Xylo didn’t like seeing his nestqueen as distraught as she was, but he needed answers. Even if he weren’t her Primary, he would still feel the need to know if his nestqueen was genuinely safe.
Determined to know what they were hiding from Selena, Xylo sent a mental thread to Chyox, who instantly accepted.
“What damage does she have?”he pathed, his tone completely serious.“Other than the fact that she’s pregnant, what are you hiding from my nestqueen?”
“She may be pregnant, but it’s still early. We don’t know if she will be able to carry full term,”Chyox explained.“I can’t tell you what the stars have for you, but I can tell you this. She has less damage than you, but her body is scarred. The scars will remain. Thankfully, with her genetics, her nanobots, and her Oetsae within her, she was able to heal.”
“Did they take anything from her?”
He would dread it if they had, but he had to know what he was working with when it came to his nestqueen. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had a chance to go to the infirmary and access her files to witness for himself.
Kaede had made it clear that he would prevent him from working—and that he needed to take this time relaxing and healing, not stressing over things that he had no power or control over.
They were lucky that the Stars had guided Kaede to her in time before they were able to take anything from her. However, it was clear from the incision her kidnappers had made that they were planning on harvesting her eggs—and any other essential organs of hers they were interested in.
“Whether or not she’ll have complications soon, that’s yet to be determined, but thankfully she has Euouae with her. He will be able to mitigate any future problems that may ever arise—if he is as powerful as he said he is and has the capabilities of making sure that her body is in top shape. But I don’t see any reason why she wouldn’t be able to carry full term.”
“You know that it doesn’t matter what species it is,”Chyox replied.“Any female under a significant amount of stress can cause complications and make them deliver prematurely. So if I were you, I would focus on getting better and making sure you reassure her that you are.
“She is not only a nestqueen but my queen. I care for her and want to enjoy the life that she has built on this moon. She’s the queen of this moon, the beacon of the Aldawi Empire, but she hasn’t had the chance to be able to relax and enjoy herself.”
“Hopefully, once we deal with Master Chairmen Mwe and then collect our cubs, we can finally have a chance to relax on Destima and grow together as a family. But until that comes, my goal is to reassure Selena that all will be well.”
“If you need anything, I am just a thought away,”Chyox pathed.“I know the rest of the staff will understand if you don’t want to come into the infirmary right now until you get your vines back. I am not trying to discourage you from returning. I’m only letting you know that we understand what difficulties it may cause you. We’ll make sure your clan is healthy—and your nestqueen and her unborn offspring is safe and healthy.”
“Thank you,”Xylo replied, touched by the generous words Chyox had said.“I appreciate the concern and the offer. I’ll give you my answer when our cubs are home; I may want to spend that time with my clan until my vines return before returning to work.”
“Take your time.”Chyox nodded.“We’ll be here.”
Xylo felt the Master Healer disconnect from his mental thread and returned his attention to his nestqueen. She was still hugging Oeta, gently sobbing against her chest, seeking comfort from the winged healer.
Xylo didn’t like seeing Selena so distraught—and he felt as if had failed her somehow. He hadn’t prevented her from getting injured or placed in such a traumatic situation, and by attempting to fix her himself by going over her records, he was only upsetting her more.
He would do anything in his power to not hinder his healing. Even if it meant that he had to stay out of the infirmary and not overwork himself.
Oeta pulled away from Selena and grabbed her scanner from Kaica as
his nestqueen instantly spread her legs and arms, preparing herself.
He watched as Oeta slowly scanned her, as he felt a familiar caress upon his mental shields.
“My host and her offspring are doing well,” Euouae pathed. “There is no concern for you. I have kept this clan stable and fully monitored at all times. I’ve made sure that everyone is safe and accounted for. She is healthy. Her offspring’s healthy, and I’ll make sure to let you know if anything arises.”
“But why haven’t you told her? Why did you allow her to be upset, thinking that she wouldn’t be able to produce any more offspring when that is farthest from the truth? Why hasn’t anyone told her? Why did you allow her to be upset?”
“Because it is up to Kaede to tell her,”Euouae pointed out.“She may be my host, but I am not going to go against the clan. It was my impression that Kaede is responsible for letting her know that she is pregnant since he is the sire of her offspring. It is too early in the pregnancy to have it interfere with her wellbeing.
“I don’t want her to feel nauseous or have achy bones and muscles. So I’m going to be doing my best to make sure she doesn’t experience that. But until it gets to that point, I don’t see a problem withholding the information about her pregnancy from her—especially since Kaede plans on telling her before Master Mwe comes.”
“She hasn’t asked you about her health?”Xylo pathed.
He was still confused about how their relationship worked. Xylo thought it was Euoaue’s responsibility to tell his host, Selena, everything that was happening regarding her body. Even though what he was doing seemed harmless, it made Xylo wonder if there was anything else that the symbiont was hiding from his host.
“She has never asked me about it. If she had, I would’ve told her,” Euoaue explained. “Until she asked, I had no reason to tell her.”
“Your logic seems flawed,”Xylo countered.“She is your host, and you are purposely preventing critical information from her despite her feelings. If you truly cared about your host, you would update her on her current status—not wait until she asks you about it.”
“I see no harm doing this,” Euoaue replied. “But know this, if she had asked me before Kaede told her, I would’ve told her the truth. I’ve never hesitated to tell her anything. But since she hasn’t, I won’t. And if anything arises, you’ll be the first I contact. Not my host, you. The reason being, she may be my host, but she doesn’t have the medical background as you—or Oeta, Kaica, Chyox, and the others.
