Page 19 of Aura Awakened

He pulls his little phone device out. “Wanna see?”

I crowd close, ignoring the attraction I feel whenever I touch him, an attraction that’s present even when we aren’t in contact. I can’t trust it; if what he says is true, these feelings aren’t coming from me. It’s all part of some bond, some artificial bullshit controlling how I feel. I squelch my disappointment. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t wondered what it might be like to kiss him, but now that little thrill is ruined. At least I’ll get to look at interesting plants.

He projects a slideshow onto the ship’s main viewscreen, and I have to admit, he was right about one thing. I’ve never seen flowers like this.

Something that looks like tulips, except in virulent neon shades of violet, pink, and chartreuse. A species he calls flameflowers, which are the orange-red of fire and generate sparks from the tips of their blossoms. Waterfall orchids that grow in a huge swathe, the perfect turquoise of the Caribbean, and which ripple in wave-like patterns. So much more. Blooms big enough to live inside, deadly carnivorous trees, flowers that look and move like butterflies. It’s surreal and gorgeous and I want to see it all in person.

“It’s magical,” I breathe.

Somehow, as we watched, I ended up cuddled against his chest, cradled in his massive frame. So I don’t see it, but I can hear the smile in his voice all the same.

“I knew you’d like it.”

FILLIAN

“Tell me more about your home,” she says.

I settle back and snuggle her closer, letting her incredible scent wash over me. She smells like roses and candlelight, something both sweet and mysterious.

“Well,” I say, “as you can see, it’s a paradise. Most of the planet has been left in its natural state, so there are plenty of jungles and forests. There are only a few cities; I grew up in Liana, the capital. My father was elected king nearly fifty years ago, so I grew up in the royal household. I have four older brothers and two younger, as well as three sisters.

“Acacia is a peaceful planet. We have everything we need. It’s in a binary system, so the two suns provide all the light we need to survive. There are also three moons; the moonscapes during the dry season, over the Gossamer Sea, are one of the most incredible things I’ve seen in my life. They say if you wish on the moons during a triclipse, all your dreams will come true.”

“It sounds idyllic,” she murmurs. “Why leave all that to become a soldier?”

I sigh. “I miss home, but the Coalition needs all the help it can get. Without the Coalition’s protection, the Malifects might have invaded us decades ago. Besides, I’m too far down the line to be involved in planetary politics, but this was a way I could help my people. Something my father considered worthy, noble. Not to mention, I’m good at it.” I run a hand down her arm, unable to resist the contact. “I’d really like to show you Acacia someday.”

She leans into the touch, and I get another whiff of her delicious aroma. I can’t help the wave of arousal that rolls through me.

She gasps and arches her back, then jumps up.

“What was that?” she asks.

Her cheeks are flushed and her breathing is hitched; it’s impossible not to notice the pebbles of her nipples standing at attention against her thin tank top.

“What?”

“That…I don’t know. We were talking about your home and then all of a sudden, I felt this, this…” she trails off and looks at her feet, clearly embarrassed.

I scrub a hand over my head, a habit of mine. “I’m sorry. That desire you felt was mine. It’s just the bond. You’re feeling what I feel. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

She sits back down, slowly. “When you said we could feel each other’s emotions, I thought you meant I’d know if you were happy or angry. But I not only sensed your lust, I actually felt it. Like in my body.”

I nod. “That’s how it works. Typically, mates want to be bonded to each other. Being able to feel each other’s pleasure enhances the uh, more physical aspects of the relationship. I have to be honest, I’ve never heard of a situation in which one of the mates is unwilling.”

She meets my gaze. “Only one?”

I shrug. “I’d be honored to be bonded to you for the rest of my life. You’re brave, beautiful, smart, curious—what’s not to like? Or eventually love?”

“But it isn’t real. It’s just some biological happenstance forcing its way into our lives.”

“Breathing is a biological requirement, but that doesn’t make it any less real. It doesn’t make it something you resent. It just becomes a part of you. The star-bond is the same way. It makes two people closer than they would be otherwise, but it doesn’t mean the feelings you experience aren’t real. As a human, you have to eat food, but the necessity doesn’t make the experience any less enjoyable, does it?”

“But I get to choose the foods I want!”

“And you can choose not to be with me, if that’s what your heart decides. Just because your body is saying one thing, it doesn’t mean you have to act on it.”

She throws up her hands. “That’s the problem! Maybe I do want to be with you, at least temporarily, but I don’t know if I can trust what I’m feeling. I don’t know what’s real.”

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