Project: Adapt - Found: A Space Fantasy Alien Romance (Book 1)

by Jade Waltz

  “No. I just assumed it was something everyone did. A free place everyone had to escape to.”

  V’dim glanced at Z’fir, who responded, “No. It is a rare ability, and it only manifests in those with strong psi gifts.” Meeting my gaze, Z’fir kept his tone gentle as he continued, “Selena, it is a mental construct that shields your mind from others. Usually, it only manifests under great stress—your situation certainly qualified—and even then, only sometimes.”

  I looked away from him, back to my island view.

  “If you’re asking why I brought you here, I don’t know. I don’t even know how I did. I wouldn’t even have considered it possible.”

  Something cool gripped my ankle, grabbing my attention. I looked down to see V’dim’s hand cupping my ankle gently. “We know, Selena. It is our fault for not being prepared. Xylo had told us you had a strong shielding ability, but it just did not occur to us you had the mental strength to create a dreamscape. Nor to pull us in with you. Both Z’fir and I have witnessed how unique your bond is with both Odelm and Xylo. It is as if your shields spread to them across the threads of your bonds. Xylo told us he no longer needed to maintain his shields around most people.”

  “I wonder how it would feel not to need to keep my mental shields up all the time,” Z’fir murmured, almost to himself.

  We fell into a comfortable silence, simply enjoying the beautiful scenery.

  The warmth of the sun on my body felt nice as the brisk wind tickled my skin. The sounds of the waves on the beach and the chatter of the birds brought me peace.

  V’dim sighed. “I am envious of this place.”

  Z’fir grunted in response. “It makes me miss our home planet, and yearn all the more to find a new planet to call our own.”

  Turning my face away from the water, I studied the princes. They had their tentacles and vines entwined as they leaned against the railing and one another, looking out over the view. I could see how much they cared for each other.

  “How long have you been together?”

  They stared at one another for a moment before meeting my gaze.

  A smile crossed V’dim’s face. “We felt a connection while we were maturing in the Royal Hatchery and have been inseparable ever since.”

  “So, is that why neither of you have nestqueens?”

  His smile fell as he glanced at Z’fir, who frowned in response.

  “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to pry,” I blurted, horrified.

  Z’fir waved a hand dismissively. “Do not fret. It is not exactly a state secret, and we owe you an answer after all you have shared with us.”

  He sighed, clearly thinking.

  “Depends on who you talk to. If you were to ask our mothers, they believe our connection inhibited our forming a bond with a nestqueen. They tried many times to split us up. They wanted to use us to make political connections with other clans, and since Ulax and Wudox cannot interbreed, we would not be able to share the same nestqueen. Personally, we do not care about reproducing and just want to be together. But we both know that if we find a new planet to settle on, it would be up to us to create new royal lines since our Queens did not agree with this mission.”

  “What do you mean?”

  V’dim picked up the thread. “Before we left, the Queens decreed that either we stay and split up—bonding with nestqueens of their choice, or we stay together but would be renounced and forced to leave Circuli. We refused to separate, and indeed, had already been working on plans for this voyage. So, our new colony will need a new royal line. There is no returning to Circuli. For the benefit of our people, we will do what we could not at the whims of our mothers—find nestqueens and create a new royal line for each species. Until then, we will spend as much time together as we are able.”

  “If you’re only going to end up bonded with a nestqueen, why leave?” I asked confused.

  “To escape the rigid society on Circul. To give the other unmated and severed males a place to call home. To allow our people a choice in how they live.” V’dim’s voice filled with thick emotion.

  “Couldn’t you change how you govern your species? Or elevate someone else to be the new royal family? I mean, it’s going to be a new beginning. You are already planning changes, so why not change everything? Why sacrifice yourselves?”

  They looked stunned, their eyes filled with wonder.

  “Why did not we think about that?” Z’fir turned to V’dim.

