by Octavia Kore
Inoxia
Our temporary tree home in the village is filled to the brim. I haven’t had the heart to separate Kareen from Yasi yet, but there isn’t any rush at the moment. It’s nice to see the two of them having fun, getting to be normal children after everything they have been through. Ettrian and Aquilian have mentioned bringing us to their tree on the outskirts of the village, but I’m not ready to leave our new friends and the hybrid babies behind. Each one of the infants have been taken in by Dauur females who have offered to wet nurse them along with their own children. All of them are so different and unique, beautiful in their own way. Besides Ayku’s son and the Venium infant, I’m completely unfamiliar with the aliens who fathered the little ones. One of them has gorgeous blue fuzz covering his whole body and a tiny tail that whips back and forth when he is upset. Another little girl sports patches of iridescent scales along her shoulders, arms, and legs. She is one of the quietest babies I’ve ever met.
Aquilian’s fingers stroke through my hair, untangling the long curling strands as I sit curled up in his lap, watching Ettrian as he dances around the kitchen with Kareen in his arms to a tune he has learned from her. Bunnyfly looks on tiredly from her bed in the corner. Last night the poor little thing shocked us all and gave birth to her own tiny litter of fluffy babies. Kareen and Yasi fawned over them all morning, begging to keep all three and giving them names. Doxal and Yssig got so tired of listening to the chatter that they took their sister outside to distract her.
They might act big and tough, but those two would give their sister all the stars in the sky if she asked. By the time Bunnyfly’s babies are old enough to be on their own, I’m sure all three of them will have found a home with the little dark female. She has them wrapped around her finger and I can’t wait for Mina to wake up and finally meet her. I’m so thankful my best friend is still here, but it makes me anxious that she still hasn’t come out of the pod. One day at a time, I remind myself.
The front of the tree slowly opens and a gentle breeze flows in, drifting over my skin. I turn, expecting to see Yasi bound inside from her little diversion, but instead Safia stops in the doorway. Aquilian stands, pulling me up with him as the female steps inside, waving at Kareen who shouts a greeting along the bond.
“Xia. Aquilian.” She greets us. I can’t rattle the way my guys do so I just nod my head to acknowledge her. “Did you bring me the bloom?”
Under the hand I have on his arm I feel him tense and he shuffles his feet against the floor of the tree. “Well, no, but-”
“No? Well,” She flips her hands as if she is clearing something from in front of her face, “No bloom, no mating. Our agreement was obviously off anyway.”
Their agreement? Had there been some sort of plan between the three of them to mate that I ruined when I was dropped into the dome? I know I belong with them, more than I’ve ever known anything to be true before, but all of those old doubts and insecurities bombard me. They begin to break down the fragile wall of self-esteem I’d been carefully creating the last few days. Ask them, my mind urges, don’t assume and risk everything. While I know I should do just that, have them explain what happened between them and Safia before I ever even knew them, I can’t bring myself to do it right now. I need space, I need to breathe and clear my head. Jealousy is trying to rear its ugly head and I won’t have it.
“I’m gonna check on Mina real quick, excuse me.” Slipping quickly away, I get to the hall and run to the room where Mina is sleeping quietly. Sinking to my knees in front of the thing that once healed me and that currently fights to save my best friend. “Mina?” I whisper, leaning my forehead against the firm surface. My heart is pounding frantically and I’m doing my best not to burst into tears. “I wish you were awake to see the mess I’m making. What if I’m the other woman? What if I’ve become what I hate? All those times Trent brought those girls home…” A tear slips down my cheek as my breath shudders from between my lips. “What if that’s what’s happening now?”
I swear I can hear Mina’s firm, but compassionate voice inside my head. “Stop asking about what ifs, Xia! Life is about living! If you want an answer you have to ask the right question.”
