He sighed. “While you may not be protected in the most traditional way, I can see how beneficial your Oetsae can be. Euouae, Kaede, and REI can make sure you are safe and healthy, no matter where you are.”
“But I don’t know whether I can leave Destima, now that I am its network’s ruler,” I muttered, watching the purple waves crash on the white shore. “You may not have planned to trap me here, but I may have done it myself.”
“There must be a way,” Zirene soothed. “You aren’t a Circuli. You adapt. You change the rules to work in your favor. I highly doubt you are stuck on Destima for the rest of your life. If you are, I will simply move the Aldawi capital sooner than planned.”
“You’re moving the capital?” I asked, turning to face him. His eyes had lost some of their dark cast, and the black ethereal flames were gone. “Why?”
“The current capital may represent our history and traditions, but it was also built on tragedy. My ancestor came into power by mating with the Beacon, the only royal of mating age at that time. The night after she gave birth to their first and only litter, he slaughtered her while she slept, exhausted from her labor. His first action as Sovereign was to kill all who remained loyal to the old royal bloodline, filling his government with those who would swear fealty to him before persecuting all Novas and their Shadows. He was the cause of the Great Dimming and the reason the Aldawi segregate by sex, as we do today.
“My sire almost stooped to that level by getting rid of you—my Nova. I found evidence in his office of the nefarious plans he had for our cubs. He wanted to lay siege to Liskta and block all trade until Masmi gave up our cubs, so he could hold them hostage until Royak provided him true heirs to the throne.”
“If you hadn’t killed him, I would have myself,” I growled, glaring at my Shadow. “Don’t you ever compare yourself to your sire. You are nothing like him. Nothing! Do you understand me?”
“Don’t you see, Selena?”
He leaned closer until our noses nearly met. If I hadn’t known him so well, I would have been scared, being this close to his fierce dark-purple eyes.
“If I continue to rule from the capital—a monument to my ancestors’ evil actions—I fear I will become tainted by it. I want to start over and shed my family’s past. If I build the new capital on Lunkai—or here, if necessary—I will be surrounded bymypeople, living in modern buildings constructed with technology I have recovered. Royak can do whatever he wants with the old capital, since it’s in his sol system—keep it or defecate on its rubble, for all I care.”
“How is your brother?”
“Good—at least he reports he is.” He sighed, closing his eyes, shaking his head. “Royak submitted to me that day I took over, but I haven’t seen him since.”
“Why?” Drawing my eyebrows down, I tilted my head. “I thought you two got along.”
“We do, but losing you triggered my shadowside: the dark flames that lick my fur, the abyss that floods my eyes. Every time something angers me, I have to restrain myself from lashing out. You are the one who keeps my shadowside at bay. Now that we’ve mated, I am lost without you.” His eyes shifted behind me as if trying to hide the shame flooding his eyes. “In the records, my historians found the reason a Sovereign’s mate is named his ‘Beacon.’ Long ago, a Shadow-and-Nova mated pair always ruled the Aldawi empire. The Beacon not only leads with the Sovereign but guides him beyond ruling the empire, too.”
“Now that I’m home,” I whispered, placing my hand on his cheek and guiding him to look at me, “I am not leaving. Move the capital if you must, but not to Destima. I don’t want political drama on my moon. My citizens are struggling to recover from their dark pasts; giving corrupt politicians a chance to harass them would ruin everything I’ve built.”
“I will do what you say and build the new Aldawi capital on Lunkai. Once it’s finished, we shall pick up our cubs and give the empire the speech it’s been demanding.”
“A speech?”
“Yes, my Beacon,” Zirene purred, giving me a wide, toothy grin. “Our people want to meet their new rulers and the future of the Aldawi empire.”
Chapter Sixteen
Z’fir
Z’fir stared at the night sky, listening to the pitter-patter of the waterfall’s mist hitting the dome’s energy shield.
The sounds of breathing coming from his sleeping clan reminded him all was well, now that his nestqueen was home, and she was the reason for the lack of humming chatter from the moon’s network in his mind.
The only stray thoughts he picked up came from his bondmate and Selena, whenever she dropped her shields.
It was an odd feeling to have the pressures of the mental web suddenly removed after all of these years. He could finally think clearly now; he’d forgotten how that felt. The burden now fell on his nestqueen.
When she first offered to court him, he had never even considered the possibility, and, yet, now, he was blessed with a bond to their new Queen—along with his bondmate.
Why did the Fates and the Stars bless us with so much?
“I’ve been wondering that myself,”V’dim spoke up gently, sending a wave of reassurance through their connection.“If you had told me we would end up where we are right now, before we left Circul, I would’ve gotten you checked out by Xylo’s fathers.”
“The only thing she wants is our love and support, and an effort to get along with the rest of the clan,”Z’fir pathed wistfully.“What other nestqueen asks for that?”
“Kaica.”V’dim glanced over Selena’s sleeping form, locking his gaze with his.“I’m sure she has the same mindset as Selena, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they start a new generation of nestqueens who follow their example. Soon, there will be plenty of unmated Circuli mingling with the demi-humans and Aldawi on the other island. Once the main island’s construction is nearly complete, Selena will open it for the residents of the other island to move over.”
“Only the Fates know how many new clans will soon form.”
