Chapter 25

Veda hardly remembered the trip home. Her body was tired, she felt weak, and she had only fuzzy memories of what had happened.

Of course, she recalled falling into the river. It seemed amazing to Veda that she had managed to survive her entire life without incident and then nearly died twice in a matter of forty-eight hours.

She recalled other moments, like Aldohr pumping her chest as she woke up. She didn't know how he knew CPR. Perhaps it resuscitated the Aterans as well, but she would have to thank him for saving her life.

And she remembered moments when Traze had her in his arms on Batair's back, cradling her as they leapt through the forest to return home to the Living Sands.

She awoke in the same bed she had been sleeping in previously, and Traze was nowhere to be found.

Veda was a little hurt by this. She felt abandoned by Traze. She had hoped once he had announced that she was his kode he would have dedicated himself to her. She had practically died! What did a girl have to do to get some attention?

She just wanted to see him. It had been a rough few days. Her body ached, her brain was fried, and she wanted to be held closely.

As if reading her mind, just seconds later Traze walked in. He seemed surprised to see her alert.

"Oh, you're awake. You haven't been all day."

"Where were you?" Veda asked, more emotionally than she had meant to. Her voice wavered, and she felt weak.

Traze was frightened by her yelling. "Veda, I am so sorry, I only left for a few minutes to speak to my warriors and seers. I left Batair with you here."

Veda looked down on the floor next to the bed to find Batair curled up. In her haze, she hadn't even noticed him. She felt some relief that he had been by her side all along and that Traze hadn't truly left her alone.

"Still, you can't leave me. I'm feeling vulnerable and weak and—"

Traze cut her off. "It will not happen again. I promise you this. I only wanted to announce to everyone that you are my kode, and I would be taking some time to tend to you while you heal."

Veda raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

Traze climbed onto the bed next to her, and Veda instinctively curled up in his arms.

"Veda, I have many regrets about not telling you that you were my kode sooner. I believed I was doing the right thing, but I see now it was all a mistake. You deserved to know the truth, and I should have trusted Eana's gift."

Veda sighed. "I don't really think I'm some great gift from Eana or anything…"

"But you are!" Traze argued. "Where would I be without you? For months, I have been struggling to discover what had gone wrong with the healing sands. I never would have figured it out if not for you. I see now why you are my kode. It is not just because I was meant to love you but because you were meant to help me lead the Living Sands."

Veda's eyes widened. "You really think I'm meant to lead the Aterans of the Living Sands with you?"

"Of course I do! Look at you. You already are. Because of you, the healing sands are already flowing as they used to. Because of you, we now know we can concentrate the sands and inject them directly safely. The Aterans of the Living Sands are already forever changed because of you, and everyone loves you for it."

Veda smiled, tears welling in her eyes.

"What is it, my kode? Why are you crying? Have I hurt you?"

"No, no, you definitely haven't. It's just… It's been so long since I felt appreciated. And now that I'm on Atera I feel loved by all the Aterans of the Living Sands. It's just really special to feel like I have a home."

"And you truly do. You have a home here with me, forever. Veda, I am so sorry if I made you feel unwanted. You were never a disappointment to me. I was enthralled with you from the first time I saw you. And I was a fool not to let those feelings show. I was holding back from you, but know that it took all the effort I had to do so. Every day I wanted to reach out to you. Every day I wanted to claim you."

"You did?" Veda bit her lip.

"Of course I did. You are my kode. And I love you as much as any Ateran loves his kode. No, in fact, I love you even more. No Ateran has ever loved anyone as much as I love you. I will never forgive myself for letting anything happen to you and I will never forgive myself for letting you believe that you weren't important to me. Because you are. In those moments when I nearly lost you, I felt as if I was losing everything. I did not care about being a warlord or my duty to the Living Sands. I realized I didn't even want to live without you."

Veda put both her hands on Traze's face. "Well, I forgive you. I do. So, please, forgive yourself. You did everything you could to protect me. I insisted that I go along on this expedition. My decisions got me in trouble."

"Speaking of which, I must insist that you never attend another expedition ever again," Traze said seriously.

Veda had to laugh. "I think I've gotten enough adventure for a lifetime. Now I just want to settle down… with you."

She kissed him softly, sweetly. His lips felt so good against her own, and she immediately felt a tingle down her spine.

When she pulled away, Traze looked at her expectantly.

"So you are ready now to be my kode for all of your days?" Traze asked.

"I'm very, very ready," Veda assured him.

Traze nodded. "Then we must make it official. I must claim you."

Veda chuckled a bit. "Uh, is saying it out loud not enough?"

"No, not officially. Only the physical act seals a kode to their mate."

"You mean like…sex?" Veda asked.

"Yes, exactly. But I understand you may not be ready for this. And that is fine. I will claim you whenever you are ready."

"No, uh, I think… I think I'm ready for that."

A small smile formed on Traze's face. "Really?"

Veda was more than ready. She had been craving Traze so much, and she wanted nothing more than to be with him physically. He was so sexy, and she was dying to know what he looked like under his sheath.

"How do you, uh, do it?" Veda asked as she stared at him.

"Well, first you will have to unsheathe me."

"Unsheathe you?" Veda did not like the sound of that.

Traze nodded. "You will cut the thin skin of my barrier, and then I will be released. At that point, I am free to claim you."

Veda had to take this in for a moment. "I have to physically cut you open in order to have sex?"

"Yes. Just one time. Then I am forever free, free to be yours, free to claim you any time I want."

Veda couldn't deny this was daunting.

But she was desperate for Traze—and not just for sex though she did want that too.

Her desire for him ran deeper, though. She didn't just want to have sex. She wanted to belong to him. And Traze was finally ready to do that, finally ready to accept her as his own and spend all of his days loving and protecting her.

And this was how they sealed the deal. So if Veda had to be a little bit uncomfortable in order to so, she would. Because as soon as they had sex, she would be his forever. She would finally belong to someone like she wanted to all her life.

It would all be worth it to finally know the love she had always craved.

Veda took a deep breath. "Let's do it."