Page 36 of Rainse
And I had. That was the terrifying part.
One kiss and I was ready to upend my entire existence.
The bond hummed in my chest, a gentle pull telling me exactly where he was on the island. Two buildings away. Probably worrying about me. Probably waiting.
Was this love? Or just very sophisticated biochemistry?
I thought about my mother, who'd always said she knew my father was the one the moment she met him. "Just knew," she'd said, as if that explained everything.
I'd never believed in that. Love at first sight. Instant connections. Soulmates.
But I'd never met an alien before who talked about bonds and fated mates.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Same face. Same eyes. But something had changed. I looked... alive. More alive than I'd felt in years.
Was that the bond? Or was it him?
Did it matter?
The scientist in me screamed yes. Understanding the mechanism mattered. Knowing whether I was being influenced mattered. Having control over my own choices mattered.
But the woman who'd kissed him, who'd felt that surge of rightness, who right now wanted nothing more than to do it again... she didn't care about mechanisms.
She just wanted him.
I pressed my hand to my chest, feeling my own heartbeat. Steady. Sure.
I could leave. Contact the Minerva. Say this was all too much, too fast, too alien. Go back to my research and my papers and my carefully planned career.
Or I could stay. Take the DNA test. See if the bond was real. Give this—give him—a chance.
The pull in my chest strengthened, as if the bond itself was voting.
But that wasn't fair. The bond didn't get to decide. I did.
So what did I want?
I closed my eyes and let myself really feel it. Not the bond. Not the biology. Just... what my heart wanted when I stripped away all the fear and logic and doubt.
I wanted to learn his language. Hear him sing the currents. Wake up to greenskin wrapped around me like a living blanket. Argue with him about scientific method. Kiss him until we both forgot our own names.
I wanted him.
Not because of the bond. Because of who he was. Who we could be together.
The realization settled over me like calm water.
I opened my eyes and looked at my phone one more time. The Minerva could wait. The conference could wait. Everything could wait.
This—him—couldn't.
I stood up, smoothed down my borrowed clothes, and headed for the door.
Time to stop running from what I wanted.
I found him walking along the beach, guided to him by the bond.
“Wait!”
