Chapter 11

Iam happier than I have been in a lifetime. Despite the odds, she is here. Despite the fact she wants to leave Vraya for her homeworld, she is here now, hand-in-hand with me. I cannot stop smiling.

I tug her through the crowded street, eager to show her the spice market, the strange shop full of stranger pets, the places I hurry past on most days in Kirdiff but now see with new eyes. With her eyes.

It is a beautiful way to look at the world.

We pick out several additional ground spices for delivery to Idiene, a few bottles of vinegar and oil. The shop keep is only too happy to help her. My Danielle has an easy way with people. She fits here. Of course she does.

Now I must help her see that.

"What do you think?" I finally ask her, carrying a few of the delicate spices the shop keep pressed on her as a gift.

Her smile fades a little, and I prepare myself for the worst.

"It's very different." She must notice my change in expression. Hastily, she continues, "not in a bad way. It's just different. Everyone is really nice though."

The corners of her mouth turn down, her forehead crinkling. Her gaze darts towards me, and I tug her into the shade of an awning, where it's a little quieter. People stream through the streets, a river of color and conversation.

"What is it?" I press, squeezing her hand. "Tell me, and I will try to make it better."

She bites her lip, gaze darting from my face to the ground and back again. Finally, she makes an impatient sound.

"Dabin, they all look at me like I'm some great hope. I don't know why. You won't tell me what's happened here, what the soldiers at the gates meant earlier." She shrugs.

Guilt coils deep in me, a serpent poised to strike.

"I want you to like it here," I hedge. "I do not wish to scare you with our history. Can we not enjoy our day together? I promise to tell you anything you wish when we are in private." I want her to fall in love with Vraya. With me. I am afraid, afraid to lose her, and it is making me weak.

She sighs, her eyes closing briefly. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess so."

I pull her close to me on an impulse, her head resting on my chest below my shoulder. She doesn't tug away, to my great relief. Her arms wrap around my chest, and the tension in my muscles slowly leaks away.

"There is a fountain not too far from here, if you'd like to sit and rest your feet."

She smiles up at me, and I'm so full of happiness at having her near me, looking at me like that, that I could burst.

"That sounds nice."

"Do you want me to carry you? If you are too tired, that is." I'm mostly teasing. Mostly.

Her breath fans across my skin as she huffs a laugh. "I can walk."

"You're sure?"

Her grin grows, a musical little laugh pouring from her. "I'll let you know if I change my mind."

I pretend to think it over. I love her playful expression, the sound of her laugh. I nod, pursing my lips. "I think that is a fair compromise."

"Lead on then."

We walk through the crowds, and I pull her close into my side, using the mass of people as an excuse to keep her close. Finally, the street opens to a greenspace. A reflection pool glimmers in the late afternoon light. The shadow of a large koa tree dapples the sitting area, light filtering through the near-translucent leaves. Danielle sits next to me on the rough stone bench, and the urge to grab her, to put her on my lap and hold her close, races through me.

I told myself I would move slowly with my Danielle. I promised myself I would give her time to adjust to the idea of us, and yet, here I am, wanting to act as though we are already a mated couple.

Instead, I take her hand again, needing to touch her. The touch is charged, a lightning pulse of energy between us. Breath stutters from her lips. Her gaze dips to where my hand rests on top of hers, and I worry that even this is too much. That I've somehow ruined my chances at convincing her to stay here with me.

Greenish light plays across the curves of her cheekbones as she tilts her chin up, studying me, the constant trickle of water and muffled conversation from the shops the only sound. Then she relaxes. Contentment spreads through me.

"I want to know more about you," I say.

A bird darts through the branches of the koa, chirping as it pecks the white bark.

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything you'll tell me."

She shifts, turning away from the bird and tilting her chin up towards me.

"You know you're really intense, right?"

"I feel intensely about you." It slips out before I can stop it.

She doesn't pull away, though, and her grin slips off her face, turning her expression more serious, more thoughtful. As though she's considering my words.

