He understood the consequences of his bond with Selena. It saddened him his time among his people might end soon, but he was willing to follow her to the Aldawi and find employment wherever she went—better, he thought, than having the bond severed.
“It is clear she is not pregnant by a human. It is still too soon to determine the species of the fetus or the duration of her pregnancy. Humans are considered one of the Children. And of all the Children, they have the longest gestation time—approximately 280 days.”
The princes started in surprise. Xylo nodded at them in confirmation.
“The rest of the Children have an average gestation period of sixty-five days—still considerably longer than the three-day Circuli gestation—but nothing compared to that of the humans.” Xylo paused. “Do we know what the Aldawi plan to do with both the female and her offspring?”
“No, we do not. They only stated to treat her wounds and keep her safe while we travel to CEG HQ. We are not supposed to tell anyone we have her. They gave me the impression she is important to them. And, Xylo, even if we knew what they wanted with her, they are the most powerful species in CEG. We would be unable to keep her from them even if we refused to hand her over. Doing so would be suicide and jeopardize not only the Circuli on this ship but our position in CEG,” Prince V’dim warned.
“As it is, she may be a security threat. We have no way to read her fully. We can track her on the ship through the bracelets, but she could still be a spy or criminal of some sort—despite her pregnancy. I understand having a human hybrid pregnancy aboard ship is a huge moment for you, that you are eager to learn all you can. Especially since she has bonded with you. But we cannot jeopardize our position in CEG or the safety of our crewmembers. I am sorry, Xylo,” Prince Z’fir apologized, his voice full of regret.
“I was able to speak with Selena before I contacted you. She told me her story. She escaped from slavery and experimentation aboard a Yaarkin ship. They captured numerous humans to experiment with before they wiped out those on Earth. They have been using the failed experiments as sex slaves to fund their operations. She said she was the only prototype of a failed experiment they called ‘Project: Adapt,’ trying to genetically engineer a super soldier.”
The princes looked appalled.
“Sires... They sold her virginity to fund the next generation of the project. I am not going to abandon her—and her offspring—to the Aldawi. She does not deserve to continue living as an experiment, a test subject. She is a sentient being, and no matter how primitive the humans were considered, she needs to be protected. To have a chance at a life—”
Xylo snapped his mouth shut, cutting off his tirade.
Silence descended.
Xylo could not believe he had lost control of his emotions. It must be some instinctive aspect of his newly formed court bond to want to protect her, his nestqueen. He was shocked when the princes did not reprimand him.
Xylo eyed the princes as he finished his drink. They followed suit, Prince V’dim’s color sliding from the usual cobalt to a stressed black through a nervous brown to an angry red before settling on a worried orange. They seemed as bewildered about how to handle Selena as Xylo was.
A jolt of fear slammed into Xylo. He dropped the glass and sprang from his seat.
“Xylo!”
CHAPTER SIX
Selena
Warmth engulfed me in the darkness. Arms surrounded me, pulling me against a familiar, soft, cloud-like body. A head snuggled the top of mine, breathing in my scent.
“Finally! I’ve been waiting days for you to come to me. I was worried. Tell me you’re okay,” rumbled a raspy voice Iknew.
I closed my eyes as memories of our night together returned.
“You never came back for me. You promised, but you never fucking came back. The ship was attacked and nearly exploded before I could get to an escape pod. I could’ve died. I almost didn’t get away... even finding the escape pod, it was sheer luck I was found...”
Forcing myself to stop babbling, I took a deep breath. I tried to pull away from his smothering embrace.
I refused to give in to him.
A low growl in my ear—his arms tightening, refusing to let me go—stilled my struggles.
“The Yaarkins backed out of their deal. They were supposed to turn you over to me the following day. Instead,they demanded more credits. They fucking knew how interested I was in you. I refused to let them take advantage and returned as soon as I could assemble a fleet. No one backs out of a deal with me!” His arms tightened in anger. “We trapped and surrounded the Yaarkin vessel, but by the time we destroyed the Yaarkin threat and boarded, it was too late. I couldn’t find you anywhere. The only assurance I had you still lived was a tenuous sense through our connection. I’ve been waiting to feel you fall into our dreamscape so I could join you.”
“Well, your plan failed—and you nearly killed me. After all the years you’d been visiting me, even after our night together...” I nearly drowned in the emotion choking me, my voice raw. “You’re still hiding from me. After all our time together in the dreamscape, I trusted you. I didn’t question why you wanted to keep the lights off and remain hidden. I was wrapped up in being with you in the flesh, but you didn’t trust me with your identity—even now you don’t. And now you tell me you were going to buy me? Property—traded from the Yaarkins to you? I don’t know what you want from me... I don’t know if I can continue to do this.”
His confession both hurt and confused me. After spending so many years together in our dreamscape world, I’d thought our connection was special. That I meant more to him than a piece of property to be purchased.
The world spun as I was flipped around to face him. I gasped, and my eyes flew open. His amethyst eyes locked onto me as he grabbed my face in his smoky translucent hands.
A loud growl rumbled from him, and I shivered.
“You are my Nova. The light in my darkness. I’ve only withheld my identity to protect you. If someone discovers our connection before I have you by my side, it could be disastrous. Please, have patience. I promise to revealeverything once I have you with me. No more secrets. Please, my Nova,” he begged, brushing my hair back.
