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Chapter Sixteen

G race

I wake the next morning feeling like a happy cat lying in its favorite sunbeam—warm and relaxed and carefree. Last night was amazing. It strikes me that if sex is that mind-altering when we’re just beginners, in the future it’s going to be transcendent.

What a transformation we’ve both experienced over the last few months. I’ve gone from timid barista on Earth to battle-scarred warrior in space. I’m so much stronger now. I handled everything that came my way on Emirus, and I did it like a boss. I can still be Grace of quiet words and demure dresses, but I’m going to ask for what I want and say no when I need to.

I’ll play my music whenever and wherever I want. I might learn how to fight in the ludus or man the laser torpedos from the bridge. I can enjoy my feminine side, and be hard as nails. I like me just the way I am and I can create an even better me in the coming days.

And Tyree. He’s grown to be a badass in his own right. He didn’t just grow a hundred pounds of gorgeous muscle, he’s become masculine in his thinking and desires and actions. His body’s strong, and he’s self-assured enough to be proud of exactly who he is.

He knows what he wants, and that’s to love me and protect me and make me feel good not just in my body but in my soul. He calls us truemates. I call it love. No matter the name, we want the same thing—the rest of our lives together, roaming this galaxy in a lifetime of adventure.

The End