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

less start one; not when I was responsible for the endangered lives in my care. No matter how much I wished I was in a relationship, to be able to share the burden of the current situation with another, trying to start one with someone right now would be irresponsible.

It would have to wait for another time.

“Agent Kaica, the Abyssal Fire has entered the atmosphere and will be landing momentarily."

Sighing, I glanced at the Master Healer, noticing the worried orange tint of his naturally light-green skin.

"I've told you to just call me Kaica," I muttered, annoyed by the Circuli male’s insistence on using titles with female coworkers. To him, nestqueens always deserved to be respected—almost revered—even ones without a clan. My differing species didn’t matter to him. It was as if he treated me with an ingrained sense of duty. "I want to step as far away from formalities as possible. Besides, I’m no longer an active agent. Like you, I’m only a healer."

Chyox pursed his lips, a gesture he had picked up during frequent interactions with Selena, as his tentacles shuffled around him.

“Technically, I outrank you—”

“Are you really going to go there right now?" I hissed, slamming Xylo's chair back and wincing when it fell over. I didn't miss the fear that flashed in his eyes. What he had to fear was beyond me. "Look. We have greater concerns than who should be in charge, especially since our patients’ fathers are about to arrive. I know emotions are running high, but you can’t keep trying to pull rank on me just because Xylo is unconscious and Oeta is resting."

The worried male stared at me with his mouth agape, unable to muster a reply.

Sighing, I picked up the chair, irritated I had allowed the stubborn Circuli healer to get under my scales. Typically, I controlled my emotions tightly, unlike my siblings who were more blunt and vocal.

Ever since I’ve been here, somehow, there was something about him always made me curious about what it would like to be with him, to have him by my side as nestmate to his nestqueen. I tried to give my unmated Circuli coworkers subtle hints whenever they questioned about how to attract a female and show them they were interested.

But no matter what I did, no one got the hint.

I don’t know if it was because they were still dense when it came to speaking with females, even after all of my coaching. Or it was because they saw me as being unavailable, unapproachable, or not nestqueen material.

Every time I thought one of them would get the courage—or hint—to ask me to be theirs, they left me disappointed.

After many opportunities had come and gone, I had given up on hoping to be with another. Let my siblings have the luxury of being in relationships, surrounded by those who love them. Instead of beating myself up, I will put my focus on my research and healing others, since that is what I succeed at.

Who wants to be with an assassin? Especially a member of the Fab Five, the intervert with the unruly hair.

No, I didn't have the luxury to show my feelings as my sisters did, so instead, I had trained myself to remain stoic.

Unfortunately, the calm I thought I’d find while working planetside had turned to stress, making it extremely difficult to keep ahold of my emotions.

Glancing at Xylo's desk, my temporary workstation, I surveyed the map of the villa I had pulled up before Chyox entered. Sadness flooded me at the realization that the property seemed dull without Selena and her cubs. Their presence had brought life to every space, filling the villa’s rooms with their laughter wherever they went.

The guest wing was large enough to provide temporary living quarters for the arriving fathers, but if they intended to remain on Destima, we would need a more permanent solution. It was safe to assume that both Odelm and Xylo’s sets of fathers slept in a nestbed, so the small rooms wouldn't suffice for extended stays.

I would need to contact Z about relocating them once we settled our more pressing problems. Selena’s plateau was easily spacious enough to build a complex for her clan’s relatives, and at enough distance to allow her clan the privacy they deserved.

For now, I would have to make do with the available resources and hope none of the newcomers would be offended by what I offered.

"How much do you know about their fathers?" I traced the guest wing on the map, feeling the smooth display screen beneath my fingertips.

"They are the best parents a hatchling can hope for upon adoption." The odd tenderness in his voice made me pause, my gaze flicking toward him. Chyox stared at my still hand on Xylo's vid display, not noticing that I was studying him. "They were some of the lucky ones."

"Lucky?”

He frowned as his violet eyes met mine. “While female Circuli offspring are almost guaranteed to be gathered by their mother’s clan, male offspring are often abandoned at the Hatchery. We are then either adopted by bonded unmated males or taken to the warrior academy, where we gain our unique nicknames.”

“I knew that.” I shot him a small smile, unsure why he was mentioning this now. “But that doesn’t explain why both of their father sets are so special.”

“They allowed their sons to become whoever they want to be instead of forcing them into a role.” The white-green hue of his body turned an upset grey. “My fathers wanted me to follow in their footsteps as business owners." He sighed, turning toward our patients' readings projected on the display wall as his tentacles tightened around him. "When I rejected their suggestion, they adopted a few more sons who were, of course, willing to take over their shipping company. Since then, my fathers no longer pay attention to me, no matter the prestigious achievements I’ve earned."

He was jealous.

Though I was about to meet Xylo’s fathers, his former mentors, this wasn’t the time or