Page 31 of Vylit: Glowing for Her
CHAPTER 14
VYLIT
Starlight burned across the deck of my ship, the ancient constellations of Mavtros Prime painting Maya's skin in silver fire. She stood at the viewing portal, her hand steady against the transparent membrane, her eyes reflecting the distant nebula clouds that had once been my only comfort. Now, I had her… this fierce, brilliant human who had chosen me despite everything the universe had thrown between us. Our bond pulsed between us, stronger with each shared breath, a living current that tethered her essence to mine across the void. I approached silently, my bioluminescence dimmed to match the starfield beyond, and placed my hand over hers on the portal. Beneath us, my battle brothers prepared their departure vessels, their forms moving with practiced efficiency through the loading bay.
"They're really leaving," Maya whispered, her voice tight with something I hadn't expected, loss.
I nodded, my glow shifting to match her melancholy, ripples of blue-violet cascading down my chest. "Their own vessels await. We rendezvous at the Spiral Arm in three cycles."
She turned to me, her brow furrowing in that distinctly human way that still fascinated me… how her entire face could become a map of her emotions. "I thought they were part of your crew. That we'd all be together for this fight."
Her assumption slammed into me with unexpected force. Of course she would think that. In the chaos of our bonding, the pirate attacks, the tribunal, I'd never properly explained how Kazmyr and Silvyr had come to my aid.
"Battle brothers answer the call," I explained, my fingers tracing the curve of her cheek, memorizing the texture of her skin for the thousandth time. "But they command their own vessels, lead their own warriors."
Her eyes widened. "You called them? For me?"
My biolights pulsed with pride and something deeper, the fierce satisfaction of having protected what was mine. "When the Registry notified me of your arrival coordinates, I knew I would face resistance. Pirates monitor Gate activity for unbonded mates." My hand slid down to the glowing marks on her throat, evidence of our completed bond. "I had eighteen minutes to prepare for your emergence. Seventeen of those minutes were spent contacting and coordinating my battle brothers."
Maya's lips curved into a smile that set my secondary heart racing. "And the eighteenth minute?"
"Imagining meeting you," I admitted, my glow betraying me with a flash of embarrassed gold. "I practiced greetings in seventeen languages."
She laughed, the sound rippling through our bond like warm current. "And yet the first thing you did was tackle me into water."
"Tactical rescue," I corrected, fighting my own smile. "You were flailing most impressively."
Maya punched my arm, her tiny fist bouncing harmlessly off my bioluminescent skin. The Nest Moss that had become her second skin puffled indignantly at the contact, its protective instincts still hilariously misdirected after all this time.
"Come," I said, taking her hand. "We should bid them proper farewell."
We descended to the loading bay, my ship humming acknowledgment as we passed through its neural corridors. Maya's fingers remained intertwined with mine, her warmth a constant reminder of everything I'd gained. Everything I would fight to keep.
Kazmyr stood near his warvessel, its obsidian hull radiating heat even in standby mode. His molten eyes fixed on the horizon beyond the bay's forcefield, while Ember Marks traced new patterns along his massive forearms. Silvyr hovered nearby, his silver skin flickering with lines of code as he uploaded final coordinates to both vessels.
They turned as we approached, their postures shifting subtly. I recognized the change immediately… the reflexive deference to a newly bonded warrior and his mate. Pride surged through me, painting my skin in bands of royal blue.
"So the human finally emerges from your personal quarters," Kazmyr rumbled, his voice like stones grinding together. "We feared you might have exhausted her completely."
Maya's cheeks flushed beautifully, but her voice remained steady. "Bold words from someone who keeps glancing at my moss-liner like he's afraid it might attack him."
Silvyr's laughter burst forth, staticky and genuine. "She has your measure, stone-heart." Small emoji drones materialized around his head, displaying tiny laughing faces before dissolving back into his code-stream.
Kazmyr grunted, but I caught the flash of approval in his molten gaze. "The human will survive. Good. Asset P will not expect resistance of your caliber."
Maya stepped forward, surprising us all. "I didn't get to thank you properly. Both of you. For the cave rescue, for the tribunal, for everything."
Silvyr's expression softened, the digital hardness melting into something almost vulnerable. "Gratitude is unnecessary between family."
Her breath caught audibly. I felt the shock pulse through our bond. Not at the sentiment itself, but at being included so easily, so completely. My massive hand tightened around hers, anchoring her as she processed this new reality.
"Family," she repeated, the word carrying weight she hadn't expected to bear.
Kazmyr's Ember Marks pulsed once, almost shyly. "Mate-bonds extend to battle-kin. You are now sister-warrior to us both." His voice dropped lower, embarrassed by his own sentiment. "Whether you wished it or not."
Maya's eyes filled with moisture… the strange human reaction to overwhelming emotion that still fascinated me. She stepped forward and, before any of us could react, wrapped her arms around Kazmyr's massive torso in a human embrace.
He froze, Ember Marks flaring with shock, his hands hovering awkwardly above her back. His eyes met mine over her head, wide with panic, silently begging for instruction. I shrugged, helpless against the tide of Maya's affection.
