I looked up into his evening-coloured eyes.
“Why are you smiling?”
“I felt your pang of jealousy. You couldn’t help but project it, but there is no need for it. I had no interest in making Nova my female.”
“Why’d you take her then?”
“Because I was certain humans were not for us Maji. Surkah is the most powerful healer on Ealra. Her lissa is a true gift. She scanned Sera, the augmented human female who we recused from Terra, many times, and her readings indicated humans were compatible with us. She just needed a human female who had an operational reproductive system unlike Sera to confirm this.” Ezah hung his head. “I could not see past the fragility of humans, and I thought them beneath us. Even though Kol and Nova mated, I did not believe it was a true mating, so I convinced her to flee from Ealra to Terra by twisting a verbal intention Kol had with another. I only discovered on the flight out that they were true fated mates, and that’s when I realised that Surkah was right. Maji and humans are compatible, and the mating essence seals bonds like it always has.”
He moved closer to me for comfort, which I offered freely.
“I had been angry and miserable and so sad for so long that the thought of happiness made me angry because I believed it could never last. I was so certain Kol would experience a mate loss because Nova couldn’t survive beside him like a Maji female. I was trying to help him, but I made everything worse. It was a very hostile time. He only forgave me just before our mating, thank Thanas.”
Processing his words took a moment, but Ezah remained silent, kissing the crown of my head.
“So Nova changed your mind about humans?”
“Yes,” he answered. “We had a deep talk aboard the maintenance craft, and we bonded as in-mates should. She forgave me, but I knew Kol would have my throat. I was informed he had reached the edge, which meant he acted on instinct and not rational thought. When I landed the craft, I moved Nova out of the way, and when Kol attacked me, I let him. The normal male instinct is to fight back, and for a male with an edge tendency, his instinct is to kill, but I did none of that. I had never felt so broken before, so I hoped … I hoped Kol would kill me so I could be with Kovu in the Beyond. I’m ashamed to admit that because it would have devastated my brother to know he killed me.”
My eyes stung with tears.
“We’ve been through a lot, but through Kol and Nova, I found you.”
I wiped my tears away.
“Me?” I quizzed. “How?”
“Kol would reject me as his brother and publicly denounce me to the people if I did not meet conditions he had set. His conditions were my punishment for my crime. I had to immerse myself in with the humans. I had to spend time with them, learn about them, and find peace with them in my heart … that was how I met you that day during the herbalism lesson.”
I gasped. “When you told me on Nona Mai that you wanted to learn about humans and picked me to be your teacher, was that for Kol?”
“I told myself it was, but deep down, it was because I wanted to know you, stardust.”
I hugged him tightly. “I am so happy we have all reached a place of peace … I never thought this was possible for me, you know?”
“Me either,” Ezah said, then looked over his shoulder. “Kol and Nova are here.”
I hurriedly fixed my hair and clothing. “Let’s go greet them.”
I zoomed towards the bedroom door before Ezah could blink, but I felt him right on my heels. When I entered the main hallway of the wing that connected to each room, I spotted Prince Kol and his mate Nova as they entered the main entrance that led to the rest of the palace. I walked towards them, and just as we reached them, I beamed.
“I’m so happy that you could come to aid me, Princess Nov—”
Nova made a motion to reach for my hand in greeting. Ezah spotted this and growled before he could think better of it. This caused Kol to move like lightning and place Nova behind his huge body. I found myself behind Ezah’s, and the sound of the males growling bounced off the marbled hallway walls.
Angrily, I shoved my way to stand in front of my mate.
“Oh, stop it!” I flicked my hand against his muscle rippled stomach. “You both have mates. Neither of you is interested in any other female in the entire Universe. There is no need for this act of dominance.”
“What she said.” Nova backed me up, manoeuvring her way from behind Kol. “This shit is getting ridiculous, reva. You nearly took poor Mikoh’s head off this morning for smiling at me. He’s sworn to Thanas to hide all of your weapons from you in the Endless Forest, and I don’t blame him one bit!”