Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Selena
As Xylo led me down the hall, I lightly stroked my new wristband. The idea I could go back to the café and order whatever I’d wanted to eat seemed almost unreal. I couldn’t wait. Or maybe I’d try one of the other dining halls...
I pulled myself out of my daze and looked up. Green markers—we must be almost to the infirmary. Eyeing Xylo, I finally broke the silence that had fallen between us.
“Do you want to tell me what that was about?” I questioned nonchalantly, looking away.
“What are you talking about?”
I stopped walking and turned to face him. I stared up into his pupilless teal eyes and poked him in the chest. “Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. What was that at breakfast?”
Xylo looked away, refusing to meet my gaze.
“Now is not the time to discuss it,” he whispered, voice full of angst.
“And why not?!” I asked, teeth clenched.
“Because we are in front of the infirmary doors and have an audience. I would rather not discuss how I lost control of my vines and how much I enjoyed your taste in front of others. That discussion should wait until we are alone... unless you would rather continue?”
Shocked, I spun to the infirmary door. We had indeed arrived. The Ulax who’d broken in on me in the wash facilities last night stood by the door, flanked by two more Circuli. All three stared at us.
I hissed, knees flexing as I assumed a defensive stance.
All three Circuli leaned away in surprise.
I gasped and stepped back, covering my mouth with both hands.
My silver hair veiled my face as I stared at the ground.
Perhaps it would’ve been better if Kaede hadn’t left to meet the princes on the bridge.
Was I suddenly feeling unsafe without him here to watch my back?
No, he’d only just arrived. And I still had Xylo.
Perhaps it was a reaction to the Senior Healer?
We hadn’t precisely gotten off to a good start last night.
“What in the stars was that?”
Cautiously peering through the strands of my hair, I studied the group surrounding me. They were as stunned as I was.
“Have you ever done that before?” Xylo asked, voice awed.
“Never.”
“Let us get you checked out then.”
I tucked my hair back behind my ears as Xylo turned toward the group in the doorway.
“Selena needs her communicator activated, and I would like to use the infirmary’s equipment. I want to show her the images of her offspring. Perhaps we will be able to figure out what species the sire is.”
The group parted as Xylo walked past them into the infirmary. I scrambled to catch up to him.
As we neared an examination table surrounded by equipment, I halted in my tracks. My heart raced as fear pounded through me. My fingers trembled and I began hyperventilating. I closed my eyes, fisting my hands in my gown.
“Selena?” Xylo whispered.
Movement sounded behind me, and I flinched. A low, rolling growl vibrated through me.
“Chyox. Stop. She is scared,” Xylo ordered.
The room stilled, only my growl and the soft beep of machinery to punctuate the silence.
“Selena. Everything will be all right. Open your eyes. We are not going to hurt you. I promised, remember?” Xylo’s mental voice was comforting.
Shuddering as tears leaked from my tightly closed eyes, I forced myself to get my breathing under control. The growling gradually ceased.
I opened my eyes.
Xylo’s hands reached out as if he wanted to reassure me but was uncertain of my reaction to his touch.
I turned to survey the room, backing up until I ran into something hard. Not wanting to take my eyes from the others, I reached down to see what I’d run into—the examination table.
“Everything will be fine, Selena. We are not the Yaarkins. I will not allow anything you do not want to happen to you,” Xylo’s deep voice soothed.
I eyed the other three Circuli and winced as another loud hiss escaped.
I shook my head to clear it. What was with these weird noises? Why was I reacting like this? I turned and looked at Xylo. Okay, so maybe there were things we really needed to figure out.
“I just want to figure out what’s going on. Make sure that we are all healthy...” My hand crept up to cover my belly protectively.
Xylo glanced at the other three, then met my gaze with reassurance in his teal eyes. “Would it be all right if I had assistance? They are the medical specialists and would be a great help.”
Taking in a deep breath, then releasing it slowly, I nodded as I came decision. “Yes. I want the best for my children—but I want you in charge. I only trust you.”
A dazzling smile appeared on Xylo’s face. I stared, entranced.
“Thank you. I promise we will only do what you are comfortable with and will explain everything as we proceed.”
