These men were offering me freedom. Real freedom. The kind where I could walk away.
Which meant, for the first time in my life, I could also choose to stay.
"What if I don't want safe passage? What if I want to stay with you?"
Relief washed across all of their faces. It was so powerful that I swore I could feel it in my heart.
"Then we want to make sure you understand what you are choosing, because you aren't just choosing this life. You aren't just choosing one of us. You are choosing all of us," Torvyn said.
"Then I should be honest with all of you." My throat tightened. "I'm terrible at relationships. I've never let anyone in. Not really. I use my work as a foundation because it's the only thing I trust not to leave."
Lyrin took one of my hands. Vaelix took the other. They caressed my fingers and encouraged me to tell them my truth.
Tears spilled over. I didn't wipe them away.
"I'm good at temporary. I'm really good at temporary. But forever?" I shook my head. "I don't know how to do forever. What if the tether doesn't like me? What if I'm broken in some way I don't even understand yet? I mean, I'm so bad at forever that even my cat won't cuddle with me."
They all chuckled softly.
"The good news is, you don't need a cat anymore. We don't care how bad you are at relationships," Torvyn said.
My voice cracked. "The tether scares me because it sounds like it is forever. I have never been good at forever."
"The tether is a bridge," Torvyn said. "You choose how far you walk across it. And you can always walk back."
Vaelix squeezed my hand. "It connects you to us, to the Reach. But it doesn't trap you."
"It's biological. It doesn't need your acceptance. It forms when you and it are ready," Lyrin added gently.
"It isn't a cage, either. A bond, yes, but you are still free to love whomever you want. Zorathi culture does not have emotions like jealousy. Our love for each other is unconditional," Kaedren said.
"We are warriors, and we have survived much worse than uncertainty," Torvyn said. "You do not hurt or offend us by being afraid. Your fear does not make you weak. The only way to damage the tether and hurt us is by lying about how you truly feel."
They were offering me something I had never had—love, trust, partnership, freedom.
"I appreciate your honesty," I said, my hands shaking in theirs. "I'm not ready to join the tether. Not yet. I don't even know what that really means yet. But I do know this."
I locked eyes with each man. Torvyn's yellow eyes still held that hint of fear. Lyrin's hazel eyes were soft with understanding. Vaelix's grey eyes radiated hope. Kaedren's green eyes held nothing but pure, unconditional love.
"I'm staying with you." The words felt like stepping off a cliff. Everything I'd built—my reputation, my career, the perfectly controlled life I'd spent years constructing—gone. The corporations would never stop looking for me. Director Voss would never stop looking for me.
And somehow, I was okay with that.
"I am not taking safe passage anywhere. I am not running from these feelings. I want to figure out what this bond is. I need time to understand this and learn how to…how to love four people at the same time."
I took a deep breath and collected myself, wiping my eyes.
"I need all of you to be patient with me while I figure this out. Can you do that? Can you accept me choosing you, even if I'm not ready to fully accept the bond that comes with it? Is that enough for now?"
All four men visibly relaxed, their hands unclenching and breaths exhaling. All four of Kaedren's shoulders dropped. Broad smiles spread across all of their faces.
"It is enough. More than enough. You are enough," Torvyn said.
It was my turn to exhale.
"Where do we go from here?" I asked.
"First, we eat lunch," Lyrin said with a smile. "Then we go back to the ship and run a scan."
