Chapter 27
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.
I stopped in my tracks, studying the group. Others pressed against my back, my cloak getting snagged on them as they passed around me.
My nestmates never looked at me like that.
A sharp smack stroked my ass cheek, followed by a tight squeeze.
“If you are looking for a good time, I can give you a night to remember. You will beg me for more once I am done,” a rough voice purred into my ear. He breathed in deeply, sending a shiver down my spine.
Time stopped as flashes of the past merged with the present.
Sounds muted. Vision blurred as the busy lights of the club turned into a familiar, damaged ship.
“Looks like I got myself a little pleasure toy to enjoy during my escape.”
I covered my gaping mouth and winced as the remembrance of the pain flashed through me.
An arm wrapped around my waist as his gripped hand was forcibly ripped from my body.
I closed my eyes, shaking my head, snapping myself back to the present.
“It’s okay, Selena,” Kaica whispered. She gently pulled my side against hers and rubbed her hand up and down my arm soothingly.
“Didn’t I tell you to leave my sisters alone?” B growled.
I turned around to see what was happening.
B had my assailant by his bulge, her nails penetrating his black pants from her vice-like grip. The offending male kept trying to move to either attack or free himself, but she effortlessly dodged and swayed with his movements, squeezing tighter each time.
“If you are looking for a good time, perhaps I can help you. Lucky for you, I like it rough,” B chuckled, squeezing him tighter as he gasped.
“Please. Stop,” he begged. “I didn’t know she was one of yours.” The dark hooded male raised his scaled brown hands, their black claws twinkling in the club’s lights as they passed over us.
“She is one of us. Leave her be if you want to keep your small junk.” B released his shrunken bulge and stepped closer to him, drawing her midnight blade as she stared him down.
She pressed the blade to his inner leg and growled, “Next time you mess with one of my sisters, I will cut off your pathetic excuse of a cock and feed it to you before slitting your throat. Understand?”
“Y-y-yes,” he whimpered as he stepped back. He glanced at me for a brief moment before scrambling backwards into the crowd. I watched him until he was lost in the crowded darkness.
“Selena. Are you okay?” Odelm asked urgently.
“I am fine, Odelm.” I sighed. I pulled all four of my nestmates bond threads together, adding the others to our conversation before they all tried to contact me about my extreme reaction. “A random stranger grabbed me unexpectedly. B took care of him. I will stay with them from now on.”
“I know they told us we shouldn’t worry about you… that you would be taken care of and protected,” Xylo mentioned hesitatingly.
“But they are worried… trying hard to shield you tonight. They are not used to ignoring any loud thoughts and strong feelings you may produce—at least not like us,” Z’fir explained.
B stepped in front of me and grabbed my shoulders.
“You have nothing to worry about. Your nestmates need to allow you a night to yourself. You escaped your prison, where they kept you away from others, only to surround yourself with males.” She squeezed my shoulders, smiling gently.
“Tell them you won’t leave my side. They can focus on preparing for the meetings they have tomorrow.
” She released her grip and pulled my hood farther over my head.
“If someone gives you trouble, I will kill them and ask questions later.”
“How can you ask them questions when they are dead?” I asked, confused.
“Exactly. They should know better than to fuck with us,” she chuckled. “If we don’t do it, Kaede will. He is the one with the reputation.”
She stepped away as the others surrounded me, giving me worried looks as they led me through the crowd once more.
I took in a deep breath and sighed. Kaica rubbed my side and gave me a reassuring squeeze before letting me go.
Perhaps it was a mistake to come here. I was clearly out of my element.
The sisters made it seem easy, their heads held high as they surveyed the room.
The crowd parted as soon as they noticed us, a mixture of fear, lust, and respect radiating from their faces whenever the lights passed over them.
A few watched me with jealous anger. Others failed to hide their curiosity as they tried to peek into my hood.
I focused on B’s back as an uneasiness fell on me.
