by Jade Waltz
“Welcome to Zero G-Spot. This afternoon’s show will be performed by Xenja and Masmi. Give a hand to these lovely ladies,” announced the advertiser from outside. I tried looking around and couldn’t find in him in the darkness, the cylinders and stage making it impossible to survey the room.
No one clapped. I felt bad, so I stood up from my seat and clapped as loudly as I could. Hands grabbed me and pulled me back down in my seat.
“Selena, what are you doing?” Z’fir hissed.
“Isn’t that what you are supposed to do?”
“No,” my Circuli mates said.
The music started back up as the tops of both cylinders opened, allowing a figure to drop into each one.
The water cylinder held an aquatic species—one more fish than the Ulax. Her scales were golden with a green tint along the sides. She had two legs, but her feet were large green flippers. There were huge green fin-like wings under her arms, and her fingers had green webbing between them. There was a single golden antenna-like horn on top of her head that glowed teal. She didn’t have hair; instead, a large, teal, fan-like dorsal fin ran along her back.
The other cylinder was a zero-gravity container. The female who dropped in was a younger Euvrel than the shopkeeper. She was light blue-gray and had a more agile figure. Her tail blade was whole and shaped like a hook. Her long black hair flew wildly in the cylinder as she floated in the middle.
She was also naked.
I watched their performance. They were in sync as they danced to the music in three dimensions, in two separate mediums.
I couldn’t fathom how they could do what they were doing, and why the room was empty. The dancers were elegant and seemed to be very talented—not that I would know, since this was the first show I had ever seen. The music was too loud for my taste, either designed that way to prevent conversations or create false privacy between tables. One thing was for sure, they were hypnotic. Just like listening to Odelm playing his music, I could watch them all day and never get sick of it.
“Odelm, is that you?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Selena
“Is that you, son?” another male asked behind us, the exact moment the music died down.
The performance was over.
I turned around to see two blurry figures on the edge of my vision, walking toward us. It was too bright from the stage to see exactly who they were, but the word “son” stood out and made it obvious they were Odelm’s fathers—or at least close enough to him to consider him their son.
I faced Odelm, who stiffened under my gaze, mouth ajar, trying to figure out what to do.
An Ulax and Wudox male pair walked around our booth and stopped in front Odelm with confused expressions as they surveyed our group.
They were plain in coloring compared to my nestmates. The Ulax male was a medium gray with green stripes and eyes while the Wudox male was a dark brown with orange and green speckles, his eyes a warm gold.
When their gazes landed on me, they paused slightly before continuing on to the princes. As the realization of who they were hit them, they jerked into a salute. “Sires…”
Z’fir raised his hand, cutting them off. “No need for formalities. Technically, we were banished and stripped of our titles, but as you know, Circul enjoys remaining cut off from the CEG, so few outsiders know this.”
“But Sire… why are you here? Of all places?” the Ulax male asked, confused.
“We are enjoying ourselves,” V’dim replied. “It’s been a while since we have been off our ship.”
“What are you doing here, fathers?” Odelm’s voice seemed… off.
They turned their attention to him and smiled.
“We just sold our recent run and wanted to celebrate before we start making purchases,” the Wudox male responded.
“We heard rumors there was a small Circuli colony ship docked. While we were making deliveries, we came across a few of your crew members along the way and asked if you were still with them. When they confirmed, we tried reaching out to you but weren’t able to make it through,” the Ulax male explained.
“We went to where the Destiny is docked and asked a few guards. They said they couldn’t reach you either, but you were staying with the Aldawi.”
“One even said you were mated!”
“Is it true, son? Are you bonded to a nestqueen?” the Ulax male asked, looking between Odelm, Xylo, and me.
“Yes,” Odelm confirmed proudly as one of his tentacles snaked around Xylo and wrapped itself around my wrist. “I am honored to be chosen and accepted in a clan. This is my nestqueen, Selena, and my nestbrother, Xylo.”
They turned toward me with confused expressions. “But son, why here? And why is she wearing garments?”
“Why is she hiding?”
“That is none of your concern,” Xylo growled.
“She doesn’t feel… right,” Odelm’s Ulax father said.
“That is because I am not Circuli,” I announced. “I didn’t know it was a requirement to be naked all the time. I would have thought Odelm’s manners came from his fathers, but it seems he learned them on his own.”
I pulled back my hood, no longer caring who knew I was a female—and a trans-human at that. My nestmates, now four of them, should be able to protect me in this empty establishment. If they couldn’t, perhaps I should entertain adding Kaede to my clan; he was a one-man army by himself.
The males staggered back and tried to recollect themselves from my outburst, but I wouldn’t allow it.
“Both Xylo and Odelm are mine,” I explained. “The princes are as well—just not permanently yet. And no, I don’t have any Favored, but that doesn’t mean I don’t take what is mine.”
A wide smirk filled my face as I watched them try to piece together what just happened.
“Fathers,” Odelm warned. “Selena treats me well. I am accepted for who I am. Please show courtesy for who she is.”
