Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Xylo
All Xylo’s research throughout his many years of study had not prepared him for how he would feel being fully bonded to his nestqueen.
Selena was a blessing he had never expected, and their coupling had been an indescribable pleasure.
She was more sensitive to his essence than Circuli females were reported to be.
Her taste was sweet and addictive—he could not stop thinking of tasting her again.
Waking up with her in his arms had brought an instant smile to his face.
They might not be in love—romantic love was not common among Circuli—but he felt he could easily come to love Selena.
Regardless, he would give her the support she needed, ensure the best care possible, and he would never fault her if they remained simply friends. He would still co-father her offspring.
The gift of Selena as his nestqueen was enough.
Xylo had already benefited from their bonding. He had noticed early in the day, he did not need to maintain his mental shields around others—not unless they were more powerful than he.
He had not believed she would accept him so soon—if at all—but he now understood her need for stability, her guilt for accidentally creating a court bond with him.
And the instincts that had made her trust him, to feel he was safe.
.. she was amazing. She was willing to accept whatever the Fates had planned for them, hoping for her chance at love, her chance to travel the stars as she had always dreamed.
Ever since he had woken this morning, he had been picking up thoughts and emotions from Selena. He could not block them—only dim them.
Not that he wanted to.
He loved learning how she thought, hearing her unvoiced thoughts, coming to understand her better.
Selena was a strong female. Others who had been through what she had would have crumbled, would have reacted in fear and lashed out—not Selena. She focused on the future. On surviving. Learning. Adapting.
Her drive made him proud to be hers. She was a fighter, and he respected her for it.
He smiled as he felt Selena sneak out while his coworkers were distracted, hounding him with questions. Kaede would keep an eye on her, and now that they were more intimately connected, he would know if she needed him.
“Is it contagious?”
“Should we put him under quarantine until we figure out what it is?”
“I cannot believe she attacked him.”
Xylo ignored their dithering and turned to his computer.
Kaede had known how to use their equipment better than they did.
Xylo did not know if he should be alarmed or relieved, but he was happy they now knew the correct number of cubs in her litter.
Images Kaede had pulled up showed they looked exactly like Aldawi cubs at this stage of the pregnancy.
Xylo wondered if they would prove to be enhanced with her as their mother and whether they would follow the typical coloring or patterns of the pure Aldawi.
A burst of emotion shot down the bond from Selena.
She was hurting. Concerned, he listened in as Kaede reassured her.
Kaede was right, Selena’s silver hair was unusual—no species had that color naturally—but silver was precious, many would find that beautiful.
And Selena’s bronze skin, even her white spots, were very similar to the Wudox patterning.
That did not make her unusual among his species.
He knew she was insecure about her physical differences but hoped he and Kaede would be able to alleviate them with time.
Xylo had a feeling Kaede would always be a mystery to him.
He did not seem inclined to share anything about himself, though it was clear he had a care for Selena, which made him a useful ally.
Kaede was a dangerous individual with a clear affinity for technology.
To be able to run so many drones, all while monitoring Selena and interacting with others was an impressive feat.
If Kaede proved he was trustworthy, that he had Selena’s best interests at heart, then a friendship was something he was willing to offer.
But he would not allow Kaede to hand Selena over to his client without her consent.
Comparing Selena’s scans with notes on both human and Aldawi gestation periods, he determined Selena’s stomach would expand at an ever-accelerating speed from now until her litter's delivery.
He needed to talk to the princes about these new developments.
Something touched the bite on Xylo’s neck, and he jumped, immediately on the defensive.
Chyox backed away and put his hands up in surrender.
“What was that?” he demanded of the Senior Healer.
“We were wondering if she hurt you, and if we could take samples of your mark.”
“Next time, ask first—”
Behind him, the infirmary doors opened, and a powerful presence filled the room. Turning, Xylo spotted the princes watching them.
“Is there a problem?” Prince V’dim asked.
Chyox jumped in, hastily explaining, “It seems Master Scholar Xylo and the human, Selena, completed their bond last night. Selena attacked Xylo, and he now has a bite mark that will not heal. A mark like that should have healed within an hour of receiving it.”
Xylo glared at Chyox.
“Prince V’dim, my nestqueen Selena fully accepted me—this is true—but she did not attack me.
Senior Healer Chyox is speaking out of turn.
In the heat of the moment, as she received my spores, she bit me.
