by Astrid Cielo
Serenity nodded. She knew her friend was right. She did feel things for Eon, and it was obvious Anna felt the same way about Kylan. He made her stomach swim. She hadn’t felt this way before either. Her insecurities just melted away when she was around him. She didn’t feel fat or unbeautiful. She felt whole. That thought staggered her. What could this possible mean? She whispered, “I’m scared, Anna. I’ve never felt like this, and logically I know, it’s too soon. I don’t know him. I just found out we weren’t alone in the universe, although I highly doubted that, and now I’m so confused.”
Anna leaned over and enveloped her into a hug, and said “I know. If it makes you feel any better, I’m scared too.”
“It kinda doesn’t. You know, it never really does if you have to say ‘if it makes you feel any better’”
Anna chuckled and said, “True. But habits die hard.”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Eon watched as Serenity and Anna walked through the door, his thoughts on the wonderful sway of her bountiful hips and buttocks. He groaned out loud as the door slid shut. Kylan walked behind him and slapped him on the shoulder. “Trouble with your mate?” he asked.
Eon shook his head, “No, not really. I just want her, but she seems to be reluctant. I’m not really sure how to proceed. I didn’t have female relatives.” Eon grimaced at the shadow of pain that flashed in Kylan’s eyes, remembering how Kylan had lost his mother and sister to the Blue Death.
Kylan nodded. “Well, Anna seems to be just as reluctant. I still haven’t told her why we came here. I’m not ashamed to say that I am scared of her reaction. Why do we have to give them a choice? I mean, if we take them, eventually they will have to get used to the idea and we won’t have to give them up.”
“Kylan, when we walked in here, it seemed as if you and Anna were getting along just fine and we can’t take their choices away. When I told Serenity about our plans and the virus, she became angry. When I explained that no other male would touch her, she became less angry. Kylan, when I told her she had a choice she thanked me and held me. I can’t take that choice away it may be the only thing that wins them.”
Kylan just nodded, but he didn’t look very happy about it. He turned and walked to his monitor before replying, “Whatever the plan, we need to do a full health scan on Anna and Serenity. We then need to take as much time to get to know them as possible so that they can make their decision. I just hope she chooses to stay with me.”
Eon nodded and walked toward the door, he looked back and said over his shoulder, “Let’s go get them. I believe they have had enough time to talk, and we need to feed our mates.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Eon’s gut tightened at the sleeping form of his mate on his bed. She had pulled her hair from its band, her feet free of the confines of her tennis shoes. Her hand was tucked under her chin, her lashes lying softly against her freckled cheeks. Kylan was equally absorbed in Anna who lay beside Serenity holding her hand in sleep. They looked so peaceful.
Eon looked at Kylan, and then walked over to his bed. He whispered to Kylan, “What better time to do a health scan then when they are asleep. Grab Anna.”
Eon lifted Serenity into his arms, she moaned, but settled against his chest. His heart rate picked up with her scent teasing his nostrils. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. She smiled and sighed in her sleep, her arms reaching to encircle his neck her lips pressing harder into his. She nipped at his bottom lip, her tongue lathing the small sting. He growled low in his throat, taking her lips fervidly, sinking his tongue into her warm recesses, her taste bursting on his palate. He felt her stir and awaken, the slight surprise flashing in her eyes, only to burn bright with passion, her mouth matching his every thrust. A whimper broke the silence, as he eased away from her lips, then gently kissing her closed eyelids.
Serenity was dreaming. She remembered this dream from when she was a younger girl. She would play in the field of her dream world with a boy who had reddish toned skin. They didn’t understand each other, but that didn’t matter to Serenity. They would play hide-and-seek for hours. The boy always brought her a small gift. She loved that boy, although they couldn’t speak with each other, it was like they knew each other. She hadn’t dreamed of him since she was 10, but this new dream she realized she knew the boy in her dreams. She felt the small kiss lay on her lips, as her dream changed, the boy becoming Eon as he was now. She smiled and sighed clinging to the person she knew, yet hadn’t seen in years. Her arms encircled his neck. When he deepened the kiss, her eyes flew open, her mind finally realizing this was no dream and Eon was real. Her heart raced with his passionate response, his taste causing her to feel warmth in her belly and slow throb at the apex of her thighs.