"We met yesterday, Dabin," she finally says. "That's taking things a little fast. Feeling intensely, that is."

I rub my thumb across the back of her hand. The bird flutters to the side of the fountain, scooping water up with its beak. Danielle watches it, that curious, thoughtful expression still firmly in place.

"Things are different here than in your world, I know that. I do not feel uncertain when it comes to you, Danielle. I will not lie to you about that, either." Though I may not be telling the whole truth about the consequences of our mating.

"I appreciate you being truthful." She looses a long sigh, then folds her legs underneath her, turning on the bench to face me, putting her hands in her lap. "I really do. So, your people, you don't do casual, do you? You know, dating?"

"We do casual, yes. That is all most of us do, as mates are?—"

"Rare, I remember," she cuts me off, her attention flitting back to the little black and yellow bird. "Mates… we don't have mates. People get married, yeah, but it's not forever, not for most." Her mouth twists to the side, dark hair falling over the side of her face.

"What is a date?"

She turns her full attention back to me, grinning widely. "Wining and dining. Taking a girl —or guy— out for food, to hang out and shop, or to invite them over to Netflix and chill. Doing things together." She shrugs.

"Then this is our second date, right? I made you food and we had wine last night. We shopped and ate this afternoon." I frown. "I do not know how to net-a-flicks and chill, but I am sure I could find ice if you require it." It will be expensive to find ice at the tail end of the season, but I would do it if that is what Danielle wishes to feel at home.

Her lips quirk up, and then she's laughing, a musical sound that makes me smile, too. Even though I'm not quite sure what I said that's so funny, I'd say it again if it made her keep laughing.

Finally, she stops, reaching out and patting my hand. "Sure, we can call it a date, if you want."

"I want to date you," I reply immediately.

Her smile grows. "You've made that very clear."

"Good." I nod at her.

"And you want to know about me, huh?" She taps a finger against her chin, a far-away look in her eyes as she watches the little black and yellow bird's progress. "We used to play a game when I was little to help get to know people. Do you like games?"

I snag her hand again, holding it gently in mine. "I will play any game you would like to play." I cannot keep the heat from my voice, imagining all sorts of games I could play with her. Danielle's mouth parts slowly, and when her throat bobs, I know she's thinking the same thing.

"Ah, this isn't that kind of game. Not that you meant anything by that, I'm sure, um, anyway, it's called truths and lies, and you tell two truths and one lie, and the other person has to guess which is the lie."

"I do not wish to lie to you." Uneasy, I shift on the bench. The black and yellow bird startles, flying back to the safety of the koa tree.

"It's okay, it doesn't have to be anything serious." She grins at me, and I nod my head once, unable to deny her anything. "Here, I'll go first."

"Alright," I answer. "I would like to hear anything you're willing to share."

Danielle clears her throat and scoots closer. "I grew up in the Arizona," she wrinkles her nose, pausing, "which is pretty much all desert, hot and dry. I went to school on a scholarship…"

I tilt my head, uncertain at the word, and she smiles at me.

"The university paid for me to study there, and, ah, let's see, the sky is green." She throws her hands wide, shrugging as she grins.

"The sky is green in your world?" Baffled, I look beyond her to the cerulean expanse above, white wisps of clouds floating across it.

She huffs out another laugh, tucking loose hair behind her ear. "No, silly. That's the lie. See? No harm. If lying makes you that uncomfortable, then we don't have to play."

"What do I get if I win?"

Danielle makes a soft sound in her throat, the smile sliding off her face. "I don't have anything to give you."

"Forget I asked," I say, chagrined. "Holding your hand is prize enough."

"Holding hands it is," she says softly. "It's your turn."

