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“Yes. Literally.”
“Nothing a five minute conversation wouldn’t have solved,” I told Keon before my siblings could think I’d gotten sucked into some weird island cult. “Hey, baby, I’m this weird not-religion and I believe if we fall in love without informed consent, I’m gonna drag your soul through the cosmos for eternity. I could have spared Auryn a whole lot of hand-wringing and being on Dad’s Shit List and just told himsounds good to me, I’m in. Let’s do it.”
Keon sighed. “Aurynshouldhave brought you back to meet all of us and instructed you on our ways before putting you in such a precarious eternal position as he did.”
Becka almost had to shove her fingers into her eyes to prevent them from rolling.
“So if you’re with someone who hasn’t consented to be in love with you, you believe you traverse through hell forever?” Emily asked.
Becka groaned.
“Something like that. Being with someone such that you fall in love, real love, without consent, is one of our highest crimes. Auryn was punished severely for it.”
“But you can’t help who you fall in love with,” Becka said. “Oh my god, I can’t believe I am saying that again, and this time forthisreason!”
“Weveryrarely… what’s the word I’m looking for, Helena.”
“Court,” I supplied.
“Yes, court. Very few of us actually leave the island, so we rarely interact with outsiders, and those of us who do are chosen for our ability to remain an appropriate emotional distance,” Keon explained. “So we either have very casual sexual partners, or very serious ones. If someone seems appealing, you avoid them. It’s verboten to have a serious partner without the partner knowing our beliefs, which we also do not discuss with outsiders casually.”
“So how common is outsider intermarriage?” Emily asked.
“Very rare. Helena is the only one right now. Why? Are you interested in an introduction?” Keon asked, a smile lurking on his lips. “I know a very clever woman who wouldlovean outsider spouse.”
“Oh man,” I said. “Could youimagineif we introduced my sister to Kira?”
Keon cracked a smile.
I sidled up to Emily. “I have a friend—my best friend, actually—whoreallywants to be with an outsider. She’ssosmart, and knowseverythingthere is to know about movies. She works in plant genetics. You shouldseewhat she’s done to strawberries!”
“We are very clever on our little postage stamp,” Keon said mildly.
Becka coughed.
I nudged my sister. “Eh? Eh?”
“Not interested. I mean, aside from hearing more about thismythosof theirs.”
Keon pulled out his phone and did some quick swiping, then handed it to Emily. “Here are some of the equations for how we interpret death.”
“Fuck, Keon, what are you doing?” I gasped.
“Hekon said I could, in the interest of seeding rapport.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“It’s fine, Helena. Optimism.”
Emily had to sit down.
“Em?” Becka asked.
Emily was too busy staring.
“I am going to kick Hekon’s ass if he let me borrow the jet because he wanted toseedrapport,” I growled at Keon.
“Then I guess you’re going to have to go kick Hekon’s ass. You know we don’t get a say in it.”
