Both bots for the finale, harmonizing with disturbing enthusiasm:
“HERE’S TO POLLY AND HER RYNN, MATCHED BY FATE AND FIRE,
MAY HE ALWAYS MEET HER BRATTY WITH APPROPRIATE DESIRE!
THE PINK SLIP’S FLYING STEADY, THE VALORIAN STAR BURNS BRIGHT,
AND IF THE SHIP’S A-ROCKING—DON’T COME KNOCKING IN THE NIGHT!”
The song ends. Silence.
And then Henrok slams his fist on the table and roars with approval, and suddenly everyone is laughing and clapping and the Zaterran warriors are demanding an encore.
“I’m not paying for their repairs,” Mother announces to no one in particular, pouring herself more wine.
Rynn pulls me close, still shaking with laughter. “I think I love those bots.”
“I hate you.”
“Liar.”
He kisses my temple, and I feel his joy through the bond—uncomplicated, bright, entirely human in a way his formalfamily rarely allows. This chaos, this absurdity, is more us than any Valorian ceremony could ever be.
“Fine,” I mutter. “But I’m still dismantling them later.”
I escape to the balcony an hour later, needing air.
The celebration continues inside—louder now, the formal barriers finally breaking down as Valorian wine meets Zaterran enthusiasm. I can hear Ayla’s laugh rising above the noise, probably getting into trouble with one of the younger warriors.
The stars are bright here, away from station lights. I lean on the railing and breathe.
Married. I’mmarried. To an alien noble. With a permanent mating bond and a disapproving mother-in-law and a chaotic found family that has just serenaded us with the most inappropriate song in the history of the galaxy.
“Lady Valorian.”
I stiffen. Turn.
Lady Valorian stands in the balcony doorway, silhouetted against the light from within. Her expression is unreadable.
“Lady Valorian.” I try to match her formal tone. “I mean—that’s still you, right? I don’t actually know how the titles—”
“We are both Lady Valorian, now. Technically.” She steps onto the balcony, and the door closes behind her.
We stand in silence, and I try not to feel like prey waiting for the predator to strike.
“Your... companions,” she finally says. “Have interesting taste in entertainment.”
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea they would—”
“I wasn’t finished.”
I shut my mouth.
She moves to stand beside me at the railing, looking out at the stars rather than at me. Her profile is sharp, elegant, utterly controlled.
“The bond resonance during the ceremony,” she says quietly. “I’ve attended seventeen Valorian bonding ceremonies. I’ve never seen marks glow like that.”
I don’t know what to say. “Is that... bad?”
