Page 50 of Sanctuary and Spices
“And terrifies you because it’s real?”
“Yes! No. I don’t know.” I set the cup down before I could spill it. “What if I’m not ready? What if I mess it up? What if?—”
“What if you’re actually happy for once in your life and don’t know how to handle it?”
I stared at her.
“Don’t give me that look,” she said, pouring more tea. “I’ve watched you two dance around each other for weeks. The way you move together in the kitchen, how the garden blooms brighter when you’re both there. Even the station’s base resonance shifts when you’re in the same room.”
“That’s the problem! It’s too big, too important. What if I can’t?—”
“Can’t what? Be worthy of it?” She leaned forward, her voice softening. “Jani, I’ve seen you rebuild your entire life from scratch. Twice now. You’re stronger than you think.”
A group of festival-goers passed by, their voices carrying snippets of conversation:
“The containment fields are still unstable?—”
“It’s those energy surges from the garden district?—”
“I’ve never seen readings like these?—”
I wrapped my hands around the warm cup, the words echoing in my mind.He said I have a choice,I thought.That he won’t pressure me.
“Of course he did,” Erynn said when I voiced it aloud. She rolled her eyes. “That man would rather die than push you into anything. But tell me something—when you’re in the kitchen with him, creating something new, do you feel trapped? Limited?”
“No,” I said, the truth surprising me. “I feel… complete. Like everything finally makes sense.”
“And there’s your answer.” She smiled. “The bond isn’t a cage, Jani. It’s an invitation to build something extraordinary together.”
The station’s ever-present hum seemed to resonate with her words, like it was trying to tell me something. I closed my eyes, really listening for the first time since I’d arrived.
The sound was… wrong. Discordant. Like an instrument slightly out of tune.
Or a bond left incomplete.
“I have to go.” I stood so quickly I almost knocked over my tea.
“About time.” Erynn waved me off, a knowing smile on her face. “Go get your man.”
The crowd faded as I moved away from the festival square. The garden pulled at me like a physical force, its energy guiding my steps as surely as if Ronhar himself had reached for my hand.
The glowing pathways leading to the Wanderer’s Rest were quiet compared to the bustling Promenade, their bioluminescent edges pulsing softly. The familiar arch of Jhrya vines came into view, and as I stepped beneath it, the noise of the festival disappeared entirely.
The garden shifted around me, the plants parting as if they knew where I needed to go. I didn’t have to think—I justknew. Knew where to find him, knew he would be waiting. The bond pulsed between us, steady and insistent, pulling me forward.
I stepped into the private section of the garden, where the plants grew thicker, their glow softer and more intimate. He was there, seated among the Jhyra, his shoulders bowed. His hands brushed listlessly against the dimmed petals, and my heart ached at the sight.
“Ronhar,” I said softly, kneeling in front of him.
His head snapped up, his golden eyes meeting mine. His markings flickered weakly, their usual glow muted. “You don’t have to?—”
“I choose you.”
The words came from somewhere deep inside me, ringing with a certainty I hadn’t known I possessed until that moment.
“I choose this,” I continued, reaching for his hands. “I don’t understand everything yet, but I know what I feel when I’m with you. I know who I am when we’re together. And I want to explore that—all of it—with you.”
“Jani…” He pulled me into his arms, and the world shifted.
