by Lisa Lace
There were no amusement parks on Auxem, and by extension, no water slides. I felt out of place here playing with her. I usually had something important to do. I was always working on an official project or worrying about my brothers. I never had time to enjoy myself.
“Don’t just stand there. Let’s do something!” Jayne took my hand and led me up a set of metal stairs. “We’ll start at the top. That will give us the longest ride down.”
I shrugged and let her pull me along. I enjoyed her enthusiasm even though I had a hard time sharing it. I couldn’t help thinking that we should be doing something more important than running around. When we reached the top, I realized the slide was just a long, enclosed tube.
Jayne gave me a mischievous grin. “Put your legs around me so we can down together.”
“If you insist.” I straddled her and wrapped my arms around her waist.
“Are you ready?” She twisted her neck to look back at me.
I kissed her. “I’m always ready.”
“Okay, here we go.” Jayne pushed against the tube with her hands to start us moving. In an instant, we were flying down the slide at a breathtaking pace. When the slide dropped suddenly, I screamed, then laughed. It was almost as much fun as flying.
“Woohoo!” Jayne yelled the whole way down, then dragged me back up to do it again. After a couple of hours of zipping around, we grabbed inner tubes and started floating in a slow-moving river that encircled the park, drifting along on the idle current.
“Do you think you can be ready to choose a bond mate within a week?”
I didn’t expect Jayne to be so forward with her questions, but I decided to answer her honestly. “I’m not sure. I know I’m enjoying our time together and I don’t want anything to end.”
“If we don’t bond, it has to end, doesn’t it?”
I shrugged noncommittally.
“Let’s be honest with each other — there’s nothing ordinary about our dates. We both have big expectations on our shoulders. A day at the water park isn’t going to change anything.”
“That’s true.” I felt like anything I said was dangerous. “Do you think you won’t be ready to bond in a week?” I hated to ask her like this, but if there wasn’t a future between us we should end things immediately.
“I don’t like being rushed and forced into such a big decision.”
“How big is the decision?”
JAYNE
“I don’t know, Arnon. What if it doesn’t work out? We can’t get divorced.”
“Technically we could, but it’s complicated.”
“Wait a second. You people are always talking about mating for life. And now you’re saying that you can get divorced? Make up your minds!”
“Marriage is one thing. It’s a social and legal construct. But the life bond is something else. If we got married without bonding, it wouldn’t be an issue. Some people do get divorced on Auxem, but it’s rare, and we don’t like to talk about it. It’s usually only if one of the people is mentally unstable or when it’s unsafe for a partner to stay in the relationship.”
I stared at Arnon. The more I learned about the Auxem, the more I realized that I didn’t know anything about them at all.
“Once the life bond forms, it has nothing to do with the marriage. The bond is an emotional and physical connection between both partners. As the name implies, it’s for life. I’m not sure what would happen in a divorce between a man from Auxem and an Earth woman. I’m not anxious to find out, either. I think you’re making this harder than it has to be, little girl.” He held my gaze. “Didn’t you make a decision about me the moment we first kissed on the bed? Can you tell me that you haven’t been thinking about me since that night?”
“No,” I whispered. “You’re all I think about nowadays.”
“Sometimes we complicate things that should be simple. Don’t worry about bonding, Jayne. Whatever happens will happen.”
“You’re right. But the thing is, I don’t usually trust my instincts. My parents taught me to ignore my intuition and favor logic.”
He reached out and took my hands, which were trembling. “I don’t think logic has anything to do with this.” He gave my hand a squeeze as I blushed.
Arnon was right. Logic didn’t have anything to do with the way he made me feel. When we reached the end of the river, he suggested that we get something to eat. Somehow the fun had vanished from the day. Nothing was spoiled, but things felt official again.
After we changed and picked a restaurant, we transported over and placed our orders. “What’s got you so pensive, Jayne?”
“I don’t know. I wanted to help you lighten up, but I think I’m starting to become more contemplative. What we’re doing is a big responsibility and our choices will affect many people.”
He watched me for a minute and leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed. I didn’t feel calm at all. There was a whirlwind of feelings inside me that I couldn’t comprehend.
“Before he became king, my parents went on a few dates, I think. My father ended up stationed far away in another city for work. My grandfather had lived for a long time before he decided to retire and pass the throne to my dad. He worked in his chosen field, zoology.”
“Wow, your family is certainly a wild bunch.”
“He wasn’t thinking clearly at the time and didn’t want to make my mother any promises, so he didn’t tell her where he was going or why. He missed her but wasn’t going to look like it. He didn’t bother calling her or writing.”
“It sounds like he was...” I trailed off, not wanting to say anything too offensive.
“A jerk? He was and he is. Dad’s a good man, but he’s not particularly concerned with other people’s feelings.”
“Eventually he realized he was being stupid and went back to her. He thought she had been pining away for him, but he was wrong. She had already made up her mind about him and written him off. She started dating someone else. When my father came back intending to ask her to marry him, she had already moved on to another person.”