“I promise I will call out if anything happens,” I said as we walked up to an empty table. “Please don’t let me distract you… Are you sure either of you doen’t need me tomorrow? I can—”
“No, Selena. We will take care of it,” V’dim interjected. “Trust us. Let us take some of the burden off you. The Destiny leaves in two nights, and you don’t have enough time to do everything.”
“Enjoy yourself. You deserve it,” Xylo said.
I smiled as I sat down last at the round table, focusing on the blackened display screen surface. Their words comforted me and removed the guilt I felt, spending time away from my nestmates. They truly wanted me to have a good time without them—to have independence.
“All right. I promise to enjoy myself tonight with Kaede’s sisters and won’t worry about tomorrow. Just don’t leave me out of any major decisions and let me know the outcome of your meeting later tomorrow.”
They all agreed and wished me a good night.
A shot glass filled with a bubbly purple drink was placed in front of me, pulling me into the present.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I placed an order for you since it seemed like you were busy having an important conversation with your nestmates,” Zesha said with a wink.
“What is it?” I asked as I lifted the glass and peered into it. There was a dark disk slowly dissolving on the bottom of the glass, its particles creating the bubbling effect in the purple beverage.
“A favorite of ours,” she said as she grabbed her own. “Try it. It’s an alcoholic drink, Purple Asteroid Field.”
I sniffed and failed to distinguish the scent. Glancing up at the sisters, I noticed they were all watching me with their own drink in hand, waiting for me to take the first sip.
Throwing caution out the window, I tipped my head back and threw back the drink—like I saw others do with drinks in similar-sized glasses.
A dull fruity flavor was replaced by a strong bitterness that burned as it traveled all the way down my throat.
I gasped from the feeling of the fizzing tablet as it attached to the back of my mouth.
My eyes watered as it dissolved, continuously sending a burning sensation down my throat.
I fanned myself as I struggled to keep steady breaths, trying to cool the burning in my cheeks.
Laughter filled the air.
“I figured you hadn’t had many chances to try… adult beverages since you were pregnant when you escaped, but I didn’t think you would have that kind of reaction,” Zesha exclaimed.
“You should have seen yourself,” Nyx chuckled. “I haven’t seen anyone react like that since Kaica—and that was because she panicked over the bubbles as they went down.”
“If your idea of a good time is to find ways to embarrass me, then I will go back to my clan,” I growled, slamming the glass onto the screened table and sliding it away.
“Hold up, Selena.” B raised her hand. “We should have told you what to expect. For that, I am sorry. Please don’t allow our poor judgment to ruin the night.”
“Then why are we here?”
“Talking, drinking, dancing. Perhaps even meeting someone new. The night is yours to do whatever you fancy.”
“I don’t need any more males in my life. I don’t know if you saw, but I currently have five in my clan,” I said pointedly. “Unless you guys are looking for someone.”
“You don’t want to dance?” Nyx asked and pouted as something crossed over her fuchsia eyes.
“It is more like I don’t know where to start.” I looked over at the crowd and watched couples—and groups—enjoying themselves as they bumped and ground on each other. Everyone moved as one to the blaring music as if it was natural for them.
“Did someone say dancing?” a familiar melodic voice purred.
B rolled her eyes. “Why are you here, Qran? I don’t believe I sent an invitation to your crew.”
Qraniebi—who I had been calling Q—strolled up and brazenly wrapped a winged arm around B. His bright neon green bandoleer was missing. Only his neon blue loincloth remained, its belt equipped with flashing lights that strobed toward his crotch.
“You know you can’t hide from me,” Q smirked. “Rumor on the station is the Fab Five are now six, and they were here to celebrate. I took it on myself to investigate.”
“O’course you did,” Aunya scoffed. “Can’t keep yourself away. You always got to stick your beak in our business.”
Q gasped and covered his chest with a hand. “Aunya. You wound me.”
“No. We know your ways.” Aunya crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes as her tails shuffled behind her.