Heat surged between us—a raw, physical awareness snapping tight, like the space between our bodies had caught fire and refused to burn out. It cascaded through my system, sparking along every nerve. My spots cycled rapidly—violet to blue to a deep pink—each color a broadcast of my pleasure.
I was dimly aware of my other mates shifting closer, drawn by the pull of sensation flooding the web. Watching. Waiting. Feeling everything I felt through the threads that bound us together.
Zirene’s mouth drifted lower—down the column of my throat, over my collarbone—until he reached the scar. He slowed there, reverent, tongue tracing it gently as if he could erase it with devotion alone, as if the right touch might heal what history had carved into me. His breath hitched against my skin before he continued, lingering at my sternum, forehead pressed there as if grounding himself, heat and care woven into every motion.
“Beautiful.” The word rumbled through his chest. “You have no idea what you look like right now, do you? Glowing. Fierce.Mine.”
His mouth closed over one peak, and I cried out.
The sensation was sharper than usual—my body more sensitive from pregnancy, every touch amplified. His tonguecircled the hardened bud, teasing and tasting, while his paw curled around my other breast. Hot and devoted. I clutched his mane, fingers tangling in the thick strands, holding on as pleasure crashed through me in waves.
“Zirene—”
“I know.” He switched to the other breast, giving it equal attention. His paws slid down my sides, tracing the flare of my hips before cupping the swell of my belly. “I feel you, Nova. Every tremor. Every pulse.” His claws drew gentle lines over my stretched skin, reverent. “I feel our daughter, too. Growing strong. Perfect.”
Kaede’s daughter.
The thought made my eyes sting. My first pregnancy had given me three cubs—two playful sons and a fierce daughter. They bore the markings of the Aldawi royal line, silver threading through patterns that marked them as mine. The twin boys carried Zirene’s darker shading, while my daughter looked like Royak—each of them holding my silver instead of gray.
This time was different. The life inside me was Kaede’s—a true demi-human. None of us knew what powers she would wield, how dangerous or brilliant the blend might be. Only that she would be something the galaxy had never seen before.
And Zirene would most likely be at war when she was born.
I shoved the thought away. Buried it deep. Tonight wasn’t for grief. Tonight was for connection—for pleasure and love and the desperate need to hold onto something before it slipped through my fingers.
Zirene continued his worship. Down over my belly, pressing kisses to the taut skin. Lower, to the jut of my hip bones. His breath fanned hot over the sensitive flesh of my inner thighs, and I shuddered.
Movement behind me. A familiar presence at my back.
Kaede.
His thread pulsed with controlled want as he settled behind me. Not touching—not yet—but close enough that I could feel his body heat against my spine. The juxtaposition of them both—Zirene’s worshipful attention from the front, Kaede’s coiled restraint at my back—made my head spin.
“Easy, star.” Kaede’s voice was a low rasp against my ear. “Let us take care of you.”
The soft click of a container opening. The slick sound of lubricant coating fingers.
I gasped as Kaede’s hand slid between my thighs from behind, cool gel meeting the heat of my arousal. His touch was clinical at first—efficient, practical—but then his fingers found my entrance and I felt the tremor that ran through him. The break in his legendary control.
“Stars, you’re soaked already.” His voice was rough. Strained. “All that from your Shadow’s mouth?”
“From all of you.” I could barely form words. “From knowing you’re all watching. Wanting. Feeling—”
“We are.” Kaede’s fingers worked me open with devastating precision. Adding more slick, making sure I was ready. Preparing me for the male whose mouth still traced patterns of worship across my hips. “Every one of us. You’re broadcasting through the web. We can feeleverything.”
Heat flooded my face. I hadn’t realized my shields had dropped so far—that the pleasure Zirene was building had leaked through every thread in my constellation. But now that Kaede mentioned it, I could feel them all. Their arousal. Their devotion. Their desperate need to be part of this moment.
Kaede withdrew his fingers, and I whimpered at the loss.
He pressed a kiss to the mark on my shoulder—his mark, the companion to Zirene’s on the other side. “Enjoy your Shadow, nestqueen.” His voice was soft. Almost tender. “Lethim memorize you. Let him carry the taste of you into battle.” Another kiss, lighter. “I’ll be here when you’re ready for more.”
Then he pulled back, settling at the edge of the nest to watch.
Zirene’s hands gripped my hips, lifting me effortlessly. The head of his stav pressed against my entrance—hot and hard and impossibly large. Even prepared, even slick with want and Kaede’s thorough attention, the stretch always took my breath away.
“Look at me.” Zirene’s command was soft but absolute.
My eyes found his.
