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Gunnar nodded. “I don’t think we’ve really told you what it was like when you were taken. We’ve hinted at it. And we don’t want to burden you with it, but you should know it was like all of the light went out of the world. We saw that stupid note you obviously didn’t write, and we could breathe again. You weren’t dead, and you didn’t leave on your own. Someone took you, and we’re in the business of getting things back that go missing. We knew we could save you and bring you home. That is what you are, Raven. You make this place home by being in it.”
I didn’t try to stop the tears that flooded my eyes and dripped down my face. They were coming whether I tried to stop them or not. “Yes. Yes. I’ll marry you.”
They had made me a ring with four stones in it, which Crew slid on my finger, and then they were all kissing me. I could hardly breathe, but I loved the affection. There was nothing better than them in the whole universe.
“We could get married right now.” Ransom jumped around. “I mean…we could. Unless you want a dress and a whole party. We want what you want.”
Life was short, and I never knew what would come next. Did I want to wait for Amias and Stone? Sure. But I didn’t know when they would be awake, and I wanted our marriage solidified as soon as possible. I wanted it to be official.
“Let’s go get married.” I stopped. “Who’s going to do the ceremony?”
Crew grinned. “I thought maybe Gator could.”
“Why Gator?” The choice seemed sort of random to me.
“Because he’ll be really good at it, even though he has no idea he will.”
It sounded like as good of an idea as any.
* * *
Three weeks later….
“Is she…a prostitute?” a young man whispered to another one in our bar, and I glanced over to smile at Ransom. He still couldn’t stand it when people noticed the mark on my forehead. With eleven other women sporting the same look as me, I was hardly alone in people having those assumptions about me. But Ransom hated it, and I was sure the others didn’t care for it, either.
“No,” the other guy answered. “Not on this planet.”
With the lightning gone, more people came and went from the planet, doing various business or visiting friends and family. The influx of guests was great for the bar, but it meant strangers and their assumptions became part of our lives a lot. I walked over to kiss Ransom. “Go easy. I’ve got something to do.”
“You okay?” He kissed me back.
I was better than okay. I was happy. “Yes.”
With that, I left him and exited the bar. I’d probably have one of them tailing me by the time I got to Lydia’s, so they’d know where I went. Sure enough, by the time I rounded the corner, I heard Crew’s familiar whistle on the path behind me. I supposed I should consider their protectiveness invasive, except I’d just gotten kidnapped a few weeks ago. They were going to be a little overprotective for a while, and I didn’t mind it. If they were still worrying this much about me in three years, we’d discuss it.
I stepped inside of Lydia’s and looked for the privacy device. Lydia offered the use of the device to give her patients privacy in her office, and after some modifications by Wolf to increase the ease of use, she kept it out for anyone who might need it.
Wolf built things all the time lately, I thought, glancing at some new shelves on the doctor’s wall. Her brother sat on a couch and smiled when I entered. He was a nice kid, but I knew she’d love to do something about the sadness in his eyes.
He sat reading a book that would probably be too hard for me even in a year, but I was determined. Someday, I’d get there.
“Hey,” Lydia said, then patted the table in her med room and closed the door behind us. “What’s up?”
I pointed at my forehead. “Get them off me.”
Her smile fell, replaced by her professional expression. “Absolutely, if that’s what you want. We put them on you, so I can take them off easy-peasy. Five minutes in the med machine, and they’re gone.” She opened the lid. “Hop in.”
Five other machines buzzed in the room, two of which held people I loved. I’d be joining them for just a second, so I lay down in the machine. She hit a button to start the scan then shut off the machine. “Hold on. No med machine for you today.”
“Why not?” I stared at her, confused.
“You’re pregnant.”
We stared at each other as my brain tried to process her words. Finally, I found my voice. “Not possible.”
“Except it is.”
She clearly didn’t get it, so I explained. “Lydia, I was sterilized.”