  “We were too focused on getting away and searching for a new planet. We did not stop to consider there might be an alternative. It took an outsider’s unbiased view to see things clearly. Something to remember,” V’dim replied. His turquoise eyes met mine. “But for now, our focus has to be on getting Selena to CEG HQ safely. And to ensure her rights are not trampled.”

  I smiled at him in appreciation.

  Z’fir nodded. “Not that I do not enjoy the feeling of being planet-side once more—this place is remarkable—but how do we get out of here? Knowing your nestmates, they are likely feeling your absence and are worried.”

  I shrugged and looked away. “I just will myself awake.”

  “Yes, as wonderful as this is, I am starting to feel a little uncomfortable being here. Can you take us back?” V’dim added.

  “Yeah. I’m just afraid of what will happen when we wake up.” My voice cracked.

  “We will be there for you when we do.”

  Bright lights blinded me as I tried to open my eyes.

  I moaned and covered my face with my arm.

  “Dim the lights. She’s waking,” Kaede demanded, his voice vibrating with rage I’d never heard from him before.

  My heart raced and my breathing quickened.

  Why was he angry? What was happening? Where was I?

  My hand rested on something soft, and gripping it, I realized a blanket covered me. I slid my hand down to my stomach, protectively cupping its swell.

  “My cubs?”

  Someone’s hand covered my own, cool against the warmth of my skin.

  “They are perfectly fine, Selena. You have nothing to worry about.” Chyox’s voice soothed from my bedside. I calmed as the cool hand squeezed mine.

  “Where is Xylo? Odelm? The princes? Are they all right?” My voice cracked, mouth dry.

  “Xylo and Odelm have not left your side. They’re asleep next to you. I ordered for them to be sedated when they started to become unreasonable and aggressive.” Kaede’s voice was clipped. “The princes? They’re lucky no harm came to you, or they’d be fertilizer for this rust bucket’s terrarium.”

  “Kaede—”

  “No. I did not want to make any sweeping changes as long as you were safe and things proceeded smoothly aboard ship. But the princes’ stunt not only sent half the crew into hysterics, they also put you in harm's way. This ship is mine until we arrive at CEG HQ.”

  Carefully pulling my arm away from my eyes, I squinted as I scanned the room. Chyox nodded and released my hand before walking away. My gaze landed on Kaede, who stood at my bedside with his arms crossed. Usthu and Ayces hovered behind him with nervous looks on their faces. Both Chyox and Ayces had morphed to a sickly yellow interspersed with orange.

  “You’re being unreasonable, Kaede. This was not their fault. It was mine.”

  “It’s a good thing you aren’t in charge of me. Be angry with me if you want, but I’m going to prevent anything else happening to you, even if that means I stop giving you space and follow you everywhere.”

  “You can’t wrap me in cotton wool. It was an accident!” I yelled in anger.

  “Just like bonding yourself to Xylo was!” he snapped back.

  I opened my mouth in shock.

  I couldn’t believe Kaede had just said that. He clearly didn’t trust my judgment nor care about my opinion. Had I been right after all? Was I supposed to be some brainless puppet—a piece of property to be traded from one master to another? Was he just another prison guard ensuring delivery to a new master by
whatever means necessary?

  I sucked in a shaking breath as my eyes welled with furious tears of betrayal. Using both hands, I wiped my eyes.

  “Get out.”

  “Selena—”

  “I said get out!”

  “Selena, I’m stepping outside. Once you calm down and come to your senses, I’ll return to talk to you,” Kaede said in a controlled voice.

  The sound of retreating footsteps, followed by the doors opening and closing filled the room.

  The room was silent as I angrily worked to stop my tears. I sucked in several deep breaths, staring at the ceiling, rubbing my pregnant belly with my hands.

  I glanced at the healers, who watched me in shock from the end of my bed. They were clearly uncomfortable with my outburst. Not that I particularly cared. Kaede had been out of line.

  I sighed. “I apologize for losing my temper.”

  Ayces and Usthu looked at Chyox, who responded, “Things have been... hectic since we discovered the three of you, unresponsive. Kaede took over and straightened the crew out. but the three of you unconscious—it caused a lot of problems.”

