by Jade Waltz
As I scanned his body, I noticed his tan skin lacked any scaling, unlike other demi-humans who were spliced with a scaled species. The black trousers did nothing to hide his aroused state.
Tearing my eyes away, I could feel my cheeks begin to heat from embarrassment.
Maybe I was used to being around my Circuli males, who never became aroused during their body’s dormant state. They were content to pick up on my lustful moods, knowing that they would enjoy sharing the bliss of my climax.
Zirene, on the other hand, wasn’t afraid to surprise me with an embrace from behind, rubbing his hidden erection against my ass cheeks as he whispered what he would rather do to me instead of his royal duties.
It had been a week since he had returned, and we’d come to terms with our relationship that fateful night. Since then, he hadn’t bothered to hide his attraction to me, like he had done while we were still arguing. Now he was more direct, showing his affection with stolen kisses, lingering touches, and traces of his tail on my bare skin.
However, to have a male outside of my clan looking at me with desire felt... different.
Kaede was an outlier because I still hadn’t resolved my feelings toward the frustrating male. Every time I believed he was about to confess some hidden desire to be with me, he threw up his walls and became the hardened male the universe knew him as.
No matter what, his loyalties lay with Zirene and not me. If I gave him a piece of my heart, he would only shatter it.
“It’s an honor to be in your presence, Seedbearer Selena,” Karfic breathed, his bright, cheery voice more subdued than earlier. “I’ve heard all about the wonders you are building on the Main Island and the changes you are making. Your speech yesterday was magnificent.”
“Really?”
“Affirmative, My Lady.” He saluted.
I waved him off. “Just call me Selena, please.”
Xylo walked up next to me and wrapped a few vines loosely around my bare torso, giving me his silent support—but I also suspected he was asserting his claim on me. Ever since I had declared my Favored, I’d noticed Odelm had more pep in his walk, but Xylo’s reactions were more subtle. He now acted with confidence that rivaled both Kaede and Zirene.
“What did you like about her speech?” Xylo asked, picking up on my thought process.
“Her dream for Destima.” The nervous male licked his lips as he glanced between Xylo and me as if he didn’t know who to address. “I’m not saying Prince Zirene hasn’t done a good job taking care of us. No, he has. We never lacked anything, but we didn’t have goals to make us proud as a community. While most of us fish or provide basic work for the Aldawi, a select few of my people, like myself, were selected for specialty jobs, and as a result, we have a better shot at reaching our dream careers. You’ve given us a way to access everything we ever wanted all on one island. By designing the moon the way you have, you’ve given the citizens a sense of community while providing hope for a better future.”
“What ‘basic work’ do you provide to the Aldawi?” I glanced at the workers around the landing pad area and noticed they were almost all demi-humans. “Slave work?”
The three males recoiled as if I had hit them.
“No, Selena,” Xylo replied hastily. “The Aldawi tend to delegate certain jobs . . . ”
“Like fishing,” Karfic added.
“And working underground.” Mafari shot me a quick smile. “Something about getting their precious fur dirty and wet. They would rather pay a nice price for others to gather their favorite fish and excavate their gem mines. Especially since Aldawi bodies are bulkier, they have issues squeezing into tighter spots inside the caves. You will notice that most of my demi-human crew is smaller in body structure and spliced with the genes of species who excel underground.”
“Like me,” Karfic beamed. “My Trr’kiki attributes allow me to see in the dark and swim through flooded underground tunnels. I can breathe with the gills behind my fanned ears.” He turned his head and pointed to three slits hidden by his fanned ears. “The Aldawi pay me well enough to afford any luxuries I may want, and with my cost of living covered, none of my needs go unmet. In fact, I’ve saved most of my credits, which is why I’m so excited about your exclusive resort plans. I can’t wait until you open up the Main Island to those who live over here.”
“Is your pay truly so generous?”
