by Jade Waltz
“You need to control yourself,” REI interjected. “The male isn’t a threat to you or your star, and you know it. If anything changes, he’ll be swiftly dealt with. Your mating instincts are making you view him as competition, but Selena has already addressed that she isn’t interested in exploring what he has to offer. You should leave if you’re unable to calm yourself before you do something you will regret. Continuing down this path isn’t healthy for either of you.”
“I’m fine,” Kaede pathed to his Oetsae, opening his eyes to see a worried Selena watching him. “As long as I have her by my side. I’m stronger than this.”
“You are mine to protect, Selena. Until we are within our borders, I can’t let my guard down for any reason, even though you tempt me to do so.” He searched the nervous doctor’s face, trying to get a read on him. “I don’t know what telepathic range either of your companions has. Your Cosmic Soul reached me from a three-day travel time away from the base, and that cyan frax was able to contact Selena on Destima. Therefore, until I’ve deemed Selena safe and Oeta has cleared all of you, she won’t be giving you any more information about herself. I don’t want a battle on my hands, but if you bring one to me, I won’t be taken by surprise again. You will lose.”
“I am a doctor, first and foremost, and a researcher second. I was thrust into employment with the twin commanders, left with no work but to study the abductees we’ve rescued. I’ve learned an extraordinary amount about species beyond my galaxy to provide them the care they need. It is my duty to provide my services to those in need.”
“Once Oeta proves your innocence, you can use that knowledge on Destima to help its citizens,” Kaede clipped. “Until then, Selena is off-limits. Let the Oetsae deal with her medical needs for the time being.”
“So you’ve said, but what does that mean for you?” Zyxel tilted his head toward Selena, his attention flickering between them. “I was just telling Selena that you are part Ezzaska before you returned. This is a dangerous game that you are playing.”
“Enlighten me.” Kaede grabbed Selena’s cup and took a sip, smirking at her silent objection. The beverage tasted bitter when cool, but it still satisfied. “What’s so bad that you are willing to risk angering me by warning my mate away from me?”
“I know how venomous Ezzaska are. When an alpha male goes into heat, it lasts for days—sometimes even weeks. He continues mating until he burns off his mating hormones. Your claim that you are mates makes things difficult.”
“How so?” Selena asked, her voice laced with concern as her worried eyes searched his. “Doesn’t that solve the problem?”
Zyxel shook his head. “Alpha Ezzaska don’t take life mates. In fact, it’s the beta who bonds with a queen to provide and care for her for life. Alphas mate with any betas or queens they encounter to spread their seed far and wide.”
“How often do they go into heat?” Selena squeezed Kaede’s leg as he rubbed her side to give her reassurance. “What does it mean for Kaede?”
“It means that somehow, if the Stars have willed you two together like you claim, that he will breed you—and only you—until the fire in his veins is no more,” Zyxel replied seriously. “If he has Ezzaska breeding venom, then he will inject you until your arousal becomes unbearable unless he quenches it. When a beta or queen is the only available Ezzaska around, even if they are tired or unwilling, the alpha will inject them with a paralyzing venom and rape them endlessly. It’s a terrible part of Ezzaska nature that comes once every year.”
“I will never take Selena unwillingly,” Kaede hissed. “Even when she tempted me to mate her in the past, I denied her because I would never take advantage of someone who wasn’t completely ready. It’s insulting that you believe that I would lower myself to rape.”
“That’s not what I’m implying,” Zyxel insisted. “I wanted to warn you both about your genetics, especially since you have displayed a lot of Ezzaskan characteristics.”
Kaede absorbed Zyxel’s warning.
Now he knew the reasoning behind his Bahzyl and Luzatu venoms. He had been spliced with alpha Ezzaskan genes, including the venoms used to subdue and mate his prey.
However, Selena was his fated—his star—and he wouldn’t choose another.
“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 w
ithout 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 on the Abyss.
Kaede grabbed my hand and led me to his commander chair and sat down, pulling me along with him. Just as his arms wrapped around my waist, the large 300-degree display in front lit up, revealing four vidscreens filled with the faces of his sisters—Bryeca, Aunya, Nyx, and Zesha.
I gasped when Q poked his head into B’s window and grinned. “Hey, Selena! Like your new haircut!”
“Would you stop it?” B hissed. “I told you to not joke around like that.”
“Selena knows I’m only kidding.” He frowned, sitting in the empty chair beside her as he kicked his feet onto the dashboard. I could only recognize him by his voice because he was covered in fluffy down feathers, looking like a rainbow puff ball beneath his black robe. So my murky memories of Q being plucked and tied up had been real. He had been the one screaming in pain during my drugged haze.
“Why are you here?” I asked, surprised to see him among Kaede’s sisters. “You aren’t a member of the Fab Five.”
“I am now.” He smirked and turned his attention to the male behind me. “Hey, Kaede, guess what.”
“What?” he grumbled.
“I’m fucking your sister and there’s nothing you can do about it.” He chuckled, his laughter sounding like little bells. “Z already gave us his blessing and approved of me joining the Fab Five as B’s partner. You have a brother now!”
“Does that make us siblings, too?” I teased, eager to give his siblings the news now that Zirene had accepted my bond to Kaede.