“I seriously hate when you’re right.” I sigh dramatically. “Neither one of them have even tried to touch me since we got here. I know we’ve been busy with everything, but I just thought-”
A gentle hand comes down on my shoulder, making me jump.
“My apologies.” Safia crouches down next to me as she runs her hands over the seed pod in front of us.
“No worries.” Liar, my mind mumbles, You’re made almost entirely out of worries.
When I turn back to her I see she is watching me intently and I start to squirm. “Inoxia?”
“Yeah?”
I am caught completely off guard when Safia wraps her arms around me, gently pulling me into her body. “I was never going to mate your males. They were always meant to be with you, I saw this, but I needed to get you away, to speak with you alone. I am sorry for misleading you. ”
“You wanted to talk to me about something so you purposefully made me jealous?” This woman is something.
With a rattle of her quills she sits back and tilts her head. “Your mind made you jealous, not me.” I huff, but she cuts me off before I can respond. “The Sun Father has shown me something that concerns you; something that will be incredibly hard for you and your males to come to terms with. It is best to learn now, before the kit arrives.”
“What kit? Kareen?”
With an amused shake of her head, she lays her hand on my thigh. “Not Kareen. This kit has not been born yet.”
“Yet?” My eyes widen as my hand comes up, slapping over my mouth. “Oh gods, I can’t be pregnant though. I was only with Aquilian and Doxal said it had to be both of them. They aren’t even identical!”
“Calm, Inoxia. You are not with kit, but you will be soon and you will need to heed this warning. Easing into this will make it less difficult.”
This woman is talking in circles and I can feel my agitation begin to mount. “Ease into what?”
“I can only tell you what the Sun Father has told me. Your little one will be different in more ways than either of us can imagine. That is his message.”
Okay, so she’s a crazy psychic lady who spouts vague warnings about the future. Lovely. The way she looks at me makes me think that she can hear what I’m thinking and with these aliens, nothing is out of the realm of possibilities. The one thing I can take comfort in from her strange warning is that she never said there would be anything wrong with my baby. I can handle different.
“I will be present during your mating ceremony.”
Excuse me? “What mating ceremony?”
“Have those two not told you anything? A Dauur female, after confirming she has found her males, will go through a ritual trial before she can officially accept the mating bond. Completing the bond before this brings a great risk to the female.”
“What sort of risk?” Seems like Aquilian and Ettrian have left out a good bit of information.
“Angering the ancestors.”
I want to ask her if she is serious, but I can already see that this isn’t some fairy tale to her. Safia believes this wholeheartedly. “Okay, so what happens during this trial?”
“You will walk the same path the mate of the cursed twins took when she sought the approval of the Sun Father. At the end of the journey is a temple where our ancestors reside and where the sacred Oya blooms. If you drink of the bloom and the Sun Father does not bless the union, you will join him, but if you survive and make it back to your males, it is said to be the strongest mating bond of all. A fated mating.”
“Hold on, hard stop.” My hands come up and I shake my head quickly. “There is no fucking way that is happening. You’re asking me to risk literal death.” I’m not drinking the poison kool-aid, no matter how much I care about these guys.
“You will not die.”
Her
matter-of-fact tone makes me laugh out loud. “How do you know this? Did the Sun Father mention that when he told you about my baby?”
“No,” Her eyes light up a dull pink. “Your mates’ quills have already changed colors which means there is no risk. Fated mates are the only ones who participate in the trial.”
“So, if there is no risk anyway, why continue to drink from the bloom?”
“Tradition.” She says with a mischievous look in her eyes.
“Xia?” Ayku peaks his head around the corner cautiously before stepping inside the room. “I do not mean to interrupt, but I have promised my help and do not wish to bring Akai into the village center with me. Would you mind taking him for a little while?”
“You know I’d love to.” Ayku decided the night we spent here that he would honor his twin by naming their son after him and it makes me a little teary every time I think about it. I smile up at him and he flinches backward like all the Dauur do.
