Chapter 12
12
Kaede
K aede watched the group as they relaxed after dinner, his sharp eyes taking in every detail. He was trying to distract himself from what was going on in the master bedroom, to allow Selena some private time with her Favored. He knew that the morning after tomorrow, they would leave for Liskta, the second largest planet in Z’s sol system—where the female Aldawi ruled.
The three of them deserved some time alone, when they would be apart for about ten days.
Z’fir and V’dim had delivered Selena, Xylo, and Odelm their meals, leaving Z to play host in her absence.
Let the Sovereign do his part—Selena had done hers earlier.
While Kaede could be socializing, he preferred to lurk and observe as he was doing now. He sat in a lounge chair in the corner, facing the sanctuary with a clear view into both the music room and the dining room. He was able to watch everyone come and go, observing how they interacted with each other easily. He didn’t even need his drones.
Not that he’d disabled them. Only a fool would leave themselves defenseless, even within the villa.
Someone would betray them—and he was going to make sure they would be the one to die.
He had agreed to rule out the clan as suspects. Now that he knew how it felt to be connected so intimately to his star, he also knew that anyone tied to Selena could never betray her.
He didn’t have the biological drive to always please and protect her like his Circuli clanbrothers did. But they were like him in the one way that mattered—they would kill to defend her. Xylo and Odelm had proven themselves on that front—something Kaede would always respect them for.
Their nestqueen was it for them, as Selena was for him.
He was thankful that he never had to worry about them around her.
But that left him no closer in figuring out who would threaten their future.
In his hands, a piece of driftwood slowly took shape, becoming a delicate hairpiece for Selena. Carving kept his hands busy while he listened in on the conversations around him.
At least the vocal ones. It bothered him that the Circuli and the Nyaviel pair could telepathically speak among themselves and to Selena.
Who knew what secrets they shared?
It made him uneasy, this lack of control over the flow of information. Secrets were dangerous.
As it was, he had a feeling he’d missed a telepathic conversation about Selena before she’d retired for the day. She was clearly upset with him for pulling a psydagger on Ryzen, but the cocky male had had it coming.
Who in their right mind would challenge the very male who would determine the fate of him and his people on the asteroid base?
Growling softly, Kaede carved quicker, his movements swift and precise as he took out his frustration on the piece of wood. The rhythmic scrap of blade against wood was almost meditative, yet his mind churned.
Selena. His thoughts softened as he glanced at the unfinished hairpiece in his hands. Despite everything, she had a way of bringing light into his darkness.
Into everyone’s darkness.
He wanted to protect his star, even if it meant always looking over his shoulder for threats that lurked in the abyss, waiting for one of them to slip up.
He may not be an Aldawi, but the shadows were his home. It was up to him to make them safe.
With a sigh, he forced himself to relax, letting the tension drain from his shoulders. He focused on his carving, the intricate patterns emerging under his skilled hands.
He couldn’t control everything, couldn’t always be in the know.
And that was what frustrated him.
He’d failed her once. He couldn’t do it again. Especially not when she was carrying his unborn daughter.
Ryzen approached Kaede, carrying two mixed drinks, his expression calm but with a hint of amusement. “You’re doing it wrong.”
Kaede glanced up, irritation flaring. “Doing what wrong?”
As he spoke, he applied too much force to the wood piece, snapping it in half with a sharp crack . His frustration boiled over, and he brandished his psydagger, pointing it at Ryzen. “You did this on purpose,” he hissed, anger simmering in his voice. “Now it’s ruined.”
Ryzen didn’t flinch, merely raised an eyebrow. “It was going to be ruined anyway. You were putting too much pressure on it, making the piece uneven.”
Kaede’s eyes narrowed. “And how would you know?”
A smirk played on Ryzen’s lips. “Part of my training with my spirit weapon involves carving. From staves to tiny hair pieces like the one you were attempting to make.”
