THIRTY-FOUR
Six Months Later
The graveyard was quiet as Sevik walked alongside Mina, hand in hand. The lush green grass whispered beneath their feet, having been recently trimmed based on the sweet fragrance lingering in the air. The expansive sky overhead was a pure, soft blue, and cottony tufts of cloud lazily drifted across it. Flowers of all sorts that had been left at some of the stone grave markers added splashes of color everywhere.
Mina turned and led Sevik along a row of gravestones, some of which were weathered and faded from years of exposure to the elements. With each step, her grip on his hand tightened, and her tension became more apparent.
Sevik’s chest ached for her.
Compared to the hardships she’d endured, this should’ve been trivial. She’d suffered loss at a young age, had been impoverished, demeaned, insulted, and isolated. She’d faced her own death, risking everything by looking Brekker directly in his hateful eyes and choosing to fight back for the male she loved. She’d shown courage and strength when most other people would’ve crumbled.
There was no threat here, and their lives weren’t at risk. But Sevik knew his mate. He knew that, in some ways, this was more difficult for Mina than the ordeal they’d survived six months ago. And he wished he could do something, anything , to make this easier for her. Wished he could take away all her pain no matter its nature.
Halting in the middle of the row, Mina tipped her head back, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
The sunlight played upon her skin and set off subtle highlights in her dark hair. Ornyr valaas duun , there was never a moment when she didn’t look more beautiful than the last.
A bird called from the trees beyond the graveyard’s boundary, its notes high, musical, hopeful. It seemed improper for a place like this, and yet…fitting.
Sevik did the only thing he could—he squeezed her hand, letting her know he was still right there, still with her, that he would be at her side no matter the trials ahead, no matter the danger.
Mina looked at him and gave him a warm, genuine smile despite the sorrow in her eyes.
He dipped his chin. She returned the nod and faced forward, taking the last few steps to reach their destination. Together, Mina and Sevik turned toward a pair of small stones, the flat faces of which were flush with the ground. Both were etched with writing.
Zachary Peter Walker
Devoted Husband and Father
Hannah Grace Walker
Beloved Mother, Cherished Wife, Truest of Hearts.
Releasing Sevik’s hand, Mina knelt on the grass and placed a bouquet of wildflowers between the two stones. She’d picked the flowers in an open field on their way here, tying the stems off with a length of twine.
She had told Sevik that her father used to bring bouquets just like that home to her mother all the time—always hand-picked, always colorful. And when he’d died, Mina and her mother had picked flowers to lay upon his grave together as often as they could.
“Hi Mom and Dad,” she said, sitting back on her heels and resting her hands on her thighs. “I…I know it’s been a while since I last visited, and I’m sorry for that. There was never a day where I felt like I couldn’t talk to you, Mom. You were just always there for me, no matter what. But coming here…is always hard for me.”
Her voice had grown huskier; Sevik knew by the sound of it that she was fighting back tears.
“Talking to you,” Mina continued, “knowing that I’ll never hear your voices again… It hurts. Coming here is just a reminder that you’re not standing in the next room, that I’ll never be able to pick up the phone and call you. You’re just...gone. I was alone for so long, and I miss you both so much.”
Mina sniffled and brushed the back of her hand across her cheek. “But I’m not alone anymore. Today, I brought someone I wanted you to meet. He’s not from around here. He’s actually pretty…out of this world! Get it? Out of this world?” She winced. “Okay, bad joke.”
Bending forward, she cupped a hand to the side of her mouth and whispered, “Don’t let his glamour fool you. He’s an alien. But that’s a secret between us, okay? No one else can know.”
Sevik snorted.
“Anyway…” Mina straightened, looked at up Sevik, and held her hand to him. “I would like you to meet Sevik.”
Sevik’s brows rose, and his eyes shifted to the stones before returning to Mina. This was new to him, and strange—not only the situation, but the place. There were no graveyards on Vabos. Too many people, too little space. There was no place to go visit the remains of friends and loved ones, whose bodies were inevitably burned to ash.
Death had always been a simple fact to him. There was no mystery to it, no questions to unravel. A person was alive until suddenly they weren’t. Then they no longer existed, and the living moved on.
Part of him looked upon Mina now and saw a grieving female speaking to two cold, inanimate stones laid on the ground. But he’d learned. He knew better now, and even if it was strange, he understood.
Death was not an end to existence. When you loved someone, truly loved them, they lived inside of you forever. Mina would always exist in his heart, and nothing in this universe would ever be able to take that from him.
But he found himself wanting more—more than memories. He wanted something to come after, wanted to exist beyond death, so he could find Mina again. So he could claim her again. She would always be his.
Sevik took her hand and knelt beside her. He cleared his throat. “Hello…Mina’s parents.”
Mina beamed at him. Her lashes were spiked with moisture, the whites of her eyes were tinted red, and her cheeks were wet from fallen tears, but fuck was she beautiful. And when she smiled at him like that? She took his breath away and made his thundering heart feel like it would burst from his chest.
“We’ll have to work on making that less awkward sometime.” She faced the gravestones again. “Mom, Dad, Sevik is my husband.”
It didn’t matter that her parents weren’t here. Hearing her claim him like that, with such confidence and that hint of possessiveness, flooded Sevik with pride.
