They had survived another night together without incident. Doing a quick scan of his stealth drones, he couldn’t find anything concerning within their records that REI might have overlooked. She made his job effortless, allowing him to focus on tasks other than his often-mundane responsibility of surveying the moon’s citizens for activity that may affect his clan. It had taken time to get used to the rows of tiny vidfeeds changing and filtering automatically, but now that they had been together for a few months, he had gotten used to REI. He could ignore her work and pay attention to the other information streaming past his vision.
REI’s presence within him was almost like breathing; he could forget she was there, automatically managing his responsibilities, until she responded with an opinion to his train of thought.
Would his siblings be interested in an Oetsae symbiont if it meant better synchronization with their AI? Would sacrificing privacy and some freedoms to gain enhancements be worth it to them?
He wouldn’t pressure them into making the decision. They would have to determine that themselves.
While he enjoyed being a member of his family’s network, there were times in his life when he had hated himself for what he was—who he was. Now that he knew the origins of his genome, he was filled with regret and shame once again.
Kaede never wanted his instincts to take over his life. Just because the Yaarkins had genetically engineered him to be the lethal assassin, that didn’t mean he was a prisoner in his body. He was fully capable of controlling himself, especially when it came to resisting the need to teach certain annoying, stubborn males a lesson.
He was proud of how long he had resisted Selena. While he held no regrets about giving in to Fate and finally letting the Stars lead him down their path, he wished that they could have delayed gifting them with evidence of their union.
There were too many changes, too much that needed to be done now that they were home. While he was relieved that his clanbrothers were on the mend and Selena was safe at home among them, a nagging concern remained at the back of his mind. After what had happened with Z’s sire, he knew he couldn’t ever truly relax.
Now Selena was pregnant, and the clan was in a fragile—yet stable—condition. It was his duty to protect his clan, especially while they were recovering. The princes and Z may be warriors, but they were distracted by other struggles at the moment.
They were all on Destima, surrounded by a powerful family, friends, and allies, but for some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the Stars had more planned for them.
When would they be granted a break to enjoy themselves together without complications?
It had taken him nine years to find Selena, only for her to be kidnapped once again. Though Kaede wasn’t tired of rescuing her, he wished for a chance to finally settle down.
Selena was a strong woman—she had to be to survive all the trauma she’d suffered—but there was only so much his mate would be able to take before she gave up and stopped fighting. There was only so much a person could weather before they wished for their struggles to end. He had seen too many broken souls surrender because they had lost family, friends, money, or a mate.
Selena was a gift from the Fates who gave his life a new meaning.
He had never thought that he would be a mate, much less a father, yet he was about to become both.
Even though he wished he could settle down with Selena and the rest of their clan, he knew he would never be able to. He had been programmed with the need to constantly watch and protect what was his.
He would kill to keep her safe, even more so now that he was going to be a father.
Afather. Not a sire.
Stars, if you are indeed listening, please grant my request. You’ve given me Selena as a mate, and by extension, my clanbrothers. Please help Selena take the news of her pregnancy easily—and help me raise our daughter.
An alert flashed near the bottom of his vision, and instantly, one of the tiny feeds rotating along the activity stream blinked and expanded, revealing a certain sapphire Swynemi exiting his assigned family cabin. Kaede watched Celyze wait until the door slid shut before continuing down the hallway.
Why would he leave his room alone at this time of day?
Usually, Tori’s clan traveled together when exploring the villa’s property, but the Cosmic Soul hadn’t waited for the others. Instead, he appeared to be sneaking out of the estate. Kaede would have dismissed the move as an innocent morning stroll alone if not for the concern etched into his face.
The way he stalked toward the middle of the villa with his head lifted to the morning sky, searching for something, was enough reason to put Kaede on full alert. There were only two reasons a Cosmic Soul would be staring into space. Either he was expecting something to enter Destima’s atmosphere, or the Stars were telling him something.
Glancing over his shoulder, Kaede double-checked that his clan was still asleep and breathed a sigh of relief to see them resting peacefully. He wouldn’t need to explain his sudden disappearance. He hoped he could handle Celyze before his clan woke up.
REI selected the nearest stealth drone, and within a blink of an eye, he felt his body shift and reappear behind the unexpecting stargazer.
“Do you want to explain to me why you’re out here alone and staring at the stars?” Kaede stepped forward and stopped directly behind the winged male, who spun around and gasped at his proximity. Tilting his head, Kaede locked eyes with the Cosmic Soul, trying to size him up. “Or do you think you can get away with a forbidden morning flight to stretch your wings?”
“The Stars have spoken,” Celyze muttered, sounding dazed as he shifted his eyes to the skyline once more. “They want to give me a warning.”
“A warning?” Those were the exact words he had feared. “Tell me. What do you see?”
“Death. Betrayal. Heartache.”
“Whose death?” Kaede’s veins turned to ice as he gripped the Cosmic Soul’s shoulders and gently shook him. “You can’t tell me someone is going to die and not tell me who. Ask them. Demand an answer. I don’t care what you have to do.”