Kaede sheathed his psydagger and picked up the broken pieces of wood, examining them closely. “What do you want, Ryzen?” he asked, his tone grudgingly curious.
Ryzen took a sip from one of the drinks, his gaze steady. “Do you know details about her past?”
Kaede halted flipping over the wood pieces, his jaw tightening. He looked up, his eyes hardening. “I lived them,” he said quietly.
“I now know why it’s important for you to protect her, even from your own mistakes.” Ryzen nodded, his expression serious. Then, he glanced down at Kaede’s hands. “You were trying too hard to make it perfect, but perfection doesn’t come from force. Small, slow, and steady movements will get you what you desire.”
Kaede’s grip on the broken driftwood tightened, his mind racing through memories and regrets. He knew Ryzen was right, but admitting it was another matter entirely. “I don’t need your advice,” he muttered, though his tone lacked its usual edge. “I was doing fine before you interrupted.”
Ryzen set one of the drinks down next to Kaede and took a step back. “Maybe not. But we’re all in this together. For her sake. I owe her two life debts that I mean to repay one day. If playing her guard is what’s needed, then I will.”
Kaede’s eyes narrowed as he turned to Ryzen. “She only needs one guard,” he said, pointing to himself, his voice low and firm. “How can you protect her when we barely know anything about you?”
Ryzen met his gaze without flinching. “What do I need to do to prove my worth? I’ve already been vetted by the Oetsae, Oeta, and Mwe. What more do you want?”
Kaede’s jaw tightened. “I want to know your true intentions. Why was Selena needed to wake you? And why are you so fixated on her?”
Ryzen’s expression softened slightly, though his eyes remained intense. “I keep questioning that myself. The one thing I do know is that my brother Xenak was right,” he admitted and sighed. “The Stars were right. She’s the answer we needed—the answer I needed to come back.”
Kaede’s grip on the driftwood piece tightened. “What else have the Stars told Celyze about Selena?”
Ryzen glanced toward the others, then flipped his hair back over his shoulder, revealing the glowing emerald runes that flared along his exposed skin. “‘A shooting star will cross your path. It will bring change—a divine guidance—if you follow it.’”
Kaede’s suspicion deepened. “And you believe she’s that shooting star?”
“At first, I didn’t want to believe it. I mean, after what we’ve been through. The betrayals. It was hard to hope for a brighter future, only to get burned again,” Ryzen confessed. “I was skeptical about the whole Cosmic Order. I put my faith in skill and wisdom, not some divine force. But the more time I spend around Selena, the more I’m starting to believe. Celyze has never been wrong with his prophecies before, and it appears he isn’t wrong now.”
Kaede studied him, the tension in the air thickening. His instincts screamed that something wasn’t right, that he was omitting something from him. He needed to protect Selena, to keep her safe from any potential threat. The emerald-tattooed pretty boy was dangerous, as much as he hated to admit it…
Yet, there was something in Ryzen’s eyes, a sincerity that made it hard to dismiss his offer entirely.
“Prove it,” he demanded, his voice low but firm. “Show that you’re here with good intentions, following what the Stars told the Cosmic Soul. The ‘shooting star.’ And you better not have some ulterior motive, trying to put out her light. Our light.”
Ryzen’s gaze was unwavering. “I would never.”
Kaede’s eyes narrowed. “You better not make me regret this.”
Ryzen tilted his head slightly and arched an eyebrow. “Regret what?”
Kaede’s voice dropped to a deadly whisper. “Not killing you.”
Ryzen smirked, a spark of challenge in his eyes. “You can try.”
For Selena’s sake, Kaede decided to play nice—for now. “Just know if you make one wrong move—” In an instant, Kaede teleported behind Ryzen, pressing the splinter to his throat. His breath was hot against Ryzen’s ear as he whispered, “I’ll end you.”
Ryzen didn’t flinch. “I understand.”
Just as swiftly, Kaede teleported away, letting the broken wood pieces fall in his wake.