"Because this is new for you. Remember, the four of us have been doing this our entire adult lives. You will be able to do it soon, as the bond grows stronger."
I looked at my hands, unsure of how to feel. Lyrin stood and walked to me.
"Come here, my sweet Doctor," he said, offering me a safe harbor.
I melted into him. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me against his chest until I couldn't tell where I ended and he began. The steady thrum of his heart beat against the side of my head, and my ownpulse slowed, synchronized. I breathed deep. Cedar flooded my senses. A warmth bloomed in my chest, then higher, a tickle of happiness and belonging brushing the edge of my mind.
"Are you feeling happy right now?" I asked.
"Very happy," he murmured.
"I think I feel it," I said.
Then I felt something else—something hard pressed against my hip. He pulled away sharply, clearing his throat.
"We should go to the bridge and share the news with the Captain and the others."
"Do we have to?" I purred, closing the distance he'd created.
He retreated another step, his cheeks flushing dark purple. "Kira, please." His voice roughened. "I can feel what you want. Gods, I feel it. But I cannot. This has nothing to do with desire—I must respect our culture and heritage. I'm asking you to do the same."
My eyes narrowed. "Vaelix said the same thing to me right after I arrived. I thought he wasn't interested. Are you telling me that you can't have—"
"No! We cannot. At least not until the bond is complete and the Tether is in place. It is forbidden," he said, his chest heaving. "The best thing we can do right now is go to the bridge and share this news."
"Fine. Take me to the bridge," I pouted.
"Thank you. One more request..."
"What?"
"Can you please think of anything else right now? Prime numbers? Research papers?" A muscle ticked in his jaw. "I'm afraid that if your emotions stay at these levels, they'll have an unexpected impact on the other Knights."
"We wouldn't want that, would we?" I teased.
He locked eyes with me. "No, we wouldn't."
I sighed. "Fine. Today, class, we are going to talk about xenomorphology and its impact on the pre-diaspora generations in the Sirius Prime galaxy..."
I droned on about the most boring topics I could think of during our entire walk to the bridge—paradigm shifts, demographic models, statistical variance in Sirius Prime atmospheric readings. "...and if we examine the morphological drift patterns in pre-diaspora Sirius populations, we see a statistically significant correlation between—are you still listening?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Lyrin muttered.
"Good. Now, where was I? Ah yes, the phi coefficient variance in subgroup metallicity ratios..."
By the time we arrived, I'd nearly bored myself into a coma. The last thing I wanted was anyone touching me.
The other Knights had already assembled on the bridge, just as Lyrin promised. Torvyn was in his captain's chair, Kaedren was at the security station, and Vaelix was monitoring the ship’s systems.
"I sense good news." Torvyn shot me a sly smile.
"A bond has been detected," Lyrin said.
All three snapped their heads toward me. The concern crashed over me like a wave—warm, overwhelming, suffocating.
"How are you feeling?" Torvyn asked.
"Do you need anything?" Vaelix added.
