My Forever Love (Crossing the Line Book 2)

by M. D. Stewart

  It had been two and a half months since Aaron had knocked on his door, and only the promise that someone could come at any time kept him from drinking himself into oblivion every night. He had just washed the dinner dishes when there was a loud knock on his door. He opened it to a large Being male who had the darkest blue eyes he’d ever seen. “Avery sent me.”

  That’s all it took. He grabbed his bag and shut his door. Since Stieg and Lisbeth were gone on a date, he texted Stieg the one word they had agreed on, Vegas. The transport shuttle on the street was smaller than a two-passenger car. Tossing his bag in an unoccupied space, he slid into the seat that the man indicated and strapped in. Once they were in the air, the man turned to him.

  “I take it you have never been on my planet?” Jonas shook his head. Hell, he’d never been off Earth. “I understand. Once we get on board my ship, I will educate you on some of the social aspects of our society. There is not much to learn. We do not have a layered societal structure like Earthers. Your world is complicated for my people to understand. You have too many rules and divisions among your population.” Jonas couldn’t disagree.

  Jonas was glad for the late hour since it was dark. The trip from his house on the surface to the ship orbiting the planet didn’t take long, and he couldn’t tell when he left the atmosphere. He knew if he’d been able to see the world dropping away, he might have freaked out a bit. As it was, the shuttle entered what looked like a tunnel and landed on a solid floor. When the door shut to the compartment, the shuttle doors opened.

  “Welcome to my ship. I will take you to your quarters. I will not share with you the name of my ship or my own name. I would suggest you stay in your lodgings for the trip. No one would hurt you, but I do not want it widely known that I am carrying an undeclared passenger home.” Not having anything to say to that, Jonas nodded.

  The walk was a short one, and no one was in the passage. The door opened to a small room. Immediately to his left was a single bed, to his right a small door that would be a combination shower and toilet. Straight ahead was an opening surrounded by a silver frame.

  “This is a transport ship. It is not built for comfort, but these quarters serve their purpose. Ahead is the replicator and I will show you how to operate it so that you can eat and drink. The bath area is self-explanatory. The buttons on the wall are easy to read as they are pictures and not written. The trip itself will take just over eight Earth hours.” He indicated the bed with his hand, so Jonas sat down, placing his bag on the floor near his feet. He suddenly felt weary to his bones.

  “I brought you here between shifts, so my crew would not be wondering the passages. Now, while you are on my planet, no one will be rude to you or express their curiosity. They will know you are human, and as such, you will be respected since our saviors, Mace and Abby, are human. Honestly, I have not even asked Avery why I am taking you to my homeworld. I trust that he would not send someone that would harm my people. Once you are there, you can find who you are looking for by using the Index located at the center of each street. Let me implant a translation disk before I leave you to rest.”

  Jonas nodded, his body too tired to even form words to respond.

  The captain smiled. “This will be painless, but you will feel elation briefly. I suggest you sleep afterward.” He stood and pulled a silver tube from his back pocket. “Avery gave me this to give to you. Just relax. This will implant into the speech center of your brain. Written and spoken word will be translated automatically.”

  Jonas heard a slight hiss as the captain put the silver tube next to his left temple. Within seconds, Jonas felt hope and joy that he would see Aaron soon. He grinned and looked up to the captain and grabbed his hands.

  “Thank you. I want you to know something since you are helping me. I found my mate, and he is Being. Aaron was taken from my home and returned to your planet to be matched with a female. What you are doing, is helping reunite true mates.” The captain smiled. “And I could never hurt Beings. I love one.”

  The captain patted his leg. “I envy you. You are going after the one you love. Many of my people are sacrificing their feelings to try and give our world offspring.” He shook his head and stood. “We will land in the largest city on my planet. You will be able to track down your Aaron, and I hope things work out for you both. You give me hope.” The captain nodded and left the room.

  Jonas curled up in bed, sending out his love to Aaron, hoping he was safe. “Hold on, Aaron, I’m coming for you.” Then sleep claimed him.

