by Jade Waltz
“I shouldn’t have these feelings. I should be grateful you are my nestqueen… but deep down, I am not happy. When I saw you court bond with my princes, I asked myself, ‘How can I compare to them? Is this what I get for keeping secrets from my nestqueen?’”
Tears fell down my cheeks. My anger ended up causing self-doubts in my sensitive nestmate. Odelm already experienced living as a severed male due to the selfishness of the female before me. I was his second chance of having a happy ending—a happy life. And now he believed he ruined it somehow, along with the possibility of siring any new offspring. I didn’t know it meant so much to him. I hadn’t thought of future offspring much while I was pregnant, nor did I realize my nestmates wanted to be sires. It never crossed my mind.
I closed the gap between us, gripping him as I fell to my knees. Grabbing his hands, I pulled them away from his face and leaned my forehead to his, allowing his hair to cover us both. Staring deeply into his pale green eyes, I sent all my love to him through our bond.
“Odelm…” I breathed. “Feel that? That is my love for you. I love you.” He closed his eyes and nodded. “I didn’t intend to hurt you in any way. My focus was getting through my pregnancy while learning everything I could… including about both Xylo and you. I took in the princes to protect them while giving everyone on the Destiny a place to call home. It was a political deal… everything was.”
“Will you ever try to—”
“Get to know them? Love them? I don’t know. It is too soon to say,” I murmured. “Odelm. I respect them… Stars, I like them and enjoy the time they have spent with us.” I gently grabbed his cheeks and gave him a light kiss as the warm water continued to flow over us. “I offered them a chance to share me as their nestqueen and to sire offspring. I am not playing favorites. You know how I feel about your culture’s Favored tradition. If it means so much to you, I don’t see why both you and Xylo can’t try to sire our future offspring whenever I am ready. It is only fair.”
He opened his eyes and stared at me in awe. “Selena…”
A rush of emotions bubbled in, coursing through my body. As if by instinct, I smashed my mouth on his, pressing my body against his. He moaned as he leaned back, allowing me to climb onto his lap. His cool hands lightly traveled along my legs, leaving a tickling sensation behind. He cupped my ass, pressing me harder into him if that was possible.
I broke the kiss, taking in a deep breath.
I slid my hand from his cheek to his hair and gripped it hard, feeling its gel-like strands squish between my fingers as I exposed my mark on his neck. A hiss broke from his lips as his hands tightened on my ass.
Placing my lips behind his ear-fin, I started kissing along his jaw, working my way down to my mark at the junction of his neck. Odelm shivered when my lips met their destination.
“Odelm. You are mine. This mark here proves it.” I scraped my teeth along his neck. “I will make sure you remember that.”
Something slightly tangy filled the top of my mouth right before I closed my eyes and bit him hard. Blood flooded my mouth as a purr awakened from within. I sucked his blood, enjoying his unique flavor. Somehow, I felt more connected to him, as if I needed to do this.
After more draws, Odelm’s body started to shiver.
The trembling slowly transformed into shaking.
Releasing his neck, I let go of his hair and gripped his arms, trying to get a good hold on him.
“Odelm?”
His chest was heaving quickly as his body shook. Light blue blood flowed from the fresh mark on his neck, overlapping my old one, the shower’s water washing it quickly away. His fingers adjusted themselves as I watched his tentacles slowly unwind themselves from his torso.
“Selena…” Odelm said, confused… and pained?
He stood up, releasing his hold on me. I fell backward onto the tiled floor and gazed up at him in confusion.
Odelm’s body no longer shook, but his tentacles were spread out and alive, weaving around in random directions. The purple speckles of his body glowed along with my white mark on his neck.
My eyes traveled to his. I gasped. They were radiating light green.
“Selena… Run…”
I shook my head in confusion. “What is wrong?”
He closed his eyes with a pained expression as a hiss escaped his lips.
A tremble traveled down his body. I followed it and gasped.
At the juncture of his legs were three appendages dancing wildly among each other. Two were the same shape, both long and thin. The third was shorter and had a large suction cup ending. They were dark purple with bright glowing white tips that glistened.
“I thought…”
His eyes jerked open, their intense hunger silencing me. I swallowed and licked my lips, attempting to get rid of my sudden nervousness.
His tentacles scooped me up from the floor, securing my limbs in their grasp.
Flipping us around, he pinned my body against the wall. The cool hardness of the tile counteracted the heat from the steam surrounding us as the shower continued to pour hot water.
“What did you do to me?” he panted, his voice still rumbling deeply.
“I don’t know,” I breathed as my eyes traced his lean body and zoomed to his very much alive manhood. A great need washed over me, clouding my thoughts.
I needed him—wanted him—inside me, filling my depths to their limits.
He was mine. Why did he deny me?
“I would never deny you,” he swore, pulling my lower half closer.
His three appendages went wild against my slit, heightening my arousal. I met his gaze, which was focused on me as if on a mission.
“You are my nestqueen. I will fulfill all your wishes and prove I am worthy of siring your next offspring.”
Chapter Eighteen
Xylo
Something was wrong.