  A groan sounded to my right. Looking over, I noticed the princes in their own beds, waking. The healers rushed to their side to ask how they felt, rambling medical terms.

  I turned my head to the left to give them what little privacy the infirmary allowed. My gaze fell on Xylo and Odelm in the bed next to me. They looked like they had been haphazardly thrown there together, arms and legs akimbo, vines and tentacles tangled.

  I bit my lip to stop a chuckle. They looked adorable, and the mingling of all their varied colors against the whiteness of the infirmary bed reminded me of some of the abstract art I had seen during my studies of Earth culture. It made me wish I could get a picture of them to look at later.

  Then I sobered.

  There had clearly been a lot of problems caused by our visit to my dreamscape, and they clearly had not been minor if they necessitated sedating Xylo and Odelm. They must have been traumatized.

  “Can someone tell me why my nestmates had to be sedated?”

  No one answered.

  Instead I heard V’dim ask, “Are you well, Selena?”

  Turning my head to meet his worried gaze, I smiled. “Yes, as are my cubs. Your crew and my nestmates, however, aren’t.”

  He leaned back in his bed and closed his eyes. “Yes. I can feel their wild emotions. Z’fir and I will have a lot of work to do to calm everyone.”

  “They can wait until after we get done checking the three of you,” Chyox snapped.

  Z’fir sat up. “Then hurry up and get it over with. We need to do damage control, to ease the crew’s restless thoughts.”

  Chyox supervised routine tests on the three of us as he filled the princes in on what had occurred. Apparently, my nestmates had immediately sensed my absence along our bond threads—as though I no longer existed. The same thing had happened for the crew.

  It was as if their princes had vanished.

  The princes weren’t surprised by Kaede’s action in taking over the ship. In fact, they seemed relieved he’d been there to keep the crew on track and ease the worst of the panic.

  When pressed, the princes explained they’d had me lower my mental shields and were probing my memories, implying that was what had triggered our unconsciousness. They didn’t tell anyone about my dreamscape. I was thankful for their discretion.

  Chyox seemed to approve they’d delved into my memories. He clearly still felt I was a savage, perhaps even a spy. I hoped this would put that to rest once and for all, but I still didn’t like him.

  Moans sounded from my nestmates’ bed, turning my attention from the discussion between the princes and the healers to them.

  Both Odelm and Xylo shifted in bed, groaning as they struggled to wake.

  “Selena?” Xylo murmured.

  “I’m here.”

  They jerked at the sound of my voice, jolting upright. Groggily, they stared at their twisted limbs before untangling themselves from one another. They looked around the infirmary. As their gazes found me, they stumbled from the bed to my side.

  Xylo sank down on my left, pulling me up into a smothering hug. The other side of my bed dipped, Odelm pressed against my back, wrapping his arms loosely around my waist to cradle my stomach.

  “Oh Stars, Selena,” Xylo choked out. “Do not ever do that to us again.”

  “We thought we had lost you. We could not feel you at all,” Odelm murmured raggedly, his voice filled with sorrow.

  “We could see our bond threads still connected to you, but your mind was a black hole. When we tried searching for any trace of your thoughts, all we got was pain.”

  Odelm’s grip tightened. “It felt like you had left us. Like you had severed your bond threads even though we could see that they were still there.”

  Xylo pulled himself away only far enough to lock his hardened teal eyes on mine. “Do not ever do that again.”

  He turned toward the princes and growled, “I do not care she is human. You had no right to do what you did.”

  I placed my hands on his cheeks and directed his face back to mine. “They didn’t do anything wrong.”

  His eyes were filled with anger.

  “They are not your nestmates. You are no criminal. They had no right to explore your memories, especially when you are pregnant, with no idea what the impact would be on a human.”

  “Xylo. They asked. I accepted. They were trying to understand me—so they could help me,” I explained gently, trying to get him to understand.

