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Then, they pull out as one – both Vinicus and Iunia. I collapse to the bed. I’m left sweaty, full of alien seed, and with three new auras burning vividly inside my mind.

No one had warned me this would happen. No one had told me the Bond has more facets than just the physical benefits. I can nowfeelthe lust these three warriors have for me.

Their possessiveness.

They think of me astheirs.

I roll onto my side on the bed, my body trembling. Iunia gently strokes my hair. His finger runs against my cheek. He’s so kind and gentle, despite his brutal appearance. He isn’t filled with the same anger and pain as his battle-brothers.

“I… I need to be alone,” I gasp out. I didn’t witness Vinicus’ eyes changing, but now I see that they did. They’ve transformed into a blue, like Aelon – but a darker, deeper blue; almost black. The color of them is primal and deep.

Part of me wants the aliens to stay. Part of me wants them to wrap me up in their arms and hold me tightly as I fall asleep.

But Sawoot told me to never fall in love with an Aurelian. Ihaveto get back control of my mind and senses.

Fortunately, there’s no argument from my sated lovers. Wordlessly, all three Aurelians move away from me and step towards the doorway, walking out. As they leave the room, I can’t help but watch their powerful bodies in motion. They’re shamelessly naked – there’s little embarrassment about nudity on board this ship – and I get to see how their tight buttocks and strong backs appear cut from stone.

Then, the door hisses shut. They’ve left me alone.

The huge room is suddenly empty – empty except for me and my thoughts, which fill it entirely.

I’m physically alone – but now my mind will never be completely solitary again. I have their auras, ever-present in my consciousness.

I flop back onto the bed. I can’t believe what I’ve just done.

I wanted to know if they were Bonded to me. I was curious, and I was greedy. I wanted thousands of years of life – and the universe had conspired to give it to me…

…but now, I realize that the Bond is more serious than I’d thought.

Out in the darkness of space? When you’re not being chased down by people who want to kill you? When you’re not in the middle of a life or death maneuver? At least then, you have time to think.

But when you think – out there in the cold loneliness of space – you realize just how empty everything feels. Even with my crew around me on board the Wayward Scythe, there were times when I couldn’t sleep just because of the empty, existential void of it all. In space, night and day merged into each other and blended into the meaningless stretches of time between jobs.

Now, I’ll never be alone again.

I’ll always be able to feel the arrogance of Aelon, the primal beastliness of Vinicus, and the haughty aloofness of Iunia. Their nature only dissipates when they fuck me. Between those encounters, they’ll be imprinted in my consciousness forever. There’s no going back.

And yet…

…Icanfeel them, but only vaguely. I couldn’t tell you if they were in the mess hall right now, or in Captain Aelon’s chambers. I feel them, but only as intangible entities inside my mind. We can share feelings – we can broadcast messages – but we can’t read each other’s thoughts.

And that means the escape plan that Theme, Sawoot and I came up with can still work.

“They won’t be able to catch me,” I speak out loud – since the room is so empty, but my head feels so occupied with their presence. “They’ll know roughly which direction I’m in – but not my exact location.”

But if I leave tomorrow – if I abandon the triad I’m Bonded to – it means the rest of my now-thousands of years of life will be spent running. Slowly, but surely, those three Aurelians will catch up to me.

Well, that’s okay. I’m used to running.

I pull myself out of bed and nearly fall as my legs give out from under me. I catch myself before I crash to the ground. My legs are trembling from the force of my orgasms. My body is sore, my jaw aching.

I never knew anything could feel this good, though. The elation of being seeded feels better than the relief you get from hydro-morphine when you’re healing up in a hospital. I feel freer than after guzzling a bottle of whisky. Sex with the Aurelians lets me turn off my mind as I submitted to them – and that was so liberating that it’s addictive.

I sigh. I realize now that my relationship with those three gorgeous, towering warriors is destined to be…

…complex.

I think of Captain Aelon – the man who dragged me into all this.