“It glowed bright red and wrapped around one of the warriors, or so the legend says. She became the first drakcol empress. The entire planet eventually aligned under one ruler,” NAID explained.
“So how did it pick me for Kal?”
“When someone appeals for their mate, the Crystal makes a connection with them. Sometimes, it does not find anyone at all, which can mean they have no soulmate or their soulmate is dead or not born yet, and some spiritual souls theorize this also happens when their soulmate is already mated, though no one knows for sure. This used to be a more common occurrence pre-space travel.”
“How does it make a connection?”
She chuckled. “You are very curious.”
“Not everything you’re saying is making sense.” How in the world did a crystal find me across the universe? It didn’t seem possible.
“Technology, while it cannot explain the Crystal, can interact with it. Prince Kalvoxrencol knew you were in a remote and desolate part of the universe because our sensors gave us a direction. After some refining and the closer he got, the sensors told him you were on Earth. He did not know who you were until we orbited. But when he saw you, he would have felt the bond between the two of you,” she explained.
“He feels a connection?” I didn’t.
“Prince does.”
“Should I…” I trailed off. Was something wrong with me?
“Not all species feel the genetic link forged by the Crystal. Just as most species cannot mind-speak as Crystal-bound drakcol mates can.”
“I’m sorry. What?” I asked. “Can he hear my thoughts?”
“No, not yet.”
I had no words to fight the growing alarms in my mind. Kal would be able to read my mind. How was that possible? Well, he was an alien. Who knew exactly what kind of creatures were out there among the stars?
“When you and he reaffirm your bond with the Crystal, it will form a stronger, unbreakable connection between the two of you. For drakcol, this allows the bonded mates to speak to each other in their minds. Most species are not compatible enough for this side effect.”
“He’ll be able to read my thoughts.” I couldn’t keep the horror from my voice. My every thought, my every worry, everything. Kal would see it all. I would have no privacy. Though, in some ways, Kal knowing everything without me having to say a single word would be incredibly nice. Not that I was staying.
“If compatible, you and he will be able to mind-speak. We will not know if it will work with your brain chemistry until you reaffirm your bond with Prince Kalvoxrencol.”
“So you don’t know everything, even with all your advancements?”
“Of course not. The universe is growing as we speak. People and cultures are evolving. That is why there are seeker souls. They’re the scientists who seek to explain everything. The search will never end. There are even things drakcol do not understand about themselves.”
“Like?”
“You should ask Prince Kalvoxrencol.”
I frowned. She was ever the matchmaker. “Is he like my species?” I asked, fighting back a blush.
Her head tilted to the side, brow crinkling. “In what way?”
My mouth opened, but the words got caught. I was not ready or interested in having sex with him, but I was curious. How could I not be?
“Ah,” she said, nodding sagely. “Copulation.”
“Sure,” I squeaked in a strangled voice.
“There is no need for embarrassment. It’s a natural, biological need for most species. And yes, you are similar. You and Prince Kalvoxrencol will have no issues.”
Another squeak came out of my throat that was much higher-pitched than I liked.
“As for children, should you and he desire some, biologically, you and he are not compatible to make a child, as neither of you can carry or birth a baby, though your DNA seems viable together. You and he can donate, and a scientist will develop a child, then it will be incubated until term. The child would be genetically yours and his,” she explained, completely oblivious to the fire in my cheeks.
I wished she would stop talking because I deeply regretted the question. The answers didn’t matter anyway. I was going home at the end of this. Sex, kids, and anything else was pointless.