A series of gasps filled the vidfeed.
“Try taunting me in person and we will see how much ishing you will do once I’m done,” Kaede clipped.
“Kaede,” I hissed, shooting a quick glare at the male.
“You claimed Kaede?” B asked, her normally stoic face filled with joy. “Are you and my brother finally together?”
Smiling, I nodded. “Yes, we’ve worked out our differences and I have accepted him as my sixth mate.”
A series of congratulations filled the air. When I turned to catch Kaede’s reaction, I found him grinning wider than I had ever seen. His joy brought warmth to my stomach.
“I don’t see a mark on his neck,” Q noted, leaning closer to the camera. “Don’t you usually fuck up your mates’ necks as some Aldawi territorial instinct?”
“Q,” B hissed, smacking the male on the shoulder. “You can’t ask her something so private.”
“Personally, I don’t want to know what kinks either of you are into. Now that everyone is mating, it’s been all shooting stars and explosions,” Nyx complained, rolling her eyes.
“You’re just jealous because you haven’t gotten laid in a while,” Q scoffed.
“Can we please focus?” Kaede hissed, bouncing his knee impatiently. “If you want me to rejoin the family network, flooding the airways with chatter is not helping matters.”
“It’s not our fault you left in the first place, Kaede,” B snapped. “How do you think we felt when we learned that our brother removed himself from the family network without a word and that you created a private vessel in a waterfall base none of us knew about? Why should we allow you back into the loop after you were in such a hurry to leave?”
Turning in his lap, I studied my horned male as he struggled to form an answer. He must have a good explanation for his behavior, but the wrath of his sisters was difficult to face.
“Vowels, could you appear? You too, REI.”
A moment later, both our Oetsae appeared next to our chair, followed by a chain of exclamations from the vidscreens.
“Kaede can probably explain this better in person,” I began with a sigh. “But I’ll do my best. To save my life, he implanted the orb on my necklace inside me, connecting my mind to a symbiont.” I gestured to Vowels. “Then he also took on an Oetsae because he was badly injured—Q can confirm that. He didn’t know how the symbiont would interfere with your family network. Since he was already racing against time, he decided to remove himself—”
“Until I was comfortable hosting REI,” Kaede interrupted. “When I implanted an Oetsae, I didn’t know if that connection could spread through our AI network, forcing the five of you to share my fate. I was trying to protect you from the risk I willingly took on. I feared I might never be the same male again.”
“And the Abyss?” B asked, scanning the room. “Why did you keep that a secret?”
“It’s managed by five Oetsae who have integrated with the system, similar to the machines on Destima that use the orbs’ energy. I planned to use a combination of the dreamdome technology and the Oetsae to create a wormhole, but I wanted to start on a smaller scale. This ship wasn’t supposed to be in use yet. I was forced to fly the Abyss to catch up to Selena’s kidnappers. While you five were on missions, I was stuck watching Selena—”
“Hey!” I hissed. “You make it sound like I’m a chore.”
“Watching your mates was.” He shot me a grin before kissing my cheek. The shock on his siblings’ faces was priceless. I had to put a hand over my mouth to hide my giggles.
“As I was saying, the job was boring. I needed something to work on, and all of you know I’m a born tinkerer—an inventor. From the five different versions of my teleporting bodysuit to the multiple upgrades to my drones and weapons, I’m always looking for something to improve.”
The Fab Five all nodded along.
“Since I had a lot of time on my hands, I decided to design and build a new spaceship by myself. If it worked, I planned to make each of you a copy of my prototype, but like I said, this ship wasn’t even supposed to be flown yet. My options were
limited to attempt to fix everything that happened that day.”
“We know.” B sighed. “We’re still picking up the pieces.”
“I just want to let you know that I love each one of you and I didn’t mean for things to go the way they did,” Kaede murmured. “I’m sorry that I left, though I was just trying to protect my family while doing my job. You know I wouldn’t try to hurt you on purpose. In the end, I failed.”
The four sisters glanced at each other as Q raised his hands in surrender. After a few moments, B finally broke the silence.
“We accept your apology. Welcome back, Brother. Congratulations, Selena, on becoming an official sister.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Kaede
After Selena left, they all congratulated him once again and Aunya claimed she had won their bet. Kaede wasn’t shocked to hear they had wagered on his love life; this was their way of showing support and faith that he would mate Selena sooner or later.
Sighing, Kaede walked into his room after that long meeting with his siblings. Just as he was hoping Selena would be in the galley so he could drain himself, he was hit by her delicious scent.
Every night sleeping with her had been a blessing and a curse. He was finally happy they had established their relationship, but her scent alone tempted him to bury himself in her. Every time she pressed against him, released little moans in her sleep, or wrapped an arm around him, he wanted to throw his reason and reservations to the wind and take her on the spot.
He could sense her on their bed before he set foot in their master bedroom. She was tempting him to join her even now. Yet he couldn’t. He was afraid of losing control, triggering his mating heat, and accidentally hurting her in the process.
Holding his breath, he teleported into the bathroom and hurriedly turned on the shower as he deactivated his suit and tossed it on the counter.