Scaled Heart: A SciFi Alien Romance (Project: F5 Book 2) by Jade Waltz (ereader android .TXT) 📕

to hide the mirth radiating from her. “I am going to ask you a few questions, and I want you to be truthful with me. Becoming your nestqueen is a serious life decision. If—or when—I form a courting bond with you, I will never go back. I’ve seen through Odelm how much the bond alters and warps your whole… being.”

“Ask me anything,” I murmured, gently shaking her hand. “I am willing to tell you anything you need to know.”

“You know about our research and have seen my family’s medical records. You know all demihumans suffer from fertility problems. If we can’t come up with a solution, can you accept that I may not be able to produce offspring?”

“It wouldn’t matter to me if you somehow stopped going into your heat cycle. I’ve already wondered how we will keep you satisfied now, since they happen every moon.”

“Seriously?” she snorted. “Your sole concern is my pleasure and how often I will go into heat?”

“Kaica,” I drawled, allowing her name to hang in the air. “You know Circuli males are biologically wired to do whatever it takes to please our nestqueen. We only mate to reproduce, and it’s an honor to be given the opportunity. Your demihuman ways go against our instincts.”

“So, you don’t resent that you’ll never have a chance to reproduce?”

“I am without a nestqueen now, aren’t I?” I chuckled. “It’s not like I can spread my seed to any willing female I encounter.”

“That’s true,” she giggled, her laughter fading as her face sobered. “But why would you want me to be your nestqueen if I’m so different from Circuli females and even my own kind?”

“Honestly…” I sighed, locking my eyes with hers. “You have an allure I can’t explain. Something about you demands my attention whenever you enter the room. At first, I thought my curiosity might be getting the best of me; I wanted to know more about your personality and your species. The more time I spent working alongside you, the more I wondered why I had never searched for a nestqueen like you. Over time, I realized it wouldn’t satisfy me to find someone like you when, in reality, all I wanted was you.

“I want to know how your mind works, what you think about when you bite your lip, and just how dangerous your mind is compared to your blade work.

“You may be a special agent summoned to aid your siblings in top-secret missions, but let me be your support while you are on your long missions and when you return home. While Chyox can ease our emotions and soothe you, I want to chase your dark thoughts away. Allow me to join your clan, and I will be the best nestbrother and nestmate you could ever ask for. I do not need to be Favored; I just want you to be my nestqueen, nothing else.”

Suddenly, her lips were on mine.

Dropping my hand, she gripped my face and straddled me as my back slammed against the back of the couch. My vines came alive, unraveling to wrap around her body and prevent her from falling backward. Lost in the sensations radiating from her, my hands moved along her sides with a mind of their own.

A moan escaped her as she nibbled along my lips. I gasped, for I had never felt someone attempt to eat my mouth.

Had my moss triggered an urge within her to have me for her next meal? I knew my pollen was an aphrodisiac to nestqueens, but I had never thought it would make her this aggressive.

Her tongue took advantage of my confusion to dive in, curling around my own.

Closing my eyes, I relaxed, gave in to her demands, and allowed her to do with me as she deemed fit.

Moaning, she ground her hips onto my waist petals as her nails dug into my face. I accepted the slight pain. She was claiming me as her nestmate and I would endure any claw marks if they were all it took to become hers.

My hands found her ass cheeks as a pop filled my mind.

Instantly, the rush of her thoughts swirled through to me as our light-blue courting bond solidified, attaching my violet mental shield to her light-blue one.

Pulling away, I pressed my forehead to hers and stared into her wondrous eyes.

“Thank you, Kaica,” I pathed, using our connection for the first time. “You honor me.”

Twelve

KAICA

Walking into the infirmary with an appendage wrapped around each wrist, I was surprised how uplifted and special I felt.

Was this giddiness the product of my nestmate bonds or the experience of something foreign and new?

No wonder Selena enjoyed having her nestmates’ appendages loosely entangled around her limbs, giving her light touches in passing.

The subtlety of the gesture expressed more than words could. As if they were saying, We are here for you.

They wanted me for who I was, disregarding my demihuman nature, my color-changing hair, and the scales along my sides. My past experiences only added to my allure.

“Congratulations on your bonding,” Z’fir said, giving us a sad smile that didn’t meet his dimmed eyes. “I am happy to see you three settle your differences.”

“Even though I didn’t expect you to come together, it is nice to start the day with joyful news,” V’dim added, sitting beside his nestbrother.

I was surprised to see the infirmary’s lobby filled with the villa’s entire medical staff, the princes, and our patients’ fathers all crammed into the sitting area. I had never seen the spacious room filled up before, at least not on my watch.

We were the last ones to arrive. An uncomfortable feeling started to form at the bottom of my stomach when I took in everyone’s expressions. Had I forgotten something important that was supposed to happen today?

“What’s the occasion?” I asked, searching the occupants’ faces for an answer.

“We are here to determine Odelm and Xylo’s future,” Oeta replied, with her arms crossed as she leaned against the door frame. “And how we