Kaede has provided us with Selena's medical records. Given her body adapts to whomever she mates with—taking something from their genetic code to adapt and enable procreation—it seems logical the Aldawi sire of her cubs has gifted her with Aldawi traits. Female Aldawi are highly aggressive and bite a male if they bond and wish to mark that male off-limits to other females. I am not positive, of course, nor do I know why it would be white, but the theory is sound. As I think on it, perhaps her spots have affected the mark, and it is white because of it. Nevertheless, I was neither attacked, nor am I in pain. Other than feeling the effects of having my bonding spore accepted, I am fine.”
The princes approached, Prince Z’fir searching his face, assessing. Prince V’dim touched Selena’s bite mark. Tilting his head, Xylo gave the prince better access.
“And you are well?” Prince Z’fir asked.
Xylo felt Z’fir lightly request to skim his memories.
Nodding yes to both questions, knowing his prince wanted to see what had happened for himself, Xylo lowered his mental shields.
If he resisted, it was likely the princes could brute force their way in—even with Xylo’s newly enhanced shields—and he did not know how that would affect Selena.
Plus, he had nothing to hide. His only concern was the wish to maintain Selena’s privacy.
With a sigh, Xylo closed his eyes and felt the rush of memories. He shuddered a deep breath as he relived last night’s coupling. Feeling Prince Z’fir withdraw, Xylo raised his mental shields and opened his eyes.
Prince V’dim watched Xylo, giving him a moment to relax, waiting for permission to touch him.
“Go ahead. I am fine.”
Prince V’dim traced the bite mark with his fingers. A wave of calm blanketed the room—soothing both Xylo and the still tense and uneasy healers. V’dim withdrew his hand, allowing Xylo to straighten his head.
He could feel the weight of the others’ stares.
“Is there anything we should know about?” Chyox asked anxiously.
They eyed him before Prince Z’fir responded.
“I believe nothing is amiss. Master Scholar Xylo’s hypothesis appears to be correct.
If Selena’s body adapts to those she mates, and that leads to an instinctual need to mark her mates, so be it.
It is no different than the instinctual need of Circuli males to seek a nestqueen.
Some have found companionship with other unmated males, but that is a mere spark compared to the flame of a bond.
Other than Master Scholar Xylo’s mental shields being strengthened and the bite mark on his neck, I do not see any unusual changes resulting from their permanent bonding. ”
“But you should know, Master Scholar Xylo, since your bonding last night, we have sensed an echo in you. It is part of why we came to speak with you. We cannot get any direct readings from her—only that she exists. There is a faint ripple from Selena, through your connection, as though we were trying to reach her from far away. You should add that to your notes and make it known to her and any future mates. If she accepts any,” Prince V’dim added.
Xylo was shocked.
If the princes were able to sense her through him, they might eventually be able to include her in their broadcasts to the crew.
Or read her. Hopefully, an emergency would never necessitate forcing the connection, but he would have to warn Selena so she would not be shocked if she ever received anything from them.
A sudden wave of emotions flooded him.
Surprise. Shock. Panic. Anger.
The princes turned to him, searching his face—as if they, too, felt her strong emotions.
Xylo followed the thread to Selena, his face instinctively turning in her direction.
Just as he was about to rise to go to her, his wristband chimed.
Glancing down, he did not recognize the caller.
He flipped open the screen on his wristband, answering, and froze when multiple video feeds of the pond in the terrarium appeared.
Three Ulax males surrounded Selena, who was struggling to stay afloat. None of the males offered to assist her, and the strong emotions she broadcast told him she was both angry and scared.
One of the screens panned away from Selena toward the shore.
Kaede stood on the black sand and nodded at the camera.
Then the camera turned to Kaede’s right, focusing farther along the shore.
Odelm ran through the shallow water toward Selena.
Xylo watched as he dove into the water, then the camera panned back to its original focus.
Xylo heard movement behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the others had gathered around, their eyes on his wristband.
Returning his gaze to the screen, he watched Odelm say something angrily to the three Ulax males, then tow Selena back to shore. Both Kaede and Odelm talked to Selena, who was yanking her clothes over her wet body but seemed otherwise unharmed.
Xylo sighed in relief.
The screens blackened, and a message popped up:
“SELENA IS FINE. I GOT IT COVERED. NO PROBLEMS. SELENA IS HUNGRY. GOING TO SUITE TO CHANGE. MEET AT HER FAVORITE CAFE. -K”
Stunned, Xylo paused a moment before closing the screen.
He shut his eyes and focused on his thread to Selena. She was calm if a bit irritated. The irritation at the grit in her sandals was uppermost in her mind, followed closely by thoughts of what she wanted to order for dinner and curiosity about what Odelm would play later.
Opening his eyes, he turned to his princes.
“If there is nothing else you require, I am going to join my nestqueen for dinner. You are welcome to join me.”