Xylo folded back the white blanket on the exam table and assisted me as I climbed up. After I laid down, Xylo pulled the blanket up and adjusted the table until I was in a sitting position. The others took this as a sign to join us.
“I can activate her communicator first,” the Ulax Xylo had called Chyox spoke up.
“Perhaps you could first introduce yourselves?” I interjected wryly.
The Ulax looked at Xylo, then turned back to me.
“I am Senior Healer Chyox. The Wudox beside me is my assistant, Usthu and the Ulax behind me is Hatchery Manager Ayces.” His eyes roamed over me before he locked his violet eyes on mine.
“If I am to assist Master Scholar Xylo, I request you restrain yourself. I do not wish to be attacked again.”
Senior Healer Chyox was light-green striped with a darker green and gray. He had gray anemone-like hair and violet irises surrounding black pupils. His assistant, Usthu, was darker green with purple and maroon swirls. Hatchery Manager Ayces was light blue with yellow speckles and bright green eyes.
“I wouldn’t call it attacking but defending. I can hardly be blamed for reacting when you crept up on me in the wash facility,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him.
Senior Healer Chyox glanced grudgingly at Xylo and let out a huff.
“She is right, and I have observed human females are easier to scare. You should respect her wishes,” Xylo advised.
“It must be due to their singular lack of defensive—”
“Please disregard Senior Healer Chyox,” Hatchery Manager Ayces interrupted. “We will respect your feelings. It will be an honor to assist you, Master Scholar Xylo with regards to this female human and her offspring.” Sincerity filled his gentle tenor voice.
“First off, I’m not ‘this female human.’ My name is Selena.
See-leen-ah. Second, can we use first names?
I’m sure you all know what positions you each hold, and those full names are a mouthful.
Not to mention, I don’t see the point other than to emphasize one person’s authority over another.
” I rolled my eyes. “Xylo. Chyox. Usthu. Ayces. Selena. It would be much simpler.”
“Seleenah is right. We should call her by her name, and we can dispense with the titles,” Usthu agreed.
Ayces nodded.
Chyox sourly inspected his colleagues before answering with a sniff, “I will agree to these terms. Our ship has not had any pregnancies yet or offspring born... assisting Xylo with Selena’s pregnancy would give us experience outside our species.”
Xylo and Chyox were careful to explain each piece of equipment as it was needed, and I didn’t sense any animosity between Xylo and the others.
The four of them worked well together. Chyox activated my communicator, and Xylo injected a booster spray that he said would supply updated vaccines and vitamins helpful for my pregnancy.
Chyox pulled a large, thin, transparent screen attached to the side of the exam table across my stomach and turned it on.
A digital image of my abdomen highlighted my internal organs in multiple colors.
My eyes were drawn like magnets to the two tiny figures curled up together in the middle of the screen.
They looked mostly human, but I could make out legs that bent at a strange angle, tails, and perked ears.
.. they looked almost like a cross between a human and a feline.
I gasped. “That’s an Aldawi? They’re some kind of feline?”
The room was silent as the four males looked at me in shock. Chyox and Ayces’s color shifted uneasily to an orangish-yellow.
“Selena, last night you said you did not know who had sired your offspring...” Xylo’s teal eyes searched mine. “I do not understand.”
I grabbed Xylo’s cool hand, terrified he’d think I lied to him, and blurted, “I didn’t know until he told me last night—”
I winced. I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone. Shit.
“Oh, Stars. Oh, Stars. Oh, Stars. Please tell me this is not what I think it is. It cannot mean...” Xylo trailed off, panic-stricken.
“What does this mean, Xylo? What is she talking about? Explain,” Chyox demanded, his tentacles dancing in agitation.
“Powerful Aldawi are known to be capable of controlling the dreamscape—the plane where dreams occur. I have even read they can even share this dreamscape with others though the details are a mystery. If he dreamwalked to Selena, he has to be powerful to reach her so far away.” He turned back to me and squeezed my hand.
“Does this mean you know what he looked like?”
I glanced at the others, whose coloring had returned to normal, then focused on Xylo.
“No. He always appears to me as a black transparent figure of flame. I’ve begged him to show me his true form and tell me who he is, but he refuses.
He says that it would put me and my children in danger.
And he was adamant I not tell you we can meet in my dreamscape. ”
“This complicates everything.”