"Hmmmm," I purse my lips, thinking hard. What will she want to know of me? I have so much I want to tell her. The fountain burbles behind her, a different bird hopping between the rocks. "I did not study at university; our great colleges and libraries were lost as I came of age. My mother and father died when I was three years shy of ten," I pause again, trying to think of an innocuous lie. It is much more difficult than it should be, the lie of omission threatening to slide out and ruin our game at a moment's notice. "My favorite fruit is perage."

She sucks in a breath, biting her bottom lip. "Oh, Dabin. I'm so sorry about your parents." Gently, she squeezes my hand.

"It was not what you wanted to hear," I guess. "This is not how your game is played? My favorite fruit are berries, by the way."

"Your parents," she sniffs, and her eyes glisten strangely. Stars above and below, but I've made her cry. "That's just so young to lose them."

"It was a long time ago, Danielle." I use a soothing tone of voice, berating myself for ruining her fun. "It is nothing to cry over now." It still aches, the memory of being alone, of not belonging. With my mate sitting across from me, the need to have a family again is so strong it's intoxicating. Reaching out, I wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Sun-warmed hair rustles against my forearm, and I catch her spicy, intoxicating scent as I pull her close.

Mate. Mine.

"Still, it can't be more than a couple decades ago. It's just sad to imagine you as a kid, all alone. That's all."

I grimace, and she tilts her head at me.

"What?"

"It was much more than a few decades ago, Danielle."

Her eyebrows rocket up. "How old are you?"

I narrow my eyes at her. "How old are you?"

"Nearly thirty. You don't look older than mid-thirties, tops."

"I am in my mid-thirties," I say agreeably. "One hundred and thirty-five, to be exact."

"Oh fuck." Her eyes are wide. "How?"

"That is a normal middle age for our people. How old do people live on your planet?"

"Maybe a hundred? But they don't look like you at a hundred."

"And how is it you think I look?"

She shoves at me playfully. "You are fishing for compliments."

I furrow my brow, trying to parse her meaning. Finally, I smile. "Maybe I am. But we've forgotten our game." I run a finger over the back of her hand. "I would like to win."

"Alright," she sighs, leaning into my arms. She hasn't pulled away, and that delights me. "I was an only child, but I always wanted sisters." She holds up one finger. "My parents divorced when I was thirteen, and it was horrible." A second finger. "I am not afraid of the dark." The third.

There is a waver in her voice, and I realize these are big confessions for her. "Divorce," I repeat, looking at her for clarification. "This is what you meant when you said people in your realm did not mate for life, yes? It hurt you when your parents did this."

She nods, tracing a pattern across the stone bench. "They used me to get at each other. I was stuck in the middle. My dad died a few years back, and I lost touch with my mom. So, when I told you I didn't really have family, I meant it."

"I am sorry, Danielle. It is wrong that they made you feel this way. A child is a gift. You are a gift."

She squints up at me, as though she does not quite believe the words I'm saying, and I twist a lock of her hair around my finger.

"It is alright if you are not used to that idea. That you are precious, and worthy, and lovely. I will work to prove it to you every day, whether you believe it or not." The words come out soft, and I mean every bit of them. Danielle bites her lip and looks down, to where two little birds sit, watching her, probably used to catching crumbs from townsfolk sitting and eating near the musical fountain.

"Why do you fear the dark?" I finally ask, curiosity getting the better of me. It seems she and I have that in common.

We could have everything in common.

She makes a strangled noise in her throat. "I'm not afraid afraid of it. I don't like it. I don't know. It always feels… wrong."

Worry prickles the back of my neck, but I push it down. Surely not. Surely, they are not her realm, too.

"There you are," a voice calls out, and Danielle and I both jerk our heads up, looking for the source. A woman dressed in purple stands beneath the koa tree. Fabric pools around her, her milk-white hair falling pin-straight to her waist. We were so engrossed in our conversation that we did not even mark her presence.

But now? The woman commands it. I swallow, the worry intensifying.

"Dabin of House Capricorn, you would do me a great honor to let me read the woman sitting next to you."

Danielle turns her face back to mine, eyes shining with curiosity. "Is she a fortune teller?"

