I glanced at him. His focus was on my hands rubbing my stomach. Kaede’s gaze met mine before he turned to my nestmates.
“You’d allow it?”
“It’s not our decision. It’s hers.”
His gaze still focused on both Odelm and Xylo. “But it’s okay if I touch her stomach?”
I eyed both of my nestmates and waited for their response.
Xylo’s eyes fell to the gloved hands on Kaede’s knees.
“I do not see why you are asking now. Selena already permitted you to have your hands on her and has offered again.”
Odelm watched Kaede intently.
“Odelm and I have been blessed to feel the life growingwithin her. If she is permitting you to experience it, I suggest you seize the opportunity before it is revoked.”
Kaede lowered himself onto the floor and shuffled over to kneel in front of me. His eyes were glued to my stomach as he gingerly placed his hands on it.
At that precise moment, my cubs moved, kicking powerfully at Kaede’s hands. I bit my lip to remain quiet, not wanting Kaede to think he’d caused me pain.
The black-slits of his neon eyes dilated as his thin black lips parted in wonder. The room remained silent as we watched Kaede. The mood was contented, calm—and it was not Odelm manipulating our emotions. I smiled as peace swept over me.
This was the type of moment I’d always yearned for.
When my cubs finally stilled, Kaede reluctantly removed his hands. He gave me a grateful smile. “Thank you for allowing that. I would never have imagined I could experience something like that—especially in my profession.”
I smirked. “You’d better get used to having a lot of firsts with me around. I’m having three cubs. I’m going to need a lot of help handling them.”
“I’m willing to experience whatever firsts you’re willing to give me.”
He stood and reached out his gloved hand to help me up from the couch. The sudden change in position made me dizzy, and I swayed. Kaede grabbed my hips to steady me.
“You okay?” Kaede asked, worried.
I nodded then glanced at Xylo standing beside Odelm. “I’m so over this pregnancy. The first time I see my cubs’ sire I’m going to kick him in the genitals for doing this to me.”
Kaede chuckled. “You may not want to do that.”
“Why not? He had his fun then left me alone with the pain and inconvenience of the results.”
His tongue flickered as he smirked at me. “Well, I’ll certainly enjoy watching you try.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Now that I’m awake and standing, can we go eat?”
Kaede jerked his hands away from my hips and backed up, glancing at my nestmates.
“I’ll need to put my visor back on before we leave the suite.”
“Of course. Do what you need to, and I’ll go get ready. We can all have dinner together.”
As I leaned against the corner of the bathtub with my arms resting on the edge of the tub, I considered the evening. The conversation over dinner had been light. We’d settled on Kaede staying in the bedroom closest to the common room and main door. He’d registered himself to our suite and gotten it approved by the princes, then transferred the rest of his belongings.
I knew he wanted that room as a first line of defense if anyone forced an entry—though it worried me that he felt he needed to prepare for an attack or an abduction. Until now, it hadn’t really sunk in that having me on the ship posed such a risk.
My nestmates hadn’t questioned Kaede or me about why he’d had his visor off nor why we were in the bedroom together. I wondered if they’d had a chat while I slept, or if they’d decided to let it go so Kaede would not be uncomfortable.
I glanced over at Xylo beside me, his vines floating on the surface of the water. Odelm soaked in the center of the tub—its deepest part—his tentacles waving lazily in the water. He’d dropped one of the soaps he’d used before into the water, and the purple bubbles made their drifting appendages look funny—almost like the snakes or sea dragons I’d read about in my studies of Earth.