“He shouldn’t have taken her for granted.”
“You’re right. When he showed up at her place, there was another guy there. Lucky for me, my mother is a forgiving woman. She gave my dad another chance. He apologized profusely. She forgave him, and I exist today.”
“Ha. I think I would have liked your mother.”
“I’m sure you would have.” Arnon had a trace of sadness in his eyes.
“Was she ever worried about making the crown prince grovel at her feet?”
“My mother was completely unconcerned about things like that. She was a lot like you in that respect.”
“Like me?”
“Well, you’re dating a crown prince. I’m kind of a big deal on my planet.” He grinned sheepishly.
He was right. I had completely forgotten again that Arnon was royalty. He wasn’t anything special to me. He was just Arnon, not a title.
“I apologize, your majesty.”
“Don’t do that. I appreciate that you’re not aware of it unless I point it out to you. On other planets, it’s all women could talk about.” He dropped his eyes. “They never bothered seeing me for who I am.”
“I see you,” I whispered.
He looked up quickly, meeting my eyes and making my breath jump. I didn’t know how long we stayed frozen looking at each other. The only thing that broke the spell was when the food came.
“How did your parents meet?” he asked, unrolling his silverware from the napkin.
“That’s a story and a half. They were pen pals for a long time…”
“Pen pals?” He frowned at the unfamiliar word combination. Everyone in the galaxy spoke Standard, but certain words were part of regional dialects. The entire vocabulary for Standard was huge, and it was impossible to learn all the words.
“I think it’s something peculiar to Earth. It started when people on other sides of the planet wrote letters to each other. They sent holograp
hic videos back and forth. My mom had a weird job. She worked for an organization which was trying to stop overpopulation on Earth by encouraging people to stay single and celibate.”
“That sounds disgusting.” Arnon looked aghast.
“Some planets don’t have enough children, and some have too many. We’re just getting our population back under control. Thirty years ago, we prepared to send our citizens out as refugees. The President remembers her history and that’s one of the reasons she is so accommodating right now. If this works out, we can get a lot of childbearing women off Earth and into good homes.”
“It counts twice, right? People and their babies will go off the planet.”
“Exactly.”
Arnon’s eyes lit up. “This could be important for your people, too.”
“Definitely. This isn’t just a list of boxes for me to check off. I feel like the weight of two worlds is on my shoulders.”
“Jayne, you need to relax. Promise me you’ll try not to think like you have to save the world.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“You know what? It’s my turn to plan our next date, and it is going to take your mind off all your problems.”
Chapter Nine
ARNON
I went over the plan one more time in my head as Danin hand-delivered the special order into my hand. Everything was ready for my next date with Jayne. I stood on my balcony, ready to go. Was I moving too fast? Maybe, but I wanted Jayne to have a chance to select me willingly before she was pressured to advance to round three together.
I wanted us to have some romance in our relationship. I had always imagined asking the woman I loved to be my bond mate, and I wanted to play out that scene with Jayne.
I jumped when I heard someone speak. “Anything exciting happening here?” Ayrie casually came out onto the balcony. His retina was coded to open my door, and he had come into my room without making a sound.
“Have you ever heard of knocking?” I glowered at him. “Even though we’re on another planet, they still have privacy here.”
“You’re not planning to use your wings again, are you?”
“I’m taking Jayne somewhere tonight.” I quickly moved the box behind my back, but I wasn’t fast enough. His eyes darted down and then widened suspiciously.
“That doesn’t mean you have to fly there. Are you going to ask Jayne to be your bond mate?”
I stared out at the city, irritated by the interrogation. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Ayrie had always known me better than anyone else and possessed an unusual ability to know what I was thinking.
“Do you have a problem with that?” I felt defensive. He had no right to meddle in my affairs.
“She has until tomorrow, you know. She doesn’t have to make a decision tonight about moving on with you.”
“I know, but I want to ask her. We don’t have to be cogs in a machine built to save our planet. It’s my life. No one else should dictate its destiny.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You have it bad for her, don’t you?”
I stared moodily out at the cityscape. Ayrie was right. I couldn’t sleep, focus, or think about anything except for Jayne. I longed for her when she wasn’t by my side.
I loved her. My heart beat rapidly at the admission.
“Well, lucky you.” Ayrie seemed oblivious to my internal emotional turbulence. “Do you know something? I found a girl myself. She’s hot and sassy. We fight a lot. I think we’re going to round three, but not because we’re in love.”
He was dragging my attention away from thoughts of Jayne and the proposal. “You’re not seriously thinking about bonding with someone you don’t love, are you? You know that’s not a good idea.”
“There were plenty of loveless marriages before our women passed away.” I could tell he was a little worried by the way he was speaking. “People still bonded and had children.”
“And then they died. Did you forget about Bond Rejection Syndrome? I didn’t think you could be this reckless. You know what happened to Walter and Fallah.”