  ****

  Jonas looked around the city. Short, squat buildings lined the streets, lights blazing in each dome-shaped structure. Above him, lines crisscrossed from one building to another and over the road, forming what he would describe as a net. Each part of the net was lit up, giving the area the illusion of sunlight. It was hard for him to determine if it was day or night. By the number of people walking, he assumed it was daytime, but had no clue as to the time of day. He glanced up and down the street, looking for the tall orange pole the captain had described as an Index. Once he spied it, he fought the urge to jog toward it.

  He stared at the tall metal tube and stepped inside. It reminded him of old-fashioned telephone booths on Earth. The strange hieroglyphic characters morphed briefly before they made perfect sense to him. He grinned looking up and saying a silent ‘thank you’ to the captain for implanting the translation disk. He cleared his throat and spoke clearly. “Search male individual Aaron.” He knew that before they had emotions and before they dealt with humans, The Beings didn’t have names. He wasn’t sure how they differentiated each other, but that wasn’t his problem. Several pictures came up. Apparently, there was more than one Aaron in the city. Some were still images, others were moving like watching from a security camera.

  “Please specify which, Aaron.” The mechanical voice drew him to the images before him. He looked at each image, almost fearful that he’d not be here. Jonas wasn’t sure how he’d get to the next city to search there. Suddenly he saw him. He was walking into a dwelling and turned to shut the door. A still picture of his lover replaced the moving image. He touched the picture, letting the Index know this was the person he was searching for. “Contacting.”

  ****

  After Aaron had answered the call the Index made, he immediately left to pick Jonas up. Jonas would never forget the look of shock then joy that he’d seen cross his lover’s features.

  “Stay where you are, Jonas. I will be there in a minute. Do not move.” The contact was broken, and Jonas watched as the live image of Aaron switched on when he opened the door to his house. He felt his heart clench in his chest as Aaron took off at a jog out of the house. The camera followed his progress as he turned left at the end of his dwelling’s road. Within seconds he heard feet quickly approaching him. The transmission ended just as the door behind Jonas opened and Aaron stepped inside. The couple stared at one another for a few heartbeats before they grabbed each other and began to kiss hungrily.

  “Aaron. I missed you.” Aaron pulled back and grinned, running his hands over Jonas.

  “I cannot believe you are here. That you came after me.”

  “I lost you once, and I can’t live without you, Aaron. Please tell me you still feel the same for me.” Jonas knew a moment of fear. If Aaron had been paired with a woman, he might have moved on with his life.

  “I will do more than tell you. I will show you. The problem will be for me to wait until we are at my house.”

  “Then let’s walk fast.”

  Aaron chuckled at his words and nodded.

  Aaron opened the door to his home and pulled him inside. Jonas was looking around the living room and turned to drop his bag on the ground. “I never thought I’d see you again, Aaron, but I couldn’t lose you again.”

  “Aaron?” A female voice sounded from the bedroom doorway. Aaron stiffened and turned to a beautiful Being woman, standing in the bedroom. She had a look of confusion on her face, but soon her eyes grew
wide when she looked at Jonas.

  “Peri. This, this is Jonas.” Aaron dropped his head. She blinked rapidly and turned her back to the men. Jonas heard her sniff. “Jonas. I did not…I should not have come for you without telling you. I was so happy to see you, I did not think.” Aaron turned to look at Jonas, sadness in his eyes, pain too.

  “Who is that, Aaron?” Jonas knew, but he needed to hear Aaron say it. Even though it would break his heart, he had to hear him say it.

  “That is Peri. My – she’s my mate, and I love her.”

  Chapter Four

  Peri paced the floor in the bedroom. Her heart felt like a block of ice in her chest. Aaron had told her about Jonas, but she never worried about his first love. Jonas was a human and lived on Earth. She never imagined he would show up here, on their homeworld. But, wouldn’t she go after Aaron if the situation were reversed? If he left her and went to Earth, would she follow him? She knew without a doubt that she would.

