When my nestmates decided to team up to wash me, Odelm focused on my lower half, while Xylo concentrated on my upper. To my surprise, I experienced none of the arousal that had been present any time they touched me. Whether an intentional massage or an accidental graze of my breasts, until now any contact with them had been highly arousing. I thought about that and realized I hadn’t been aroused, not once, since I’d claimed Odelm last night.
Instead, I felt cherished and cared for. Even when Kaede had massaged my feet earlier, it felt wonderful on my aching feet, but there had been no excitement. When he’d held me, I’d felt comforted and safe.
I wondered if it had something to do with nearing the end of my pregnancy. Xylo and the healers were convinced it would be closer to the usual fifty-day Aldawi gestation period, rather than the normal human 280-day gestation. Thank the Stars! Which meant I could be as few as eight days from delivery.
After our relaxing bath, Xylo assisted me out of the tub and Odelm dried me off. Together we went into the bedroom and they helped me into bed, tucking one of the silver blankets around me.
As I lay in contented silence, Odelm closed the curtains and turned off the lights, the room lit only by Xylo’s nebulae and galaxies and the spots on my arms. After a few moments, Odelm’s violet speckles became visible. They gradually brightened until they’d reached the brightness of Xylo’s patterns.
“Why do your speckles take a while to start glowing while Xylo’s and mine instantly do?” I asked.
Odelm looked down at me.
His ombre anemone hair glowed brightly as it rested on his shoulders. Pale violet spots glowed along with the edges ofhis fins and blades and the tips of his tentacles. His pale green eyes met mine.
“Wudox have no control over their bioluminescence glow—it simply glows. But the Ulax can control when each of their bioluminescent parts glow. Typically, we only turn the glow on when we are deep diving or in dark caves where we need to see. But since you both glow and you enjoy seeing it, I decided to turn mine on and join you.”
Xylo lay down on my right, covering himself with a blanket and wrapping his vines across mine. Odelm followed his lead and allowed his closest tentacles to rest on top of my blanket.
I smiled, unbelievably content. My nestmates treated me well and made me feel so cared for.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve you both.” I sighed.
They both rolled to face me.
“What do you mean?” Xylo questioned, sounding confused.
I rolled my eyes. “You tell me. I thought you couldn’t get out of my head.”
Odelm chuckled as Xylo replied, “I cannot, but that does not mean I constantly listen. I would not be able to get any work done if I listened to every thought you had.”
“It is the same with me. I cannot prevent myself receiving strong emotions, but I try to mute all your minor ones. I would love to study what makes you feel each one, but you deserve privacy—especially since you cannot reciprocate.”
“He cannot filter strong emotions. I cannot filter loud thoughts. We both are fully capable of communicating with you. I have noticed you have grown comfortable speaking Galactic Common aloud and I am proud of you. But you must not feel afraid to speak with us mentally or call out to us when you need us,” Xylo cautioned.
I understood what he was telling me. I hadn’t been usingour connection to communicate with them both telepathically. Doing so was a significant part of their society, and I needed to fit in whatever ways I could—I was already at a disadvantage being human and not having any extra appendages.
“I promise I’ll use our connection to communicate with you both more often. But to explain what I meant earlier, you both treat me so wonderfully. I feel spoiled with all the attention. I know you both feel it’s part of your job as nestmates, but I’m afraid I’m not giving enough back,” I whispered.
They scooted closer to me and each wrapped an arm around me, their tentacles and vines shifting out of the way.
Serenity spread from Odelm as he whispered in my ear, “You give us so much. I have you as my nestqueen and Xylo as my nestbrother. Soon I will be a co-father to three cubs. You grounded me—gave me stability. You allow me everything I have ever wanted and even that I never thought to dream of... Do not ever think such thoughts. I should be thanking you.”
“Odelm is right, Selena. We keep telling you... we are considered oddities that no one would want. You have granted us the bliss of having a nestqueen and give us so much more than any Circuli nestqueen would have. Our future may be unclear at the moment, but we will face it together as a clan.”
Something clicked within me, as if the pieces suddenly fell into place. I realized what I had been feeling this whole time.
I tugged on the golden threads that connected me to each of them.
“I love you. I love you both. I don’t know why it took me so long to realize that’s what I’ve been feeling... It seems so obvious now. I don’t know how I would be able to live without either of you—nor do I want to find out. But I am in love with the both of you.”
They squeezed me tighter, rubbing their heads into my hair.
“I have loved you since the night you claimed me,”Xylo’s deep mental voice rumbled, thick with emotion.
“And I knew I loved you the moment you court-bonded me. The envy and yearning I had been feeling vanished, and my love for you blossomed and has grown since then,”Odelm’s light tenor declared.
Odelm traced a few spots on my cheeks.
