Page 99 of Silent Lucidity

Soulmates.

Abella smiled and pulled her head back, breaking the kiss. She grinned as she looked up into his eyes. “Guess that says it all, doesn’t it?”

“I’ll show you more, Abella.” Tenthil’s grin revealed his wicked fangs, and his dark eyes glittered with promise. “After.”

Epilogue

California, Earth

Terran Year 2111

Tenthil easedthe hovercar into its usual parking place beside Abella’s, killed the engine, and climbed out of the vehicle. The wind sighed through the trees around their dwelling, rustling the foliage and spreading the sweet scent of living plants and aromatic wood. He paid little mind to the black hovercar behind Abella’s; the company was expected.

Even after his years with Abella on Earth, it was still a strange feeling for him to be at ease, to be able to let his guard down—mostlydown, anyway. His old life had taught him every shadow held a new danger, but he was learning how to relax, build relationships, and trust. Though shaking off his old habits was a slow process, he was making progress.

He filled his lungs with the fragrant air as he followed the path to the front door.

He entered the home—his home,theirhome—and glanced across the open living space, which was lit by streams of sunlight pouring through windows on the roof. The living room led directly to the kitchen, where Abella’s father, Richard, stood fussing over something on the counter that served as the border between the two rooms.

Tenthil closed the door. Richard glanced up from his work and smiled, displaying those flat, white human teeth that had become so normal to Tenthil.

“Hey Tenthil,” Richard said. “Abella said you wouldn’t be home until later. Get off early?”

Tenthil nodded and walked across the living space, stopping directly across the counter from Richard. The human was only five or six centimeters shorter than Tenthil, but he was thin, and the faint lines around his eyes and mouth were beginning to show his age. But his eyes themselves—eyes the same green as Abella’s—were bright, intelligent, and usually full of joy. His short, dark hair was heavily streaked with gray.

Richard returned his attention to the tray in front of him. “Figured I’d pitch in and throw these together for dinner. I know Abella and Hannah have a lot going on with the festival tomorrow, so I wanted to give them one less thing to worry about.”

Dozens of littlesandwicheswere arranged atop the tray, comprised of a variety of meats, cheeses, and garnishments. Tenthil had grown fond of sandwiches, especially the ones with peanut butter and jelly. Abella teased him about it, sometimes, but always stole bites of those sandwiches when he made them.

“How’s everything been going down at the base?” Richard asked.

“Same as always. They bring me soldiers. I train them.” Tenthil reached across the counter for one of the sandwiches.

Richard pulled the tray out of Tenthil’s reach and clucked his tongue. “These are for dinner. You can have one when everyone else gets one, too.”

“I am not a child, Richard.”

Richard’s smile widened, and something twinkled in his eye—the same spark of joy Tenthil so often saw in Abella’s gaze. He slid the tray closer. “One. But don’t tell anyone, or I’ll get bum-rushed, and everyone will be hungry again by the time we’re supposed to eat.”

Tenthil smirked and plucked up the sandwich that appeared to have the most meat, finishing it off in two bites.

“How long do you have left on your contract?” Richard asked as he settled a clear plastic lid over the tray and carried it to the refrigerator.

“A year. But they already offered renewal.”

“They must love you down there.”

“Don’t know why.”

The background Alkorin had fabricated for Tenthil’s identification chip had included extensive experience in private security with a specialization in covert operations. Though it seemed a fitting cover—and one not far from the truth—it had caused him some trouble during the immigration process. The United Terran Republic had scrutinized his background thoroughly, suspecting him of some malicious intent, but it had eventually led to opportunity; he possessed skills valuable to the terran defense forces, who were still new to matters of intergalactic security, technology, and tactics.

Though he’d not been told the details of the operations, he knew that the training he’d provided had led to terran special forces managing to track down and break at least one of the trafficking rings responsible for kidnapping humans and selling them in places like Nyssa Vye back in Arthos.

Richard laughed and turned on the sink, rinsing his hands. “I’m proud of you, son. You’re making the best of where you came from, and it’s doing good in the universe.”

That word—son—always threw Tenthil off-guard when Richard used it.

Despite the challenges and dangers he’d faced over his life, despite the number of times he’d faced down his potential death without so much as a flutter in his stomach, Tenthil had been more anxious than ever about meeting Abella’s parents when he’d finally been cleared to return to Earth with her those years ago.

---