Karfic shrugged. “Enough to purchase my own place if you ever decide to build luxury housing. Until then, I’m looking forward to spending my credits on whatever hidden treasures your Main Island attracts.”
I hadn’t considered building luxury housing, beyond the villa’s workers, who lived in apartment units onsite. I didn’t want to create a clear divide in housing quality based on social standing. By providing the same housing units for all citizens, I put everyone on an equal footing regardless of their day job.
“I will make sure to invite you personally when the time comes.” I shot him a smile. “Perhaps I can have you test-run some of the businesses before I open them to the Base Island.”
“Really?” he exclaimed. “You’ll do that?”
“I’m assuming my Favored, Xylo, has your contact info.” I glanced at my scholar. “It will be an easy task when the time comes.”
Xylo nodded. “You are correct. I can page him whenever you like.”
“Now that that’s settled,” Mafari interjected, “let us not waste any more of your time and help you with the reason for your visit.”
I grabbed my necklace and dangled it in front of me, allowing the sun to reflect off its jewel-like sphere.
Both Mafari and Karfic sucked in a breath, their gazes focused on my precious gem.
“Do you know what that is?” Mafari exclaimed.
“No. That’s why we’re here,” I explained. “I was told it’s invaluable and will bring me good fortune. Recently, I noticed the sphere reacting to the solar globes in the backyard of my villa. They both radiate similar light, and when I touched the solar lamp, the galaxy-like swirl within my necklace’s gem seemed to move faster, and its core’s light pulsed brighter than I had ever seen before.”
“Who gave you that?” Mafari asked, his voice harsh as he flicked his hardened gaze to mine. “You shouldn’t be walking around with that necklace displayed openly. Whoever gave it to you—”
“Is what, Mafari?” Xylo challenged. “My nestqueen, your Lady Selena, doesn’t need to respond when addressed with that tone of voice.” Xylo placed himself in front of me, still leaving enough room to see the old Trr’kiki male. “She is the owner of Destima. Therefore, anything found on Destima is her property. If she wanted to take every gem from your precious mine and bathe in them, she could, and there would be nothing you could do about it. So watch your tone and learn to hold your tongue before you make false accusations about someone innocent.”
Karfic gripped Mafari’s shoulder and pushed the master geologist behind him.
“I apologize for my boss’ accusation,” Karfic stuttered. “It’s just there are only two of those gems in circulation in the galaxy. The rest have been used to power Prince Zirene’s builder bots, which are only used under heavy restrictions.”
“And the ones not used?”
“They are stored in a secret location that even I don’t know about,” Mafari replied. “Either Agent Kaede or one of his sisters come here almost daily to pick up some gems we’ve mined, leaving the rest for us to sort through. They have limited access to those extracted.”
“And the solar lamps?”
“Follow me,” Mafari directed, turning around before anyone had a chance to reply. “I have something to show you.”
I shot a glance at Xylo as we followed him, confused by the Master Geologist’s sudden whiplash of emotions.
Karfic fell into step beside me. “Again, I’m sorry about him. You have to understand, we aren’t allowed to study the gems. As soon as we discover a new one, we have to give it away without time to do any research.�
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“But why?”
“We don’t know.” Karfic shrugged. “But for you to walk around wearing one without much thought, right in front of us, is frustrating.”
“I didn’t mean to mock either of you,” I muttered. “Prince Zirene didn’t explain the origins of my necklace; he only said it was some exotic trinket for me to wear.”
“It’s more than a mere novelty, I assure you, Lady Selena,” Karfic chuckled. “The energy within those gems is used to power machines capable of building large-scale objects out of thin air.”
We passed some workers wearing similarly styled outfits as the two who had greeted us as we followed the tram tracks and descended into the cave system. Karfic glanced around, making sure we were relatively alone.
Mafari’s spiked tail swayed with each step, the black edges trailing from the tip of his tail to the black tassels on his forehead. I realized how wrong I’d been to compare him to the Trr’kiki, who had tried to abduct me. Instead of an ugly brown-orange coloring, his body was emerald with brown stripes.
