Page 29 of Cerban
“I said,” I repeated more softly now, my voice shaking with the force of it, “you are my mate."
Everything around us faded away. I didn't care that we had an audience. Nothing mattered but Maelis.
"But..." she whispered. "You..." And slowly, understanding dawned on her face. "You didn't mean another woman when you talked about your mate on this planet. You already knew. You knew it was me. How? I never took a test. I'm not in the dating agency's database."
I placed my hands on my chest, right above my heart. "I knew it from the first moment I saw you. It just took a while for me to truly understand what I was feeling."
Maelis lifted a trembling hand to her mouth. She looked like someone who’d stepped off a cliff and only now realised she was flying.
"Are you sure?" she asked, just loud enough for me to hear.
"With every fibre of my being. Every drop of water in me is being pulled towards you, Maelis. You are my moon. My sun. My everything. And I am sorry I did not tell you before."
Maelis’s eyes searched mine, full of confusion, disbelief… and something that looked a lot like hope. “Cerban…”
I didn’t plan to move closer, but I did. The world shrank until there was nothing but her – the curve of her mouth, the salt clinging to her skin, the way the sunlight caught in her wet hair.
“Tell me you don’t feel it,” I murmured. “And I’ll never touch you again.”
She opened her mouth as if to argue, but no sound came out. Then she stepped into me, her hands pulling at the damp wrap around my waist.
And just like that, she was kissing me.
The sea roared behind us, warm air wrapping around our bodies as though the island itself was holding its breath. Her lips were soft and determined, tasting of salt and courage. I cupped her face, deepening the kiss, feeling the bond flare between us like sunlight breaking through deep water.
Someone cleared their throat loudly.
We broke apart, both of us breathless. Paul stood a few metres away, jaw tight. “That’s enough,” he said stiffly. “Inside. Now."
They let Maelis get changed before they herded us back to the main resort buildings. I would have liked for her to get some rest, have some food and refreshments, but it wasn't to be.
A screen flickered to life on the far wall – Pam’s face appeared, composed but strained.
"You again," she said with a sigh. "You'd think I have nothing else to do than deal with a rule-averse finman and a diver who keeps going missing. What have you two done this time? Where did you go?"
Maelis and I exchanged a look. Was this the time to tell her about the finfolk artefact hidden in the cave? It felt wrong. I should talk to my brothers first, then the other finmen, before involving the humans. She gave me a small nod as if to say that she'd follow my lead in this.
"Maelis wanted to return to the cave," I began. "So I offered to join her for protection."
"Yes, I needed to face my fears," Maelis added quickly. "I'd had nightmares about what happened down there. I had to go back to process everything. And I knew that going by myself would have been foolish, so I involved Cerban. I know he wasn't supposed to-"
Paul interrupted her. "He was supposed to be in his quarters, far away from you and other women. Kelon proved just how unpredictable finmen can be."
"I am not Kelon," I hissed. "I am nothing like him. Don't you humans have rotten shells among your pearls? Do not judge me by another male's actions."
Pam sighed again. "I hear what you're saying, but you have to understand that we have to stand firm on certain principles, especially after the IA got involved. All you had to do was stay in your room until the dust had settled. Cerban, what in the stars were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that I will not be separated from my mate,” I said, voice steady.
Pam's eyes widened as she realised what I'd just said, but then her expression hardened again. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Your mate? You can’t just declare that, Cerban, and think that this will solve everything. You know the regulations. Human matches must be verified. Especially with your history.”
“I don’t care about regulations,” I growled. “I know what I feel.”
Maelis stepped forward. “Then test us,” she said. “You said yourself the bond can be proven. Take my DNA, take his – whatever you need. Just don’t send him away until you know for sure.”
Pam’s gaze softened. “Very well. Paul, take samples from Maelis. Cerban is already in the database. I’ll rush the results through the lab. But until we know the outcome, Cerban is to be confined to the finmen quarters. No more excursions. No more running away. And as soon as Fionn gets back to the island, you'll be staying on the spaceship. Shall I inform him of today's events, or will you?"
"I will call him," Rainse offered. "I have a feeling that we should have a clutch-brothers meeting. Just the three of us."
