Page 84 of Taken to Heimo

“It was,” he breathes into my hair. “It is the day you became mine. Truly mine.”

I breathe in his scent. Sugar and heat. Like caramel roasting over a fire. “Our wedding day.”

He tenses when I say that. “I still can’t believe it.”

“Verax. That you’re married to a humanandbaptized to the Tri-God? That was your idea, mind you. I was perfectly finenotgetting married in the Tri-God center for worship…”

“Nox. Nox…” He tilts my chin up to his and I let him kiss me as much as he wants. “Of course not. Just that I get to call you mywhiff. I like this word. There is something…bloodthirsty about it.”

“Wife.”

“That’s what I said.”

I wrap my arms around his neck. “I am not so bloodthirsty.”

“That’s not what I saw. When we found Mathilda, you had her exiled to Kor.”

I wince at that. “It was better than killing her.”

“She’ll be eaten alive there.” He speaks with glee.

I poke his shoulder — his left shoulder, since the scar on his right shoulder still looks like painful. “You shouldn’t be so happy about that.”

“I’m xoking thrilled,” he says and though it isn’t exactly within the teachings of the Tri-God…

Who the xok cares?

The Tri-God is forgiving.

“You are a glutton for punishment.”

“Of course I am. And Mathilda deserves worse for what she did to you and the other females.”

“And what she did to Deena.” I wince, wondering where Deena is. If she made it out of the clutches of the Niahhorru. If she’s safe.

Krisxox swears to me that she’s a smart female and that they’ve sent word to all far reaches of all quadrants to remain alerted for her presence, but so far…nothing. I just hope, if she didn’t return here, that she took the coordinates I sent her and found the other humans. They will take care of her. I know they will.

“Return to me, mywhiff.”

“Wife.”

“And I am yourhuzzbend.”

I grin and laugh all over again. “Hexa, you’re my husband.”

“Say it again.”

“Husband.”

“Huzzbend.”

“Exactly right.”

He smirks at that and runs his hand up the back of my dress. White with long sleeves and a train that is already red and brown from the spans of dancing we did.

Miari and Kiki organized almost everything and everything went so beautifully, I’d do it all again if I could. Hundreds were in attendance, transported in from all of the planets of Quadrant Four.

“I loved confessing my vows to you this solar.”

He smiles down at me, ridges turning slightly yellow in sheepishness. “Hexa.” He licks his lips. “I liked that part.”

“I liked when you talked about love. About heimo. It is a perfect name for this place.”

“I told you, I’m always right.” I elbow him in the stomach and he laughs.

I grin. “I just can’t believe we made it back here.” I look out over the sands, the huge pavilion where people are still dancing, Voraxian, human and Drakesh. “And now we’re back where we started.”

“Nox, my Xiveri,” Anand says, sliding his palm over my stomach where two little hearts of our coming twins beat. “I don’t think we are.”

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