“It’s not my thing, but the two men part is not what I find unsettling.”
“Then what is it?” she asked.
“Well, I don’t know him that well, but that human seemed to be a really decent male to me. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t kill him when I thought he was going to bond to you. I also thought killing him would hurt you, and I didn’t want you to hurt,” he added when she gave him a questioning look. “Anyway, the human seems to be a respectable male, but your brother is…he’s so…”
“You’re trying to find a word to describe my brother that won’t offend me, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“And you can’t find one, can you?”
Dykan sighed. “No, I can’t.”
Kat laughed. “That’s so sweet, but unnecessary. Whether you like it or not, now that we’re bonded, he’s your brother too. You’re allowed to call him a doofus now.”
“I was thinking of another word, but doofus it is. I don’t understand what that human sees in your brother.”
“The heart wants what the heart wants. In a few hours, Lirid will no longer be my problem. And I wish Lucas the best of luck with educating my brother. He’ll need it,” Kat whispered, cupping Dykan’s neck and pulling his head toward her. “Just tell me, and be honest, do you regret bonding to me now that you know I wasn’t supposed to join with Lucas?” She tried to sound casual, but she felt anxious. What if he had regrets? She would die.
“No,” he said without hesitation, pulling her even closer to him. “You are mine, Kitten, and I want everyone to know it. I’m never going to let you go, and I’ll show you every day how much I cherish you.”
Relieved, she planted her lips on his mouth for a smoldering kiss. After what seemed like forever, she pulled back.
“My family expects me to attend the joining ceremony,” she panted. “If I’m not there, they’re going to cancel it. So you’d better get me there in time, Makaen, or you’ll never hear the end of it. And my brother can hold a grudge forever.”
Kat squealed when Dykan, still holding her in his arms, leaped to the intercom on the wall and slammed his hand against it.
“Crew,” he called out loudly, gazing into her eyes, “set course for Cassidiri. Full speed. And put on your best clothes. We are invited to a joining ceremony.”
“Um…is everything alright, Captain?” Selvin asked through the intercom.
“Oh, yes, I almost forgot.” Dykan kissed her markings. “We have reason to celebrate. I just got bonded.”
Kat heard cheering through the intercom and she laughed, a flush crossing her cheeks.
“So, I guess we have your crew’s blessing.”
Dykan lifted his head. “We certainly do,” he whispered. “How long before we reach Cassidiri?” he asked louder.
“You have some time,” Selvin responded.
“Great. Let me know when we approach the planet.” The he slammed his hand on the panel once more to turn the intercom off.
“Now, Lady Bakan, why don’t I use the time to show you how much I cherish you?”
“And I will do the same,” Kat breathed before she pressed her lips against his for the most toe-curling kiss ever.
Epilogue
A small blond human opened the door, with a huge Makaen standing right behind her. His dark features and glowing eyes reminded Kat so much of Dykan. This must be his brother, Kealen, she assumed. Like Kat, the woman was wearing a purple dress, the color of the house of Bakan. Dykan had explained to her that all houses had their own color, and he had asked her to wear a purple dress tonight, as was the tradition for attending celebrations. At first, she was afraid the dress would clash with her red hair, but in the end that particular shade worked perfectly, matching the color of her eyes.
“Dykan? Kat?” the woman asked, smiling from ear to ear, her gaze swiveling back and forth between the two of them.
“Yes.” Kat nodded. “That’s us.”
“Brother!” she exclaimed before leaping up and throwing her arms around Dykan’s neck.
Clearly uneasy about this situation, Dykan bent forward as far as he could and held up his arms in the air, doing his best not to touch her more than he already did. With a helpless expression, he gazed over to Kat, who did her best not to burst out in laughter. He looked so funny.
“Is this a human thing?” he asked Kat.
“Well, not really,” the other Makaen grunted, also not sounding very happy. “It’s more like a Sarah thing. I’m still not used to it, though. Could you let go of our brother now, Sarah? He and our new sister would like to come in.”
“Yes, of course.” Sarah let go of Dykan and stepped back. “Welcome to our home,” she said as Kat and Dykan entered the house. Sarah closed the door behind them.
“I’m Dykan’s brother, Kealen, and this extremely enthusiastic human is my bonded, Sarah.” Kealen bowed to Kat. “Welcome to our family, sister.”
Kat bowed back. “Thank you. I’m so happy to finally meet Dykan’s family.”
“I’m so glad you were able to make it,” Sarah said, giving Kat a warm embrace. “The Divine Light celebration is a family festivity, and the brothers should be celebrating together. Noan will be here soon. Come, I’ll make this as quick and painless as possible. Like ripping off a Band-Aid.”
Kat wondered what Sarah meant as she followed her into what turned out to be the living room. It was filled with people: humans and Makaen. Music was playing in the background. Pop music, Kat concluded. That was definitely Sarah’s doing.
“Attention, everyone,” Sarah called out, clapping her hands. “Dykan and his wife, Kat, have arrived.”
All the conversations stopped and heads turned their way, staring at them with interest. Kat smiled awkwardly and waved.
“Hey, everyone,” she murmured. Next to her, Dykan bowed but remained quiet.
“Okay, that’s enough gawking,” Sarah said. “Everyone back to your conversations. Kat and Dykan are going to be here all day. You can talk to them later.” Then she turned to Kat.
“The human ambassador on Cassidiri has told me so much about you, it feels like I know you already. You’re half-human, right? Go humans!” She fist bumped the air. “So, how did the two of you meet? The ambassador was quite vague about that.”
Kat licked her lips. “Um…well, the short version is that my brother, my cousin and I were stranded on a space station and we snuck aboard Dykan’s ship to get away from there.”
“And then I found them hidden away in the cargo hold,” Dykan continued.
Sarah gasped. “Ow, the cargo hold. Kealen, do you remember the time we spent in your ship’s cargo hold?”
Kealen’s eyes flickered, looking down at his wife. “Yes, I do. Wonderful memories indeed.”
For a moment they stared at each other intensely, then Sarah looked back at Kat.
“Sorry. Please go on with your story,” Sarah urged.
“Okay, so Dykan found us.”
“I threatened to throw them out of an airlock but then Kat offered sex and I changed my mind,” Dykan said.