Taking a deep breath to stem the flow of tears, I use the handkerchief to wipe my eyes and peer at him, sure that my face is probably all puffy. But now I’m curious. “What do you want to ask?

Kiahn rubs at the back of his neck, his ear studs and horn decorations glimmering with the movement. “I would like to invite you-… uh… to ask you if you would participate in a date…with me?”

From the corner of my eye, I can see the pink flowers morph into a deep plum. Is one of us having a heart attack?

I sniff away the last of my tears. “A… date? You want to date me?”

Kiahn nods his head. “Vel and her band of human fanatics helped me to research normal human courtship. First comes dating, no?” I nod my head, a small smile playing on my lips. “Then, if I am worthy, we cohabit and I am rewarded with unlimited cuddles.”

I can’t help but snort-laugh at that.

Kiahn lets slip a grin but his brows furrow when he obviously notices the flowers between us - and how they’ve now changed into such a deep purple, the petals could almost be black. He places his palm on his chest for a breath or two as though he’s trying to calm his racing heart.

“Is that what you want?” I can’t help but ask. “Unlimited cuddles?”

Kiahn’s hand falls from his chest as he looks to me with all seriousness as he nods.

I suck in a long breath and let it out again. “Kiahn, why-”

“Because you were right. Nothing about how we met was normal. Fuck, even the breeding contracts aren’t natural for Xavianns,” he huffs, shoving his hand through his hair. “We’re meant to be bonded to one person, not negotiate a short relationship like a transaction. I don’t want that. I don’t want that with you. I want… I just want you, Niska.”

My pulse is rushing in my ears and I can’t help but feel a little dizzy. “They won’t let you do that,” I say, my voice quiet and hoarse. I’m right, though… aren’t I? He has a duty, and I don’t factor into that.

Kiahn gets up and my eyes stay glued to him as he comes to sit right beside me. He takes my hands in his big, warm ones and says, “they can all fuck off.”

“Kiahn-” I try to protest, but he doesn’t let my hands slip from his.

“No, you listen to me, Niska. I have already told my Aunt and my father that I will not be entering any other breeding contracts. Ever. The king can remove my family from ruling this region if he wishes, but it is worth it to me - you are worth it to me. You are my female. My mate…” he pauses and glances down at where he keeps my hands in his. “That is… if you’ll have me?”

This huge, powerful, horned prince is looking at me with so much vulnerability in his expression, I can almost feel my heart crumple just at the sight of it. I want to say yes. But will that be a mistake? What if his whole family gets replaced with someone else in power - all because I get what I want? I don’t want to be responsible for that.

“Do you… do you want some of my venom? The Bloodline Venom that will help you focus and make a decision?” Kiahn swallows thickly after stating his offer. Clearly, he saw the hesitation on my face. “You can… you can say no - to all of it. You can say no to me, Niska. You will still be safe. I need you to know you have a choice in this.” His voice is strained when he says those last words and I remember how it was when I took his venom last - back when we were in the lagoon. I remember how it had made me feel, I remember how it had silenced all the noise until all that remained was my trust in Kiahn. I hadn’t even known him like I do now, but the trust was there, clear as anything.

And it’s still there now.

He’s here to tell me that he’d risk having to give up his royal position, his power, his family’s power, everything he’s ever known, just to be with me.

“I don’t need your venom, Kiahn,” I tell him, my eyes pricking with tears. “Yes.”

Kiahn lets out a shaky breath. “Yes? Yes, you will participate in a human date with me?”

I can’t help but lean closer, reaching up to hook a hand around the back of his neck, pulling him down to me so I can brush my lips over his.

“Yes, I’ll go on a date with you, Prince Kiahn,” I whisper into our kiss.

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35

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EPILOGUE - Niska

“Is this your way of getting around the tradition, Your Highness?” I ask, grinning like a madwoman as I watch a blindfolded Kiahn step forward into my rooms, his arms outstretched as if he’s trying to find me.

“I am not a fan of this human tradition to start with,” he huffs, but the smile on his face tells me he doesn’t really mind.

Bunching the skirts of my wedding dress, I try to sneakily move, but Kiahn’s keen hearing picks up on every tiny rustle of fabric and he adjusts his course accordingly. He doesn’t remove the blindfold, though. Vel had been very insistent that we adhere to human traditions, and a groom does not see his bride on the morning of their wedding.

A wedding.

Our wedding.

I can hardly believe it. Kiahn had been serious about wanting to restart our relationship in a more traditional way. And he’d also been serious about his studies on how to do that in the ‘human way’. Our first date had been like a textbook definition, down to the flowers he’d clutched in his hand when I’d answered the door, the meal he’d taken me out to enjoy, the conversation and questions we’d shared with one another and the star-lit walk we’d enjoyed after dessert.

It had all gone so well, that I’d invited him in when he’d taken me back home. The look of pained longing on his face was only accentuated by the whine that escaped his lips. “All my studies on human relationship advice agree that you should make me wait,” he had revealed, though the look in his eye had let me know he very much didn’t want to adhere to that rule. “Something about human males not willing to purchase a bovine creature when they can source its lactated nutrients for free? I didn’t really understand that part,” he’d admitted. “But I will purchase all the bovine creatures you could ever want if it pleases you.”

We’d gone on like that for only a week more. During the day he would invite me to his offices in the palace, where he’d cleared a desk just for me. That was where he, and Vel had helped me to make a plan for the safe haven human planet. We don’t want to just purchase a bunch of human women from the slave markets. We don’t want to line the pockets of the traders. But unfortunately, what they’re doing is completely legal under intergalactic law. For now at least. Kiahn has hired a team of people who he’s tasked to help me on that front and we’re going to fight to get the law changed.

Kiahn is making steps in other directions too. He’d re-enforced to his father about his refusal to enter any further breeding contracts, and as far as I can tell, the king hasn’t made any indication as to whether he means to depose Kiahn and his brothers as rulers of the Northern Principality just yet. Kiahn says he believes we can strengthen our position another way. Instead of inviting females of prominent families to come and possibly enter contracts, he is inviting them here with jobs depending on their own merit. Gibbi has been offered a position on his council, citing her much needed knowledge on up-to-date artificial womb technologies.

During the evenings, Kiahn had taken me on many dates. He’d shown me around the whole of his city, and even attempted to cook me his own versions of some Earth foods. They were terrible, but the awful food kind of made me love him even more.

Kiahn had been keen to move from one stage in a human relationship to the next as quickly as we could, but he always asked, each and every time. Soon, we were ‘cohabitating’ and he was over the moon at being worthy of ‘unlimited cuddles’.