“If that’s what you want, I don’t see a problem as long as our healers don’t.”
He glanced at Oeta, who was studying me. I wondered if she had been trying to read my thoughts this whole time. She shook her head as if to clear it then turned to face Zirene with a smile.
“Do you believe we can wake Selena’s Favored?” he demanded. “Or is there a chance something may go wrong?”
“The combined experience of the capable healers within this room can prevent any harm from coming to the patients,” Oeta replied, her tone all business as she glanced at Vowels. “I don’t see why we can’t proceed, so long as the Oetsae can jump in and start healing them.”
“If you provide me with enough of those glowing gems you put in your night lamps, I can siphon their energy,” Vowels explained, scanning the room. “Selena can wear jewelry made from the orbs to give me a steady source. If something were to ever happen to her, or those she loves, I could also harness enough energy from the orbs to ensure we all survive.”
“Kaede, I want all of the unused orbs to be made into trinkets,” Zirene commanded. “I don’t care what you come up with. I want bracelets, belts, necklaces, even hairpieces for Selena and the rest of us. If we leave Destima as a clan, I want everyone equipped with at least one at all times. Until then, I want the nestroom flooded with those night lamps. If they are the key to healing this clan, I want as many as we can effectively fit in there.”
“I’m an assassin, not a jeweler,” Kaede grumbled, crossing his arms. “That is more Aunya’s specialty.”
“Then delegate to her,” Zirene hissed at Kaede. “This is a serious matter. I don’t care if you have to play gardener and place new night lamps all over the villa yourself—it needs to be done.”
“It will be.”
“I am sure Kaede will do a good job, Zirene,” I murmured, placing a hand on his cheek, guiding him to look back at me. His royal-purple eyes had darkened, and his tail began to whip agitatedly against my leg. “He understands how important this is. He’s just being… Kaede.”
“This isn’t the time to fool around.”
“He isn’t,” I retorted, closing my eyes as a sigh escaped my lips. “Look, I get that tensions are high, but we shouldn’t attack each other.”
“You’re right,” Zirene mumbled as his tail stilled. “We’ve gained valuable information. Now, I can breathe a little easier, knowing your Oetsae can heal you as long as he is provided with an energy source. I will worry less when I am away because you will always be protected.”
“I’m glad.” Standing on my toes, I gave him a quick kiss on the lips in hopes of soothing his short temper.
My Shadow needed comfort. Even though he feigned nonchalance, I knew better. He was still coming to terms with leading a large, powerful empire after gruesomely killing his sire. He had planned for his brother to take over. He was also adjusting to the shift in our relationship. One more ring of protection around me was a shield around him, too.
“Let’s wake my Favored and retire as a clan.”
“I would like that.”
Those four words were taken as a command. The infirmary instantly came alive, with medical personnel hurrying to their stations and preparing to wake Xylo and Odelm.
Zirene wrapped an arm around me and turned us toward my Circuli mates.
“Does either of you need to take a seat?” he asked, scanning them for signs of fatigue.
“A bench would be nice, in case this takes a long time,” V’dim replied, his shoulders sagging. “It’s hard to tell when we need to rest, since we’re still healing. I would rather not overly strain myself and risk becoming a burden today. Your undivided attention should be on our nestbrothers.”
“Selena should probably take it easy, too, since we don’t know how difficult tying two more to her clan network so soon will be,” Z’fir cautioned, turning to me. His tone was wary, as if what he was saying might upset me. “Even though you think you’ll be okay, the mental web is still new to you.”
“I was able to give Chyox and Usthu a clan base on the network’s central ring,” I countered. The males I had mentioned froze, and Kaica’s head jerked my way. Giving her a gentle smile, I addressed her. “Your nestmates are the Circuli I know the best outside of my clan. I wanted to see if I could organize the network’s strands. Since we are family, I figured it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“It’s no problem,” she muttered, blushing as she tucked her rapidly changing hair behind her ears. “I am just shocked—and honored—that you think highly enough of my nestmates to try their threads first.”
“It’s important that I can identify my medical team’s signatures, in case I ever need help and for some reason can’t reach you any other way.”
“My clan thanks you, Sister.” She nodded to excuse herself then continued to prepare the equipment for de-stasis.
“When did you do that?” Kaede asked, placing a bench long enough to hold four between the two Cryopods. “We left you alone for barely a second, and you already started messing around with your new powers?”
He turned to my Circuli princes. “You should have kept her occupied while we were gone. What were you doing?”
“They fell asleep relaxing while taking in nutrients.” I covered my mouth to hold back my giggles. “You can’t be too hard on them. They needed their rest, and I needed to learn how to manipulate the network, sooner rather than later.”
“This is why I told you she can’t be left alone, even for short periods.” Kaede chuckled in Zirene’s direction. “When she puts her mind to something, she does it invariably. Our mate is trouble.”
