“But I do.” I cupped his cheek. “You’ve sacrificed so much…”
“I know you worry. You always do. That’s one of the traits I love about you.” He leaned into my hand, giving my palm a gentle kiss before pulling away. “But now isn’t the time to worry about me; we must go to your nestmates. I know they need you, as you need them.”
“You are right,” I whispered, nodding. “But we have much to discuss…”
“We will, my Nova, in time,” Zirene purred, his voice promising me more than just a conversation was in my future. “For now, having you returned to me is enough.”
“The Sovereign speaks the truth, Beacon,” Oeta interjected, stepping beside us. Her translucent purple wings sagged behind her, loosely folded against her back. She stood proudly dressed in Aldawi colors. Her glowing eyes met mine and dimmed with her body’s fuchsia aura. “They live and need their nestqueen.”
“You keep saying that they live, but until I see them with my own eyes, I can’t rest. Their silence is deafening, especially considering how long I’ve been gone.”
Glancing toward the highest peak in the sky, I traced the faint outline of my pavilion on the edge of my plateau overlooking the island. I yearned to be where I truly felt at home—my villa. No faint mental threads led to my land. Instead, eight golden strands of varying brightness broke away from the web in the sky, beaming toward the Fab Five’s secret base.
“Why do I see a golden web in the sky?”
“You can see it?” Oeta asked. Her aura brightened as she stepped closer. Excitement filled her eyes, her wings perking up from the news. “Can you feel it, too?”
“This moon’s populace has a hivemind,” Ryzen interrupted. I turned to meet his shocked, glowing emerald eyes. “You are the web’s center point—its ruler.”
“The Circuli mental web?” I glanced at the sky above. Had I accidentally taken control of the network when I was frantically searching for my nestmates upon entering the atmosphere? “How did I take it from my princes?”
Oeta’s glassy wings opened as if shielding me from Ryzen and my new ambassadors beside him. The sun’s rays shone through the panels, tinting their faces purple.
Growling, Zirene tucked me under his arm, his tail wrapping around my waist, keeping me in place. Gripping Zirene’s side, my fingers sank into his thick, striped fur, trying to resist his sudden need to protect me.
Ryzen may have spoken out of turn, but he was telepathically as strong as Oeta, so he could help me confirm my suspicions. My cubs were missing, my Circuli nestmates were gone—physically and mentally—and, now, my sky was filled with unfamiliar threads. My people were hiding something from me, and I needed to know what.
“Who gave you permission to speak?” Kaede spat.
I winced at the tone of his voice, even though it wasn’t directed toward me.
It had been my idea to bring the ambassadors here, knowing full well the problems that would arise. I trusted Kaede and Zirene to stand by until Oeta could make sure that Destima’s citizens, and my clan, were safe.
Kaede stood tall with crossed arms, his long, flowy hair blowing in the gentle breeze. He stared down the emerald-tattooed male.
His sleek visor added to the deadly appeal he wielded. Gone was the loving male that I had grown to know behind closed doors. Now that we were on Destima’s soil, he had returned to the lethal assassin I had always known.
“Commander Ryzen, I presume?” Zirene’s hand tightened on my arm, his nails pressing against my skin. “My agents told me that you were the cause for the kidnapping of my Nova, the new Beacon of the Aldawi empire. Why would you chance traveling such a great distance only to face her clan’s wrath?”
“If I were a threat, Selena’s guard and his ship would’ve taken me out.”
“That’s for sure,” Kaede muttered, jerking his head my way. “She’s the only reason I’ve taken the risk of returning with extra passengers.”
“Despite how this may appear, I had nothing to do with my twin brother’s actions. He chose to involve Selena in my… situation,” Ryzen replied, spreading his tattooed arms in a placative gesture. “Those with me only acted under his command to try to save me. We mean no harm.”
I believed them and knew the truth of our situation.
My new ambassadors shouldn’t be punished for Xenak’s actions, nor should the rest of the refugees in their base. They were innocent in the pirates’ crimes and their Federation’s betrayal.
However, this was Zirene’s decision. I had told him what I wanted plenty of times within our dreamscape, and I was sure that Kaede had reported everything my ambassadors had done aboard hisAbyss.
“Vet them,” Zirene ordered, jerking his chin in their direction. “Agent Oeta, give me a reason to trust these foreigners. Only then will I be comfortable allowing them within my territory. They may have passed other safeguards to get here, but I have been wrong before, and I’m still paying for those mistakes. I can rest easier since I know your methods are foolproof.”
Oeta retracted her extended wings and bowed her head as she turned toward us. “It would be an honor, Sire.”
“Thank you, Oeta,” I sighed, knowing all would be well.
She would prove that my judgment of their characters was correct. They had only been looking for a home at the wrong place and time. They had been desperate enough to try unsavory things to protect the ones they loved… or to survive.
