Page 34 of Alien Triton's Prize

“Okay with it? That’s ideal!” I pulled her in and kissed her.

“I’ll get that drafted up right now,” said our lawyer, reminding us that we were not alone.

“I’m so happy my grandson has found a true love match. A real mating! Imagine that!” Cetion exclaimed after our lawyer left. “Come on, Lago. Let’s give them some time to themselves.”

The healer picked up the ripped set of Sweetheart Gills from the table. “I just need these so I can send them to the lab with Cetia’s cells for repair.” He turned to me. “I heard you two are leaving for the islands in a few days. Don’t forget you will need to be monitored after your run-in with the poison.”

“I’ll figure something out,” I said.

Finally, Vera and I were alone.

“Did he just say Cetia’s cells?” she asked.

“Yes, she offered to donate some of hers since that would have the highest chance of success.”

“I’ll need to thank her.”

“When we get the gills back, I think you should keep them on. Once they fuse with you, your body will be able to heal them like it would any other part of your body.” I didn’t give her a chance to protest. “I know that’s my only pair, but I want you to have them. There truly isn’t anyone else I’d want to give them to. And it would make Cetia happy.”

I wasn’t above using the friendship between them to my benefit. I relaxed when she finally nodded.

“And I should let you know, I’m planning on publicly announcing Cetia as co-owner and Iravan as second-in-command on Ebb Tide Trading tomorrow. Cetia finished her schooling earlier this year, and she is better equipped to run the operations here. I have decided that I can serve Ebb Tide best not in the office but out in the world, looking for more acquisitions. With you.”

She blinked up at me as the full meaning hit her. “Wait…we’re going traveling? I mean, after the honeymoon?”

I knew from her excitement that I’d made the right decision.

“Yes, little love. I want to show you all the places I’ve been, and we’ll find even more to explore. I looked into logistics after talking to my grandsire. There are many options to make travel safer, easier, and more comfortable for you. We will only have to wait until the gills fuse first. What do you say?”

“Yes! Yes! A million times, yes!” she squealed before plastering little kisses all over my face.

I captured her lips and kissed her until we were both breathless, a strange sensation I’d never felt before. I’d found my true mate, not just from beyond the sands, but from beyond the stars.

And she was all I’d ever need.

Epilogue

Vera

One year later…

I carefully sealed the tiny plant into its container before packing it into our carriage’s storage compartment. It would be safe in there until we got back to civilization and could send it home to the gardener.

I’d also collected lots of discarded shells for Cetia, who collected rare and pretty ones for her hair. Cetion was still around, and we sent back images and videos of our travels every chance we got. He always said getting them was the highlight of his day.

He was steadfastly holding on at least long enough that he could meet his great-grandspawn. I’d just found out I was pregnant right before starting this trip and we’d announced that this would be our last foray out to the great unknown without a healer tagging along.

Cetius had reassured me that just because we were starting a family, it didn’t mean our exploring days were over. He figured that we could still make short trips out to destinations nearCoral’s Deep and explore the many towns and cities around Aquaria. There were plenty of places to go and things to see and do closer to home until we were able to travel the wilderness again.

I was nervous to be a mother, but also excited for whatever the currents might bring.

Spotting Cetius slicing through the waves toward me, I hauled my scooter into the trunk. It was a nifty device that I used to move quickly through the water and keep up with Cetius when we weren’t traveling inside the carriage. I loved zooming around the coral reefs with it, but we mostly traveled inside by carriage for the longer trips in between islands.

The carriage was armored to protect us against any large predators we might encounter, but we hadn’t had a chance to test the armor yet because the carriage was fast, too; the last few times we’d gotten into a tight spot, Cetius had simply gunned it and sped us out of danger.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the curious little fish with the orange heart-shaped spots that had been following us around for the past two days while Cetius and I explored the shallows around this island.

“Goodbye, little one. We’re off to the next island.”

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