by Kali Argent
They reached the pinnacle at the same time and tumbled over the edge together, her name a whisper on his lips as he spilled himself inside her.
“Mmm,” Cynda hummed a few moments later, a satisfied smile on her lips. “You were right. That was exactly what I needed.”
Xi chuckled as he dipped his head to rest his brow against hers. “Glad I could accommodate.”
“Initiating landing sequence.”
Xi glared up at the speakers in the ceiling as the ship’s AI concluded the announcement with an estimated arrival time.
Cynda laughed. “I guess that means we better get cleaned up and dressed.” She patted his shoulder, then shivered when he pushed away, dislodging himself from her depths. “I’ll be right back.”
Watching her bounce off the bed and hurry into the attached bathroom, he rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. He’d been waiting the whole trip for the perfect moment, but unfortunately, he was out of time.
Once the bathroom door closed behind his mate, he stretched out on the bed and pulled open the drawer of the nightstand. Extracting a small, clear tin etched with the Hart Pharmaceutical logo, he held it between his thumb and forefinger, just watching the way the light played off the surface. He didn’t know how long he sat there contemplating if he was doing the right thing, but it must have been a while.
“Have you seen my shoes?” Cynda asked, waltzing back into the room in her little, pink sundress. “I swear, I am always losing them.”
“Fayah, come sit with me.”
“We’re landing,” she answered distractedly. “You need to get dressed.”
He redressed with a wave of his hand, then pushed upright to sit on the edge of the mattress. “Please.”
“Okay,” she said slowly, ceasing the search for her shoes to join him on the bed. “You look worried. What’s going on?”
Xi turned the box over in his hands and swallowed. “You know that the cure Jael and Luke have been working on originated on Xenthian.”
“Yes, of course, everyone knows that.” The frown lines faded, and her eyebrows winged toward her hairline. “Oh,” she breathed. “Oh, right. I’ll be cured almost as soon as we land, won’t I?”
“Probably not that quickly, but essentially, yes. Which is why I wanted you to have this.” He pressed the clear tin into her palm and closed her fingers around it.
“The cure?”
“A choice.” He brushed her hair back from her face and cupped her cheek. “You’ll be healed either way, fayah, but I wanted you to have the choice to heal yourself.”
Smiling, she pressed closer, rubbing her cheek against his palm. “That’s really sweet.”
“I know you aren’t ready for youngling yet, which is why I asked Jael to include a little something else as well.”
Her nose wrinkled adorably as she pried off the lid and looked inside. “The birth control implant.” She laughed as she held up the tiny pen-like device. “I have nothing against the cure or having children, but you’re right. I don’t know that I’m ready just yet, so this is perfect.” She arched up to brush their lips together. “Thank you. This really means a lot.”
“There’s one more thing.”
“More?” she teased. “What else could I possibly need?”
“If you want, I can remove the mark.” He slid his thumb over the star inked near the corner of her eye. She had never said anything specifically, but he knew how much that mark had hurt her, and he wanted nothing more than to remove that burden and painful memories it represented. “Again, it’s your choice.”
Her eyes turned glassy with tears, and her bottom lip trembled when she spoke. “You’d really do that for me?”
“My sweet fayah,” he murmured. “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
* * * *
Cynda didn’t forget her name. She didn’t forget Vasere Lynx Snowden’s name, either. She had, however, blushed furiously when he’d congratulated Xi on such a “splendid” mating.
They’d exchanged a few more pleasantries, and the Vasere had invited her and Xi to dine with him later in the evening. His motivations hadn’t been entirely altruistic, however. Apparently, he had a lot of questions about Earth.
Once they’d said their goodbyes, Cynda had been whisked away, up the green marble stairs of the Emerald Palace to the most extraordinary set of rooms she had ever seen. Vines of black and blue spiraled up twin, ivory columns set in the middle of the common area, their heart-shaped leaves illuminated by glowing, white blooms. Dozens of glass spheres floated near the high ceiling, each one flickering with a soft amber light that looked more like dancing fireflies than actual flames.
Instead of stones, or tiles, or even wood, thick, soft grass the color of sapphires covered the floor. A curtain of ivy over an arched doorway parted when she approached, allowing her to step through onto a spacious, covered balcony.
“I wish I could have timed our arrival better,” Xi said, stepping up behind her and winding his arms around her waist. “I had forgotten it was the rainy season.”
“I think it’s amazing.”
From the balcony, she could see the emerald ocean in the distance, its turbulent waters surrounded by amethyst sand. Stars, the entire planet was like one big jewel, and it was absolutely breathtaking.
Holding her hand out over the marble railing, she laughed with pure delight when drops of warm rain splattered against her palm, turning her skin a pale, translucent green. Holy nova, she couldn’t believe she actually got to live there, that such a wonderous place was really her new home.
“It’s like a dream,” she whispered. “The kind you never want to wake up from.”
“I’m happy you’re happy.” His arms tightened around her as he rubbed his cheek against the top of her head. “I love you, fayah.”
Resting her hands atop his arms, she squeezed gently. “I love you, too.”
