I stood up as he approached me. He spoke first before I could say or do anything.

"You should have killed him, Terra. He'll never stop chasing you. He wants vengeance, and he will never stop until he gets it."

I dropped my eyes.

"I wanted to. In fact, I had every intention of doing so. But you could have executed him yourself. Why didn't you pull the trigger?"

Kylu didn't say anything.

"You are not your father unless you start acting like him," I said. One day you will be glad his death had nothing to do with you. He will suffer for his crimes. But you will not be the sole judge and jury, Kylu," I said, looking up at him. His eyes were troubled, but I couldn't look away from his full lips. I wanted to feel them on mine once again.

He sensed my need, and he bent his head down, pressing his lips to mine. A feeling of unleashed desire shot through me, and I wrapped my arms around him. It was powerful but merely physical. Now, more than ever, I realized my light bond with Jidden was special.

I pulled away and stepped back.

"That was the last time," I said. "No more kisses, Kylu."

"I know, cupcake," he said, his voice full of regret. "I could tell."

"You're a good Surtu," I said. "But I am light bonded to another, and I need to return to him."

"I understand," Kylu said. "I only hope my future includes a woman as amazing as you, cupcake."

I smiled sadly. "I'm sure it does, Kylu."

When the rescue ship finally arrived, it was two hours late. The group of refugees walked towards it with their meager possessions in their arms. I was thankful my parents were among them.

We watched as the doors opened, and the crew stepped off, greeting the people they knew. My heart jumped when a single Surtu male appeared in the doorway and looked around, searching for someone.

It was Jidden. He was here, and he was looking for me. There was no place for me to hide.

Appearing beside him was my best friend, Lucina. I felt better immediately. They had both come. I was so happy to see them that I felt as if my heart would burst.

Jidden spotted me first, and I saw him speak to Lucina. They quickly crossed the crowd of people and finally, after such a long time apart, I was in Jidden's arms once again. I held onto him tightly, not saying anything. I recalled all the feelings of what it was like to have him with me, and I experienced the first moments of falling in love with Jidden all over again.

A portion of my mind realized that Lucina was greeting my parents, but I only had eyes for Jidden. He glanced at my father and hesitated, but I had no reservations. I pulled him to me and kissed him full on the mouth. His hands went around my waist, and he pulled me to him. I twined my arms around his neck and lost myself in the pleasure of his lips.

When we finally came up for air, my father raised his eyebrows at me. "Mom, Dad, this is Jidden. He's a Surtu, and we're light bonded," I said, introducing them.

Jidden held out his hand to my father. I had trained him in the traditional Earth greeting. My dad looked surprised, but clasped Jidden's hand and pulled him in close to his body.

"We have heard stories about you," my father said.

"He's my boyfriend, Dad," I said, changing my language and explaining in more conventional terms. "He's different than the other Surtu. I love him."

My parents both whipped their heads around to look at me.

"Do you think I would have light bonded with him if I didn't?"

"We didn't know what happened to you or what to believe, Terra," my mother crooned. "There were rumors you had bonded willingly, of course. But it's impossible to tell what is true or false from a distance."

"Your daughter is correct," Jidden rumbled, standing tall and proud. "I love my light bonded, Mr. and Mrs. Lynch. I have sworn to do everything in my power to protect her."

My mother looked at me, then turned to Jidden.

"Only if she'll let you," she said, a trace of her old confidence and strength returning.

"Mrs. Lynch," Lucina said speaking for the first time. "Do you know anything about my mother's whereabouts? I want to find her."

"I'm afraid she was light bonded involuntarily. I'm sorry, my dear."

Lucina looked as though she might pass out. I wondered why she had come back here if she was not prepared to hear bad news about her loved ones.

"It's not your fault, Mrs. Lynch," she said faintly. "Thank you for telling me."

"It's time for you to go," I said. The last group of refugees had entered the ship already, and my parents were the only ones remaining. I hugged my mother and father.

"Keep the young man in line, Terra," my father spoke in my ear as we embraced. "Remember, he's an alien, no matter what he looks like."

"I will, Daddy," I said, smiling and feeling like a little girl again in his arms. For a moment, everything was right again with the world. "I'll see you soon at the refuge."

He nodded.

"Goodbye mother," I said, wishing I didn't have to let her leave already. I knew she was weak, despite her spirit. She would not survive much longer under the harsh conditions of Earth. Once at the refuge, I believed she would return to her usual self. "I will see you soon."

"If I don't see you, I will know that it was a good day to die," she said.

I stood up proudly as her warrior daughter. Nightshade.

"I'll make you proud, Mom," I said.

They climbed aboard the ship, and we watched it take off. Lucina turned to me as soon as the vessel was out of sight.

"Will you help me, Terra?" she asked.

I knew she referred to her mother without any additional explanation. I had felt a longing in my heart thinking about my parents, and I knew Lucina felt the same way.

"She is suffering the same fate I sought to avoid with Kalij. It is horrible to contemplate," she said. She was close to tears.

"Lucina, if you chose to come back to Earth, I know you are ready to face the enemy. It isn't easy in a war zone. You must become a warrior once again if we are to rescue your mother."

