Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
We fly past the mountain and the landscape changes yet again. There are yards of ships, tall buildings, and what look like factories. Even with this being the least amount of greenery I’ve seen, most likely because this space was cleared out for the industrial need for things, life still clings to everything here. The entire planet teems with it in a way that Earth had only begun to attempt to reclaim from our land.
“We’re home,” he tells me as the ship starts to lower, getting closer to what I assume is a landing strip.
“Home,” I sigh out.
Those butterflies bloom to life all over again the second I see all the Hallans waiting for us. A crowd of them, women, much more men, and at the very forefront, who I can clearly tell must be Bothaki’s parents. Even if it weren’t for the crescents they have on their foreheads, and the marks that so closely resemble Bothaki’s, it would be easy to tell from the male who looks almost exactly like his youngest son, but just an older, wiser version. And the female, who Vabila has clearly taken after.
The ship softly lands and Hallans begin to gather behind us, readying to disembark. The bay door drops open and fresh air breezes in that I breathe in. It’s like a sweet embrace from Hallalah, welcoming me here. It brings a smile to my face.
“That’s much better,” Bothaki says.
“What?” I ask.
“When you’re smiling.”
I chuckle. “You can’t even see my face. How can you know I’m smiling?”
“I can feel it. Always. Your happiness is my own.”
“Take me home then.”
Another kiss to my temple and we separate, him linking his hand with mine. His footsteps thud much louder than my own as we descend down the ramp. His mother smiles first, and, to my surprise, she’s not looking at Bothaki, but me. Her and Bothaki’s father break away from the crowd to meet us halfway.
“Mother, Father, I present to you my mate, Selina.”
“I am honored to meet the one who holds my son’s heart,” they both say, the translator making it so I can understand the words this time.
“I am Nowas,” his father states as he brings the back of my hand to his forehead like Halun did when he greeted me on Earth.
Then, his mother steps in front of me. “And I am Jozay.”
She cradles my face, brings her forehead to mine just as Vabila did, but when she backs away, her hands drop down to cradle my stomach. Tears gather in her eyes as confusion fills me. Did Bothaki send his parents a message? How can she know? I look over my shoulder when I feel a hand come to it. Vabila is there, smiling at me.
“My mother is a Mina as well.”
That explains it, without her needing to say anything more.
“We have waited so long for you, my beautiful child,” Jozay says.
I look back at her. “I feel like I waited, too, even though I had no idea what I was waiting for.”
“Fate knew.” She nods.
“Prince Bothaki has returned,” Nowas calls out, facing the crowd. “And his mate, Selina, with him.”
A cheer goes up and Bothaki’s arm wraps around my waist, pulling me close to him as we advance. The women embrace me and men give my hand a light shake as we move through the crowd. Children, almost all little boys, hand me so many flowers that I have a few bouquets in each hand by the time we’re past them.
From there, animals that remind me most of horses are waiting. I’m relieved to see a wagon of sorts attached to a pair of them since I’ve never ridden any animal and would have no idea how to now. The hairless beasts—but for manes and tails made of cone-shaped bushels of domed feathers—clip-clop their hooved feet against the ground at the sight of us approaching. Bothaki helps me into the wagon and then gets in himself. His parents and sister get on the backs of the tall animals and we take off. Seeing everything close up that I saw on the ship only makes me marvel at it now. When I look at Bothaki, he’s smiling softly at me, simply happy to see me happy, like always.
“How are you feeling?” he asks low.
“Much better,” I answer, knowing he means the nausea that’s kept me room-bound until just a few days ago.
“It’s the Hallan air.”
“Or maybe it’s you.”
He smiles. “I’m glad you want me to think so.”
We arrive at the palace carved into the mountain and even though the wagon stops, I only stare up at it for a moment, until Bothaki pulls on my hand, urging me forward. We walk under a massive stone archway to open front doors. The Hallans beyond it greet us with bowed heads and smiles. If I thought the outside was impressive, the inside is beyond anything I thought a home could contain.