AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Now you can be our aunt!” Saya declared happily.
My heart swelled watching Vanessa laugh and hug them close.
That night we feasted under the stars in honor of Vanessa joining our family. Spirits soared high as we toasted a future that suddenly seemed brighter than I could have imagined just days before. Glancing around the table at the people I loved most, I knew I was truly blessed.
In the following days, Vanessa threw herself into settling into life on Orkaris. Never one to do things halfway, she enrolled in intensive classes at the university to become certified in Orkarian law.
“I want to build a career here, contribute something meaningful,” she told me. I admired her drive and determination. Vanessa was a force to be reckoned with when she set her clever mind to something.
I helped quiz her on arcane legal principles while she studied. Orkarian jurisprudence had evolved over millennia and could be quite complex. We sat together nightly at the table, heads bent over dusty tomes. Vanessa’s brow would furrow adorably when focused.
“Remind me again about trial by combat?” she asked one evening.
“Ah, yes, an ancient rite. The accused can challenge the accuser to ritual combat to determine guilt or innocence,” I explained.
She chewed her lip thoughtfully. The innocent gesture shouldn’t have affected me so, but I found myself mesmerized. A familiar heat rose inside me.
Vanessa’s next question died on her lips as she noticed the intensity of my gaze. “Zorak? Did you hear me?”
“My apologies, I was...distracted,” I admitted. Unable to resist, I reached out and ran a thumb over her mouth, tracing the soft fullness I longed to kiss. Her lips parted temptingly.
Vanessa’s breath caught. “Well, perhaps I could use a break from studying anyway,” she murmured, green eyes darkening. That was all the encouragement I needed.
I swept the books aside and lifted her onto the table in one smooth motion. She welcomed me eagerly between her thighs as our mouths crashed together. I drank in her sweetness like the parched earth takes rain. Soon clothes were discarded, and we moved together in blissful harmony beneath Orkaris’ moons.
Afterward, holding Vanessa’s sated, sleeping form against me, I marveled again at the remarkable gift I’d been given. Never did I imagine my star-crossed soulmate would choose to make a life here with me. But her generous heart had surprised me once more.
I knew challenges still lay ahead. Cultural differences had already caused misunderstandings between us.
The next morning I was reluctant to leave the warm cocoon of Vanessa’s embrace. But duty called - I was needed at important meetings. Vanessa nuzzled against my chest, equally unwilling to rise.
“Do you really have to go so early?” she murmured drowsily.
I pressed a kiss to her tousled hair. “I fear I must. But I shall return this evening and devote myself fully to you.”
She sighed but released me. I dressed swiftly, stealing glances at her lovely form burrowed into the blankets. “Get some rest, my heart,” I told her. “You have been working yourself too hard.”
Vanessa wrinkled her nose at me playfully. “Yes, sir,” she retorted, making me chuckle. Even first thing in the morning, she was adorable.
The day passed slowly without Vanessa’s presence to brighten my tasks. I found myself constantly glancing at the suns, willing them to set faster. When I returned home, she was waiting and threw her arms around me joyfully.
“I’ve missed you,” she declared, raining kisses over my face. My weariness vanished, replaced by a surge of desire at her enthusiastic welcome.
I swept her up and carried her to bed, our joining filled with playful passion that left us both pleasurably exhausted. We lay quietly afterward, limbs entwined, simply relishing being together.
“Zorak?” Vanessa eventually broke the comfortable silence. “I’ve been thinking about the future...” She propped herself up to meet my gaze. “I love you so much.”
I considered it carefully. “I suppose I always envisioned that we might someday bond as life mates. But only if that is what you wish.”
Vanessa’s eyes softened. She took my hand, threading our fingers together. “It is,” she said sincerely. “I can’t imagine anyone I’d rather spend my life with than you.”
My breath caught at the promise in her words - the future I had hardly dared fantasize now shimmered temptingly within reach. “You would take me as your mate?” I asked in hushed awe.
In answer, she pulled me into a deep, searching kiss, pouring her heart into it until my own overflowed with dizzying happiness. We had journeyed so far to find each other. Now our souls could unite as fate always intended.
“Nothing would make me prouder than for you to be my wife,” I murmured against her lips. Vanessa hugged me tightly, joyful tears glistening in her emerald eyes.
As we drifted off to sleep still wrapped in each other’s arms, I gave silent thanks to the moon goddess. My quest to reclaim Vanessa’s heart had carried me across the stars time and again. But she had been worth every parsec. Here, together on Orkaris, our true adventure was just beginning.
