Chapter 10

Hours later, Orin glanced at where his brother had lay before he'd been removed to be sent to Bangleladou and sighed. He hadn't wanted to do it, but he had had no choice. Gael had always hated him, had always made his life miserable. He would have caused so much trouble for him and Tasa that something needed to be done.

Something drastic.

What he hadn't told Tasa was that he'd most likely be beaten and bred, too—the Bangleladoux had found a way to inseminate men. And that would truly be a fitting punishment. To have the same thing happen to him that he'd wanted to subject his Tasa to.

His Tasa. Hmm.

"That was magic, wasn't it?" Tasa asked, her eyes meeting his.

"I'm moving to a bearing of 250 mark 10," Orin said, and made the adjustment. A large meteor slid past them. He glanced at Tasa. "To answer your question, yes."

"But why? Why not…I don't know, punch him or something?" Tasa asked.

He took her hand in his. "Because a punch wouldn't have done the job. And he'd never leave us alone. Ever. We'd be running for the rest of our lives."

"Well, I think it was brilliant," Falda said.

"No one should be allowed to walk in here and subjugate people," Johnal said with a shiver. "He had no right."

"I didn't want to do it, but he needed to be taught a lesson. He'll get out of there eventually. Hopefully with a bit more compassion," Orin said. "He's never been a brother to me. Maybe someday this will pave the way for a relationship between us."

Johnal snorted. "If he ever gets his head out of his butt."

"Mr. I Believe I Said I Was the Crown Prince," Falda said with an air of arrogance, her nose in the air. "What a jerk."

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that your whole life," Tasa said softly.

Orin smiled. "Thank you. Now, on to cheerier things. We'll be at Larin in forty-eight hours. There's a wormhole coming up in seventy leagos that's a great shortcut. Once we're past the wormhole, we can rest. It's pure space from there to Larin."

"We should talk," Tasa said. "I'm not sure if this is going to work."

"What do you mean?" Orin could feel Tasa's racing heartbeat echo his own.

Tasa's eyes glistened with tears. "You saved me and the ship. I will always be grateful. But this magic thing..."

Sohva help him. He couldn't lose her. He couldn't. "Tasa, we can work through this. We can talk, and you can speak with other Larinu so you can understand. Magic is a wonderful, amazing thing. You can't assume the worst." He glanced at the viewscreen. Everything looked fine. For now.

"I just saw some very serious things," Tasa said quietly. "They weren't amazing or wonderful."

"I did them to save you and the ship." Orin ran his palm over his face, trying to understand why this was such a thing. "Look at me, Tasa. Really look at me. You know who I am, and you know my heart. You allowed me to bind to you. I am not a bad person. Not at my core. I was forced into doing something bad to save you, the woman I love. Understand that." His eyes pleaded with her to understand.

"I understand," Tasa murmured. "I understand that I saved you only for you to use your magic against your brother."

"Um, Commander, we are about to enter that wormhole Orin mentioned," Falda said. "Strap yourselves down and hang on tight. In three…two…one!"

Everything around them went white.

For her first wormhole, Tasa did all right.

She'd panicked and grabbed Orin's hand the minute everything took a white cast. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping her molecules would rearrange properly—or whatever it was that they did when going through wormholes and coming back out again.

But somehow, she knew that the golden cord connecting her and Orin—magic—would keep her safe. Warmth ran all through her body, and her fingertips took on a strange glow.

What was that?

She quickly hid her hands in her pockets.

She felt funny, but she was pretty sure it wasn't the wormhole.

It was Orin and his brother.

She understood why he'd done it—logically. But her heart—the part of her that felt for another being—wasn't so sure. And if magic could hurt someone like that, what else was it capable of?

But Orin…he was a good man. He was saving them all from a horrible fate.

So how was she supposed to reconcile the two parts of the man she loved?

She knew it now. When he was being beaten by Gael's psi energy, he hadn't done a single thing except try to protect himself. She'd decided to have him bind them together so their bond would shield them. They were stronger together than they were apart.

She couldn't turn away from him. Not now, not ever.

She didn't want to lose him. But could she handle his magic?

His magic had saved them all.

"Everything looks good, Commander," Vola said, jolting her to the present.

