Back with Part 12, and a note.
Behind the scenes, I've been continuously working on this story to make things clearer and build a stronger foundation for what's to come, but with Part 12 today, the posts have caught up with my edits. I'll do my best to stay ahead of the curve and keep bringing you fresh content each week, but it's possible I may need a hiatus or two to engage in a bit more polishing.
If you're just discovering the story for the first time today, you can read everything posted to date at this link:
For those who are reading each new segment as it's posted, here's the lead up from last week, followed by Part 12.
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His head swiveled her way. He
didn’t answer for a time, and when he finally spoke, she thought his words were
carefully chosen. “Our civilizations share a vital bond, Jinn. They need each
other. They rely on each other.” He looked into her eyes. “As I hope we
might…one day.”
She was all too aware of his
closeness and the heat of his body—his fascinating body—to let the conversation
drift into the topic of their pairing. Yes, she was attracted to him. Yes, she admired him. But their time
together had been short. She had only just arrived and there was still so much
to consider.
Shouts from the Boggy Ball game
carried on the soft breeze into their quiet cove. “Tardem must be losing badly
to make such a protest,” Trey jested, as if reading her discomfort and trying to put
her more at ease.
Jinn laughed quietly and nodded.
Then, shyly, she met his eyes. “I didn’t expect to like you so much, Trey,” she
confessed. “I was frightened by my father’s announcement that a Perling had bid
for my hand. I thought you were an alien who would reject me on sight. I never
dreamed we’d be so alike.”
His gaze locked on her face, his
eyes an even more intense shade of blue. “Nor did I.” He leaned closer and,
panicking, Jinn placed her hand to his chest.
“But I fear what a future together
might bring,” she choked, the burn of unshed tears stinging her eyes.
His look of confusion made her
heart ache. “Explain your fear.”
“You are The Shell, I am The Star.”
She held up her hand to reveal the star tattooed on her palm. “Neither of us
would be at home in the other’s realm, and if we mate, what of our children?
They would be caught between two worlds. And what if they are like us?”
“Would that be such a terrible
fate…to be like us?”
“I only meant that they wouldn’t be
accepted by either realm.”
He looked down, his crestfallen
eyes fixing on the shimmering surface of the ocean. “Have you already made your
decision then, Jinn?”
“I am so…uncertain,” she admitted,
heaving a sigh.
“What if I could show you a future
you never imagined?” Trey whispered. “Would you stay then, Jinn? Even another
day?”
The tides of emotion ran deep in
his earnest gaze. It would be so easy to fall into them and be swept away…into
his world, into his life. But there was still so much to consider. So much to
fear.
“I’ll stay,” she said quietly.
“Another day. Maybe two. I can’t stay any longer. My bubble must be recharged.”
“I’ll gladly take one more day.”
Another of his smiles was all she needed to know she’d made the right choice. Unassuming
and generous, it lifted her spirits. No male had ever shown her such regard,
and being the center of his attentions was something she wanted to savor.
At least for the present.
***
“I
never dreamed we’d be so alike.”
Her affirmation had given him new
hope. New purpose.
As the Imperator’s son, he’d always
accepted that pairing would be his duty and his requirement—and he’d honor his
bondmate, even if love was never shared between them. When the time came, he’d
feared he’d have to give up his secret hopes and visions. He’d be forced to
abandon Trey’s Garden for a life of responsibilities, obligations and
child-rearing with a Perling mate.
But from that first moment Jinn
Amalla had revealed herself inside her envirosphere, he saw the possibilities
of a very different future. One he never dared imagine…before that moment.
And as they’d spent time together,
he realized his heart was becoming as engaged as his mind in this possible
future.
He’d never met another like Jinn
Amalla. Outwardly timid, and yet hiding a daring soul who found the courage to
take chances. Kept uninformed and ignorant by the culture of her people, but
open and bright and accepting of startling new knowledge. Appreciative and at
times even fascinated with a world that must be so completely alien to her.
These were the qualities he saw in
her, that he needed to see in her.
He’d never before desired a female
this way, not that he had much knowledge of courtship or mating pursuits.
Oh, to be sure, he’d had close
female friends. He and Eldelza had spent much time together with long talks
about his brother, and his brother’s perplexing ways. With his older sibling,
it was all about games and idle past times and foolish pleasures. Tardem
offered only push-back on any suggestion he should begin to assume his
responsibilities, and only silence when his father hinted that it was time he
take a bondmate and begin to act with the dignity of a highborn heir who might
one day rule Fourth City. Eldelza adored Tardem, but if Tardem cared for her in
return, he never let on.
But in spite of his close ties to
Eldelza, she’d never made Trey’s heart pound like it did when Jinn was near.
And that was all for the good. Wasn’t it?
Perhaps if his courtship with Jinn
blossomed into the love he craved so deeply, perhaps if she accepted his formal
bid, the future would be theirs in ways no one, not even Jinn, realized.
Somehow he needed to share his
dream with her. He need only bide his time until the right moment presented
itself.
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As the story has alluded all along, Trey has a very big secret--one that is, for the time being, unimaginable to Jinn.
But even with her cultural immersion in his world, there are things Jinn can't know about the Shell that are going to make for some rough waters, and bitter misunderstandings, ahead. More on that in future posts.
Thanks for following the story. :)
Have a great week!
Looking forward to mire of the story!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathy. :)
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