“A human?” Odelm’s Wudox father asked, studying me. “They still exist?”
“It wasn’t a rumor after all.”
“Yes, I exist.” I inhaled a few breaths to help calm myself. “Now, I am assuming you want to catch up with your son, especially since it has been years since you have last seen him in person. How about you join us for our late afternoon meal, and we get to know each other a little better? It seems like you missed the show earlier, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time.”
“Thank you, Selena,” Odelm said.
Odelm’s fathers hesitated and glanced at each other. “We would love to.”
The table shifted toward the princes, leaving enough space for Odelm’s fathers to sit next to him.
The Quaww waitress from earlier showed up with a cart filled with our order. She scrambled to pass everything and asked what Odelm’s fathers wanted. When they replied they would have what we had, she hurried away.
“I am sorry, Selena,” Odelm said. “My fathers… they are usually more polite than this.”
“It’s not your fault. I’m not going to hold their actions against you. I understand it is a lot to take in… I just wish people would stop asking the same questions.”
“Introductions.” Xylo wrapped a vine around my shoulders. “This is Selena Darcaw—”
“You are mated to someone who bears the royal Aldawi name?” Odelm’s Wudox father asked, grabbing his arm.
“Yes, father.” He jerked his arm away. “It was a recent event.”
“And you are okay with it?” Odelm’s Ulax father questioned, studying him.
Odelm growled. “Does it matter?”
“No. It doesn’t,” I mumbled. “It doesn’t matter anymore. It can’t be changed.”
A heavy calm fell on me, traveling to the other members.
“That is enough,” V’dim barked. “Selena has been through enough. I am sure you heard rumors about her trial yesterday. If not, look it up in your spare time. It will open your eyes.” He sighed. “Look, we are here bec
ause we wanted to treat our nestqueen without worrying about judgments or responsibilities. Selena saved Z’fir and me from our mothers' wishes and agreed to establish a politically-arranged bonding to give the Destiny’s crew a new home. She is both intelligent and kind and cares very much about your son. I would think you would be proud your son joined a clan with a nestqueen who loves and cares for him.”
“You are right,” Odelm’s Wudox father said, glancing at me. “I am sorry, nestqueen Selena. It seems my partner Odevlyn and I have gotten ahead of ourselves.” He bowed his head. “I am Elmynx, Captain of my merchant ship, Abyssal Fire.”
“Our ship, Elm,” Odevlyn corrected.
“Right. Our ship.” He nodded apologetically at Odevlyn before turning toward the princes. “We heard rumors you were granted a place to settle. A moon. In the middle of the Aldawi territory. I assume the rumors are true, and this was granted to you by your new court bond?”
“What is it to you?” I asked as I leaned back, crossing my arms as I studied them.
Odevlyn met my gaze. “We always told Odelm that once the Destiny settles, we would return to be with him.” He sighed. “We may not look like it, but we are getting old. We can’t keep traveling the stars full-time anymore.”
“We hoped to help the settlement by doing supply runs until they are well established. Then we wanted to open a shop of our own, selling off-planet items at a fair price. Someone has to.”
“Xylo. Could you please contact Vagren and tell him to meet us here?”
“Selena… What are you doing?” Xylo asked, concerned.
“You should know. Can’t you read me?” I teased.
Xylo was trying to be polite and give me privacy by not focusing on reading my thoughts all the time, and I appreciated it. It still bothered me I couldn’t read their thoughts or feelings like they would do naturally with me all the time. That was the main disadvantage I felt of not being a Circuli nestqueen—being able to read what my nestmates were thinking about or calming them naturally at times of need would make communicating easier. I still felt there was an invisible wall between us. They could read and sense things from each other, yet I needed to discover and confirm them.
“He’s on his way,” Xylo announced. “Do I need to be worried?”
I smirked as I picked up one of the colorful drink samples off its tray and took a sip. I hummed in approval of the slightly tart, fruity drink.
“Keep up.”
At that moment, the waitress returned with the extra orders, but this time, she wasn’t alone. Trailing her was the same crimson-colored male from outside, equipped with a tablet. He surveyed our group with a pleasant smile as the waitress unloaded the extra samples.
“Sires…” he stuttered when his eyes landed on mine. “And lady. I am Erluh, owner of all this.” He raised his arms, gesturing to the room. “How has your time been so far here at Zero G-Spot? Is there anything I can help you with?”
“I believe we are fine. Our food and drinks are amazing. We are just catching up with each other,” Z’fir said, gesturing to the table.
Erluh leaned over to his waitress and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and left, taking the empty cart with her. Erluh watched her leave before turning to us. He opened his mouth to say something and cleared his throat.
“I was wondering why your group was at an establishment like this.” His eyes widened as he raised his hands, waving them as his tails moved wildly behind him. “Not to offend anyone, but I wondered why a group of males would take a female here instead of all the other places available. I mean, usually, males don’t come in here as a group… much less with a female.”
“Why is that?” I asked, curious. Perhaps he would be the one who would give me insight into this place. I saw nothing wrong with it.