  She thought back to the sight of them standing together in the living room. She could see the love they shared between them. She closed her eyes, hearing the men talking. It didn’t help that Aaron had told Jonas he loved her. She was in a terrible predicament anyway. Her eyes filled with tears for so many reasons. She did hurt from seeing the man who loved her mate. She could see the love in Jonas’s eyes as he looked at Aaron after she heard them in the living area.

  She had stood there for a while before she said anything. There was so much joy on their faces. And though she was loathed to admit it, seeing them together had done something to her heart. Knowing Aaron found his first mate made her feel sad. Not necessarily because Aaron was with Jonas again, but because she could almost feel the love between them. How could she be mad at her mate when they might have to move on to other partners soon anyway. She fought the sob that threatened. Due to her warring emotions, she didn’t hear Aaron’s approach.

  “Peri,” his voice was soft, full of regret and his own pain. She knew he was torn, but she couldn’t find words to say. “I am sorry to hurt you. Especially after what happened with the baby.” She felt his hand touch her shoulder and instinctively jerked away from him not because of him and Jonas, but because losing the baby was too painful to talk about. She had only just gotten pregnant, but she had so much hope to feel life bloom inside her and hold her child in her arms. Since she had gotten her emotions restored, all she wanted was to have children.

  “I’m sorry. Peri, I didn’t think beyond finding Aaron.” Jonas’s voice drifted to her. She inhaled deeply, trying to calm her emotions. “Peri I won’t lie, I had been told Aaron was assigned a female, but I didn’t think, I never imagined that feelings developed between you. Especially so soon after,” his voice trailed off.

  “I never thought he could develop feelings for a female. I guess I thought he’d be more like me and only be attracted to another male.” She heard a zipper and turned to see Jonas closing a bag and heading toward the door. Suddenly she knew what she had to do and letting him leave was not going to work.

  “Wait, Jonas, do not leave. You can stay.” She took a breath and licked her lips. “If you give me a baby.”

  ****

  Jonas stopped dead in his tracks, his hand outstretched for the door. He turned to look at the Being woman as she moved from the bedroom to the front door. He wondered if perhaps she’d had a mental breakdown. By the look on Aaron’s face, he wondered the same thing.

  “What did you say?” Jonas knew his voice was shaking.

  Peri looked to Aaron then back to him. “I – I said you could stay if you give me a baby.” She rushed forward and took his hand. “I know it sounds crazy, but if Aaron and I do not have a child soon, they will reassign us to different partners. I love him, Jonas. I do not want to be parted from him. The thought of him with, with another woman and possibly giving her a child hurts me. Please? Please do not leave and let us discuss this.”

  Jonas felt his mouth drop open. “You do realize to have a baby we’d have to have sex, Peri. As in you and me. I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear on this, but I’m gay. I’ve never been attracted to women. I’m apparently not like Aaron.” He looked up trying to hide his pain from his lover. Former lover. He couldn’t stay and be the third wheel, and he wouldn’t break up a marriage, or mating or whatever this planet called it. He’d go back to Earth and be alone for the rest of his life. He was alone before Aaron anyway.

  “Jonas,” Aaron’s voice drew his attention, “I know it seems insane to you, but I think Peri has a good idea. I wish you would think about it. Please.”

  “You want me to fuck your wife, Aaron? Dammit, I just broke her heart by walking into your life unannounced. Wouldn’t it bother you to know I’m between her legs? Wouldn’t it bother you to know she’s carrying my child and not yours?” He saw Peri’s eyes fill with tears, but she blinked them back.

  “No.” Aaron’s voice held a certainty that had Jonas reeling backward. “If Peri were to give birth to your child, I would love it as my own. I love you, Jonas. I love her. If you two created a child together, I would be very happy.”

  Jonas sighed and turned his back to the Being couple. “I don’t think I can. It’s more than just not - Jesus. It’s more than making love to a woman. I love you, Aaron, but it kills me to know you love someone else.” He felt his voice break as emotion overwhelmed him. Not only jealously but fear he had lost Aaron. He’d gone through hell to get to his lover, only to lose him to his people after all.

