That’s the cycle of it – the purpose of our species. There’s no greater honor to an Aurelian than to have a biological heir. Every Elite of our society would trade their status in a heartbeat for the chance at their Fated Mate.
I ache for another chance to release myself into Tasha and impregnate her. I can feel her aura on the ship, and that nearness calms me. As long as I have her, I have everything.
I can tell Tasha thinks I’m not as smart as the other two Aurelians of my triad. It doesn’t bother me. I don’t waste my time on useless thoughts when my talents lie elsewhere. With the power of the Bond, our lives and business will become more than just a protection company – working to keep private miners safe. Iunia and Aelon will have big ideas for us. I’ll follow, and I’ll make sure everyone is safe.
As long as I can keep her safe and secure, that’s all that matters to me.
I grunt as I rep out the final push. I’ve done thirty repetitions at a weight I would have been trapped beneath just this morning.
Will my natural-born sons have this gift? I imagine teaching my sons how to wrestle. How to fight. How to kill. How to protect those who are weak – and how to make an honest living out of the violence of the universe.
They’ll be strong – perhaps even stronger than me. Aurelians born of a human mother are more powerful than those born in the cryo-chambers, that’s for sure. My sons will be rulers – generals, captains, and commanders. They’ll forge their legacies across the universe.
Legacies of blood and fire as we claim what is ours.
I roar as I slam the weights back into the rack and finally stand. Even after all that, I’m still not satisfied. I’ve still got all this energy boiling up inside my body – energy that demands a response. I rush to the punching bag and slam my fist into it.
The bag rips apart under my punch, breaking from the chain and slamming against the wall. My eyes widen. That was only a half-powered punch, and it was powerful enough to have crushed the armor of a Scorp like a pork rind.
I’ll be formidable on the battlefield – but that won’t give me the satisfaction I seek. I’ll only have relief when I’m back inside of her.
I can’t lose her.
If I have to tie Tasha up – put her in chains, and lock her in a pleasure room – we shall. I can’t lose her. I ache to go to her now, but she needed to be alone. I have to respect that...
…I cannot lose everything to the Bond.
But I relish in her aura. Tasha is so fresh – so clean. She has stress weighing on her – I can tell that through our Bond – and I want to take it from her. I want to rub her sore muscles and relax her. I want Tasha to know nothing but safety and protection for the rest of her life.
With my triad defending her, she’ll never have to run again. She’s struggled her whole life. I can feel her resolution and her determination and I want to sooth it. Tasha is a fighter – a survivor – and I’m so proud to call her my Fated Mate.
The image of Tasha tied up in a pleasure room is tempting…
…but it cannot be.
Tying her up and keeping her by force would only make a woman like Tasha crave escape all the more. She’s a wild one, that Tasha – and she’s been roaming the universe for years on her own, as the captain of her own ship. She might crave the submission of our frenzied mating, but nothing can change her nature as a born leader.
I grin to myself. Humans are so… brief. A normal human woman comes and goes in the blink of an eye. They aren’t worth getting to know better. It’s just a recipe for pain and heartbreak if you allow a human to mean anything to you.
But Tasha is different. I’ll now be able to learn who she really is over thousands of years. We’ll grow closer together with each year we spend together, as we nurture the Bond over our family – creating new life and saving the future of my ancient race.
She is salvation.
The rage that lurks in me has lost its edge. I still ache for the cleansing of combat, but fighting can no longer compare to the peace I felt when I was inside of Tasha. Finally, the world made perfect sense – only as I claimed my Fated Mate.
I stretch, enjoying my new-found strength, feeling it surge through my enhanced body – ready for anything.
If those Toads come back…
…well, they’re not just dealing with Aurelians any longer. They’re dealing with Bonded Aurelians. We’ll do anything to protect our Fated Mate.
And that’s when a worry suddenly lurks at the back of mind.
I want to keep Tasha safe – and battle is the furthest place from safety. Certainly, we’ve never lost a battle before – not under Aelon’s command – but as much as I like killing Toads, one unlucky shot from their firepower could hit our shields at just the right position…
If they found some weak spot, right above where Tasha was stationed…
Gods!
I’ve never been worried before. If I’d died in a battle, I’d die. That’s karma – that’s fate. Now, however, I feel an uneasy tendril of fear – one like I’ve never experienced before.
I don’t want to lose her.
But could Tasha respect a man who turns from a fight?
10
Tasha
The feeling of their auras going farther and further away wakes me up.
Two of my Aurelians, Iunia and Vinicus, are now leaving The Instigator – descending to the surface of Tarrion, the green giant below.
There, they’ll set up anti-air batteries and wait in ambush for the coming attack…
…wait a second.
My Aurelians?
I