Studying her reflection into the oversized windows that bracketed the doorway, she smiled. She hardly even recognized herself, and not just because she no longer carried the mark of an infertile female. The cure itself had been more symbolic than anything, but Xi had been right. It had been a choice she needed to make for herself rather than just wait for the healing properties of the planet to take their course.
Those changes weren’t why she couldn’t stop grinning at the woman staring back at her, though. She wasn’t taller or curvier. Her hair was the same length and shade of dark brown it had always been. The only difference in her appearance was subtle, but it was important.
She looked radiantly happy.
“I have something for you.”
She didn’t even bother to scold him. It wouldn’t do her any good. “I love it.”
Xi chuckled. “You don’t even know what it is.”
“I love it anyway.” God, she adored his laugh. “Okay, okay, let’s see it. What did you get me?”
A length of emerald leather slid around her neck, and a smooth, glossy stone nestled between her breasts. She pinched it between her fingers as Xi tied the ends of the cord together at her nape. Though it had no definitive shape, the edges were smooth, the surface warm to the touch. Flecks of gold dotted the onyx stone, shimmering in the silvery sunlight that managed to break through the cloud cover.
“See? I knew I’d love it.” Spinning around, she bounced up on her toes to give him a smacking kiss. “It’s beautiful, Xi.” Falling back to her heels, she felt her brow scrunch as she stared down at the stone again. “Uh, what exactly is it?”
“It’s called a lakatsa stone, or a wishing stone. They’re mined from the mountains of the Northern Isle. We use them to teach the younglings when they’re first learning magic.”
She bobbed her head slowly. “Okay.” She still didn’t get it. “Am I supposed to do something with it?”
“Our bonding ceremony isn’t for another couple of weeks, but I thought you might like to start practicing your magic before then.”
“Yes!” she practically
shouted at him. “How does it work? What do I do?”
He drew a line down the center of her chest with his forefinger, then lifted the black stone by its cord. “This will let you channel some of my magic.”
Clutching the stone in her fist, she stared up at him with giddy anticipation. “Right now? Can we do it now?”
“Yes, fayah, we can do it now.” The smile slid from his lips, and he pointed a finger at her with mock sternness. “No pouting if it doesn’t work the first time. Magic requires patience and control.”
“Deal. No pouting. Got it.”
His smile returned, and he even winked at her. “Okay, hold your hand out, palm up. Good,” he praised when she did as he asked. “Now, imagine just a single flame right there, dancing over your skin.”
“Will it hurt?”
“No, fayah, it won’t burn you.”
She dipped her head. “Okay, I’m picturing it.”
“Repeat after me. Chroma flaga.”
Cynda stared down at her hand as if it held the secrets of life as she repeated the words. A tingle rushed across her skin and up her arm, then a tiny flame of pure white flickered to life in her palm.
“I did it! Xi, look!” Some of her happiness faded when she realized he wasn’t smiling anymore. “What? Did I do it wrong?”
“No, it’s not that. I’ve just never known anyone to get it their first try.” He passed his fingertips through the flame, a considering expression in his eyes. “I want you to try something.”
Closing her hand, she extinguished the fire and waited.
“Do you remember the columns in the sitting room?”
“With the vines?” She nodded. “What about them?”
“Close your eyes and imagine yourself standing next to them.”
Though she wasn’t sure exactly where the experiment was going, she trusted her mate implicitly. So, she closed her eyes and envisioned the ivory columns that stretched all the way up to the ceiling. As she pictured herself standing there in the middle of them, a rush of power swept through her, like electricity coursing through her veins. Darkness closed in around her, squeezed her, and suddenly, she was falling, tumbling into an endless void.
The sensation lasted for only a heartbeat before the world came rushing back, and she found her feet planted firmly on the ground—right between the two columns.
“Holy shit! Did I just transport?”
“You did.” Entering the room through the ivy-covered archway, Xi looked both impressed and confused. “I don’t know how, but you did.” Stopping mere inches from her, he brushed her windblown hair back from her face and tilted her head up to claim her lips. “You’re a natural, fayah.”
It felt natural, easy, like she’d always had this power and had just needed someone to unlock it for her. Never in her life had she felt so strong, so comfortable in her own skin. Never had she felt more alive.
“Thank you for teaching me, and for sharing your magic with me. Does it always feel so incredible?”
“I guess it’s been so long I don’t really think about it anymore, but…yes.” Those beautiful gray eyes clouded, and he shook his head almost sadly. “I’m glad to hear you say that. I was afraid you might regret leaving Earth.”
“No.” She placed her hand over his heart and smiled. “I have no regrets.”
“None?”
Despite everything that had happened in her life, she wouldn’t change a moment of it, even if she could. “How can I regret anything when it led me to you?”
EPILOGUE
The dress hugged every curve, dip, valley, and swell of Cynda’s body. She’d been working on it for weeks, making sure every stitch was exactly right before her big day. Of course, being able to use magic to create and adjust the design had helped tremendously.
She’d drawn inspiration from both Earth and Xenthian, combining and merging cultures and traditions. The result was nothing short of spectacular.
