Kaede
An invisible force gripped him and wrapped its mental thread around his shield, demanding its presence be known.
The golden strand wasn’t Oeta’s or her father’s, though its odd sapphire tint reminded him of theirs.
Annoyed, Kaede answered, knowing REI would be able to cut any contact if needed.
“What is it?”
“Kaede?”
His mind was playing tricks on him. There was no way the voice that had haunted him for so long was now speaking to him.
Selena didn’t have the range—nor did her Oetsae.
“Who is this?”he demanded, in no mood to deal with another telepath on this mission.“Speak now or I will forcibly remove you and make sure you never even attempt to reach out to me again.”
“Kaede! It’s me, Selena!”
There was nothing he wanted more than to believe what she claimed, but he had dealt with too many liars and tricksters. He couldn’t blindly trust whoever had reached out to him, especially when he longed to speak to her and bring her home.
“You can’t be Selena.”
The mental thread flared, gold overtaking the sapphire tint.
“This is Euouae, Selena’s Oetsae companion, wishing to confirm our identity with your symbiont,”snapped a male voice he didn’t recognize.“We don’t have the energy or time for you to deny the truth.”
Before he had a chance to absorb what was happening, REI stepped in to handle the situation.
< EUOUAE SPEAKS THE TRUTH. HE’S WITH SELENA AND ONE OTHER. >
< DO YOU KNOW WHO? >
< NEGATIVE. >
“Who has you, Selena? Whatfraxdo I have to kill to rescue you?”
The gold faded, returning to its original color.
“Xenak arranged help to kidnap me. He currently has me in some asteroid base and is demanding that I heal his brother like I’m some miracle healer or somehow responsible for his condition. I don’t know what to do, Kaede. I’m scared—and I fear for my clan. If this clan hadn’t taken me in and offered me their help, I would be completely lost.”
Fire coursed through his veins at her plea. He had to control his reply so he didn’t take out his anger at the cyanfraxwho had started it all on her. The vulnerability in her mental voice triggered his protective instincts.
He needed to get to hernow.
“Don’t you worry, Selena. I am coming,”he soothed.“Hold on a little longer and I’ll be there to return you where you belong. Do you happen to know where you are?”
“No idea. There aren’t any windows, and I haven’t been able to roam without an escort.”
“It won’t matter,”REI interjected.“Now that I know her mental signature and the one she’s tethered to, I will be able to find her easily, even without your body’s blood compass.”
“Blood compass?”
“Don’t worry about that, Selena. I will explain another time,”he muttered, not wanting to delve into a matter he wasn’t prepared to discuss at the moment. He was alarmed that she had allowed another inside her mental walls so willingly. Was this another mate? Or someone of concern? He didn’t trust anyone outside her clan and his family. Not after what had happened with the late Sovereign and Q’s crew.“Who’s with you?”
“I am Celyze, a Swynemi Cosmic Soul,”an unfamiliar tenor mental voice explained. His species and title didn’t register with him either, which concerned Kaede.“My StarPyre, Tori, showed interest in aiding Selena in her dire need. If I couldn’t find anyone familiar to Selena, then my clan brother was willing to try to sneak her off the base.”
“That won’t be necessary,”Kaede hissed.“I will make sure no one even attempts to harm her again—Selena or any other poor soul in the universe. Xenak will pay for what he’s done.”
