With a smile, Gemini cupped his face, gazing deeply into his eyes.
“And now here we are, with the rest of our lives ahead of us. Together in paradise.”
Apodis chuckled, then closed his eyes as she pressed a kiss to his lips, a sensation of bliss overwhelming him. He took in her scent, the feeling of her body in his arms, the taste of her delicious lips, and knew he was the luckiest Oslieth in the galaxy.
Paradise indeed.
EPILOGUE
GEMINI
One Year Later
It didn’t seempossible that an entire year had passed on Thitis 4X—only ten months compared to an Earth year—but as the anniversary of their mating bond arrived, Gemini couldn’t believe how lucky she was.
Her parents had been shocked, of course, but had quickly warmed up to Apodis after numerous reassuring vidchats. It was nice to reconnect, and though she didn’t know when she would visit them in person again, she could see how happy they were for her.
She had met with the doctor in Aerumi, but had decided against heat suppressant pills, though she had agreed to regular checkins for the good ofscience. Gemini knew she was safe with Apodis, that he would protect her whenever she was vulnerable.
Protect her, and give her exactly what she needed while she was in heat.
She had been through three more since the first, each one less painful and moreenjoyablethan the last. They were eased by Apodis’ tender care, by his knot stretching her over and over again, by his seed slicking her skin and filling her womb.
Apodis had helped create a small space within his office where she could conduct her own experiments, analyze data, and check in with NovaFlora Headquarters when she needed to. She only worked part-time, since her lab work couldn’t be officially authorized out here, but she was pleased that she could still be a part of the orb glow study.
The process was slow—as was everything in the pharmaceutical industry—but they were making great progress. It would be at least another year of laboratory testing for safety and efficacy before they could start clinical trials, but the spores had survived their trip to Earth and were showing a lot of promise.
In her newfound free time, Gemini worked with Zenith in the garden—well,sheworked andZenithwatched—and edited her almanac.
Every day was blissfully slow, Apodis bringing her breakfast in bed as they decided what they wanted to do. He was building up quite a clientelelist for his quantum cartography business, though he always had plenty of time to spend with her and Z.
Gemini twirled a strand of hair around her finger as she lay in their bed, enjoying a lazy afternoon after working hard in the garden all morning.
When the door whirred open, she dropped the book she’d been reading, eyeing Apodis as he walked in with his tentacles undulating wildly. His hands were behind his back, and she quirked a brow as he stepped up to the bed.
“Happy anniversary, my beautiful mate,” he said, and her face flushed with warmth, an amused smirk curling her lips.
God, he was so damn cute. She had told him the human custom of celebrating special days every year, and clearly he had been eager to oblige.
“Thank you, honey. Happy anniversary.”
“I got you a gift,” he said excitedly, whipping his hands around and offering her a plain box.
“Oh, you’re too sweet,” Gemini said with a shocked gasp, guilt welling in her chest a moment later. “I didn’t think of getting you anything. I didn’t know we were celebrating this way.”
Apodis shook his head, a tentacle slinking over his shoulder and petting under her chin.
“Do not fret, my little omega. It really is a gift for both of us, not just you.”
“Oh?” she asked, feeling better as she removedan item from the box, something she recognized immediately. “A vidcam?”
“It’s the Supernova model. Very high-tech, though I disabled the artificial intelligence.”
Gemini chuckled at his thoughtfulness, grinning as she examined the fancy camera.
“I thought you might want tomake a videowith me…” Apodis continued, and it took a moment to understand before heat filled her body, starting at the tentacle touching her chin and winding its way deep into her core.
“Oh,” she said, recalling their conversation from long ago, her attempts at flirtation when she was still struggling to understand the power the bond already had over her.