The jade-green bodice molded to her torso like a second skin. She’d kept the neckline modest enough, but she had removed the outer panels, replacing them with delicate cords of pure gold that crisscrossed up her sides. The bell skirt in matching gold flared out from her hips and trailed out behind her in an elegant train. With a little help from Xi, she’d bewitched the material to sparkle and shine like the markings on his arm.
No one apart from her family and a couple of palace attendants had seen the dress, but somehow, word had spread. She had the feeling she could thank Jael for that, but she couldn’t have been more thrilled. Requests from all over the planet had started arriving just days ago, and already, she had weeks of consultations and fittings scheduled.
She’d even received a personal request from the queen herself, which, of course, took priority.
Even better, she would be compensated for her work. Now that Xenthian had officially converted their currency to credits so they could begin trading with the Alliance, that meant she could finally pay back what she owed.
Jael wouldn’t like it—she’d already made several arguments against any sort of repayment—but Cynda wouldn’t take no for an answer. Jael could donate the credits to a worthy charity for all she cared, but it was important to her that she reconciled her debts.
Music began to play, a melodic tune that brought to mind happy summer days.
Lifting her head and pulling her shoulders back, Cynda released a shaky breath as she walked forward to meet her mate at the foot of a set of wide, marble stairs.
If she needed any further proof that they belonged together, this was it. Xi had listened when she’d spoken of the old weddings that she found so romantic. Then, he’d done his best to replicate what she’d described in excruciating detail.
Sashes of green and gold had been draped around the ivory columns in the great hall of the Emerald Palace, and soft, twinkling lights had been spelled to float near the arched ceiling. Luminescent flower petals covered the floor, and bouquets of shimmering, gold blooms lined the steps that led up to the raised dais at the front of the hall.
A seven-tiered cake waited for her just beyond the large double doors.
It was everything she’d dreamed it would be and so much more.
“You look beautiful,” Xi whispered as he took her hand and led her up the steps to where Vasere Snowden waited.
“Thanks. So do you.” Wait, no, that wasn’t right. “I mean, not beautiful. You look handsome. More than handsome.” Shit, she really needed to just stop talking. “You look…”
“Great?”
Cynda smiled, and a little of her nerves settled at his teasing tone. “Yes, you look great.”
He’d kept the leather pants he’d like so much on Earth, but for the occasion, he’d altered the usual black to a deep green. His tunic matched the gold in her dress, and she might have made the material a little tighter than was traditional to show off his muscular physique. He’d left his hair loose so that it brushed against his shoulders but had added two small braids laced with gold thread on either side.
Vasere Snowden cleared his throat, and a hush fell over the hall.
It still amazed her that so many people had come to celebrate with them. She’d expected only their family and maybe a few of Xi’s fellow sentries, but she swore half the Southern Isle was in attendance.
She’d also expected some lofty speech from the Vasere, but he simply smiled and pressed an emerald stone the size of her fist into Xi’s waiting palm.
“Take my hand, fayah.”
She grasped his hand, trapping the stone between them.
“I promise to love you every day until my last breath,” Xi said, his voice carrying out over the crowd. “I vow to be your protector and your champion, to bring you only joy, to lend you strength and comfort in the storm. I will walk beside you always, in this life and into the next.” He brushed the back of his hand down her cheek with a heartbreakingly tender expression. “From now until forever, I am yours.”
Cynda knew what came next. She’d be
en rehearsing her part for days. After hearing her mate’s declaration, however, the words she’d chosen felt trite and inadequate.
“I promise to love you every day until my last breath,” she said in a trembling voice that still managed to echo throughout the hall. “Where you go, so shall I. Where you lead, I will follow.” Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears as she placed her unoccupied hand over his heart. “I will be your light during dark days, your peace in troubled times. I promise to lift you up when your burdens are heavy and to remind you of your worth when you can’t see it for yourself. From now until forever, I am yours.”
Xi bent to claim her lips in a gentle kiss, then chanted the binding words that would unite them.
The stone between their joined hands warmed as it pulsed with a magnificent light that refracted over the floor of the dais. Beams of bright gold flowed from the Adderstone, the strands twining together as the light wrapped around their hands and wrists in intricate knots.
When the glow faded, and the stone cooled, Xi jerked her forward by their still-joined hands and slanted their mouths together in a wholly inappropriate kiss considering their audience.
Cynda kissed him right back.
Cheers and whistles exploded from the crowd, making her laugh as she broke the kiss to give them all a little wave. This was her home now. These were her people. Even though she was an outsider, they’d welcomed her with open arms.
She might be immortal now, but that was one debt she’d never be able to repay no matter how long she lived.
Winding an arm around her waist, Xi tucked her against his side and kissed the top of her head. “Are you happy, fayah?”
“Gloriously happy.” She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and smiled. “I love you, Xi. So much.”
“I love you,” he replied. “More than anything.”
This was fayah. For the first time, she truly understood the meaning of the word. It was perfect, and consuming, and it filled her very soul with a radiance that could never be extinguished.
“What about you?” Pressing closer, she wound her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Are you happy?”