"You can put the ship on auto for a while so we can all rest," Orin pointed out. "That is, if you want to rest."

Tasa knew she'd never get to sleep, so she shrugged. "I'm all right here." She glanced at her small crew. "If you guys want to rest, do it. I think I can handle it for a bit."

"I'm not leaving you alone," Orin said. "I had a rest. Falda and Vola, I can take over navigation if you'd like."

"That sounds perfect," Falda said, standing. "If you're sure."

"I'd love a rest," Vola said with a yawn.

"Absolutely. Get some sleep," Orin said firmly.

"That's an order," Tasa added with a grin.

"Yes, ma'am." Falda saluted and headed for the lift. Before she got there, she turned back to them at the helm. "I wasn't going to say anything, but Tasa, we've been friends since you came here. I think…I think you need to explore this thing with Orin?—"

"Falda!" Tasa cried, her face flushing. "You could have waited?—"

"I have a feeling he could make you happy," Falda continued as if Tasa hadn't said anything. "All right, I said it. I'm going now." And she hurried into the lift and was gone.

Vola gave them a wave and headed elsewhere. Tasa wasn't sure where.

Ty and Johnal busied themselves with checking the weapons and security.

Orin turned to Tasa, his expression hopeful. "Tasa, could you?—"

"No." She couldn't deal with this right now. Falda had great timing. She needed to think. And she couldn't do that with Orin begging her to be his…his what, she wondered. Mate? Mistress? Best friend? She pressed her fingers to her temples. "Please, not now. We will talk later."

"All right." Hurt tinged his voice. He stood and headed for navigation. "We shall talk later."

The next few hours were mostly spent in silence, punctuated by Orin's navigation talk, and Tasa's questions about how to handle various things. They were pleasant, but there was an undercurrent of fear and anger there that she didn't want to think about too much. She could feel it humming beneath her skin.

He wasn't saying it, but he wasn't too happy.

She wasn't sure how to handle that, so she kept to herself.

"Approaching another meteor off starboard," Orin said. "This one's huge. I'm going to adjust our course five point two three milli-leagos. Bearing to the right just a bit." He gasped. "Oh, no. Oh, no…"

Tasa whipped around. "Orin?"

"We're not going to make it to Larin," Orin said softly. He'd gone pale. Really pale. Tasa left the helm and went to him. His eyes were focused on the viewscreen, but they shimmered with unshed tears. "I'm so sorry…"

"What's going on? Why won't we make it to Larin?" She touched his shoulder.

"Come look at this." She looked at what he was pointing to, just a tiny spot. Too small to be anything. "This…this is another wormhole. It looks tiny, right? But its tentacles, for lack of a better word, extend far out from it. And we're about to get snagged. And Sohva knows where—or in what time—we'll end up. We could even be separated."

Tasa swallowed. "Can't we go around it?"

"It's too large, and there is too much space debris in the way."

"Turn around and go back the way we came?" Tasa bit her lip. "Is there any other way we could get to Larin?"

Orin shook his head. "How badly do you want to get there, Tasa? Because I know of a way, but you won't like it at all."

Tasa tensed. Once again, she was being forced to be a part of something she would not like. But getting to Larin was the point, and it was where she belonged. She knew it deep in her heart and her soul. "I want it more than anything I've ever wanted in my entire life."

"Because you'll be free," Orin murmured.

"And I'll be with you," Tasa said firmly. She put her hands on Orin's shoulders. "I've decided that this whole magic thing needs to be explored further before I judge. I know very little, except what I saw"—she held up her hand when he started speaking—"which was purely defensive. I imagine there is a beautiful side to your magic. And, being that you've saved me twice using it, I should be more willing to accept it."

"Oh, Tasa," Orin murmured. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Her entire body felt as if it had been set aflame. Heat and shivers went through her as their tongues tangled and they held each other. The gold of their bond flared in her mind, and she felt Orin's feelings, too. His love and his attraction to her. Everything that was him was hers, and everything that was hers was his. They really were one now.

"You realize that our lives are tied together." Orin tucked an errant strand of her hair behind her ear.

Tasa nodded. "Yes. And it is worth it if you are by my side."

"Even my magic?"