All too soon he left her lips, his gentle kisses pressing to her eyelids. A single tear slid down her cheek. She opened her eyes and he sadly wiped her tear from her cheek. His voice barely a whisper as he said, “I never meant to make you cry. I’ll take you back I will not have you unhappy.”
Serenity laughed and wrapped her arms closer around him, “Eon, I know you. I don’t think you remember me I was a little girl then. Don’t you remember? You can’t take me back, I belong to you and you belong to me.” She reached in her shirt and withdrew a necklace with a small, smooth pendant. Eon knew that pendant. He used to dream of a little girl with porcelain skin in a beautiful field of flowers they would play for hours. He used to give her things, he remembered giving her the pendant on his 12 year, and she had grown up too. He remembered being saddened by this meeting, somehow knowing he wouldn’t dream of her anymore. He had found the small stone in the river by his town, spent a few days inscribing it with words he knew she wouldn’t understand. To him they meant forever, ‘mate of my soul.’ He remembered her smile when she received it. He had always assumed they were dreams, he felt silly for taking small tokens to bed with him, but when he woke from this dream, he couldn’t find the pendant. He never dreamed of her again.
Now looking at the pendant, he realized, he had found his soul mate, the one that he had dreamed of as a child but had realized he would never find. He looked into her eyes and smiled. “I remember you, little one. It has been so long.”
She smiled back, and then said, “Why did you leave me?”
“Oh, little one, I never left you, we grew up. Our dreams change when we grow up. But, little one, I found you, in a galaxy far away.”
Serenity laughed, “Far, far away!” She laughed so hard she couldn’t catch her breath while Eon looked at her puzzled. She looked up and wiped the tears and said, “It’s from a movie. Oh, you looked so serious while saying it, I’m sorry Eon.”
He chuckled then kissed her quickly on the lips before lowering her slowly down his length, her sharp intake of breath more than noticeable. “You grew up beautifully, Serenity. I can’t believe I found my soul mate. It almost never happens.”
“Thanks, um, you grew up pretty well yourself.” Serenity said, her face flaming with embarrassment. Then she tilted her head to the side, “What exactly is a soul mate? I mean, to you. I have my idea, but I don’t know if they are the same.”
“According to the stories handed down from our ancestors, each person has one other to complete them and the bond is instant. Our people assumed that since our original ancestors spread throughout the galaxy, this is the reason we don’t find our soul mates as easily as our ancestors seemed to have. My father and my mother weren’t soul mates, they both knew it, but he loved her and she him. Most of the people who are united aren’t soul mates. But we are. You are my other half. That explains why you didn’t go hysterical when you woke up in a strange place. Deep down, your soul and mine recognized each other. It also explains why Anna acted so hysterically before Kylan appeared. I wonder if they are soul mates.”
Serenity nodded, and then looking back at the bed she said “Speaking of Anna, where is she?”
“Well, Kylan took her. We decided that while you were asleep we wou
ld do a full medical scan so you wouldn’t be so frightened, but I just couldn’t resist the temptation that you are.”
She smiled seductively at him before continuing, “What would be scary about a medical exam, I mean we’re nurses. Been there, done that.”
“Well, our medical scans are done by a machine. I’m not exactly certain of how it works, but it detects changes in the body that are indicative of illness or injury.”
“Oh, well, can we go see? I kinda wanna see it and if Anna wakes up, and you think we would be frightened, then maybe we should be there.” She said.
He nodded his assent and took her hand, leading her to Medical.