  “They should have had us there. They should have warned us. They should have used the infirmary knowing how fragile your pregnant state is and how important you are to the Aldawi. They did not take the right precautions—”

  “It was a mistake, nestbrother. What is done is done. I am sure the princes realize their mistake. Now we should focus on Selena’s health, on getting her fed so she can rest in our nestbed,” Odelm calmly suggested, trying to defuse the heightened emotions in the room.

  Xylo searched my face, his expression softening before looking over my shoulder at Odelm. “You are wise. Selena should be our focus at the moment.”

  His face hardened as he looked back over at the princes. “I do not care you are my princes, Sires. I will continue this discussion with you once we get Selena settled and rested.”

  “We understand, Master Scholar Xylo. We will speak with you whenever you are ready. Know that we are sorry and did not mean any harm to come to your clan. We were only trying to help. We did not know she would react that way, nor that it would cause such problems. Now that we do, it will not happen again,” Z’fir replied gravely.

  “Make sure your nestqueen is taken care of, and we will speak with you at your discretion,” V’dim added.

  Xylo swung his gaze back to me and scanned my body. I dropped my hands from his face and placed them over Odelm’s as Xylo said, “I am going to do my own tests on you, then you are going to let Odelm and me take care of you. We will have dinner in our room while you explain what happened. After that, we will have that bath you wanted and get you the rest you need. You will not argue with me—”

  “Healer’s orders,” I interrupted, smiling at him.

  His mouth twitched as his eyes regained their sparkle.

  “Scholar’s orders.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Selena

  I lounged on the couch in our suite, my body wrapped in a silver blanket. My still-disconcerted nestmates were treating me as though I was fragile and would either break or explode at any moment.

  Xylo had refused to allow me to walk back to our quarters—instructing Odelm to carry me as he hovered protectively nearby. Kaede was, fortunately, keeping his distance. When we’d left the infirmary, it was K’dyth who stood guard. He’d mentioned Kaede was on the bridge and would remain until the princes were able to relieve him. I’d been relieved—what Kaede had said still hurt, and I wasn’t rea
dy to face him.

  Odelm had pulled my legs across his lap and was currently rubbing my feet. He hadn't left my side since he woke from his sedation—one of his hands or a tentacle in continuous contact. I think the earlier episode had woken all his fears I would sever our bond.

  I didn't mind his attention. He was only seeking comfort, and the little touches made me feel cared for—and comforted. I thought for a moment as he stroked my calf. Far from minding the contact, his absentminded touches spread warmth throughout my body. I’d felt the same thing when I’d first met Xylo. It wasn't arousal. It was something else, something I’d been experiencing a lot lately around the two of them.

  Xylo paced the floor of the common room. If he wasn’t careful, he’d wear a path in the carpet in his agitation. He hadn't said much since we’d left the infirmary. Both of my nestmates were quiet. I didn't know if they were still shaken from earlier, or if they were upset with me. I nibbled on the edge of a nail, unwilling to be the one to break the silence.

  Xylo stopped his pacing and turned on me, his face furious.

  “Selena. What in the Stars were you thinking? I need you to tell me why you did it.”

  Odelm’s hands stilled on my feet. I kept my gaze on Odelm’s hands, afraid to meet Xylo’s gaze.

  “I didn't know what they were suggesting would cause any trouble. It seemed like it would be helpful if the princes understood how I felt and could help when we reached the space station.”

  “But why them? Why would you allow them to do something so intimate? Something only your nestmates should be able to experience with you?” Xylo demanded.

  I could see his hands waving from the corner of my eye.

  He was angry at me—so angry.

  I shrank down in the sofa to make myself a smaller target. I waited for him to tell me what a failure I was as a nestqueen. How could I have allowed other males to do something so intimate? How could I have been so stupid to not realize only Favored nestmates should be allowed so close?

  Was he ashamed of me? Did he regret bonding with me?

  My heart raced, and my breathing quickened. Spots began to dance in front of my eyes.