  “I don’t know how to,” he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. “I’ve never been with a woman before, and I never wanted to be with a woman. When my gay friends were dating women to hide their homosexuality, I never did. I’ve never pretended to be interested in women. I’ve joked, I’ve flirted, but I had no real interest. I’m sorry.”

  He heard Aaron exhale behind him. “I just cannot give you up, Jonas. I cannot give her up either. What would you have me do? I cannot help the feelings I have for either of you. I will not be happy with just one of you in my life. Can you not find it in your heart to be open to her? This is not her fault.”

  Jonas turned to stare at The Being couple. They made a striking pair. Inky hair, snow white skin. Jonas with his peridot-colored eyes and Peri with her bright amethyst eyes. “What do you mean it’s not her fault? I know that. You can’t help that you were assigned to each other.” Jonas moved to the couch and sat down. He felt defeated and hurt. He always thought a broken heart was just an overused saying. The pain in his chest told him how the term came to be.

  “Of course, I was assigned to Aaron as his companion, but I never thought I would have feelings for him. He told me about you right away, and I was more than shocked that I felt such anger and jealousy toward you.” Peri hesitated briefly before she walked toward him, he could almost feel her pain and looked up to see it reflected in her eyes. She faltered a moment before sitting beside him.

  “I know how you are feeling about me now because I am sure I felt the same for you. When I first saw you here with Aaron, I felt pain. The same as you would have felt if you had come home to find Aaron with a former lover. We have only been together for a few months, but I found myself attracted to him from the moment I saw him.”

  Jonas shook his head and chuckled. “I guess we have something in common.” Peri looked up to him and smiled. For the first time, he thought he might understand why Aaron fell for her.

  “Jonas, I just found out that Aaron and I,” sadness overwhelmed her and instinctively he reached out to take her hand. “We had conceived a child fulfilling our duty, but just as quickly we lost the pregnancy.” She closed her eyes and dropped her head. Aaron moved to her other side and wrapped his arms around her. The men looked at each other over her bent head.

  Aaron’s voice was quiet. “We theorize that because of our physiology that it works against us when conceiving or carrying a child. I do not know how previous generations produced offspring, but somewhere between the last successful breeding an
d regaining our emotions, evolution has made it nearly impossible for Beings to copulate, gestate and produce children. Almost no children have been born since we’ve returned home. The few that have made it through gestation are weaker and smaller than previous generations.”

  Peri raised her head, and Jonas felt his heart go out to the woman. Her eyes were red, and her chin quivered with emotion. “I had no right to ask you what I did. I should have known that with your attraction to Aaron you would not find me sexually appealing. I had hoped that maybe you would be like him in that you might be bisexual.” She shook her head. “I guess desperation kept me from thinking straight.”

  Jonas found her choice of words comical and a laugh escaped him before he could stop himself. She looked up to him, her confusion apparent. “I’m sorry Peri. I’m not laughing at you, but in my culture, the word ‘straight’ is used to describe heterosexual people. With all this talk, it just struck me as funny.” Jonas chuckled at her grin, and he reached up to pull her into his embrace. Aaron let go of her and sat back looking at them.

  “I spoke with Avery before I left Earth. He helped to get me transportation. Anyway, Beings can get pregnant and get a woman pregnant but,” he paused knowing he was just fueling the fire. “The thing is, each pregnancy is between mixed couples. One Being female was impregnated by a human, one Being male got his Otronian mate pregnant and one Being male has gotten his human mate pregnant.” He felt Peri stiffen in his embrace. Without thought, he pulled her closer and began to rub her arm to comfort her.

  “Perhaps we can find a way to make this work. If Jonas is willing to try having sex with both of us at the same time.” Jonas was surprised when his body responded and heard Peri sharply inhale. “I am certain we can figure out a way.” Jonas looked up to Aaron. His light green eyes were hooded with desire, his breathing quickened.