Page 70 of Taurus's Quest
“The entire time,” she grumbled. “Remind me to never play with nanobots again.”
He crushed her to him to the point she complained, “Need my ribs, please.”
“Sorry.” He sat her upright, and she blew hair out of her face before smiling.
“We did it!”
“Only because of you.” The honest truth. From the very beginning, Circe had been the one sounding the alarm, working for a solution, even offering up herself to save the day.
“Taurus is right, because of your bravery, we managed to destroy the alien ship.” Aries waved his hand at the sky, where the stars seemed to shine extra bright.
“I don’t know about you knuckleheads, but after all that whipping around, I need a fucking drink.” Sagittarius declared before heading into Tower.
“And food! Damn, I swear I could eat a hundred burritos,” Pisces declared.
“Please don’t,” Leo groaned. “Even Tower wouldn’t be able to handle that many farts.”
Laughter led to an exodus as the Zodiacs, boisterously discussing the experience, entered the tower. Last to leave was Aries, with his arm around Sage, the only non-warrior other than Circe on the roof. Everyone else had been kept inside for safety.
Circe didn’t seem in a hurry to move, and Taurus was more than happy to just hold her.
“I saw aliens,” she softly whispered. “When that thing took over my mind, I got glimpses of planets and creatures the likes of which I would have never imagined. We truly aren’t alone in the universe.”
“Told you, but even if Earth was the only place with life, you still wouldn’t be alone because I’ll always be by your side.”
She snorted.
“Too cheesy?”
“A little, but you know what, I don’t mind. It’s part of why I love you.” She cupped his face.
Holy shit. She’d said it first. And for once, he didn’t want to run away, not when he felt the same way too. “Not as much as I love you, honey.”
“Didn’t someone promise me?—”
He kissed her before she even finished her sentence. Then gave her a toe-curling reward, not for saving the planet, but for coming back to him.
Turned out his quest ended up giving him the biggest prize of all. A happily ever after.
Epilogue
It took a few days for the debris from the asteroid to hit Earth’s atmosphere. While most chunks ended up getting drawn toward the sun, some pieces got sucked into Earth’s orbit. Humanity was in for an epic meteor shower and just about everyone was watching. After all, those hunks of burning rock were a victory.
A victory not one person understood.
News stations didn’t know what to report. Astronomers were baffled. No one could explain what caused the light show in the sky that destroyed the asteroid. The religious called it a miracle from God. The atheists claimed aliens had saved them. Only the Zodiac Warriors and those close to them knew the truth.
Many of the Tower inhabitants had gathered on the roof to watch the meteor chunks as they streaked their way to Earth. Tower, ever the gracious host, provided lounge seating for them, along with a tub filled with ice and drinks.
Being one of the first to arrive, Taurus claimed the egg swing and had Circe tucked in his lap.
“What happens now that we’ve saved the world?” she murmured because these last two days had mostly been spent in bed, which, while fun, couldn’t last forever.
“We wait for the next disaster and do it again.”
“Sounds like a job for you,” she snorted. “I doubt we’ll have need for my astronomy expertise anytime soon.”
“Don’t be so sure of that. Apparently, a new office space opened up beside Aquarius’ with some computers and a telescope that somehow sees the sky and a bunch of stuff he says astronomers use.”