"Something like that."

"Nothing like that at all, I think," the woman retorts. She tosses her hair, the wrinkles of her face increasing as she smiles softly at my mate. "You may call me Cygni."

"What do you want, Cygni?" I ask, irritated both at being interrupted and her tone. I know of this woman, have heard tale of her from time to time.

"Like I said, I simply want a moment alone with the woman. What is your name, child?"

"Danielle," she says, standing so she can more thoroughly inspect Cygni.

As for Cygni, she walks slowly, regally, across the green lawn, scattering the multi-hued birds as she walks. "Danielle. Not a Starbound name, then, hmm? That's alright, doesn't change a thing."

"Are you going to use cards?" Danielle doesn't seem perturbed at all, so I force myself to relax. No, she's curious as always, grinning at Cygni.

"Is that what they use on Earth?" Cygni stops in front of Danielle, releasing her skirts.

Danielle just stares.

"Yes child, I know where you're from. Here, this won't take long. Hold out your hands."

Danielle obeys, and I stand behind her, concern and misgivings rustling for attention.

"Not like that." Cygni wrinkles her nose, tutting.

"You're not going to read my palms?"

"Why would I do that?" Cygni gives me a baffled look. "All the interesting things are in the weave of your knuckles and bones."

"Er…"

I place a hand on her waist. "If you do not wish to continue, Danielle, you do not have to."

She shrugs. "It's okay. I'm a scientist, I know what I believe in. Besides, when in Rome. Or Vraya. Or Kirdiff? Whatever." She turns her hands over, and Cygni immediately hovers hers above Danielle's.

My mate gasps, and I tighten my grip on her waist. White light pours from Cygni's hands, her white hair glowing brighter as she works.

Finally, her hands fall away from Danielle's.

"Fascinating," she says. "Simply fascinating."

"What does that mean?" My mate, though she seemed shocked initially, has recovered admirably.

"It means, my dear Danielle, that you are an agent of change."

"Oh. Well, that doesn't really tell me anything, seeing as how I'm here, aren't I?"

Cygni tuts, casting me an amused look. "Indeed. But that is not what I meant. You have a grave choice to make. Either way, you will usher in change for this world." Cygni raises her gaze to meet mine. "You should not hold too tightly to that which wants to flow through your fingers. Being true will shine a light on your path. What remains to be seen, however, is your choice."

"That's it?" Danielle sounds faintly annoyed. Her hip juts out, and she presses a hand to her hip. "Thanks, I guess."

"No, thank you, Danielle of the stars. Dabin, do see that you treat her well, hmm?"

A low growl splits through my throat. As though I would do anything but treat her well. But Cygni just laughs, and, gathering her skirts, slowly walks away.

"That was weird, right?" Danielle rubs the back of her head. "It felt… odd. Like static electricity. Is it a trick?"

"Probably not, though it could be." I scowl after the old woman's retreating form. "House Cygnus always had both a flair for the dramatic and a penchant for oracular prophecy."

"Please don't tell me that was a prophecy."

I laugh at her utterly annoyed tone, pulling her close into my chest. "No, my Danielle. She has not told you anything you did not already know. You have a choice. That choice will affect us here. We knew that already."

But I bite the insides of my cheeks, wondering if perhaps Cygni's warning was meant for me. If perhaps I, by refusing to tell Danielle the truth of mating —that it would bind her here, to me and my world— am dooming my chance at happiness. At the family I've desperately wanted for so long.

And maybe even more.

As if she can hear my thoughts, Danielle steps out of my embrace. My arms fall to my sides, aching for the loss of her.

Her pretty face is pensive, her full lips drawn down into a pout.

"What is it?"

"I think it's high time you give me those answers you promised."

"You're right," I hear myself say. "Let us find Kaus and Castor now."

The moons are rising, and the noise of the crowd has waned. It is time to seek shelter, in any case.

Better that than be out past dark in Kirdiff.