Chapter 7
Serenity heard Anna’s scream just before Eon’s hand hit the control panel. As soon as the door slid open, she ran towards her friend who was now being consoled by Kylan. “Anna, what’s wrong?” she asked out of breath. She could see the tears tracking down her cheek, Kylan’s gaze locked onto her friend, his entire demeanor tense as he looked up into Serenity’s eyes. She gave him a small smile as she placed her hand on Anna’s shoulder.
Anna looked over at her and giggled through her tears. “I’m okay. I just got frightened when I woke up in that thing,” she said as she pointed to a thing in the corner.
Serenity’s eyes widened, then she looked at Eon as she pointed at the contraption, “Eon, tell me that isn’t the medical scanner.” She started though she already knew. The craziness of the situation caused her to laugh, clutching her stomach as she bent to catch her breath. Eon and Kylan looked at her with puzzling looks. She knew it looked like she had finally snapped. The picture in her mind of wearing a strait jacket only made her laugh that much harder. She felt his hand on her shoulder, and turned to him wiping the tears from her eyes. She turned to Anna and said, “Sorry, I know it wasn’t funny to wake up in that,” she said before turning to Eon. “Eon, how much research did you two do on our culture? I mean, maybe you should have rethought the whole putting us in a box that looks just like a coffin while we were asleep. While I would have been uncomfortable awakening in such a state, Anna has a phobia about being buried alive. You just scared the crap out her.”
“You bury the dead in a medical scanner?” Eon stated.
“No, we don’t. We don’t have medical scanners like those and we bury our dead in coffins. They look just like that, well, minus the power supply. Sometimes others prefer to be cremated. What do you do with your dead?”
“Well, when people die on our planet we give them back to the planet by burying them in the soil. There flesh becomes one with the planet.” Eon stated.
“Well, we sort of do the same thing, but we place them in a coffin, and sometimes we place the coffin in a vault or in the ground. That way we have a place to go and see our family after their death.” She told him.
“That isn’t logical. Your family isn’t there anymore. Upon death you soul isn’t there, the body is merely a shell. Why protect what was a weak reminder of their existence?” Kylan asked.
Anna smiled up at him, placing her hand on his cheek. He looked down at her as she began to speak, “Sometimes, there isn’t room for the logical in love. We love them and even though we know that their shell isn’t them, it doesn’t mean we want to lose all of what they once were, at least not all at once. Even those who decide to have their loved ones cremated sometimes keep their ashes in the living room on a mantle. Don’t you still have family that has passed you still talk to?”
Kylan nodded solemnly. Serenity had seen the hurt pass on his features and turned to see Eon look at his friend with compassion before turning to her and clasping her hand to lead her to the medical scanner. “Will you be able to do this?” he asked looking into her eyes.
She nodded as she climbed into the interior. She mused that it even had a cushioned interior, but her gut clenched in slight fear when Eon closed the lid. What could have only been a couple minutes, seemed an eternity as she lay there hoping the top would open. When it slid open and Eon reached in to help her out, she flew into his arms, a sigh passing through her lips. He rubbed her back in small, soothing circles as she clung to him. “Are you okay, little one?”
“Yeah, I just got a little scared. Sorry.”
“There is no need to apologize, little one.” He said as he sat her down on a seat beside Anna, who just patted her hand.
“Well, what’s the verdict? Are we healthy?” Serenity asked.
Kylan smiled at them both and nodded before saying, “With the exception of Serenity’s less than perfect vision you two are in good health.”
“That’s a relief.” Anna said.
Serenity’s tummy decided to growl. She placed her hand on her stomach and turned crimson. She looked up at Eon, who looked over at Kylan to say, “We need to feed our mates, come on.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
Serenity was sure she was going to vomit. She was sure she couldn’t eat whatever the hell Eon had just sat in front of her. A glance at Anna and she knew it wasn’t just her. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she was sure it wasn’t going into her mouth. Anna ever the diplomat used her eating utensil to shift it around in the plate before pleasantly asking, “What exactly is this called?”