She wiped at her eyes and stood up tall. She trembled, but she prepared herself for battle.

"I am ready," she vowed. "And I will save my mother."

"I'm right here," Jidden said. He sounded reluctant to leave me.

I led them back to the caves.

JIDDEN.

I tried to wait patiently. I watched Terra lead Lucina to her room and attend to her needs. But when the door finally closed on her friend's sleeping quarters, I dragged Terra up against the wall. I couldn't stop myself from kissing her as if these were our last moments together.

My desperation was matched by her own. I regained control over myself and pulled back after a minute, knowing a public area was not the place for what was needed.

"We must go someplace private," I said through my haze of lust.

She nodded, not speaking any words. Terra took my hand and led me away to a secluded area.

We arrived at a cave with a pool of clear water. "This place doesn't have a name, but I think of it as the crystal caves," she whispered. "I came here once before when I needed you." I felt the same need now.

We didn't use language after we entered the caves. There was only action between us. A look. A caress. I had to get her clothes off her body. I needed to sink my cock into her and fuck her until I forgot the pain we had been through.

I wanted her to know that she was mine and no other's.

But I needed to kiss her first. My tongue took her, proving with my actions that Godfrey had meant nothing. Terra was the only woman my soul desired.

I took off her shirt first, tossing it behind us. I didn't care where it landed. The view of Terra was magnificent. Her round, full breasts spilled over a bra that seemed slightly small for her luscious mounds.

I reached around her, feeling her nipples brush against my shirt and heard a sharp intake of breath. When her bra was off, and her breasts tumbled free, I took them in my hands. I had dreamed many nights of holding them like this, heavy in my palms. I twisted the swollen buds and bent my head, needing to suckle her.

"Jidden," she moaned, grabbing my hair in her fists. She pulled my head closer as she arched towards me. I sucked harder and switched to the other breast, lashing it with my tongue before I nipped and licked it. She was panting now, and I loved it.

I needed her leggings off, too. I needed to slip my hand into her wet folds. When I had her there, naked on the rock, rubbing her until she cried out my name, I knew she was mine.

I ripped off my clothes wildly, needing to take her immediately. I was on top of her in an instant, dominating her.

"Jidden," she gasped.

I fitted myself to her and filled her with one hard thrust. She screamed, and I smiled because she was begging for more.

"Yes, please. Please, Jidden. Again."

My cock was big, bigger than a human man's and from what I had seen in the military barracks, larger than most Surtu's as well. I knew that I ought to go slowly, allowing her body to adjust to my size.

I wasn't able to, and I didn't want to. I wanted to make her feel me and experience what she had missed during our separation.

"Jidden," she moaning. She twisted like a demon beneath me, trying to make me fuck her, but I held her still. She needed training.

"Say you're mine," I said. "And no other man's."

"I'm yours. I swear. Please."

"And no other man's."

"Jidden." She wriggled in torment as I held her against the smooth rock.

"Say it."

"I'm no other man's. I am yours."

"And you'll never kiss another man again."

"I'll never kiss another man..." she trailed off, forgetting her lust for a moment. Her eyes cleared, and she glared at me. "If you'll never put your hands and mouth on another woman. I think my kiss was tame compared to the show you gave me."

It wasn't a common Surtu emotion, but I felt shame. "I'm sorry, Terra," I said.

"I'm sorry, too. Now say it."

I looked at her, watching her reaction as I pulled my cock completely out of her, then pushed back in, filling her hot wetness.

"I'm yours," I said as she gasped at the sensations we produced together.

I drove into her again.

"Yours," I said, never taking my eyes off of hers.

"Yours." I plunged into her and knew I would never stray again.

TERRA.

My heart pounded, and my mind went to a different place as I stared into Jidden's eyes. He fucked me with slow, powerful thrusts. I concentrated on the bundle of nerves inside of me, where his huge cock rubbed against me. My nipples brushed his chest, the stimulation adding to my pleasure. With every hard thrust, his pelvis hit my clit and sent shockwaves of sensation through my entire body.

"I am yours," he said. He repeated himself with every pound of his cock into my soaking wet pussy. "Yours. Yours."

He started to go a little wild, driving into me with such force it took my breath away. In my head, I replayed his voice saying it again and again - I'm yours.

I felt my orgasm building until I shattered into pieces. My body was lost in ecstasy as he filled me with his love.

I knew I had spoken honestly. I was his. He was mine. I would never stray again.

We had moved to the pool and sat on a natural rock bench under the water. I had discovered this seat the last time I came here by myself.

He chose this time to ask the question. "Why?" he wondered out loud. It was a terrible time. We were close together with our arms around each other.

"Why what?" I asked, trying to avoid the conversation. I knew what he was talking about, but I didn't think I was ready yet.

"Why did you kiss him?"

I explained everything that had happened at my childhood home. How Kylu had kissed me to show the soldiers we weren't part of the resistance. And how, later, I wanted to demonstrate that there weren't any sparks between us, and I kissed him to prove it.

"But there was a connection," Jidden said, gravely.

I nodded.

"By that time I knew him better. I liked him. I was attracted to him, physically. It was a mistake to kiss him, Jidden, I know that now. But you were far more cruel."

He snorted.