Kaede
Kaede eyed the crimson doctor, daring him to object as he pulled Selena’s body against his and inhaled her addicting aroma.
Selena had been right; he did listen in to their conversation, along with all others on theAbyss.
Tori and her clan were curled up on their bed, brushing each other’s hair. He didn’t worry about them, since their clan had taken Selena in and protected her until he could rescue her.
The only male in that clan who may be a danger was their Cosmic Soul, mainly due to his ability to mindspeak. Kaede didn’t know what other capabilities he wielded, which would have worried him if he weren’t surrounded by Oetsae. He trusted his crew would report anything amiss to him.
Ryzen was intelligent enough to understand where he belonged. He had remained in his room for the whole trip, meditating as his psy-daggers danced around him. Kaede didn’t care for the pretty boy, but he appreciated that he only emerged for meals because he could easily observe him and didn’t need to worry about the male pawing after his mate.
Unlike the male before him, who always seemed to be in the galley. Kaede wasn’t a fool; he knew Zyxel was hoping to speak with Selena—alone.
Hearing how Zyxel feared for his life brought a smile to his face. Kaede had allowed the male more alone-time with Selena just so he could hear how uncomfortable he made the unmated male.
He may no longer be the co-leader of the Fab Five, but that didn’t make him any less lethal. Zyxel had been lucky that Selena had touched him, not vice versa, and that he hadn’t attempted to go any further.
She could be friends with the other passengers, but until they had been vetted by Oeta, Kaede couldn’t trust them around Selena unsupervised.
He knew that requesting she remain in their room wasn’t an option. She wouldn’t comply anyway, and he wouldn’t lock her away for his reassurance. Selena deserved the freedom to roam the halls and socialize in her newly formed relationships. Kaede couldn’t imprison her simply because his instincts screamed for him to keep her by his side where she belonged.
He wished he didn’t have to work the bridge for long periods. If he’d had it his way, he would have traveled with only Selena, himself, and the Oetsae crew aboard.Then they could have spent the whole trip together—alone. Kaede could have explored Selena’s body at his leisure.
Instead, he had to share her with mere strangers because she wanted them to become ambassadors. However, though they could become her ambassadors, he could control their access to Selena. They should be thankful to be in the presence of royalty.
Selena gripped his thigh and squeezed. “Kaede,” she whispered. “What are you doing?”
Squeezing her tighter against his side, he brought his mouth to her ear. “Enjoying what’s mine,” he purred before pulling away and shooting a smirk at the other male.
Zyxel frowned as his fiery eyes settled on him.
“What do you know about your genes?”
“Everything that was available in the database, which unfortunately classified all demi-humans except for the genetic makeup of the prototype generation. While my sisters were able to discover what species’ genes they had been spliced with, Selena and I didn’t have that privilege.”
“Nothing came up in your galaxy’s database?” Zyxel blinked hard and shook his head in confusion. “If you’re part Ezzaska, then what genetic material did the Yaarkins use to create Selena?”
“We aren’t talking about Selena,” Kaede hissed. “Until you are vetted, you don’t have clearance to study her.”
“But Kaede—”
“No, Selena.” Kaede snapped his head toward her and glared. “My traits are too obvious to hide. You will tell himnothing.”
“I haven’t.” Selena narrowed her eyes. “Though I don’t think it’s wise to ignore the fact that he may know my species. What if he can give us both the answers we’ve always searched for?”
Closing his eyes, Kaede breathed deeply, inadvertently filling his lungs with Selena’s unique scent. Biting back a growl, he pushed away lustful thoughts of what he would rather be doing to Selena’s body at this moment.
If it wasn’t for his AI vision—enhanced by REI’s drone control—he would’ve missed Zyxel’s coils tightening as he stared on nervously. Kaede may have registered all of Selena’s ambassadors as neutral yellow bodies, but that didn’t mean he fully trusted them. It was up to his Oetsae to determine if they became a threat and dispose of them.
“You need to control yourself,”REI interjected.“The male isn’t a threat to you or your star, and you know it. If anything changes, he’ll be swiftly dealt with. Your mating instincts are making you view him as competition, but Selena has already addressed that she isn’t interested in exploring what he has to offer. You should leave if you’re unable to calm yourself before you do something you will regret. Continuing down this path isn’t healthy for either of you.”
“I’m fine,”Kaede pathed to his Oetsae, opening his eyes to see a worried Selena watching him.“As long as I have her by my side. I’m stronger than this.”
“You are mine to protect, Selena. Until we are within our borders, I can’t let my guard down for any reason, even though you tempt me to do so.” He searched the nervous doctor’s face, trying to get a read on him. “I don’t know what telepathic range either of your companions has. Your Cosmic Soul reached me from a three-day travel time away from the base, and that cyanfraxwas able to contact Selena on Destima. Therefore, until I’ve deemed Selena safe and Oeta has cleared all of you, she won’t be giving you any more information about herself. I don’t want a battle on my hands, but if you bring one to me, I won’t be taken by surprise again. You will lose.”
“I am a doctor, first and foremost, and a researcher second. I was thrust into employment with the twin commanders, left with no work but to study the abductees we’ve rescued. I’ve learned an extraordinary amount about species beyond my galaxy to provide them the care they need. It is my duty to provide my services to those in need.”
“Once Oeta proves your innocence, you can use that knowledge on Destima to help its citizens,” Kaede clipped. “Until then, Selena is off-limits. Let the Oetsae deal with her medical needs for the time being.”
