The water is washing away the sweat and traces of my coupling with the three warriors, but the imprint of their being in my mind will never end.
Then, I feel a different emotion welling up inside of me.
Joy. Incomprehensible joy. It’s so pure that I laugh as the magnitude of the Bond sinks in.
I’m going to live for thousands of years!
The cold, skeleton grip of my own mortality lessens on my shoulders. I’d been so used to it – as all humans are – that I didn’t even feel it until now. Not until it’s relaxed its hold on me. The bony hand of death lets go – for now.
I’ll now have thousands of years to experience the universe – as long as I don’t get killed in a firefight or a freak accident. My entire life has always been about survival up until this point. All I’ve wanted was one big heist that would set me free from a life of constantly hustling and barely scraping by.
I thought the brazen theft of all those Orbs – while they were barely guarded in transfer – was going to be that heist. The profits from fencing those stolen Orbs would have financed a small fleet of transport ships. I could have gone legit – offering high-speed transportation of goods through the untamed sectors of space where I’ve made my home.
But now… Now, time is stretching out in front of me. I have so much time. I can travel the universe. I can build a business empire far more grand than the one I had planned.
I stare at my hands as the water washes down across them. Everything is clearer now. I can see all the minute lines on my skin in incredible detail – detail I couldn’t see just an hour earlier. For example, I spot a tiny scar I’d never noticed before – a mark I’d received when I was a kid, hurtling through the industrial sector with Sawoot like two little monkeys. Everything is suddenly in crisp, perfect focus. The water washing over me invigorates me.
Even my muscles feel stronger.
My body is tired and aching from the rough coupling, but as I put my hands down against the wet floor of the shower cubicle I can feel the strength coursing through them.
I flatten my palms across the wet plastic and push upwards. I’ve never been a gymnast – but even on the slippery, wet floor, I’m suddenly able to lift my entire body up with only my hands. My heart is pounding with exhilaration of my new-found mastery over gravity.
My muscles tense and flex as I push myself up higher – into a perfect handstand. The water courses down my body as I achieve a feat I’d never dreamed of even attempting before. My strength, balance and focus have become like superpowers.
I laugh, even as I hang upside down, enjoying the potential of my new body.
The Bond has demands. Oh, yes – it demands a heavy price…
…and yet, I sense it gives more than it takes. I’ve already reaped such great benefits. Are there more to be gained from each coupling? Will staying with the Aurelians open up even more incredible possibilities?
I descend from the handstand, jumping onto my feet and standing in the shower. I can still taste Iunia’s cum in my mouth. It tastes… right.
When I remember our coupling, my feet want to walk themselves back to Captain Aelon’s quarters – even while I’m wearing nothing more than a towel. Even sore, I know the Bond will turn all my pain into deep pleasure if I mate with them again. It’s only been one time, but it’s addictive – and I sense that every time I indulge in the Aurelians, I know I’ll be left craving them even more.
I’m drawn to Aelon. I’m drawn to all of them. Even though Aelon’s a cocky bastard, his confidence turns me on, whether I wanted to admit it or not. The Bond is enhancing that attraction – but I didn’t let myself like his arrogance. Now, I have no choice in the matter.
Likewise, I’m drawn to Vinicus’s brutal strength, and Iunia’s tempered steel mind, but I didn’t choose it.
I push those thoughts to the back of my mind. I need to learn how to control my new, enhanced desires and abilities if I’m ever going to escape the Aurelians and never look back.
Why not give them a shot? Why not stay with them?
It’s my own thought – not through the Bond. I can tell when something I think or feel is being artificially enhanced, and I can allow myself to feel it… or I can fight against it.
But that thought? About giving them a shot? That’s all Tasha.
“Water off,” I say, and the water instantly turns off. I grab a thick towel and dry myself. It’s sad that I won’t be able to give the Aurelians what they need. They want to keep me safe, yes – but they also view me as belonging to them because I’m Bonded to them.
They view our connection as proof that I am theirs. I’m not just a woman to them – I’m something sacred in their eyes.
As for me? Well, I won’t ever be able to love a man again – not with the three of them forever in my mind. Yet, despite everything drawing me to the three warriors, I can’t let them become the father of my children. Iunia is the only one I’d feel comfortable having as a role model for an impressionable child. Someone once told me that you should never choose a father for your children that you wouldn’t want your sons to grow up just like. It’s scary to think of my sons growing up to have a death wish like Vinicus, or a penchant for raw violence like Aelon.
How could I allow them to be like that?
How could I let Captain Aelon, with all his
