I turned back to Ronhar, my voice steady despite my racing heart. “I promise to stand beside you, in joy and in struggle. To share your burdens and celebrate your triumphs. To build something extraordinary together, one day at a time.”
His hands tightened on mine. “I vow to protect you, to cherish you, to honor the gift of your love. To nurture the bond we share and help it grow stronger each day.” His markings blazed. “You are my heart, my home, my mate.”
“Then by the power vested in me by the station council,” Malik said, “I pronounce you bonded for life. You may-”
But Ronhar was already pulling me close, his lips finding mine in a kiss that sent sparks through every nerve. The bond surged between us, and the room erupted in light and sound.
The garden plants swayed as if dancing. Crystal formations sang out in perfect harmony. And through it all, I felt nothing but joy and love and the absolute certainty that I was exactly where I belonged.
When we finally broke apart, the crowd cheered. I looked around at our transformed café - at the friends who had become family, at the life we’d built together.
“Thank you,” I whispered against Ronhar’s chest.
He pressed a kiss to my hair. “For what?”
“For finding me. For choosing me. For everything.”
He pulled back just enough to meet my eyes. “Always,” he promised.
The celebration swirled around us - music and laughter, the chime of crystals, the soft glow of transformed plants. But in that moment, wrapped in Ronhar’s arms with our bond humming between us, nothing existed except us.
And that was exactly how it should be.
RONHAR
Music flowed around us as I held Jani close. Her Devaali clothes shimmered against my formal robes, catching light from the floating crystals above.
“I still can’t believe this is real,” I murmured into her hair.
She pressed closer, her fingers tracing the glowing lines on my arm. “Better be. I’m not giving back these clothes.”
I laughed, spinning her through the next dance step. Around us, the café buzzed with life and celebration. Pix darted between guests, leading a line of giggling Syrithan children in an improvised dance. Their antennae bobbed in time with the music.
“No plasma bursts yet,” Jani noted. “Think they’ll behave?”
“Not a chance.” I nodded toward where Pix was showing the children how to make the floating lights change color. “But Malik’s keeping an eye on them.”
The archivist lounged against the bar, deep in conversation with Erynn. Her purple hair caught rainbow reflections from the crystal formations as she gestured with her teacup.
“Did you see where Soryn went?” Jani asked.
“Trading war stories with Barou by the garden wall.” I steered us through a turn, letting her catch glimpses of thegathered crowd. “Something about the time he had to fight off raiders with nothing but a soup ladle.”
“That explains the hand gestures I saw earlier.” She grinned up at me. “Think it’s true?”
“With Soryn? Never can tell.”
The music shifted to something slower. Jani melted against me, her head resting on my chest.
“Look at those readings!” A young tech’s excited voice carried from nearby. “The harmonic resonance is off the charts.”
“The whole station’s singing,” her companion agreed. “Haven’t seen patterns like this since the founding.”
I pulled Jani closer, savoring how perfectly she fit in my arms. My markings flared brighter at the contact.
“You’re glowing again,” she murmured.
“Your fault.” I pressed a kiss to her temple. “You make it hard to stay dim.”
