face from the gusts of wind it created in its wake, pressing her face into Jaxor’s chest, as the whole mountain seemed to rumble and vibrate beneath them.
A moment later the winds stopped. The mountain stilled. There was only quietness and the beating of Jaxor’s heart beneath her cheek.
When Erin looked above the docking bay, the spaceship was gone. All she saw was a brief twinkling in the sky before a passing cloud erased it from view.
Jaxor cupped the back of her neck, lowering his forehead down to hers.
Erin closed her eyes, a swell of emotion pushing at her chest. Her mate knew what that moment had meant. Because it wasn’t only saying goodbye to Bianca. It was a final goodbye to her old life.
Without saying anything at all, he comforted her in a perfect way.
Erin didn’t know how long they stood there, but when they pulled away she realized that, though it may be a goodbye, she had a fated mate who loved her, a baby on the way, friends she loved like family, and endless possibilities for their future.
That day was a day for celebration, not tears.
When she turned, all of the women and their mates remained on the terrace of the docking bay where their hovercrafts were parked. They all looked around at one another, understanding passing between them.
Erin smiled. She looked back at the sky, a clear beautiful sky. She thought of Bianca, already starting the long journey back home, and thought about how happy she was for her.
“Let’s go back to the Golden City,” Erin said to her mate. “You promised you’d show me the marketplace today.”
“Tev, I did,” Jaxor murmured, his gaze softened.
She pressed a kiss to his lips.
“I’ll drive,” she said.
Then she pulled him towards the hovercraft.
Epilogue
Two weeks later…
Stepping foot inside Jaxor’s base was surreal.
It had been over a month since they’d been there, but they’d decided to make the pit stop, though it was out of their way on their journey.
They parked their hovercraft in the same place—in the tunnel next to the kekevir, which immediately roused when they heard the noise. The gate was, surprisingly, still in place, shut tight.
They both walked in silence down the tunnel and Erin squeezed Jaxor’s hand, looking up at him.
When he met her eyes, she asked, “Are you okay?”
He’d become quieter and quieter as the Pass of the Kokillix drew closer.
“The last time I was here,” he said, “it was one of the worst moments of my lifespan. Realizing that you had been taken. This place had once been my sanctuary. It had once brought me peace. But returning…it only makes me remember that span.”
Erin had feared as much and she bit her lip, wanting to comfort him, but knowing that he needed to do this.
There was something of his mother’s that he’d left behind. A old jewelry box, he’d told her. He’d had it packed but had left it behind in his rush to reach the Golden City, to try and save her.
She saw the travel sack at the entrance of the tunnel and watched as Jaxor knelt beside it, rummaging. Then he nodded. He held up a small, beautiful box, though the lid was damaged and bent. He inspected it and then carefully placed it inside, padding it with spare furs.
Then he stood, taking in the sight of his base. Surprisingly nothing had changed. There hadn’t been a huge storm. It wasn’t flooded. Nothing was in disarray. In fact, in some ways, it remained completely unchanged. She still heard the kekevirs’ hisses. The waterfall still trickled. There was a quiet, hushed peace to the little place that Jaxor had made his home.
Only upon closer inspection did she see the little cracks. The door to their sleeping cave was off its hinges from when the Mevirax male had chased after her. Their crops were withered and dead. Another of the shield links above had lost power completely, so only half of his base was hidden.
She’d hated Jaxor in this place. She’d fallen in love with Jaxor in this place. They’d conceived their child in this place. It was strange to see it with new eyes, especially with her rounding belly and the knowledge of everything that had come to pass since the last time she’d been there.
But Jaxor needed to say goodbye to the place that had been his home for five years. Especially since they were journeying to their new home, to begin their life as a mated pair. It would be in