“I know you said this is an expression of happiness among your kind, but it is unnerving.” He steps close, squeezing between Safia and I to lay Akai in my arms. As he pulls away, his hand skims Safia’s arm and they both go completely still.
“You?” I can barely hear Safia’s whisper along the bond as we both watch Ayku’s quills flare with newfound color.
He stumbles backward, shaking his head as his eyes turn a deep, sad blue. “I cannot…” Is all he says before he rushes from the room.
“What in the world?” I ask aloud.
Akai squirms in my arms, his little body shifting closer to mine. Safia is watching him carefully, her eyes just as blue and sad as Ayku’s. “He is beautiful.”
“I have no idea what happened with Ayku, but he’s been through a lot. I don’t think he means to be like that.”
“I know. He requires time, but I will wait.” Her quills rattle softly as she runs a finger lightly over the infant's cheek. “I am a Darkborn Taenov. Death is something we are all too familiar with. These two… they are mine.”
“Do you want to hold him?”
Akai wraps one tiny hand around Safia’s finger as he stares up at her as if he knows who she is to him, but she pulls away with a soft rattle of her quills. “I will go find his papa.” She stops in the doorway, giving me her best smile, which is terrifying. “You, I will see at the mating ceremony.”
Chapter 26
Aquilian
Ettrian and I plan on doing something I had convinced myself would never happen for us. Today, we will bring Inoxia before our parents and present her as our mate. This is the first time they will meet the family my brother and I have created and I find that there is a small part of me that is terrified, even though the rest of me is thrilled. Our mama and papas have never been anything but loving and accepting. From the moment we were born we have been perfect to them, but what if asking them to accept an alien and her kit is too much?
Beside me, Inoxia slips her hand into mine, squeezing it until I turn to look down into her face. There is something in her eyes, a question? Along the bond we share I can feel a sense of vulnerability, uncertainty, fear that I do not love or want her. I wonder what has caused this. If she truly knew how much I wanted her, how many times I revisited the image of her coming apart in the sling the night I brought Ettrian home, how much I loved just being near her, she would never have doubts. The only thing that keeps me from sending my emotions along the bond is the fact that we have not had our ceremony, but soon she will know.
The fact that I mated with her before the ceremony is enough to get me exiled if the elders were to find out. Although the union has been blessed by the Sun Father, we must still participate in the ceremony, although we are not following every part of the tradition. The time before the ceremony occurs is normally spent away from one another, but we have decided to forgo this part since we were already forced to spend so many days apart.
We walk through the center of the main village where tribe members gather to socialize and trade their goods. Many have lengths of silk and other fabrics used for blankets and skirts, while others have brought things like baskets. I recognize the smell of sweet treats and roasted meat being handed out and draw in a deep breath, savoring the moment. Lief once told us that on his planet they must pay for goods with ‘credits’ instead of trading or merely being given the things they need. If a Dauur is in need, they will be helped. My people may have many flaws, but they have never let anyone go without, no matter their status.
Up ahead of us, Yasi and Kareen hold hands as they run from one trader to another. Their happiness is contagious and they leave each group in better spirits than before. Bringing our family here was something we wrestled with, but they have been holed up for long enough.
“She is happy.” Doxal comments as he watches his sister play.
“There have been fewer night terrors since she has started sharing a room with Kareen.” Says Yssig with a nod.
There is a small commotion going through the center and for once it is not about me being here. “Aunt Vayzie?”
Doxal and Yssig stumble to a stop when they see what, or rather who, has caught their sister’s attention.
An older Dauur couple are standing near one of the huts that have been set up at the back of a trader’s booth, their eyes swirling white in shock as they stare at the little female. In their arms rest two small, Darkborn kits. “It is not possible… they were killed.” Mumbles Doxal as he rushes forward, Yssig right behind him. We watch for a moment as they pull the older couple into their arms and fuss over the kits. This must be their family. I can feel the bond they share from across the center and gesture for Kareen to follow so that they may have privacy.
