Page 59 of I Married Amreth

“Always, my Ciara. Always,” Amreth said in a solemn tone.

I smiled and lifted my face to receive his kiss. Yes, this was my soulmate.

Chapter 14

Amreth

Over the following three days, my mate and I settled in a comfortable routine. I loved accompanying her in what I started labeling as our field trips. I assisted in every way possible, although I wished I could do more. Her intelligence, skills, and work ethic never ceased to amaze me. I wouldn’t pretend to understand half of the things she was doing, but I was glad to be able to accelerate the process by capturing the animals she needed to test, collecting some of the samples required, and just flying her around wherever she wished.

Above all, I just loved being with her.

I was falling hard for my woman. It was silly how my mind would constantly look for ways to make her smile. Strangely enough, I had this irrational urge to annoy her from time to time. Not so much that she would actually become angry at me, but just enough for her to get that look in her eyes that screamed she wanted to kick my butt. Something about it was sexy as fuck.

Today, we wrapped up our final tests in the region and prepared for our return to Bryst. Ciara did one last roundchecking up on the patients of the village before we said our goodbyes to Vala.

“Thank you for everything you have done for my tribe,” Vala said, her voice deep with gratitude. “I especially want to thank you for what you did for Muti’s family. I doubt he ever would have recovered from the loss of his mate. He has loved her since childhood. We had all made our peace with the fact that she would die.”

A powerful emotion fleeted over my woman’s face as she smiled at the village leader. Pride swelled within me as I gazed upon Ciara.

“She’s still fighting and isn’t completely out of the woods yet,” Ciara warned gently. “But things are looking good now. Although I won’t make any promises, so long as the healers continue administering the treatments, I have high hopes that she and the others will make it through.”

“Have no fear, Ciara. Your instructions will be dutifully followed. Until you came, we had nothing but darkness on the horizon. Now, the sun rises again. It is with sadness that we see you leave. Just know that you will always have a home with the tribe of Jaln,” Vala said.

My mate blinked multiple times to stem the tears pricking her eyes.

“Thank you,” she replied with a slightly shaky voice. “But you are not so easily rid of me just yet. We will return to check up on the patients and see how everyone else is faring within a week. In the meantime, do not hesitate to radio call us if anything seems off. Nothing is too insignificant. We cannot take any risks.”

“You have my word. Safe journey, Sister.”

That last word wrecked my mate. To my shock, both females exchanged a hug. After they released each other, Vala also bade me a warm farewell, but an undeniable bond had formed between her and my Ciara. The village as a whole chanted for usas we climbed back inside the shuttle. I had never experienced something like that before.

“Now I see what you mean by wanting to make a difference in people’s lives,” I said softly while piloting the shuttle back to Bryst.

She smiled, her face still displaying the strong emotions this sendoff stirred within her.

“They’re not always this expressive,” she replied with a wistful look. “Some form of clapping, cheering, or offering gifts are somewhat common depending on the situation. Chanting is a lot rarer. Then again, my role rarely lasts until the illness is a thing of the past. Normally, I only stick around long enough to find the cure or treatment. Then I will move on to a different mission, and field nurses or general physicians will stay behind to see the treatment through. So they often are the ones to get celebrated.”

I frowned. “That seems a little unfair.”

She snorted and shook her head. “Finding the cure is only the tip of the iceberg. Those handling the following days, weeks, and months treating the patients have the hardest work. It isn’t easy witnessing so much suffering while trying to give both the sick people and their loved ones hope and the strength to keep fighting. It is heartbreaking every time you have to pull the plug on those who didn’t make it. And you keep asking yourself if there was something you could have done better, sooner, or differently that would have saved them.”

I pursed my lips and nodded slowly, not having looked at it from that angle. “I see what you mean.”

“Everyone in each step of the process is important and essential. So no, I do not begrudge the nurses and physicians receiving most of the accolades in the end. They deserve every bit of it. Knowing that my work contributed to that success is the greatest reward I could hope for. I helped save those lives.”

“That you did, my mate,” I said with pride.

We landed in Bryst a short while later. Once again, we were greeted warmly, almost like heroes. It was silly, but it struck me that our actions in Jaln reflected positively on them, as if we were a member of their tribe helping one of their neighbors. After all, Aku vouched for us and our intentions.

“More of our people will set off on a pilgrimage in the upcoming week,” Aku said as we finished bringing into the deployable lab the last samples Ciara and I had gathered earlier during the day. “We will head out in the morning to clear the main paths to the temple. An increasing number of rabid creatures have been spotted roaming closer to our village and hunting grounds.”

“I would be glad to assist you,” I immediately offered while setting the container down on the counter. “My drones can help locate all of them, and it will be a lot faster to get to them and dispose of the bodies with my shuttle.”

“Thank you. We’re grateful for the offer,” Aku said warmly.

He didn’t need to specify that he had hoped I would. It made sense. On their own, it would take them weeks to scout their extensive forests, with many beasts likely slipping through their nets as they continued to roam around.

“Actually, while you guys are out there, you should mark the locations of the berry bushes and even start uprooting them,” Ernst intervened while opening one of the crates we brought in. “I understand the Jaln tribe has already begun exterminating the strawberries in their area.”

---