My arousal vanished as my face flamed in embarrassment.
With a choked sound, I yanked myself away from Xylo and fled to the bathroom. I couldn’t believe it. What had happened to the shy, polite males I’d first met? I grabbed a hand towel from the sink and soaked it in cool water, then wiped at the remnants of my tears, allowing the damp towel to cool the heat in my cheeks.
A noise sounded behind me, and I pulled the towel away from my face, looking into the mirror. Xylo stood just inside the doorway with a worried look on his face.
“I am sorry I embarrassed you, Selena. I do not know what came over me. Chalk it up to my excitement to have a new nestbrother combined with the aroused thoughts coming from you. I forgot we had company. This is all new to me too, but I promise to pay more attention in future.”
I dropped the towel on the sink and crossed to Xylo, wrapping my arms around him. Lowering my head onto his soft chest, I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath, allowing his sweet herbal scent to calm me.
“Everything’s changing so fast. I feel like I’m going with the flow, but sooner or later, it’s all going to hit and overwhelm me, and everything I’ve built around me will come crashing down. I’m scared, Xylo. And I don’t want to pull you, and now Odelm, down with me.”
He wrapped me in his arms and held me close.
“You are doing so well and have adjusted to so much. I am in awe of your strength. Selena... allow your nestmates to help you, and if you fall, we will be there to catch you. You do not understand everything you have given us—”
“Including giving me a second chance, Selena. Let us give back even a fraction of what you have given us. Even with only the court bond, my own mental shields feel stronger. I do not understand it, but it is yet another thing you havegiven me I want a chance to deserve,” Odelm interrupted from the doorway.
A deep, rumbling laugh rolled from Xylo. He beamed.
“It gets better once the bond is permanent, nestbrother.”
“How so?”
“Selena has a natural shielding ability. We noticed it even before we opened her escape pod—not even the princes could read her. Once I bonded with her, the bond thread allowed me past her mental shields. And once we made the bond permanent, her shields seem to have... extended to me, helping me maintain my own. Strengthening them. It is remarkable and seems to be getting stronger. I do not need to continually maintain my mental shields around others—unless they are more powerful.”
The admission startled me, and I glanced up at Xylo.
“Really? I do that?”
Xylo lowered his head to meet my gaze, his pupilless teal eyes sparkling with the excitement of scholarly discovery.
“Yes, you do. I have never read of a species with the raw ability to shield naturally, especially not one that can extend that gift to others. Usually, any shielding ability is secondary to some other primary telepathic ability. But you lack either empathic or telepathic abilities. It has been fascinating to see how similar our bond is to other Circuli—yet is so much more.”
“She does that?”
“Yes. I do not know if it is a human ability or if it is some adaptation from the experiments the Yaarkins performed. There is a lot about Project: Adapt that is still unknown. Not that it matters. Selena is ours, and I would not want any other.”
For the first time, I truly felt like I belonged.
Both males accepted me for who I was and cherished what I brought to our bond. I was certain we would havemisunderstandings—we were different species with different cultures—but we were learning to be open with one another. We were kindred spirits. We could make this work. I felt the first stirrings of hope and excitement for our future together.
I could see myself falling for both of them.
I sent another prayer to the Stars and the Fates—they certainly seemed to be watching out for me thus far.
My stomach growled, pulling me from my thoughts, and I chuckled with embarrassment. My nestmates looked at me with concern.
“Let us get something in you,” Xylo suggested. “When was the last time you ate?”
I laughed. “You’d think I hadn’t eaten in days, but I had lunch with Odelm before his performance. Before I passed out, and he had to carry me here.”
“I am sure this is pregnancy-related. It takes a lot of energy to meet the needs of the offspring growing inside you. Let us get you something to eat—and see if Kaede is still waiting for us in the common room.”
As we reentered the room, I spotted Kaede sitting on the couch with his legs up, working away at his personal armband. He glanced up, gaze roaming across the three of us before it settled on mine.
“Everything okay?” His melodious voice was laced with worry.
I smiled, pleased to see proof Kaede cared. He’d waited to make sure I was okay but had allowed Xylo and Odelm privacy to check on me.
