Lesson 10 Redemption for Rebels

Just when I'd started to trust him again, he had to destroy everything.

"Implant?" I snapped. "Are you saying you put an implant in me?!"

He had the decency to look guilty.

"I thought I'd mentioned it. When I first brought you on board, I gave you a full medical screening to make sure the beaming hadn't harmed you. It seemed a good opportunity to fit you with a translation implant and to remove the foreign body from your uterus."

Foreign body… he hadn't. Surely, he hadn't.

"You. Removed. My. IUD?!" I was screaming, but I didn't care. "How dare you!"

Bruin looked crestfallen. "IUD? Was it important? I thought it was harmful. I promise I wouldn't have removed it otherwise. Are you alright without it? Will you survive?"

Panic slurred his words.

In any other situation, I would have found it adorable, amusing even. But he'd removed my contraception without asking me. That went too far. I felt violated. I'd thought I was in control of my body, yet he'd shown me that I wasn't.

"Please, tell me," Bruin begged. "Are you in danger?"

No, but he was. I was about ready to murder him. Except that would have taken my moral high ground.

For a moment, I was tempted to let him believe I was dying. That would serve him right.

"An IUD is a contraceptive implant," I snapped. "It stops me from getting pregnant. I suppose you don't have things like that. You kidnap women and breed them until they can't pop out any more babies."

He stared at me in shock, but then fierce determination took over his features. "I would never do that," he said sternly. "And we do have contraception, just not this… primitive."

Primitive. I wanted to strangle him. Then push the implant up his dick. That should hurt. If he even had one. My gaze wandered to his crotch before I could stop myself. There was a bulge pressing against his black trousers, but that could have been anything. He was an alien, as he'd just proved once more.

"Put it back in," I demanded.

"Of course. I will see if the medpod can return your implant to where it was before. Alternatively, I can get you a Xerven implant. It is much smaller and won't hurt at all."

I didn't think I could trust that after all this.

"I want my implant. My coil. Sterilised, obviously."

"The medpod will ensure it's safe," Bruin reassured me, still looking incredibly guilty. "How can I make it up to you?"

"I don't suppose you'd take me home?"

His sad puppy eyes were answer enough.

This time,I went into the medpod voluntarily. The gel-like substance was warm, wrapping itself around me. I felt it permeate my clothes, but it wasn't the same sensation as wearing wet clothes. The gel was unlike anything I'd ever encountered. It likely had some fancy, complicated name.

When the lid closed above me, I fought a wave of claustrophobia. Bruin waved at me through the translucent lid.

"Try and stay still while the medpod attempts to reimplant your IDD."

"IUD," I muttered, but did as instructed. I did not want the coil to end up in my ovaries.

"All done," he said a minute later. "I triple-checked that it works. Copper release is a strange method of contraception, but if that's what you prefer, I fully support you. And if you ever want to switch to something more modern, it's quick and easy. Any medpod can do it."

The lid opened. Bruin stretched out a hand to help me out, but I ignored him and climbed out myself. The gel stayed behind, leaving my clothes spotless.

A loud whinny reminded me that the medpod was in An'tia's domain. The unicorn stood on the other side of the hangar, watching curiously. She wasn't quite interested enough to walk over – I'd quickly learned that An'tia was a lazy lady who didn't move unless she absolutely had to.

As soon as I reached her, she pointed her horn at the biggest brush on the table. I took it, but then reconsidered.

"Before I start, I need to ask you a question. Did you stab Bruin on purpose? To make him leave his planet? To find me?"

An'tia snorted and a cloud of golden dust exploded from her nostrils. Was that a yes? No?

I had to know.

"I think you understand me," I told her. "If you think Bruin and I are mates, pick up the cloth."

The stabhorn looked at me as if I was stupid, then turned to the table and lifted the polishing cloth with her teeth. Since that could have been a coincidence, I tried again.

"If you instigated all this, if you stabbed Bruin so that he would find me, kick the table."

She shot me an exasperated look before knocking over the table. Brushes and tools flew to the floor, while the stabhorn looked on with glee.

"Why haven't you communicated with me before?" I asked in wonder.

I bet she would have rolled her eyes if she could have. Because I hadn't asked the right questions. I'd treated her like a horse, assuming her intelligence matched an Earth animal. It was all on me.

The stipulations of what I'd just discovered sent shockwaves through my mind. Bruin really was my soulmate. I didn't believe it from his lips, but An'tia was different. She was a unicorn. I trusted her. She'd stabbed Bruin to get him to me, risked his death just to play matchmaker. If that was how far she went to instigate a meeting, I didn't know what she'd do to ensure we stayed together.

It was strange how my entire outlook had suddenly changed. I'd never believed in fate, but I did believe in unicorns now. If An'tia thought Bruin and I were supposed to be together, I was willing to try.

I turned to Bruin, who'd stayed a few steps behind, watching us. Hurrying over to him, I looked into his smouldering eyes. "Is this real?"

Instead of an answer, he put a hand on my shoulder. My skin felt hot where he touched me. Tingles ran down my spine.

"Do you feel the connection?" he asked softly. "Are you ready to accept it?"

Was I ready? I'd spent a week fighting it. The idea of having a predetermined soulmate went against all my principles of self-determination, but at the same time, I couldn't deny that there was something between us.

"Yes," I admitted. "I feel it. I'm not sure I want to, but I do."

An'tia whinnied from behind us. Matchmaker and cheerleader. Our stabhorn was multi-talented.

Bruin moved his hand to my cheek, but it was only the faintest touch, as if he was scared of my reaction. I leaned into his touch, revelling in how soft his palm felt against my cheek.

"I would like to kiss you," he whispered hoarsely.

I looked him straight in the eyes. My mind was made up. "Then do it."

He moved faster than I could process. He wrapped one arm around my waist, pulling me close, then his lips crushed onto mine, hard yet supple. For a moment, I felt as if I was lifted out of my body. I floated above us, a golden tether connecting me to my body. And not just to mine. A second tether, a thin line of silver, led right into Bruin's chest. Instinctively I knew that this strand would grow stronger over time until our bond was permanent. And to my surprise, I was looking forward to it. It felt right. I wanted to be connected to him. I recognised something familiar within him, something that had almost made me feel different from everybody else.

His hand tangled my hair, steadying my head as our lips moved in sync. His earthy scent hit me and I was pulled back into my body. Our eyes met and I knew everything was going to be alright.