“Are my mates comfortable?” I ask, especially concerned for Sutton. He took my knot as well as an omega, but he is in an untested position, being locked in place from both sides.
“I’m great,” Layla answers, reaching out to touch my arm, wrapping it around Sutton to hold him up, then touching Sutton’s cheek.
Sutton leans into Layla’s touch. “Yeah. It’s a lot… intense. But I’m good.”
My knot does not last as long with Sutton, and I ease out of him as he also slips out of Layla.
Sutton and I both collapse on the table, and Layla crawls over Sutton to wedge herself between us.
“Next time, I want to be the jelly in this sandwich.” She giggles, and Sutton and I both turn to wrap an arm around her.
“This is incredible. I believed we’d get here, but I never thought it would be this fast,” Sutton says.
“You were right. We just needed to trust our instincts.” I grip Sutton’s bicep to show my appreciation.
“And each other,” Layla adds.
“I can honestly say that, even without the bond, there’s no one else in the universe I trust more than the two of you,” Sutton says.
“Same. It wasn’t always easy, but it was totally worth it,” Layla says. “I love you both so much.”
“We may have left everything behind to be together. But I would have gone back and burned it all down if that is what it took to find forever with you,” I say through the bond.
“I’d have been right there with you,” Sutton says.
Layla smiles and closes her eyes. “Now, we’ll never have to be apart again.”
Chapter 43
Layla
Icouldn’tgetbacktosleep after we bonded, and even if Zayd and Sutton had wanted to, I kept them awake, testing it. My favorite thing to do is sneak up on them. Empty my mind completely, until I feel them wondering where I went, then shout, “Boo!” When I felt the panic that Zayd sent down the bond, I stopped. He doesn’t mind the game, but it scared the shit out of him when he couldn’t hear me. The bond is unbreakable by anything but death. After the trials of the bond not working, Zayd is still afraid of something going wrong with it. Hopefully, over time, that fear will fade, and we can play again.
Sutton, on the other hand, is struggling with not being alone with his feelings anymore. We can’t read each other’s minds, but we can read each other’s energy and mood. Like I could feel Zayd’s fear. So could Sutton, and it sent him running from the other side of the ship, full of rage, ready to fight whatever was scaring Zayd.
The embarrassment Sutton sent us was too much for him to handle, and the shame that followed… Poor guy is going to need some time to adjust.
So, no more games, for now.
We’re going to take it as slow as we can. Because not only do we have to adjust to the bond and our new relationship, but also, living on a new planet.
“Is that it?” I ask Zayd, standing between him and Sutton, sitting at the console in the cockpit.
“Tilopria,” Zayd says.
“It’s beautiful.” My eyes widen, taking in the large, ringed planet, even more blue than Earth.
“We should reach atmos in about an hour,” Zayd says.
“I’ll go pack up our stuff,” I say, excited that our time in space is coming to an end. I don’t mind space travel. Thankful it doesn’t have the sickening effect on me that it does on Sutton. But I miss the feel of solid ground under my feet. And I can’t wait to smell the ocean air. Something I never got to do on Earth.
“I’ll help you strap things down,” Sutton says, following me out.
“Isn’t it crazy?” I ask Sutton while I stuff my clothes in my duffel bag. “When we land on Tilopria, we’ll be the aliens to them.”
“Yeah.” Sutton grabs his duffel and starts shoving his things inside. “But they’re used to seeing aliens from all over the universe. I doubt they’ll be freaked out like we were when Zayd’s people showed up on Earth.”
“Probably won’t feel much different for us, then. Maybe it will feel just like home…” I’m excited—happy even, but as we talk about it, my anxiety creeps in.
