Page 37 of I Married A Syllen

I smiled at the nickname. It was seriously growing on me.

“Let’s see… I’m the daughter of two archaeologist parents. I have a twin brother who also followed in our parents’ footsteps,” I said pensively.

“What is an archaeologist?” he asked.

That question took me aback.

“It’s people who specialize in studying ancient history, exploring the ruins of lost cities to try to decipher the past and understand those who came before us,” I replied. “For example, they will find the bones of creatures who have become extinct and try to reassemble them. Then they can better understand what kind of creature they were, maybe even how they lived and what caused their extinction.”

“I see,” he said, while giving me an assessing look. “Why didn’t you also study your past like your parents and your twin?”

“I was going to, until the day I heard about your people,” I said sheepishly before recounting how studying Kayog in my Intergalactic History class had sent me down the Syllen rabbit hole.

Once again, my fascination with his people both amused and baffled him. In his shoes, I would also probably find it weird that someone would fan themselves over the mere existence of humans.

“So why are you unmated?” he asked. “You’re an attractive female. At least, you are to me. I suspect you also are to humans. You seem to be in your prime.”

My cheeks heated at the compliment.

“The easiest answer would be that I hadn’t found you yet,” I said with a nervous giggle that made him snort. “But that wouldn’t be a lie or flattery, to be honest. I’m thirty-two years old. Nowadays, humans tend to marry around thirty-five since our life expectancy has significantly increased as well as our healthy reproductive years. Although I always wanted to marry and have children, I hadn’t met anyone I wanted to settle down with.”

“Why? Were they lacking?” he asked in a soft voice.

I shook my head then tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear.

“No. I met a lot of good men. However, their interests didn’t align with mine. My passion—not to say near obsession—with your species made it difficult to find a partner. I spent a lot of time traveling for my studies, which made it hard to settle down somewhere. But the biggest challenge was convincing someone to come settle here on Mazeria. Not only was obtaining a visa nearly impossible, but the job opportunities were also limited. Getting involved with someone that wouldn’t share my long-term goals would have been a waste of both our time. So it was simpler to just remain single.

“But why were you so determined to come here?” Taelen asked, seeming genuinely confused.

I shrugged. “Truth be told, I can’t put it into rational words. From the first time I heard of your species and after seeing images of your world and of your people, I knew I was meant to be here. It was like a summons. It sounds ridiculous, even to my own ears, but Mazeria just felt like home. So I devoted my life preparing for the day I would finally get to come here.”

“It is not ridiculous. Mazeria is indeed your home now. We’re soulmates, so it is normal that you should feel the call of the land,” he said in a factual manner. “That said, didn’t it bother your parents and family?”

An affectionate smile settled on my lips as I thought of my family.

“No. Because of our parents’ career, we led a very nomadic life. We mostly were homeschooled. But as we got older, some of the education we wanted to pursue forced us to move away from home for our studies. So we’re used to living at long distances from each other. Thankfully, technology allows us to stay in touch. And we try to gather at a central location a couple of times a year.”

“I see,” he said with a slightly troubled expression. “It is good that you maintain those ties with your family. But just like the males you met weren’t too keen on coming here, you do understand that I will never leave Mazeria, right?”

I nodded. “Yes. I fully understand that.”

“Will that be a problem for you?” he insisted.

I shook my head. “It’s okay if you don’t want to leave. I’m not sure that you would enjoy life on most other planets, except maybe on Triton and Zailia, the homeworlds of your sister species. My family will have no issue coming to the human cities of Mazeria for our reunions.”

The tension that had been stiffening his shoulders loosened, and he smiled with an air of relief.

“Perfect. As far as traipsing through the stars, I’m content to hear of those worlds without setting foot there,” he replied in a slightly teasing tone.

“You have to follow your heart. It’s okay to have different aspirations. But what about you? I’m assuming—or at least hope—that you’re not married either?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant despite the nervousness that suddenly took root deep within.

What if he was married? With both he and Kayog stating that we were soulmates, I automatically assumed that it meant he was single like I was.

He chuckled.

“Worry not, Shevraya. I’m not mated to anyone else for the simple reason that, as you said so well, I hadn’t met you yet,” he said with a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. “Syllens do not marry unless they find their soulmates. But if they fail to do so, they will often enter into an exclusive relationship with someone, and sometimes even have offspring together.”

“Do you have such a relationship with one of the dormant Syllens?” I insisted.