A sudden wave of lust flooded Xylo. Gripping the back of the couch, he winced as both bond thread connections bombarded him with arousal, sending his thoughts into a spiral.
What was his? What was theirs?
He closed his eyes and removed himself from the present, focusing on what was happening to his nestbrother and nestqueen. Through his connection with Odelm, thoughts that were demanding him to breed Selena overpowered the few hidden in the background that were both alarmed and confused about his arousal and concerned about Selena’s wellbeing. He wanted—and needed—to prove himself worthy enough to be chosen.
His raw emotions overpowered all his thoughts.
Xylo yanked himself away and sucked in a deep breath he hadn’t known he was holding.
How was Odelm able to feel such things?
Xylo glanced at his shoulders and inspected his moss. They were still dark emerald and void of any tiny teal buddings, which meant Selena wasn’t near her ovulating period. Only a nestqueen near her heat cycle could trigger their Circuli nestmates’ bodies to prepare themselves for their one chance to breed per cycle.
Odelm shouldn’t be capable of being aroused. How was his manhood active? It should be in its dormant state, waiting for Selena’s body to project the signals needed to allow her nestmates’ manhoods to prepare themselves to mate.
Such strong and aggressive thoughts were unheard of by nestmates—even if they were Favored and picked to present themselves to mate by their nestqueen.
Selena’s thoughts were clouded with only one goal—to have Odelm quench her need to mate. Somehow, Odelm was projecting his own wants and needs onto her—whether or not he knew it—as its echo screamed to Xylo.
“What is wrong?” Z’fir asked, his voice laced with concern.
“I don’t know.” Xylo’s face scrunched up in confusion. “I need to go check on our nestqueen.”
Xylo didn’t wait for the prince—his new nestbrother—to reply. He shook his head in an attempt to clear the extra thoughts and emotions leaking through to him. He strengthened his mental shields in the hope they would block their influenc
e, but it failed. He wasn’t strong enough to block mental attacks from both participants.
Xylo followed their bond threads through the master bedroom into the master bathroom, hurrying as he tried to piece together what exactly happened between Odelm and Selena.
The doors opened. Steam escaped, clearing the vision of the room. The scene before him stopped him in his tracks.
Odelm had Selena pinned against the far shower wall.
One of his upper tentacles held her hands above her head, wrapping them together by her wrists. Another was wrapped around her torso, supporting her breasts from underneath, its end wiggling in the valley between her mounds. The last two had entangled themselves around her thighs, holding her lower half to him, allowing their centers to meet.
Odelm’s hands were gripping her ass, and Selena’s legs were wrapped around his waist, above his blades—away from their sharp edges. His face was buried in Selena’s exposed neck as she moaned with her eyes closed.
He was ravishing her—dominating her—something Circuli males didn’t do.
“What…” V’dim trailed off.
Not answering, Xylo stepped forward, entranced by their display. Curiosity about the logistics of Odelm’s performance battled his own instinctual need to watch—even though his body was incapable of joining in.
He opened the shower’s glass door and sat on a bench near the mating couple, watching his nestbrother take care of their nestqueen. Leaning back, he lost himself in the spiraling pleasure both Odelm and Selena fed him, unable to resist any longer.
They were sending each other their love and silencing any insecurities by feeding off each other’s wants and needs.
Odelm was battling his own instinctual need to prove himself good enough to be chosen—both as a Favored and to have the chance to sire. Selena’s decision to not have favorites messed with Odelm’s head. Even though Odelm was permanently bonded to Selena—and Xylo—the many years he spent as a severed male damaged his self-esteem.
Xylo hoped he could help eliminate those fears by forming a nestbrother bond with him. By sharing a bond together, they could work together to please their nestqueen and protect their clan.
Whatever had happened to Odelm filled his mind with one mission—to mate with Selena.
Xylo’s eyes followed the movement in his peripheral vision. Both princes slowly walked into the shower, carefully making their way toward him with their focus on their nestqueen.
He relaxed, knowing they were not a threat. It was also their right to watch the display before them. If Selena chose to accept them officially, this would be something that would occur often.
Xylo eyed the princes as they sat down, nodding when they met his gaze before returning his focus back to the couple.
There was a fresh bite on Odelm’s neck, overlapping Selena’s original mate claim.
The realization stunned Xylo—Selena had obtained Kaede’s arousal toxin, Bahzyl. The evidence was right in front of him: the fresh bite, Odelm’s confusion on how his manhood was active, his empowered drive to mate with her, combined with his own ability to transfer his feelings to Selena.
Now she could arouse them and trigger their manhood outside of what was biologically possible. But what side effects could this have? Would it affect each species similarly, or each individual differently? Would it cause them to become addicted? To crave it?
It wasn’t in their nature to want such things.
Odelm was already different… damaged wasn’t the correct term, but living as a severed male for a long time messed with his head and made him second guess everything. Would this damage him further—make him spiral further from recovery? Or help heal him?
“Is this normal?” V’dim asked, his mental voice laced with worry.
Xylo made a swift glance at his princes, the question stunning him, taking his attention away from his observations. He hesitated to answer, fumbling to string together words as he battled to separate himself from them.