“We, uh, got married kind of suddenly,” Mina said, “and it wasn’t really in the traditional way. Technically, it’s not even legally recognized…but…”
She cleared her throat, shooting him a shy little glance that made him want to sweep her into his arms and kiss her. But he wouldn’t interrupt. This was important to her, which meant it was just as important to him.
“He’s my husband in every way that matters. He takes great care of me, and he’s protective. And I do mean protective . But in a good way. I think you’d be happy to know that he’d never hurt me or let anyone else hurt me either. He might seem broody, but he really does have a wonderful sense of humor. He’s also a bit flirty.” Her cheeks pinkened. “Okay, maybe a lot flirty.”
A smirk curled Sevik’s lips.
Mina cleared her throat. “I don’t think you’d approve of some of the things he’s done, but…but he’s come a long way from his past, and I think you’d both love him. Eventually. Like, once you really got to know him?”
“High praise, wife,” Sevik said with a chuckle. “Don’t talk me up too much, or they won’t believe you.”
She laughed, and that light in her eyes was so damn brilliant that he’d gladly stare until that radiance blinded him.
Mina laced her fingers with his, and her expression softened. “Even with the whole universe between us, with all the odds against us ever coming within a billion lightyears of each other, we were brought together, and we’ve enriched each other’s lives. But what matters is that I love him, and he loves me.”
“I do,” Sevik said, his voice thick. “She is my heart, and I will protect her until there’s nothing left of me.”
“I promise he means that. I know firsthand. I’m definitely not going to go into any details, so just…trust me.”
He couldn’t hold back a flicker of rage in his gut. Months later, it hadn’t died down. Even with Brekker dead and gone, the scars hadn’t completely healed. He hated that his oldest friend—his fiercest enemy—still cast a shadow over their lives, even if it was so faint.
But Sevik and Mina would get there in time. They would heal. Together.
“For the first time since I lost you, Mom, I feel like a whole person again. I’m happy . And that’s because of Sevik. I can be myself with him. No more hiding, no more pretending. Just me…and he loves me for myself.”
“Always and forever, val’syra . Whatever comes.”
“Which, um, brings me to the next thing.” Mina bowed her head and settled her other hand over his, squeezing it between her palms. “I’m…I’m leaving Sullford.”
She drew in a shuddering breath and tipped her head back, blinking quickly as her eyes filled with tears. She laughed with little amusement. “I thought this would be easier to say out loud, but it’s so much harder than saying it in my head.”
“Take your time, Mina,” Sevik said gently. “The words will come.”
She sniffled and nodded. Tears spilled down her cheeks. Reaching forward, she grazed her fingers over her mother’s stone. “This town holds so many wonderful memories of both of you. Staying here made me feel like I was still close to you, because everywhere I looked, you were there. But there are also a lot of painful memories here…and most of the people who caused them are still here too.
“For a long time, I let that pain keep me from truly living. I clung to the past, clung to you, and it was the only thing that kept me from suffocating…but it also left me stuck. I never really let myself think about what I truly wanted and what would make me happy because I was so scared it would mean losing you guys all over again.”
Mina flattened her palm on her father’s stone. Her voice was thick with emotion when she said, “It’s time for me to let go. To…to live.”
She sat back, and more tears fell. Sevik carefully wiped them away. Her eyes met his. Fuck, he could gladly lose himself in their warm brown depths.
Mina smiled, brought his hand up, and kissed the back of it before returning her gaze to the stones. “I sold the café. I thought it would’ve been such a hard decision to make, but it wasn’t. I’m excited. I’m excited for the life Sevik and I will build together.”
She brought their laced hands to her chest and held them there. Sevik could feel the steady, rhythmic beat of her heart.
“It’s time for me to move on,” she continued. “Sevik and I bought a camper, and we plan to travel all over. Randy’s excited to see me and meet Sevik. But we want to see the world. And maybe, someday”—she peeked up at Sevik—“the universe?”
Sevik scowled. “Fuck no.”
Mina chuckled. “I’m still working on convincing him. He’ll warm up to the idea eventually.”
“I won’t.”
Earth had dangers enough. He absolutely would not bring his mate out into a universe that was even more fraught with them, especially when her species wasn’t officially part of the intergalactic community. He knew more than enough about the universe’s underbelly to keep her as far away as possible.
Mina looked back at the stones, and her smile faded. She was silent as a breeze drifted past, tousling her curls and tugging at her blouse.
“It’s time for us to go,” she said softly. “And this…this is my goodbye. I love you both so very, very much.”
Sevik stared down at those stones, at those names, feeling every ounce of love and sorrow and hope in Mina’s voice. “Mina is my everything. And I swear to both of you that I will do everything in my power to keep her safe, happy, and loved. So…you may rest peacefully.”
He bowed his head briefly before rising and helping Mina to her feet. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and Sevik banded his arms around her, holding her close. Her body shook as she cried quietly, her face buried against his chest.
“This isn’t losing them again, Mina,” he whispered, smoothing a hand over her hair. “You’re not leaving them behind. You’re carrying them forward.”
“I know.” She sniffled and tipped her head back, resting her chin against him as she met his gaze. “Thank you for being here with me.”
“I’ll always be by your side.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
Keeping an arm around her, he led her back toward the truck, walking at an unhurried pace. He couldn’t help but notice the graveyard’s serenity. A place of death, but still so vibrant with life. He understood now what humans meant when they said to rest in peace.
Sevik wished he could’ve laid his mother to rest in a place like this.