or Oeta, the harder it became for them to accurately trace her, which was why the Fab Five only had a general idea of Selena’s location.
However, I had great faith that she would be quickly found. Knowing a general area saved time and energy, so the Fab Five weren’t aimlessly searching every direction.
Kaede and Z had doubts about trusting Oeta and her father because they held many secrets they’d gathered over the years, which was why both of them had avoided the area around the CEG Space Station until Oeta had been invited to join Xylo’s research team. Her extensive medical knowledge and mental capabilities were a great asset to the clan. Now Z and Kaede were forced to deal with Oeta living on Destima with access to any information its citizens held.
“Why wouldn’t Zirene trust me?”
“Because—”
“I would bite your tongue if I were you,” B snapped. “Making accusations without evidence can get you in trouble. I understand everything went through a black hole two days ago, but that doesn’t mean you can turn on each other. Your brother is now the ruler and has put you in charge of overseeing this moon while Selena is missing, and the Circuli princes are dealing with their clan falling apart. You know you don't belong here, but you’ve come anyway because Qraniebi is a Quaww.” She cocked her head to the side. “If I had to guess, you’re hoping he is guilty, so you get an excuse to sink your teeth into his throat. I get it. Emotions are high, and you have been stuck managing this moon for many years, itching to protect what’s yours. Well, at this moment, Qraniebi is your brother’s property, and Oeta and I are his keepers. So unless you want me to report to the Aldawi Sovereign what a sorry ishing frax you are and how a lone female had to put you in your place, I would advise you to run off while you have some pride left.”
A loud snarl broke through the air, but the lack of a dominant aura proved that he knew she was right. If Vagren attacked either of them, he would have to answer to his brother.
No one in the Aldawi Empire wanted to be the focus of their ruler’s attention, at least until his Nova, the new Beacon, had returned safely.
After a few moments of silence, Oeta folded her wings, tucking them tightly against her back.
A pang of jealousy coursed through me, my robe’s weight upon my bare wings, reminding me of what I had lost. If only I had wings like hers—solid and featherless like the Caurg and Euvrel—then I would at least still be able to fly.
A grounded Quaww was like an Ulax in the desert or a Wudox in the middle of the ocean—worthless and unable to survive without help.
Oeta turned toward me, her face filled with a wave of fierce anger as her fuchsia eyes locked onto mine. “I am sorry you had to deal with that. No matter how many times I told him he wasn’t needed, he still followed me up here. I will make sure I report Vagren’s behavior to Sovereign Darcaw when I speak to him about my findings. His words were uncalled for, no matter how distressing our current situation may be. If everyone took out their anger and frustration on another without cause, this galaxy would be in a constant war.” Her gaze flicked between B and me, and she pursed her lips. “It only takes one person to create change, whether good or bad. That individual can either start or end a movement.”
“You’re talking about Selena, aren’
t you?”
Oeta smiled as if she knew the ending of a story before it had a chance to begin.
“Selena, Kaede, you, me.” She shrugged. “Each one of us is connected in some form. It is up to you to determine how you want to join the web of life.”
In times like this, I wished I had studied the Cosmic Order. Many followers across the galaxy believed all beings were connected in some way. I knew Kaede was a believer, or at least had studied the teachings to occupy himself while traveling between missions.
The Cosmic Order had taught Kaede that when someone died, they became stars until they were reborn. He said such insane things sometimes; I almost suspected the Yaarkins had done something to his mind. His farewell speech to Selena had been something else.
I pitied Selena for hearing that. I couldn’t fathom her waking up from cryo-sleep while the last thing she remembered was some bizarre nonsense about being connected and reborn. How could Kaede live with himself, giving her false hope?
However, I’m not sure how I would have acted in his place. If something were to happen to B, I would probably say anything to keep her fighting to survive, even if I had to pull make-believe Cosmic Order nonsense out of my beak.
I hoped I would never suffer like Kaede had, yearning for B from afar and never acting on my feelings. As soon as Oeta officially cleared my name, I would make sure to get B alone and confess.
“Where are we going to do this?” Oeta asked, smirking.
I could tell she had overheard my thoughts by the way her eyes twinkled with secrets, though I was annoyed it was mine she had just learned.
“We can use the spare guest room in the mountain base,” B said, her gaze flicking between Oeta and me. “I don’t want to go down to the villa in case . . .”