"It helps to explain everything that's happened to you. And since it was a factor in the Tribunal's decision, I'm certainly not going to question it. I hate to admit it but that pronouncement is going to make a difference in how easily some Innerworlders will accept you as Co-Governor. Maybe it won't matter anymore when our children grow up. Let's just be grateful whether it's true or not."
"I will be very grateful, if you will finish what you started, Governor Romulus," Aster murmured, her body brushing against his.
As he carried her back to the bed, she considered his casual comment. Yes, there would be children. And like those American immigrants he had once compared her to, the reasons for prejudice against Terrans would begin to dissipate with the mixed blood of the next generation.
Romulus made a concerted effort to love her slowly. It would be the last time they would share their bodies as separate individuals. He wanted it to be as memorable as everything else that would occur that day. Also, he wanted her to be as relaxed and receptive as possible as the events of the day and night unfolded.
The sun was well above the horizon when Aster reminded Rom that Yulan was expecting them. "Shouldn't we be going soon? Where will the ceremony take place? I remember the book said it had to begin at midnight and we are each to spend the day in preparation with one of our own parents. Is that why your mother said to bring me to her? Will she be able to stand in as my mother?"
"Slow down," Rom said with a laugh. "Yes, it will be tonight at midnight. My father and I will erect the necessary structure near here and my mother will bring you to us when it is time. She will provide your joining robe and will spend the day with you reviewing the ritual. It will be a good opportunity for the both of you to get to know each other better. We will have to be on our way soon but I'm not anxious to leave you, even if it is the last separation we will experience."
Aster wondered at the serious expression on his face as he stroked her jaw with his thumb. "What's wrong?"
"I love you so much. I don't know what I would have done if you had continued to refuse me. You know that, don't you?"
"Of course I do, but I didn't, did I? So why are you looking at me like that?" Aster felt the tension growing between them and pulled back to look at him better as he spoke.
"Something very strange and powerful will occur tonight. You're going to experience feelings and sensations unlike anything you've ever felt. You mustn't be frightened of any of it. I'll be feeling the same way but we'll be together through it all."
"What if I can't overcome my fear? Will we be unable to join?"
"No, once the ritual begins, there is no way to stop it. Perhaps I'm worrying over nothing. You see, the drink we will consume at the beginning of the ceremony contains an ingredient that will heighten our senses and our awareness of each other. It also tends to make you feel removed from your physical surroundings. If you accept that as what is supposed to happen, you should have no reason to be afraid."
"An ingredient? It sounds like a drug. I thought Noronians prohibited that sort of thing." Aster pulled slightly away from him. Drugs were one subject that could take precedence over her anxieties.
"It is an ingredient, one vital to the ceremony. That's really all I can tell you about it. Since it is only used in the joining ritual, I have never tried it. I do know that without it we would never reach the spiritual level where we must go. I wouldn't agree to anything that would harm you, shalla. Keep in mind, this is my first time too. For all I know, there are things my father will tell me today that are new to me. I have to bide my time as well."
Aster moved close to him again and sighed when his arms encircled her. "You're right, of course. I can do anything as long as you're with me. Whatever it takes, I want you right here." She tapped her temple with her index finger. "Then I won't be frightened of anything ever again."
Rom lifted her face to his and stared for a very long time into her eyes. Although she couldn't read his actual thoughts, she felt his strength and love injecting itself into her mind. She could do it. She had to.
Aster's nerves began to calm within minutes of being left alone with Yulan. The two women exchanged past experiences and plans and hopes for the future. The one common bond between them was their love of Locke men. Aster could not help but compare her life with what it might have been like if this intelligent, caring woman had been her mother. She could not change the past but she could look forward to the pleasure of having Yulan as a mother-in-law in the years ahead. By the time they sat down to dinner, Aster felt as though she had known Yulan her entire life.
"Yulan, how does it feel to have Marcus in your head all the time? On the one hand, I feel that's how it should be. On the other, it's such an alien concept, literally, I have no way of imagining it."
Yulan smiled. "It takes some getting used to, even for a Noronian. Eventually the advantages and mental companionship far outweigh any disadvantages. Aster, what you are doing tonight cannot be reversed in this lifetime. You will still be everything you were before but you will also be reborn as the creation of a new entity that is made up of the both of you. Do you understand that?"
"Yes." There was nothing more for Aster to say.
"Good. Then let's go over the ritual and start getting you ready."
The midnight hour approached. What Aster had expected to be the longest day in her life had sped by.
The scented soap Yulan gave her to bathe with left Aster's skin unusually sensitive. When she slipped the hooded, white caftan over her naked body, she swore she could feel every one of the silken threads in the robe. Aster stared at her reflection in the mirror. A beautiful stranger stood there, with shining silver hair and a soft glow radiating from her face. Only her eyes betrayed the fact that she was scared to death.
If Yulan had not led her by the hand out the door and onto a horse, Aster was positive she would not have made it. Just before they reached the lagoon, they dismounted. Yulan pulled the hood over Aster's hair and took her hand again. With a firm squeeze and a kiss on the cheek, Yulan let Aster know she would be fine.
