Epilogue
Jaron woke in a rush, the nightmare hitting him with a familiar vividness. Sweat coated his bare chest, his heart thundering in his ears. Sasha mewled and curled into a tighter ball on her side of the bed. He smoothed a hand down the slim line of her back and she settled with a low chuff.
The portable comm on his table buzzed. He answered and eased from the bed to keep from waking Sasha. Barefoot and naked he entered the cleansing room and closed the door behind him. “Maman.”
“How long has this been happening?” Trelia asked, her visage stern on the screen.
Jaron didn’t question how she knew. He did a quick calculation. “This year only. It is without pattern. Some months there are no dreams and others there are two or three in succession.”
All because of his time with The Collector, he’d already surmised. Jaron worried the chemicals had a far larger impact, igniting latent precog abilities similar to his maman and his sisters. He wasn’t certain if the dreams were future events or genuine nightmares brought on by his fear but they all centered around the death of Kyele and Sasha.
Trelia chewed her lip thoughtfully. “In all my visions, never have I seen you with the gift of sight.”
Jaron relaxed. His biggest worry was being able to portend the future even in a small capacity. His maman added, “If this changes, I will tell you. The future is not always set.” She winked. “Three years ago, I saw you in love with a blonde named Luna from Earth, your love for her clear and true. And yet now,” she lifted her shoulders. “Life bends and our paths change.”
Sasha had changed his path the moment she entered his life. They spoke a little more before ending the transmission and his promise to let her know if anything changed.
Jaron climbed back into the bed and Sasha immediately rolled into him, one leg going over his thigh and an arm about his waist. He didn’t even think about the female from Earth. Luna was happy with her Chosen and their child.
He kissed the tousled hair at Sasha’s temple. There was no way he could imagine his life with anyone other than the female who released a gentle purr moments later.
***
The next morning, they walked into a filled rec room. All three teams managed to be home at the same time. Shiloh and Raze played with one another on the floor while their parents looked on. Kyele had Joni cornered behind an alcove in his arms as he kissed her.
“The two of them are always touching.”
Sasha seemed fascinated as she stared at the couple. Jaron shrugged. He’d grown used to catching Kyele and Joni in passionate clenches. “It is good for him.”
Viktor ran toward them with a holo cube cradled in his chubby palms. Black hair curled about his head and his green eyes matched his papan perfectly.
Going to one knee, Jaron asked, “What do you have?”
Viktor held it up and Jaron was treated to a small replay of the Vargos battle from many years ago. This particular gruesome scene reflected a time when the Spectar army joined and helped. Several battle cruisers fired on the lone Vargos vessel until it exploded and the holo ended.
A three year old should not be privy to this. Jaron stood. “Where did you get it, Viktor?”
“Seppi Jaron, Saleyo gave me.”
Apparently, the General was still managing to visit Viktor. Jaron didn’t know if Kyele realized it or chose to pretend it wasn’t happening since his relationship with his papan was intricate and non-existent to say the least.
Sasha smirked and waited until Viktor skipped away to loop her arms about his neck. “Are you going to want one of those too?”
It took a second for the meaning to sink in. Jaron grinned. “Eventually. Right now, I want you to myself for a little while. We have plenty of time to think about children.”
Sasha relaxed. “Good because I’m not ready to give up bounty retrieving.”
Jaron teased the curls around her pointed ear. “You can be a Bounty Retriever for as long as you want, kitten. I do not need you to give up what you love for me.”
“Really? You don’t want me where you can see me at all times.”
He studied her expression to see if she was serious. Her green eyes gleamed and Jaron’s lips twitched. “Whatever you want works for me as long as you never leave me.”
He lifted the Chosen medallion suspended from a leather strap about his neck and held it up. “This says you are mine.”
Sasha snickered and kissed his chin. “What do you think your maman said when she spoke with Torkel to convince him to speak with the members of the presentation committee?”
Jaron grimaced. “There are some things I prefer not to know.”
His maman was equal to Torkel’s maman in force. All Jaron cared about was being allowed to call Sasha his legally and as of yesterday he could.