“Just because it happened to them doesn’t mean it will happen to us. I’m trying to save our world. Get off my case, okay?”
I studied him. I knew every detail of his face. He had a chiseled jaw similar to mine, but he wasn’t as good-looking as me, of course. I still remembered when he was seven and didn’t have any front teeth for a year because they took so long to come in. I remembered all the bruises he got when he was learning to fly. It was the only physical skill we shared that he hadn’t been good at immediately.
“Maybe you like her more than you think.”
“I doubt it.” His face looked impassive. Suddenly he was the one staring at the city.
“What’s this human’s name?”
“Elle.”
Maybe he didn’t care about her. That was certainly possible. He hadn’t liked any women he had fooled around with before. But there was something about the way he said her name that made me wonder about his true feelings.
“Aren’t you supposed to be going somewhere?” He gestured vaguely at the balcony. “Good luck with Jayne. I’m glad you care about your future bond mate. Your lady awaits. Give her a kiss for me.”
I shook my head and smiled, jumping into the air and pumping my wings to lift me. I looked down and nodded my head. Ayrie waved back. As his body grew smaller on the ground, I remembered the sad little boy he had been after our mother died. No matter how I tried, I hadn’t been able to comfort him.
Lifting my head and staring into the horizon, I looked for the long-term hotel where Jayne’s family was staying until they got a new house. I would have the rest of my life to worry about my brother. Tonight would be something to remember. I was going to make sure of it.
I landed lightly on Jayne’s balcony. Her parents were going out tonight, which gave us complete privacy.
My heart stopped when I saw her. She wore forest green pants that looked almost like a skirt because they were loose and flowing, hiding her curvy hips. On her small feet, she wore flats that looked comfortable. My eyes moved up her body. Her white shirt was tight around her breasts. There was embroidery on the shirt in the same green color and the shirt hung long over the pants.
She had her head slightly tilted to the side when I finally got around to looking at her face. I realized it was rude to check her out like that. The look on her face suggested she liked it, giving me a feeling of power. Even so, I owed her an apology. My mother had instilled manners into her children.
“I’m sorry.” Her blonde hair was done up in a bouncing ponytail. Somehow she had managed to look fancy and still wear something practical for flying through the air. Jayne was my kind of woman.
“About what?” She had an amused glint in her eye.
“For appreciating your body.”
“What did you think about it?”
Well, that wasn’t what I had expected her to say. “To tell you the truth, I’m speechless.”
“In a good way or a bad way?” I got the feeling she was joking with me.
“It’s definitely good.” I moved toward her as her eyes strayed to my wings.
“I love the way they look.” She caressed one as I came close enough for her to reach me.
I winced at first, then froze.
“What’s the problem?” she asked quickly. “Should I avoid touching them?”
“Oh, no. Go ahead. Nothing’s the matter.”
Jayne frowned for a moment. “It’s hard to have strangers touch your wings, isn’t it?” She withdrew her hand.
“Yes, you’re right. It’s uncomfortable with people I don’t know.” It was only a half-truth. “That’s not the issue with you, though. I have a relationship with you. Having you touch me is more...”
“What?” She tilted her head to the side.
“Intimate, I suppose.”
“Oh.” The sassy expression disappeared from her face. We locked eyes until she spoke again. “I do like them,
though. A lot.” She reached out tentatively. When I didn’t stop her, she brushed her hands along the outer portion of my wings.
It felt incredible. If Jayne was making me this crazy by merely touching my wings, what would it be like when we fucked? I thought I might explode from the thought alone.
I needed to calm myself. Flying might help. “We should go.” I turned away from her and felt some of the desire leave my body. Great. All I needed to do was avoid looking at the sexy body next to me all night long. I was going to have an erection for the entire evening. I hoped it would be a pleasurable torture.
I crouched down, and she climbed onto my back. It felt familiar, because she had done it before, but something about it was new at the same time.
My heart skipped a beat as I took off and flew above the light barrier where no one could see us. Big things were going to happen tonight. I couldn’t wait to get started.
JAYNE
I clasped Arnon tightly as we flew past the light barrier, revealing the darkness of the natural night sky. I gazed up at the stars and marveled that someone had come lightyears to find me. It seemed unbelievable that his entire life and all his searching had ended up with him here on Earth. It didn’t feel logical.
Of course, he had said that logic had nothing to do with anything, and he was right. This evening would help us figure out if we wanted to advance to round three. All I could remember about round three was that we were allowed to experiment and see if we were sexually compatible.
My skin heated at the thought.
We weren’t supposed to fuck each other, but we could fool around. Round three only lasted for twenty-four hours. In the end, we would decide if we wanted to be bond mates. The Auxem representatives didn’t want to give couples longer than that.
Arnon had mentioned something about the risks inherent in unmarried bond mates. I wasn’t sure if he was speaking about a cultural taboo or if there was something dangerous behind their requests. Either way, our time together was going to be limited.