Page 94 of Aria's Desire

“Show off,” Aria grinned.

Skaa smirked and pulled her into a tight hug. “I have missed you, my friend.” She pulled back sharply, eyes wide, then dove for Aria’s neck, sniffing her.

“What the hell? Stop, that tickles!”

“You have Chosen them! Oh, my friend, I am so happy for you.”

Ugh, there was that lump in her throat again. Clasping Skaa’s arms, Aria gave her a wide smile and tipped her head toward the treehouse. “I’m happy for you, too.”

Skaa’s eyes sparkled even as she made an expression of disapproval. “He was relentless. Unnatural for a male to be so forward.”

Sauran chuckled from inside the treehouse and murmured something too low for her to hear, but whatever it was made Skaa’s tail lash and her eyes go wide.

“Silence!”

Aria didn’t need to make out what he said that time to hear the wicked tone in his voice. Skaa hissed, but there was a decidedly warm look on her face that ruined the effect.

Shaking her head, Aria led her a short distance away and gestured for her to sit before taking a seat beside her.

“What is it? Your expression is no longer joyful.”

“We need to talk, Skaa.” Not quite sure how to say what she needed to say, Aria hesitated, but eventually decided to be direct. She and Skaa had always spoken plainly to one another. Gentling her voice, she reached for her friend's hand, holding it tightly between both of hers. “It’s time to go home. You don’t need to stay here any longer.”

A flicker of fear passed through the usually fearless woman's eyes. She shook her head, arguing, “I haveirranu. Responsibility. Burden to you. I would never—”

Aria cut her off. “Your responsibility to me is fulfilled, Skaa. It’s time for you and Sauran to go home.”

There was that flicker of fear again, more pronounced that time. Heart hurting for her friend, Aria pulled the larger woman down so they were almost nose to nose. “I know you're scared. I understand your mates will have pined to death without you, and I’m so, so sorry. But your children will have been taken in by the other females in your tribe, yes?”

“Yes,” she rasped.

“Then go to them. Your people need to know you live. Your children need their mother. And you need to protect your world from any other slavers trying to take your people.” Releasing her, Aria sat back. “I’ve already arranged for the transport ship to be equipped with everything you and your people might need. Lexi is piloting the next transport. It leaves in a week. You and Sauran are going to be on it.” Gritting her teeth to hide the heartache she felt at the idea of losing her friend, Aria kept going. “She’s going to tow a ship behind it, just in case. I’ve already asked her to program it, so all you’ll have to do is turn on autopilot, and it’ll bring you back. She’ll show you and Sauran both how to operate it.”

Relief slowly bled through the fear in Skaa’s eyes, telling Aria she’d made the right choice in doing this.

Skaa slowly nodded. “I will miss you, my tiny, hairless tribemate.”

Aria gave a watery chuckle, her eyes blurring. “I’ll miss you, too. It’s been an absolute honor to know you, Skaa ofShakti.”

* * *

Days passed.They were still needed at the complex, still had jobs to do and people to help, but there was time, time to go on dates, time to laugh and talk and just be together.

Sin and Rellik moved in with them that first night. When she walked in and found the four of them waiting for her, seated around a table laden with food they’d worked together to prepare, the quiet fear that she’d lose what they’d built together at Aehri finally dissipated.

Her relationships with them had felt ephemeral at that fantastical castle, surrounded by people who looked like they belonged in a storybook, like a dream, something that was too good to be true.

Now that they were home, it suddenly felt beautifully, breathtakingly real.

There was no discord between them, no growing pains that their family had two new members. There was comfort, familiarity, and friendship between her men. They joked, argued, and helped each other as though they’d always been a unit. Hell, Rellik and Sin didn’t actually feel like new members at all.

Because they weren’t, not really. She knew that, now.

They’d always been hers, just as she’d always been theirs. She’d only needed to open her eyes and let herself see it.

* * *

Aria closed her eyes,enjoying the steady stroke of Kix’s fingers in her hair and Rellik and Tirox’s gentle massage of her feet and legs as she blindly smoothed her palms over Sin’s head, where he was resting on her stomach.

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