"Even that. Now, how do you plan on magicking us through this wormhole?" Tasa said with a smile. She pressed her lips to Orin's, and he deepened the kiss. She felt as if all of her nerve endings were standing at attention, and she thought, home.

After they parted, and Falda and Vola were called back up, Orin explained how he was going to get them through the wormhole.

But this time, she didn't feel like she was about to lose her soul, or that they were doing something horribly wrong.

They were doing what they needed to do to survive.

"This is going to be so cool," Ty said, rubbing his hands in anticipation.

"Approaching the outer edge of the tentacle," Orin said. "This is where I do my thing. I will hold you through it all, Tasa."

"Thank you," Tasa murmured, her heart racing.

At first, Tasa felt nothing.

Then her body broke apart into tiny little molecules. Her consciousness stayed intact, and it felt weird to not have a body, and weirder still to have a body that was everywhere at once.

Hang in there, Orin thought at her.

Then a huge boom! And a shockwave that slammed Tasa—or rather, some part of her—into the viewscreen, and then all was still.

She had a body again, and everyone looked all right, if a bit disoriented.

"Orin?" she said.

"I'm all right. You?"

"I think so," she said, taking a deep breath.

"That was nothing," Falda said with a yawn.

"That was awesome," Ty said. "Can we do it again?"

"I'm dizzy," Johnal murmured.

Another boom! Everything went white again.

Spinning. They spun so fast that Tasa was sure she'd puke when it was over?—

And then it was over.

She thought, anyway.

More spinning.

Orin's arms tightened around her. He nuzzled her cheek.

She closed her eyes.

"Approaching Larin now," Falda said.

They'd survived.

Orin's magic had gotten them through the wormhole: whole, together, and in the right place and time.

"You feel all right, Tasa?" Orin asked. He put his hand underneath her chin and tipped her face up. His eyes widened. "Tasa…you have…it's not possible?—"

Tasa's stomach clenched. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong." Orin grinned at her. "You, my dear, have magic now."

Tasa's heart stuttered. "I…what?"

"What the…?" Vola asked, her eyes narrowed. "Only Larinu have magic…"

"Your eyes. They are golden. Magic sometimes manifests like that in females' eyes. It's very unusual. But I think it happened when we bound together. I know you hate it," he said quickly before she could protest. "But try to accept the gift you've been given." He took her hands in his. "I can teach you how to use it. Only for good."

Tasa nodded. "Only good, yes. Is that why my fingertips are glowing?" She held up her hands. "I feel kind of weird. Is that magic?"

"It is," Orin said. "It'll get stronger the closer you get to Larin. It acts as sort of a homing beacon."

"Wow, the first non-Larinu to carry magic," Johnal said. "This will be interesting."

"What if I don't want it? What if it scares me?" Tasa asked, her mouth going dry.

Orin met her eyes. "Life is scary. Being a slave was scary, right? Escaping your cell, being almost made a breeder and taking on the commander and my brother…that was all scary, right? And a lot of it wasn't very pleasant. But it you survived it and came out stronger. Here we are, headed for a new life together. That's scary, too. We're enemies. But…I love you, and that's all that matters to me. You being here with me means everything."

"Aww," Falda said. "How sweet."

"Are they going to do this all the time?" Ty said with a sigh. "Because it's kind of sickening." But then his lips quirked, and he burst out laughing. And then he sobered. "I feel a good vibe here."

Tasa shot Falda a grin, then turned back to Orin. "I was scared about it all. I still am." She ran a hand down his cheek. "But I suppose I can see if I can learn how to wield magic. And maybe do good for the people of Larin."

"You will have to," Orin said with a smile. "Because you will be the princess."

Tasa's eyes narrowed. "Princess?"

Orin nodded. "My brother was the Crown Prince, remember? Since he's MIA, I'm next in line, and you'll be my mate, so you'll be the princess. If you want to be, that is." He looked down at their intertwined hands, suddenly shy.

She tipped his head up with her fingertip. "Of course I do."

"Princess Tasa of Larin," Orin murmured. "I like the sound of that." Tasa pretended to smack him.

"We're close, guys," Falda said, excitement in her voice.

"My princess, we are going home," Orin said.

She was exactly where she belonged. In Orin's arms, in her spaceship, headed to her new home.