When they stepped into the clearing, they halted again. Clearly visible in the moonlight was a large tent shaped like a pyramid. Four crystal poles joined at the top. The triangular, white chiffon sides gently billowed in and out from a subtle breeze, while shadows flickered behind the material.
Yulan raised the front flap and motioned for Aster to enter. Her bare feet welcomed the thick woven rug inside as her eyes adjusted to the firelight offered by candles in hurricane-style lamps.
Knowing she was not permitted to look directly at Romulus at this time, Aster kept her head bent. But it was easy enough to recognize his toes peeking out from beneath the hem of a white robe like hers. A glimpse of shoes and pant legs told her Marcus was positioned to Rom's right.
Marcus's voice penetrated the quiet of the shadowy tent. "I, Marcus Locke, mate of Yulan, have come to this place to witness the joining of the son of my body with his chosen mate. Romulus Locke, have you read and understood the sacred words and are you prepared to abide by them for all time, to become one with this woman?"
"I have and I am." Rom's answer was strong and sure and Aster drew courage from the sound.
"I, Yulan, mate of Marcus Locke, stand in the place of a blood relation to Aster Mackenzie. From this moment on, I will call her my daughter and she shall think of me as her mother. I have come to this place to witness the joining of my new daughter with her chosen mate. Aster Mackenzie, have you read and understood the sacred words and are you prepared to abide by them for all time, to become one with this man?"
Aster parted her lips, intending to speak as confidently as Rom had, but the words were a mere whisper. "I have and I am."
"Let it begin," Marcus declared.
Yulan continued to hold Aster's hand as she led her the few steps to a low table. When she felt a slight pressure on her shoulder, Aster sat down cross-legged on one side. With her head still lowered, she saw Rom being seated opposite
her. His parents moved to a corner of the structure.
On the table in front of her was a silver chalice filled with a deep burgundy liquid. Aster's hands shook so badly she wondered how she would ever get it to her mouth without spilling any.
When Rom began speaking his vows, Aster flinched involuntarily.
"Aster Mackenzie, only you can satisfy my thirst and my desire. You are all the nourishment I shall ever need." His hand reached out and lifted the chalice, then replaced it, minus half the liquid.
It would only be a few more minutes before she could look up at his face. It had not seemed like it would take this long when she read the words in the book. "Romulus Locke, only you can provide my wants and needs. You are the only solace I shall ever need." Aster swallowed the first half of the drink. In spite of its color, it tasted like peppermint tea.
"Your happiness and comfort is my greatest desire. I choose to spend all my days and nights with you in my life, my heart and my mind." Romulus drained his chalice.
Aster repeated the vow back to him then finished her drink.
A moment later, a cool draft touched her cheek as Marcus and Yulan silently departed through the flap in the pyramid tent. Aster knew it was now time to close her eyes for the period of solitude, the last she would ever know. For the first time in many hours, a feeling of calm settled over her. A swarm of bees buzzed in the distance... or were they in her head? The humming sound seemed to move closer and louder, then dwindle back to near silence before increasing once again. Her body swayed to its rhythm. No, she was not moving at all. It was her blood, pumping, pulsing through her veins and arteries, like the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide. She became intensely aware of the pounding of her heart, of her lungs filling with air and slowly expelling what they did not need. She not only felt it, she began to see it—all the separate parts of her body, working together to create this wondrous thing known as life. She suddenly knew the essence and source of her being and it was incredible.
"Aster?" Rom's voice came to her in an echo reverberating through her head.
He stood beside her with his hands outstretched. Aster placed her hands in his and tilted her head back to gaze with wonder into his love-filled eyes as she rose. He entered her private world and hovered there. They were no longer in the tent or even on Norona. They floated together in space, where time hung suspended until they decided to make it move again.
"That entity which is the soul within Romulus Locke has been searching for its eternal mate. It calls now to the soul within Aster Mackenzie to fulfill their destiny. Are you ready to be joined with us now, Aster?"
"That entity which is the soul within Aster Mackenzie has also been searching and now recognizes its eternal mate. We are here and ready to join with you, Romulus." Her own voice sounded far away, as though it belonged to someone else.
Together their voices harmonized, "We call to the Supreme Being to be the spiritual witness to our joining."
With steady movements, Aster slowly pushed back Rom's hood, undid the drawstring at his neck and slid the caftan off his shoulders. Without resistance, it fell to his feet. Likewise, Romulus disrobed Aster. They stood two feet apart, their gazes held hypnotically together.
"There can be nothing between us ever again. Your flesh will be my flesh," Rom said.
"Your blood will be my blood," Aster responded.
"Our minds will be as one," they voiced together.
Rom held up his hands, palms facing Aster. She raised her hands to meet his, palms to palms, fingers to fingers. A tremor shook the ground beneath their feet. The vibration moved upward like an electrical current from their toes to their ankles to their knees, through their bodies and into their heads.
The electrical sensation traveled down their arms and settled in their fingertips, where a golden glow appeared and flared. The light spread over their hands and retraced the path the tremor had taken, coiling snakelike, round and round their arms, spinning around their heads then down their bodies until they were bathed in the burning, golden iridescence.
