Page 10 of Flower of Seshana

Quillen peered at him, surprisingly unruffled by the possibility—but then little ever seemed to bother the male when it came to the opinion of the nara. He often disappeared for days or weeks at a time before Alexandra arrived. Although Kethan was not an especially valued hunter as he did not possess the strength or talent for it that many other males of the Vahel enjoyed, he was not as set apart as Quillen was. Discovering his mother hanging lifelessly from the tree had marked him more than the scars he bore internally. Many speculated that the gorshiga of his mother was attached to him because of that. He likely would have died as a nestling if Kethan’s mother had not taken him in. It was only because she was a healer that no lasting stigma had attached to her. It didn’t seem to extend to Kethan either, although there were times when he wondered whether he would have been viewed as a more desirable male if not for the closeness between him and Quillen. Many of the elder females often teased them about already being mated to each other and having no room for females.

Could he even share a mate? He tipped his head as he considered it. Quillen did have a point that they were close and shared everything else to a degree that was seen as unusual among the Vahel. Other than not wanting to lose her, he acknowledged that it did not truly bother him having Quillen in the nest after returning with Alexandra, or even at night when all three of them were coiled together. And then there was the fact that Alexandra was not only beginning to bond with both of them and responding to their pheromones, but she was also far smaller and more vulnerable than females of the Vahel. She felt safer and more comfortable when they were both nearby, that much was evident. Perhaps the Vahel would be more accepting of their unique situation than he believed.

“What would you suggest?” he asked, peering up at the male.

A pleased smile stretched across Quillen’s face. “Just do what you do naturally—entice her to forget whatever is holding her back, but do so cooperatively with me so that you are not distracted by attempting to guard against me. If she sees that she does not have to choose and sees what life will be like in a harmonious nest with both of us devoted to her, it may diminish her natural reluctance to be parted from the protection of her own species.”

That made an odd sort of sense. He had to admit that he often overlooked little things because he was often too focused on what Quillen was doing. It was time to take matters into his own hands.

Turning, he clipped a large bloom of the most vivid hue of red from its bush. He smiled down at it, delighting in the perfect fan shape of each petal. It was as lovely as their female.

Theirs… That sounded right.

He turned to hurry to Alexandra’s side but paused to glance back over his shoulder at his nest brother. “How do you know so much about courting anyway?”

The male grinned down at him mischievously. “There is often much to see that one should not see when exploring the forests of Zir.”

Kethan shuddered in distaste, his tongue lolling out as he gagged. The thought of accidentally coming across a courting couple—or worse, a couple in the process of mating—turned his stomach. Perhaps he was as shy and laughably easily embarrassed as Quillen liked to tease him. Even so, he was eager to bring his female pleasure and demonstrate his depth of feeling and devotion to her in every way that he could.

It was the way of the Vahel. The pheromones created the bond for males even quicker than it did with the females so that they devoted every bit of their being to their pursuit—even as much as their hearts. At that point it was impossible for a male to turn back unless the female rejected him, and distance allowed the beginnings of the bond to fade if he managed to survive it. Kethan was already at that point. Every bit of him belonged to Alexandra.

And now it was time to show her that she was the only ashlava he would ever want for his nest.

Cupping the flower in his hand, he headed over to his female’s side, returning his mother’s smile as her gaze lit on the flower. She clearly understood his intention because she touched Alexandra’s arm lightly before departing with an excuse that she needed to return to her nest, leaving Kethan alone with his female. His gavo snapped anxiously when his ashlava turned toward him, and he felt his hearts stutter when a smile bloomed on her face.

“Kethan, how lovely! Is that for me?”

He nodded, his tongues suddenly no longer working properly as they adhered themselves to the roof of his mouth.

“It… it is… not… medicinal,” he managed and immediately cursed inwardly at how stupid that sounded.

That was nothing like what he intended to say. He wanted to say something of his admiration of her intelligence and beauty, simple words of deep affection. And yet that was what came out.

Her brow furrowed slightly for only a moment, but then her smile widened and relief swept him at the soft sound of her laughter.

“Well, I like pretty flowers too,” she assured him as a deep pink hue stained her cheeks.

He liked that. She nearly reminded him of the flower, and he said as such when he handed her the bloom, making her eyes sparkle and dance with pleasure even as her color deepened to perfectly match the petals.

She was more than his ashlava. She was the most perfect bloom on the Zir.

Chapter

Nine

MANY DAYS LATER

As much as Alexandra battled against her attraction to Kethan and Quillen, not to mention the strange inseparable pull she experienced when around them, there was much about life among the Vahel in the Zir mountains that appealed to her. Heavily shrouded from the worst of the desert heat, there was a slow, peaceful rhythm to the nara that she not only appreciated but immediately felt comfortable within. There was no bustle of continuous activity as people scurried from one task to another as there was in the colony. Everyone had a job that contributed to the nara, but it never seemed to be without plenty of time for socialization and rest. Not only was there less commotion, as disputes and aggression seemed less common, but the Vahel themselves seemed predisposed toward a generally accepting existence… not only among each other but when it came to the realities of their world, including the potential dangers that surrounded them. Her only point of frustration was their treatment of Quillen.

It was not a matter that the male liked to discuss, but Kethan had explained it to her one evening and it did not settle hermind any. She did not understand how they could believe that Quillen was essentially a source of uncleanliness. They didn’t exactly treat him badly. Like all things the Vahel experienced, they merely accepted it and just politely distanced themselves from him. It was painful for her to watch and yet she noticed that Quillen didn’t even seem to care about his exclusion. He gave the rest of the nara as little consideration as they gave him. She was frankly shocked that they called upon him to hunt at all, but when she asked him about it, he had merely scoffed.

“Eating is another matter. Misfortune never seems to follow food when there are not enough hunters to provide it,” he had jested.

“That doesn’t make it right,” had been her surly reply. “No one even comes near you.”

“I do not mind. It means that there is more space for you. I would rather have your company anyway. It would be tiresome if I had to fight off females looking for a strong male to mate. That they would never even consider me is a weight off my mind.”

She hadn’t been certain if he was joking but she had peered at him sullenly, a frown knitting her brows. “What happened doesn’t mean that you aren’t worthy of love, Quillen.”

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