“No. We have always been careful with her… we allow her to sleep by overwhelming her in pleasure.” He leaned forward in thought and unwrapped his vines, moving into a more comfortable position on the bench. His petal wings flared out before he rested his back along the cool tile. His vines’ flowered tips collected droplets of the shower’s water.
“This is something new. Never before have either of us pushed ourselves on her. Why would we? We wouldn’t have the desire to do so.” He tilted his chin toward the mating couple. “Until now.”
Xylo rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes, focusing on the spiraling pleasure coursing through to him. Unnatural as it was, failing your nestqueen was instinctively hard to do.
Selena was close to her climax, her demands crying to him to aid her.
She needed more.
Xylo’s body moved on its own, his feet following his connection, leading him to Selena, answering her plea.
Odelm jerked his head away from her neck and glared at him, his eyes filled with menacing anger, stilling Xylo’s advancement.
“She is mine. I am fully capable of taking care of her, nestbrother,” Odelm growled. His hardened voice thundered in the shower, bouncing off its walls. “I don’t need your help, nor did she ask for it.”
“Please don’t fight,” Selena begged, drawing the room’s attention. Her lust-filled eyes bounced between both nestbrothers. “Odelm… I want him… I need him…” Her focus landed on Odelm as she remained pressed along the wall, held up by Odelm. “This isn’t a competition, nor did you fail me. Please allow Xylo to join us…”
Xylo watched as Odelm turned to meet her gaze, breathing heavily and body tense. It was her decision—and Xylo waited to see if Odelm’s mind was too clouded to comply, lost in his lust haze. Odelm would go against their instincts and traditions if he refused. Would the aggressiveness caused by Selena’s venom bite make Odelm attack? Xylo was unsure. He hoped their triad connection would be enough to hold him back—to allow Odelm enough reason to understand he wasn’t a threat… or someone trying to take her from him.
Odelm sighed and nodded. Hesitantly, he looked down at Selena, his hands grasping her thighs as his tentacles held her upright before meeting Xylo’s gaze.
Xylo slowly walked beside Selena and wrapped his vines around her torso as two of their flowered tips attached to her hardened nipples.
“Yes!” Selena moaned, her body bucking against her restraints.
A hiss escaped Odelm as he tried to keep his manhood unsheathed and attached to her.
The pleasure rippled through him, filling him with satisfaction.
Xylo kneeled on the bench, making it easier for his lips to find hers. He moaned as his lids closed. She sighed into the kiss, her mouth slightly parted, inviting his tongue inside. Not resisting her body’s needs, he dove in. His hand found her wet hair, the other her cheek as he savored her taste.
She cried out into the kiss, her tongue joining his. Xylo opened his lids to find Odelm’s face in its original position, along the juncture of her neck as he watched him. His pale green eyes burned bright with his determination.
“Let us please our nestqueen—together—nestbrother,” Xylo pathed, assuring him once more.
Odelm licked her neck with his thin black tongue, making Selena gasp as she continued to kiss Xylo.
“As she wishes.”
Odelm closed his eyes and kissed along her neck as soft sounds of vibrations started. They traveled through her body, vibrating both Xylo’s hand as he held her face, and his tongue wrapped around her own.
Xylo closed his eyes and absorbed the sensations radiating from both of them.
Hands found his grassy mane, gripping the strands hard, and pulled him closer, smashing Xylo’s vines between their chests as she devoured him.
Selena screeched into their kiss as pleasure burst through her into him. Xylo’s legs gave out from the sudden mental blow, pulling Selena down with him, the shock preventing him from letting go. His body wante
d to remain touching hers, his vines wrapped around her, suctioning parts of her body while his hands gripped her tightly.
Sudden sounds of splashes thundered over the noise from the shower. Xylo knew it was the princes from his sworn connection with them. He opened his lids to both princes holding Odelm up, their appendages wrapped around him as they prevented him from collapsing onto the ground.
Their assistance didn’t deter Selena’s orgasm as the effects continued to course through to Xylo. The water beat down on them as Odelm’s shocks increased.
Selena pulled her mouth away and screamed, yanking hard on Xylo’s mane as her body shook from her second climax.
Xylo closed his eyes, body trembling from the mental assault—the bliss. It was as if he himself climaxed as he rode their journey together as a triad—a clan.
Chapter Nineteen
Selena
A slight tug on my hair woke me.
A warm and soft cover was draped over my propped-up body as something cool shifted under me. Sounds of soft snarls and hisses filled the room, followed by muted chuckles. Curious, I opened my eyes slowly to a dimmed room.
Prince V’dim stared down at me, his turquoise eyes worried.
“Are you well, Selena?” his tenor mental voice caressed, laced with worry.
Movement above my head caught my attention, and I glanced up to find one of his dark blue tentacles gently holding my hair and another holding an elegant black comb with purple, sapphire, and emerald stones.
I tried to piece together what happened and how I ended up on V’dim’s lap.
There was the trial and its aftermath. Then Kaede took me to his room before I could get too far, and returned me to my nestmates, only to have Odelm usher me away. I remembered bathing with him, but after that, everything was hazy.