Kylan replied with a name she couldn’t fathom ever repeating, so she just went with what it sounded like, “Blognetak?” she attempted to repeat. Eon just repeated it, way better than she had and nodded. “So that makes it a meat, plant, or something else?” she questioned as she picked up her fork to poke at what was on her plate.
“Well, this is a plant from our planet,” he said pointing to the pile of unappetizing red wormy looking things that she could have sworn would have been bugs, “And this is from a small creature called the Baukentor, it was similar to the little rodents we became familiar with in the forests of your planet.” She looked up at him after he had pointed to the greenish strips she was sure was plant.
“God, I hope you’re talking about squirrels and not rats.” She said as she watched Anna experimentally sniff a piece of the plant. When Anna shrugged and placed it in her mouth, she thought for sure that Kylan was going to wear this meal as he looked at her intently. Anna chewed for a few seconds, her face blank before nodding. Looking into Serenity’s eyes she swallowed her bite, then said, “Serenity, taste it. I think you may like it.”
Anna had a look that Serenity didn’t altogether trust, but she really had to eat something. If she were going to go to his home planet, she was going to have to eat something. Sniffing of the small bit on her own fork she couldn’t determine a scent. Tensing her stomach for the assault on her taste buds she placed it slowly into her mouth. As she chewed, preparing herself for complete and utter disgust she couldn’t hide her amusement. The taste was spectacular. It was succulent and sweet at the same time. Her taste buds applauded the taste unlike any she could remember tasting. “Holy crap!” she exclaimed as Anna began laughing. She was even surprised to find that the bits of green meat tasted like chicken, for which she was ever grateful, that if everything had to taste like something she was glad it was chicken. She finished everything Eon had placed in front of her. She felt much better after eating, looking up she smiled at Eon, “It was very good, Thanks.”
Chapter 8
Serenity was astonished at the layout of the ship and although small it had everything one could possibly need for an extended trip. There were two bedrooms. They both looked the same, very small and utilitarian. The bathrooms were small also, but functioned in much the same way that hers did at home. The room she woke up in, she later learned was called the decontamination room and was used to sterilize all materials brought aboard the ship. On the other wall from the entrance to the ship was the exit to the ship. The kitchen and galley were together with a small table that was meant for two, but they all sat together. They cooked food in a similar manner as if on earth. She was pretty impressed that they didn’t have cardboard meal packs for space travel. When Eon showed her the small green house ar
ea she realized, they grew their own food which also helped to oxygenate the ship. The meat was preserved and when water was added, it became less jerky like and more succulent. Kylan’s lab also housed medical, and was just slightly bigger than the bedrooms. Kylan had told her and Serenity that the ship was around the same size as the airplanes they had on earth.
The next two days went by in a blur. Eon showed her various functions of the ship and at every opportunity it seemed he would grab her to kiss her senseless. He never went beyond those kisses, to Serenity’s disappointment and relief. She still remembered climbing in the bed that first night she had changed into an old t-shirt and shorts that Eon had grabbed from her place before they had taken them. She had just relaxed into a light dozing when she felt his presence. She stiffened hoping he didn’t notice her reluctance. He just reached over and pulled her to him, his arm draped around her middle protectively. He gently kissed her cheek before whispering, “Sleep, little one.” She relaxed into his embrace and drifted into a sleep full of dreams, dreams of Eon and her in intimate embraces and twisted sheets.
Trying to forget those dreams proved difficult, her body igniting with each touch. Her skin felt too tight, clothes seemed to rub against her sensitive skin. Moisture would gather at just her thought of him. She was staring into the stars when Eon came up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulder’s before leaning down to speak in her ear, “Come with me, little one, we have much to talk about.” She turned into his embrace, and stared into his eyes. His beautiful golden eyes sending shocks of awareness to her core, as she lifted her hand to the back of his neck to tug him to her she placed a gentle kiss on his lips. His worry was plain to see when she opened her eyes to gaze at him. He had sadness in his eyes. She couldn’t understand why he would be so sad.