“We’re trying to figure out why the minuscule orbs and their unique magnetic dust are so powerful.” Karfic shot a glance at my necklace when he thought I wouldn’t notice. “When the original spheres disintegrate into smaller fragments, they tend to magnetically stick together to create a larger, gel-like body. They retain the ability to store energy when exposed to sunlight, but the original forms can store the light for far longer periods. This is why they are used as solar-powered lights around your Main Island, rather than powering heavy-duty machinery. The lights were installed at your villa first as a test-run before the tech is made available to the public.”
“That’s how they are related?” Xylo asked, keeping a hold on my waist. “And if the gems are such a secret, how did some old shopkeeper learn about them?”
“Because someone betrayed us,” Mafari said. “Only a few know about your gem. Most would think it was some meaningless bauble; even those who have worked with the dust forms don’t know about the original gems. The knowledge has been hidden from all workers who form your precious solar orbs.”
A chill coursed through me.
Who would betray the operation and think they could get away with it?
The farther we advanced down the tunnel, the darker and colder it got. Without the lights laid along the tram tracks, I would have been blind.
Mafari halted at a split in the tracks. The left side continued downward, whereas the right tracks had a three-cart double-sided tram parked in front of a large metallic door.
“Beyond here is where the gems lie,” Mafari explained. “We must farm them by hand because their energy somehow interferes with any technology behind this door.”
“How?” Xylo asked, his voice laced with concern. “Are you saying that we won’t be able to communicate with the outside once we enter that door?”
“We can’t. But from what I understand, you both could reach someone telepathically. That is, if they are within your range.”
“The swirl you see in your gem?” Karfic pointed. “We believe that is its power source. Somehow, it emits localized electromagnetic pulses that are harmless on their own, which is probably why Prince Zirene thought your necklace was a safe gift. It’s a sign of power to those who recognize it.”
“Okay.” I crossed my arms. If Zirene didn’t think it was necessary to mention the secret details to me, there must be a perfectly good reason for it. “So, there’s no problem.”
“No, there isn’t,” Mafari nodded. “But you should know that if word of the gem’s power falls into the wrong hands, your necklace will increase the target on your back. That gem, when housed individually in a special casing, is a power source with amazing capabilities, like those machines I mentioned earlier. Yet, when amassed together unprotected, the gems create a disturbance that renders the technology we depend on useless.” His eyes drilled into mine. “This is why you must keep Prince Zirene’s gift a secret.”
“I understand.” I raised my hand up, gesturing for him to wait a moment. “Thank you for this information. This has been an eye-opening conversation, and I’m glad you told me. Let me warn my nestmates in case the chamber interferes with our connection.”
Mafari gave a slight nod and smiled in understanding.
Reaching out to my clan, I tested my connections, pulling them into one conversation.
Instantly, a course of questions bombarded me.
“What’s wrong?”
“Are you well?”
“Do you need help?”
I almost giggled from their reactions. I could picture my nestmates stopping short, instantly alert to make sure that we were alright. A sense of warmth bubbled from within me, like one of those fizzy, colorful alcoholic drinks my males loved drinking, at the amount of concern they had for me. It was as if they had been waiting with bated breath, wondering if we would be alright on our date alone.
Their reaction was sweet, but also concerning, because I was fully capable of taking care of myself, with or without an escort.
“Nothing is wrong,” I assured my nestmates. “I just wanted to reach out to everyone in case our connections get muted.”
“Why would they get muted?” Odelm asked, his mental voice alarmed. “Xylo, what are you doing with our nestqueen?”
“We’re doing what I told you,” Xylo countered. “Our itinerary hasn't changed. Something unexpected came up during our tour, and Selena wanted to explain why a disturbance may interrupt our connection before we enter a secured door.”
