Smirking, he waved his hand in front of his lifesuit’s disk, and it collapsed to reveal a very naked Kaede. “I got used to being nude on the ship, and now that I’m a part of the clan, I should be able to walk around naked. Everyone else does, too.”
“I do not,” Zirene huffed. “Civilized species should at least cover their cocks.”
“Why is that?” I giggled, enjoying how Kaede was trying to lighten the mood with his antics. “Because they don’t want to compare their manhood to another?”
Unhooking my dress suit, I watched interest light Kaede’s and Zirene’s eyes as I allowed the fabric to fall to the ground. The hunger in their eyes as they drank me in made my stomach flutter giddily. I didn’t need to glance down at my spots to know they were glowing a vibrant pinkish purple when I stepped out of my discarded garment.
I hadn’t thought about what my first night back would entail, but their heated gazes told me unspoken promises were about to be fulfilled.
I glanced at my princes, and guilt stabbed me like an icicle in the heart at the joy that radiated from them as they watched me.
They shouldn’t be having passionate sex when they had been fighting for their lives in the Cryopods just hours ago. However, it seemed unfair to exclude the princes.
Yet, Zirene had missed me, too.
“Go ahead, Selena.” Z’fir nodded and smiled. “I can sense your hesitance. V’dim and I know we are on the mend for a while and don’t want to get in the way of our progress. We arefine, Selena. Our bodies are focused on survival, not reproduction. At the moment, we wouldn’t be able to attempt to reproduce—”
“It’s calledmating, Z’fir,” V’dim corrected, shooting his bondmate a scathing glance. “Selena doesn’t need to wait for her heat cycle to mate.”
He reached out with one shaking tentacle. I took it with one hand, eliciting a smile from him. “Selena, believe us when we tell you that you don’t have to worry about us. We come from large clans, led by mothers who only chose their Favored during their heat cycle. Just experiencing the bliss radiating from you will be enough for us, especially when we can barely move.”
“Don’t hold back because of us,” Z’fir added. “Go enjoy your… virile mates as we enjoy the pleasure they give you.”
Chapter Thirteen
Zirene
Zirene could still see the hesitation in Selena’s eyes. She bit her bottom lip as she scanned her clan. When she turned to Kaede, he wordlessly nodded and sat down across from her. Kicking his feet out toward the center of the nestbed, Kaede tucked his hands behind his head and stared hungrily at Selena.
Yet, he wasn’t trying to direct her or the situation. No, Kaede was doing what he had always done—watching Selena’s every move from afar. Zirene was thankful for that. Kaede was trying to show her he understood her needs and the clan’s needs took priority.
He needed her so much it hurt… so much he was willing to share her in hopes of relieving this burn. This drive to challenge anyone who looked his way. Only she could tame what was within him.
Staring down at his arms, Zirene couldn’t miss the ethereal dark flames hovering above his fur, a sign his darkness was still present and threatening to overcome him. He yearned for Selena to drench his burning inferno, mollifying his shadows with her light.
It had been too long. Their time within the dreamscape could only sustain them so much.
Zirene stepped behind Selena and gripped her waist, pressing his chest against her back. Instantly, his Nova rolled her head to the side, exposing her neck to him, pleasing him with her lack of resistance. He could smell her need in the air and knew it would not have taken much to convince her to listen to her Circuli princes on the matter.
She needed this as much as he needed her.
She was seeking comfort the best way she knew how—spending time with her clan.
After all the time they had been apart, it made sense to spend the night in each other’s arms. Everyone had experienced a tremendous amount of hardship and pain since that fateful day, and no matter how much they wished otherwise, nothing could change what had happened. The only thing they could do was to move forward as a clan.
Xylo and Odelm may not be with them, and the Circuli princes were on the mend, but that didn’t mean Selena should hold herself back. He needed to make sure she understood that healing took time, and she didn’t have to wait to start enjoying herself.
Pressing his nose to her neck, he took in a deep breath. Kaede’s stench assaulted him once again. Growling in frustration, he pulled her closer, rubbing his cheeks against her bare skin as he glared at her smirking guard.
The glint in Kaede’s eyes proved he knew what the problem was, yet he was too intelligent to make a cocky remark.
Zirene’s possessiveness took over, driving him to prove to the clan that she was his. He felt his ethereal flames flare, threatening to burn the male who had recently marked his Nova as his own. The fire felt like an extension of him, licking her skin as if trying to burn off any trace of another.
A small moan ripped from her as she leaned back into him, yearning for more of his touch.
Purrs rolled through him at her display of acceptance and trust in him. She didn’t have any fight in her, willingly surrendering.
It was as if she knew how important this moment was for him. She was giving in to the moment.