He glanced at the others, his pleading them to help. When none came, he closed his eyes and deeply sighed, his tails wilting from their perky default position.
Finally, someone else was lost for words for once. It got old being the only one who didn’t know what to say when they found themselves in awkward social situations. The thing was, at least I had an excuse, which not many people knew about. But for an owner of an entertainment establishment on the CEG space station, he should have no problems leading a conversation or speaking to a female. He seemed to be able to talk to his waitress, so why not me? It wasn’t like we were alone.
“Because this is a male entertainment establishment—even though we have had a few females who have come who are attracted to the females. I heard the Circuli don’t actively… hunt for a breeder like most species do. Which makes me believe they are here because of you.”
“I wanted to see dancing. Simple as that. I didn’t know what kind of dancing there would be since none of my nestmates wanted to explain it to me,” I said, glaring at the offending males. “This is my first time on the space station where I don’t have obligations. If we are causing a problem, we can pay and leave.” I placed my glass on the table and scanned the nearly empty room. “But it seems like we are your only customers.”
“Stars, Selena,” Xylo cursed.
I glared at him. “You know it’s the truth!”
“No. She is right,” Erluh admitted, sighing in defeat. “I don’t know what to do. We opened a few moons ago, but as soon as it was discovered my ladies don’t sell themselves for favors, business tanked fast. I tried to bring something unique to the CEG station, but without customers, we won’t be able to pay rent. Then I will have to let my girls go and have them scramble to find work. I will feel guilty because they believed in my dream… my vision.”
“And what is that?” I asked, curious.
“I wanted to bring a new form of entertainment. Why do breeders… um… females have to sell themselves when things get rough? A lot of my females were abused or abandoned by the males who claimed to love them. They have few skills outside of serving and dancing. My goal was to create a place where they could feel safe performing without the obligation to sell their bodies. That is why I created this place. My sister was abused by her mate and hasn’t been the same since. She works in the back, dealing with the stock and staff costumes.”
“Lady Selena, I was told you requested my services,” Vagren announced as he walked around our booth and eyed the group. “Is there a problem?”
“No problem, Vagren. I need your insight on a few things about Destima,” I said, smiling.
He scanned the room before meeting my gaze. “Is this the best place for this?”
I waved him off. “I’m not going to go into that many details. I just need you to answer a few questions, and if things are the way I believe they are, we can have a more private discussion later.”
He pursed his lips as his tail jerked back and forth. “I will trust your judgment on this.”
“Excellent.” I studied the table and noticed everyone was watching me, waiting with a variety of expressions on their faces. All the males had finished most of their plates and drinks. I was the only one that still had most of their samples left.
“Can you make room for Erluh and Vagren? This may take some time, and I don’t want them to remain standing the whole time.”
The group shifted over as the two new additions sat on the same side as the princes. The table was cleaned off, other than my leftover items. New drinks were ordered, and introductions were made. Now we had a clean space, had freshened up, and knew who each other was, it was time for me to lead the meeting.
“Erluh, Elmynx, and Odevlyn, as you may know, I am the official Seedbearer to Prince Zirene Darcaw. What you haven’t been told is, I am also the new owner of Destima, the water moon of Lunkai, the capital of Aldawi’s second main star system. This means I can do whatever I want to the moon, within reason,” I explained, keeping my voice low.
“What are you saying?” Elmynx asked.
I smirked. “I am saying I have an offer for you three, if my elected enforcer Vagren approves, that is.”
Vagren nodded. “I am listening.”
I faced Odelm’s fathers. “Odelm and Xylo have mentioned a few times they wanted their fathers to relocate wherever we settle; that everyone shared the same desire of wanting to live near each other. I want to make two districts on my main island since there are two sides, split in half by the mountain ridge. My goal is to have one side for housing and necessities—like medical and the academy. It would make sense for them to be near the living spaces. I want the other side to be entertainment, filled with a music hall, theaters, bazaars, gambling, and,”—my gaze landed on Erluh—“any unique businesses that have something special to offer. You see, I want the residents of Destima to never want to leave but still have the chance to experience unique goods and services. Perhaps after the Destiny lands and everyone settles, whether that takes a few moons or years, we can open Destima to be a selective vacation spot. But at this moment, I want to provide the current—and soon to be new—residents something more than just the bare necessities.” I grabbed Xylo’s hand and glanced at him. “Plus, I made a deal to be studied. I’d rather have the place I am grounded on be filled with exotic things that both I and others have never experienced.”
“You aren’t going to prison, Selena,” Xylo murmured.
“No? Then why does it feel like it?”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Selena
Booming music, bright flashing lights, and a swirl of unknown scents assaulted me as Kaede’s sisters led me through the first floor of the dance club. The place was packed, everyone dancing and rubbing against each other, having a good time.
A male Caurig with two female Euvrels tucked under his wings, one wrapped in each arm, walked past on their way to the busy bar. We pushed past a pair of female Weru as they enjoyed being the center of attention of the horde of male Weru around them. They were dancing against each other, smiles on their faces while the males watched them with a fierce hunger.