“But why would that interfere with our connection?” Z’fir asked. “V’dim and I had full access to our crew on the space station, and we’re still connected to them here on Destima.”
“You aren’t planning on leaving the moon, are you?” V’dim questioned. “Before we took the nestqueens with us on our missions during the Yaarkins War, our warriors left their range once we left Circul’s star system. When we were gone for a long time, the threads started to fade.”
“I’m not leaving the moon,” I assured them, trying to ease their worries. “We’re about to investigate my gem’s origins within the mine. The room is blocked off because the gems somehow interfere with technology and render it useless.”
“But what does that have to do with us?” Odelm wondered, confused. “Our connections are biological.”
“Look,” I growled, already tired of the conversation. “I’m sorry for bugging you and interrupting whatever you were doing with my concerns with the possible lost connection. I wasn’t sure what might happen, and I just wanted to try to warn everyone. Nevermind. I’m going to continue my date with Xylo.”
Instantly, I released their golden threads and pulled veils over each connection. I wasn’t about to ruin my day by talking in circles with my worried nestmates. Karfic’s behavior had put me on edge, and I didn’t want to take out my frustrations on the males I loved and would return home to. The simple warning had already taken too long.
Dropping my hand, I flicked my gaze to Xylo, who watched me with concern.
“I’m sorry, Selena.”
“It isn’t your fault, Xylo,” I replied. “I didn’t know if the gems would cause a problem, but they treated me like I should be familiar with my threads’ range, even though I’m not Circuli. We don’t know my limits, and I’m not interested in testing them.”
“Sometimes, they forget you aren’t one of us.”
“I understand, Xylo. Really, I do. But I only contacted them during our private date out of concern for their wellbeing. Instead of appreciating my warning, they acted confused about why I even reached out to them.”
“If my Favored is ready, I am,” I told the two geologists, who glanced between us as if they were trying to figure out what had transpired. “I’m sorry my conversation with my other nestmates took so long. They were surprised to hear from me, but we’ve sorted it out.”
Mafari turned to Xylo, his tail flicking in annoyance. “Are we ready t
o proceed? Or would you be more comfortable skipping this portion of the itinerary?”
“We are ready. As you said, my nestqueen and I are capable of contacting backup if a problem arises inside,” Xylo replied, grabbing my side to pull me closer. “I want my nestqueen to experience what’s behind those doors.”
“I’m more interested in how her gem will react to proximity with the ones we haven’t extracted yet.”
“Agreed,” Karfic nodded, his focus on my necklace. “The gems themselves tend to flicker faster whenever they approach each other. It makes me wonder if they were once part of a single large gem that broke down over time into the smaller rocks and the dust-like particles that power the solar lamps.”
“That’s an exciting theory.”
“Perhaps if you’re interested, I can show you more of the cave system.” Karfic grinned widely. “When you have time, of course.”
I groaned internally.
Who tried to flirt with a female who was clearly on a date? He was incredibly confident to think he could steal me away from my nestmates, especially right in front of one of them.
His attention didn’t flatter me, and his whole demeanor felt . . .off.
It made me wonder whether he’d been bragging about his wealth earlier as an attempt to flirt with me. Well, his advances hadn’t worked. I hoped I hadn’t accidentally led him on by being friendly and inviting him to test-run the Main Island when we opened to the public.
Lesson learned; I wouldn’t do it again. I had enough males in my life, and honestly, I was still trying to figure out how to keep my clan happy, no matter how often they told me that they were.
“Perhaps next time I will bring my whole clan. I’m sure they would enjoy seeing this cave in person.” I tilted my head to my Favored. “What do you think?”
He sent me a smirk, and by the twinkle in his pupilless teal eyes, I knew he’d picked up my thoughts. “I believe they would. This moon is full of mysteries that my nestbrothers are eager to uncover. The connection between the gem and the dust clusters within the solar lamps is only the beginning of their curiosity.”
