Page 49 of Her Alien Warrior
My breath caught, and I felt tears well up within my eyes with this fullness of happiness. But I had to know what that word that had no translation meant. "What does that word mean?"
"It has no translation," he admitted, "because the implants have trouble separating words in my home language, Cial. It is two of our words, deconstructed down to their ancient roots, and put together. It is the act of taking every heart from two warriors and syncing together in one rhythm. Which means in my mother tongue, the song of my hearts. Yours is the heart that my hearts sing for, when our hearts sync together, they aren't merely one rhythm, they are music only we can feel."
A tear dripped down my cheek and my lip trembled. "You mean that?"
"I feel that," he took my hand and placed it over his chest, then took my other hand and placed it over mine. "This, between us, is a song any warrior would die for."
"You nearly did," I choked out. I felt as our hearts were beating together, syncing, and I closed my eyes enjoying the warmththat filled my chest as I didn't listen, but felt the pulse of our blood bond together. "It's beautiful."
"It is," he agreed.
We laid there on our new bed, listening to a song only we could hear. No matter what happened next, I believed him, we'd face it together. I was enough. He was more than I could ever hope to have, and he was mine.
I wondered if it was alright if I started calling him my Pulsunne too. It worked both ways didn't it? He was my heart song too. I guess not everything needed an explanation, and if a researcher could care less about understanding it, then so could I. I cared more about enjoying it for as long as our hearts kept singing.
"Pulsunne," I said tenderly back to him, and he smiled so the corners of his amber eyes crinkled, and I pulled him for a kiss.
Chapter twenty-one
Renee
Eventually, we left our room. Our room, I thought with a smile thinking about how even that small difference of whose room it was made this whole situation even more surreal. Even after twenty years of marriage, I still thought of the house as Tyler's… I simply lived in it. But here, in a place I'd never been in before felt like mine just as much as it was Sou-el's, and it had nothing from either of us to show anyone else that it was ours. It wasn't the space at all, I knew, it was who I was with.
As newly mated, we weregiven time to stay in our room for as long as we wanted. The room was a lot bigger than the office that doubled as Sou-el's room on the ship, and with a food dispenser and a lavatory, we didn't have much reason to leave. I found his knot could be soothed into releasing me after I stroked his back with my fingers. He'd relax, and we could go for another round… or more. I didn't want to let him go. I liked how connected I felt when we mated, so when exhaustion was close to taking over, I'd rest my head on his chest with his knot throbbing inside me. He'd stay with me until I shoved him off in my sleep, but no matter where I flailed on the bed some part of me had to be touching him, even if it was just a foot next to his knee.
Night after night we fell asleep in each other's arms. After a month of being at the Blue District Labs, Sou-el surprised me with what he called a mating gift. All those times he disappeared with Pryxus, the lead scientist at this facility, he'd been working on finding technology for me to visit Earth.
"So, what is this thing?" I asked as I sat in the cross-universal communicator chair. It wasn't exactly the chair that made the communication across large distances possible, it was just how they stabilized a body for the way the communication took place, I was told.
Medic Cenkal handed a book to me and said, "Hold this, and Chief Olben will make sure you're connected, while I monitor your vitals."
"Is thisall really necessary?" I asked, my nerves making me anxious with excitement and worry. It wouldn't be the first time something alien had strange effects on me. Sou-el's blood bonded with me, and I found him when it shouldn't have been possible. When we mated, his DNA merged with mine, and while I was unconscious for a little over a week, I grew fangs, and apparently scales on my neck that blended with my skin color until they hardened and took on a purplish hue and protected me like armor. It still shocked me, even after seeing it for a month now. Becky told me it was incredible and another piece of evidence that supports the theory that the trace DNA marker they found in me could be ancient necians that made their way to Earth long ago.
"Sou-el went through great effort to convince Pryxus of AsunGor to obtain this communication device. With the help of Chief Olben you'll be able to visit your spawnling," Cenkal paused, and rephrased, knowing I didn't like him ignoring our names, "Laurel, on Earth, whenever you wish without having to put your body through unnecessary cycles of stasis, or risk your own health returning to Earth. Your DNA is more susceptible to the toxins of Earth's atmosphere now that you've bonded with Sou-el."
This would normally be the time I'd be heading back to Earth after being awake on Trillume for my contracted amount of time, if I wasn't exempt by Necias' Law, I'd be leaving all of this.
Sou-el sat next to me, and placed his hand over mine as I held the book that acted like some kind of teleportation device for my consciousness. He would join me on my visit to Earth, if this all worked out. If it didn't, I wasn't sure I'd pass whatever exams they did upon returning to Earth to be allowed to return to my old life anyways. I was just as much necia now as I was human.
"This will work, right?" I eyed the actual technology specialist in the room, Chief of Security, Olben. He nodded as he swiped through the air at whatever he was working on within his screen only he could see. This had to work for me to see Laurel again. Becky was here and thriving at the research station, at least there was that I assured myself.
I squeezed Sou-el's hand, and my blood heated with a comfort only he could provide.
"We're connected," Olben announced. "Prepare for transfer."
How was I supposed to prepare for… My vision blurred, and I gasped as it felt like I was going under anesthesia. But when I blinked again, I was standing in the same room during exchange orientation where I got to see a hologram of the world and species I'd see. I touched my arms and they felt real enough, and I moved around the room freely. How was this possible?
"Touch one of the wristbands over here," Sou-el said, and I turned to see him grabbing something off the wall.
"What is that?"
"These are what they give humans who reject implants. It will stabilize our connection here, and allow us to leave this room, or so Chief Olben assured me."
"I've been expecting you two," that cranky voice I'd come to know during my preparation for my exchange, Joel, could be heard from the doorway. "You better hold up your end of the bargain. I'm not risking my job for nothing."
I lifted a brow at Sou-el as if to ask about what bargain was made, but he simply smiled and assured Joel, "Our Security Chief tells me all things are settled for your visit to Trillume using the same technology. Just keep the wristband that you have on for him to contact you."
"Well, it's not like I'm actually breaking any intergalactic laws, considering you aren't actually here, are you?" he grumbled.
