A warm feeling washed over me.
For the second time in my life, I felt truly safe.
“You will be safe with me. I promise, Selena. You have nothing to fear,”a familiar deep voice spoke to me in my mind.“You. Honor. Me.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Selena
I opened my eyes and stared at him in confusion.
Had I heard his voice in my head just now?
I knew—fromhim–species existed with psionic abilities, able to accomplish amazing things with their minds. He’d prepared me to encounter them, teaching me to strengthen my mental shields so I’d be able to protect myself.
Was Xylo such a being? Hadhislessons been insufficient? Xylo should never have been able to breach my shields—hehad said they were strong!
“What was that?” I blurted in English, trying not to freak out.
Xylo’s face cycled through a range of emotions before he steadied his face into a static blankness. He dropped his hands from my face and unwrapped the vines around me. Placing his hands on my hips, he lifted me off his lap before easing me back onto the bed. Xylo wrapped his vines around his torso and moved to the chair, facing me.
Silence fell between us, and I questioned what I’d done to ruin the moment. Had my injuries made me delusional? Was I fabricating voices in my head?
Xylo leaned forward and took my hands in his own, his teal gaze intent on mine.
“You are not delusional. Somehow you bonded yourself to me, allowing me to communicate with you, mind-to-mind,”Xylo spoke gently to me.“The bond allowed me past your natural shields. No one could get past them until now.”
A swarm of questions overwhelmed me, and I couldn’t process how I felt about this new information. Were all my thoughts now known? Did I no longer have any privacy? What exactly had I done? Was this accidental bonding permanent? Could I remove it?
I began to panic as I realized I’d tied myself to another being—even if it had been an accident. Especially since I’d just escaped the masters who’d controlled my whole world.
Xylo gently shook my hands to bring me back to the present.
“I do not know how you did it without any vines or tentacles. Perhaps when you placed your lips on mine? We do not participate in what other species call ‘kissing.’ Nevertheless, you triggered a courting bond with me, which connects our minds. I can only trace thoughts you do not protect and those you directly address to me. I will explain everything, but please do not sever the courting bond—it is a gutting experience for my species,”he begged, his voice full of emotion,“I will not fail you—nor will I harm you.”
His words stunned me. How were we able to follow each other without a language barrier? I felt like I could trust him, but I wasn’t sure about being permanently bonded to him.
“How can we understand each other when speaking like this?”I questioned, tilting my forehead toward his, hoping he would hear my mental thought.
I tracked his facial expressions, trying to read whether I’d done it right. Though his face was expressive, I couldn’t tell if he’d understood me.
Xylo took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His handssqueezed mine once more, then he reopened his eyes and met my gaze. A sigh escaped his lips, and my attention diverted to their lush fullness. When he started to mindspeak, my gaze snapped back to his.
“Do not worry, I heard you. Connecting telepathically to one another has no limits when it comes to language. All telepathic species the Conglomerate of the Euph Galaxy—CEG—has come across can connect without any language barriers. A huge help when it comes to translating languages, especially when we encounter new species. Everyone registered with CEG also has a translator installed in the communication center of their brain that also functions as an ID and credit device.”
“How does one get a translator installed?”
“Senior Healer Chyox and I treated your injuries, and I used the knowledge from my research on humans to help him install a translator. We have monitored your progress, and there is no sign of any ill effect. These translators, or communicators, are programmed with Galactic Common and many other languages. They are not perfect, and sometimes, the translations will be rudimentary, but it works.”
“Then why couldn’t I understand you before?”I asked, confused.
“It seems yours may still be disabled. When I tried to connect earlier, I could not, nor does my communicator appear to have your language in its files. But once Senior Healer Chyox activates your translator, it should learn your language quickly and translate it to Galactic Common. Then you should have no problem communicating with anyone aboard the ship.”
“What if I can speak Galactic Common?” I whispered in Galactic Common.
He jerked away, his hands letting go of mine as his vines shifted, writhing around him. Eyes wide, he looked shocked.
“You speak Galactic Common,” he replied in the same language, excited.