The hum that had subsided suddenly became a deafening crescendo making any specific thought impossible.
Each moved their hands along the other's arms, fingertips straining forward of their own accord until they located the other's temples and pressed there.
The mundane limitations of time and space were suspended as their individualities were transformed and reborn as a brilliant, blended union of their souls.
Without breaking contact, Rom eased Aster onto the carpeted earth and hovered above her. She could not have broken their eye contact had she wanted to.
He thrust.
She absorbed.
Their hips melded and parted and came together again and again. Aster felt him inside her, all around her. Her body altered. She was larger, harder, pushing into the soft, moist cushion of... herself. It was Rom's sensations she was feeling now, not her own. No, that wasn't quite right. I feel the both of us together, at the same time.
Magnificent!
Oh... oh yes... now!
Tumbling, swirling, falling through a starlit sky, Aster and Rom raced together through their lives. They were the child, Rom, playing knights and dragons. They were the young girl, Aster, running barefoot in a field of daisies. They relived the years they were individuals and the hours since they met, the good and the bad.
The hum gradually faded then disappeared altogether. A gust of wind entered, whirled over them and departed, taking the candlelight with it.
I love you, Aster.
I love you, Romulus.
You're all right. I was so worried.
I know. It was wonderful. It is wonderful. Aster glanced quickly around the pyramid tent, half surprised to realize they were still there. I thought it was good before, but now, well, all I can think is, we'd better try it again, to make sure we're doing it right.
Rom laughed deeply as he nuzzled her ear. Aster instantly felt her anticipation turn to need inside his body, which in turn fed her own building desire. She wondered if they would be able to control their passion for one another as time went by.
I hope not, shalla. But we may have to work on controlling our baser thoughts when we're out in public or I'm afraid we may both be embarrassed with the results. Rom proceeded to show her exactly what results he had in mind.
Epilogue
"Congratulations, Aster. He's a very good man," Tarla said sincerely as she shook Aster's hand then laughed when she added, "almost as perfect as my Nick." Now that Romulus and Aster had forced a change of attitude from the Tribunal, Tarla felt completely free to follow her heart's desire as well. She would be moving to the mining camp next week to be with Nick, openly and without fear of reprisal.
Aster scanned the faces of the friends and acquaintances gathered in the reception room of the Dance Hall. The Feinsteins were like two teenagers again as their restaurant gained popularity. The Basiglios had barely said hello before sharing their happy news that their first attempt at conception had been a success. Yes, there was certainly an abundance of happiness in this room tonight.
Then again, wasn't that what Rom had promised all the Outerworlders that first day?
You will not only accept, you will enjoy what we have to offer, Rom thought to her with a chuckle.
You were listening.
Of course. And that should remind you to behave when you're with other men, especially well-meaning trackers.
Aster met his gaze across the crowded room. He knew about her interlude with Falcon and it was all right. You're just jealous because Tarla only shook your hand when she greeted you tonight and Falcon hugged me.
Aha! So you were paying attention. You're getting better. I couldn't even tell. By the way, did you see Frank and Marya yet?
No, I...
"Hey, kid!" Cherry tugged insistently on Aster's forearm. "Wasn't three weeks in outer space enough for you two? You've got to make eyes at each other at your own party!"
Aster turned away from R
om quickly and hugged Cherry as hard as she could. "You! How in the world did you put this together so fast? We only arrived this morning!"
"You know me. Where there's a will and so on. To tell the truth though, the entire colony knew you were on your way back with shocking news a week ago. Plus, I had plenty of help from Apollo and Thor."
"Speaking of which, I never did hear the outcome of your dilemma."
"Oh, that's right. Well, if you hadn't flitted off to a faraway galaxy—"
"Cherry! What happened?"
"Let's just say they convinced me to give the Innerworld attitude toward intimate relationships a try."
Aster's eyebrows shot up then she gave a shrug and smiled. "I'm not surprised. You're nowhere near ready to settle down. But I have a really strong feeling that one of these days, someone will come along to change that. By the way, have you seen Falcon?"
"He's right over there. Talk about one delicious alien. Too bad he's not interested in anything I have to offer. By the way, he was a big help pulling this off too."
Aster looked in the direction Cherry pointed. Falcon's luminous eyes touched her like a blessing. He would always be her friend.
Governor Elissa too. As soon as they had disembarked, the governor had filled Aster and Rom in on all the reports that had been transmitted from Outerworld during their absence. A monumental discovery had been made by Professor David Ingram that would greatly increase the speed of Earth's spaceships. It was decided in a special session of the United Nations Security Council that its permanent members would conduct a joint exercise into space to test his discovery within the month. As David had predicted, there was no public mention of the planetoid.
Aster hoped that someday in the near future, she would receive a confirmation that the personal favors she had requested of Kate had been taken care of just as successfully. Romulus had acknowledged that Aster hadn't actually broken her promise to him. That, however, did not keep him from grumbling about devious women for several long minutes after he realized what she had done to salvage The Mackenzie Foundation.
ROMULUS (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 1) Page 30