Just on the outskirts of the main center sits the familial tree Ettrian and I grew up in. The sight of it still sends a warmth through me and we find our Lightborn parents sitting outside on the ground near the large opening. Our mama is stringing together beautifully colored glass beads, completing one of the necklaces that is traditionally worn during ceremonies, while both of our papas are busy weaving together a pair of shoes that will accompany the jewelry.
Even from so far away our mama senses when we come into view, her head shoots up and joy fills her eyes as she sets aside her beading and stands. It has been so long since I have seen her that I stop and just take her in.
“Well, are you two going to introduce your mama or should we just stand here and admire one another a little longer?” Curiosity sneaks along the bond, but she looks at Xia and Kareen the same way she has always looked at her sons. There is no judgment, no disgust, only love and patience. Acceptance.
“I’m Kareen!” The kit wastes absolutely no time, pulling out of Ettrian’s grip before she races up the little hill and barrels into my mama’s legs. “Hi! You’re my grandma. What are you making?” A second later she is cross-legged on the ground, lifting the necklace up like she is assessing mama’s skill. “Can I help you with this? I’m really good at arts and crafts.”
“Kareen, you know you shouldn’t just-” Xia starts, stepping forward like she means to remove the kit, but Mama is already smitten.
“Of course you can help me! Making something is more fun when you do it with others, yes?”
From the look on Kareen’s face, my mama has just cemented a place in her heart for the rest of her life. She nods furiously, her face swinging toward Xia. “Mama! Come on!”
“I’m coming, I’m coming.” She mumbles before sticking her hand out awkwardly. “I’m Inoxia, but Xia is fine. It’s really nice to meet you.”
With a gentle rattle, my mama reaches forward, wrapping our mate in her arms. “I am Azila, but mama is fine.” With a tilt of her head, our mama waves us over. “My little kits. Where have they gone?”
“We have not been little for a long time, Mama.” Ettrian laughs, his quills vibrating as she reaches out to pull him into her arms.
“Definitely not little.” I am positive Xia doesn’t mean to say this along the bond, but s
he has not quite figured out how to shield her thoughts properly yet.
The joke is not lost on Mama, who rattles humorously and pulls me into a hug. “Look at these.” She calls to our papas as she strokes our quills. “What gorgeous colors!” There is a tiny stinging sensation as she plucks a quill from my head and by the way my twin is rubbing his head, I’m sure she got him too.
“Mama!” We both protest, but she has already spun away.
Papa Eldav and Papa Ekaz introduce themselves and Kareen screeches in excitement. “I have two grandpas? This is the best day ever!”
“Yasi told me that you and Papa Quilian and Papa Ettrian are gonna be mated, but I don’t really know what that means.” Kareen is chatting happily as she strings beads on her very own necklace next to her grandmama, her little legs crossed, and her brows furrowed as she concentrates on getting the thin thread through the bead.
“Well, a mating is sort of like getting married.” Xia explains.
“Oh, I’d like that! Then you can have babies and I can watch them because I’ll be an awesome big sister.”
“I love kits. I hope they have many.” Mama responds with a little rattle as she nudges the kit's shoulder. “This is for your mama’s ceremony.”
“Have you ever been to a mating ceremony?” Xia asks hesitantly.
“My mates and I are not fated so we have never participated. You have worries?” Mama asks and Xia shrugs her shoulders.
She has never mentioned any, but perhaps this was what caused her to be upset early in the village. “What is worrying you?” When she does not answer right away, I look to Ettrian, feeling the concern rolling off of him. “Excuse us for a moment?” A startled vibration rolls off of her tongue as I lift her into my arms and make my way toward a favorite spot of mine from when I was a young kit. There is a small stream a little ways behind the tree with a large smooth rock I used to lay out on when I was feeling upset. Maybe it will soothe her the same way it did me.