Chapter 7 #2
“A love amulet?” I turn to Kai, bouncing on my toes. “Doesn’t that sound romantic?”
His answering grin is filled with amusement.
Ula continues. “These are no ordinary amulets, I assure you. They are made from two halves of a Laidhuian heartstone.”
Kai inhales sharply.
“You have heard of them?” Ula asks.
“My parents have told me tales of them. I thought them to be more a creation of fantasy than reality.”
Ula smiles. “I do not know what stories you have heard, but these stones are sacred to my people. The two halves are always connected and resonate with one another, much like your souls do. If you should ever be separated for any reason, the stones will find a way to guide each of you back to the other.”
A spooky, tingling awareness spreads through my body, giving me goose bumps. “They can really do that?” I stare at the stones, which seem to shimmer at me in response. “Whoa.”
Kai leans down and whispers in my ear. “She’s reeling you in hook, line, and sinker.”
I stick my tongue out at him and focus back on Ula.
She reminds me of some of Benji’s mystical friends who have visited us over the years.
There’s an otherworldliness about her, and not because she’s an extraterrestrial.
It’s pinging my woo-woo radar in a powerful way.
Kai’s on the Vulcan spectrum and all about reason and logic when it comes to most things.
But I’m more on the Betazoid—shout-out to Deanna Troi—side of things.
I’m mainly guided by my instincts and a reading of the vibe in a situation.
My gut is never wrong, and right now my gut is telling me to believe this woman and what she’s telling us.
In fact, I’ve seen and talked to quite a few of the vendors at the market today, but my gut hadn’t pinged until now. None of the items I saw earlier spoke to me the way these two cuff bracelets are. I’m drawn to them and I’d almost swear they’re humming with a kind of quiet energy I can’t resist.
“May we try them on before we decide?” I ask her.
She bows her head gracefully. “Of course.”
With light, graceful movements, she puts them on both of us.
My reaction is instantaneous and I stare at Kai wide-eyed. “Do you feel that?” I whisper.
All my freaking hair might be standing on end right now because my body is thrumming all over like a tuning fork.
Kai looks spooked. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this… but yes, I do.”
“The stones have chosen you,” Ula says with a satisfied smile. “We like to say the heartstone’s two halves sing when they find the couple they resonate with.”
The thrumming sensation begins to wane, and I’m filled with harmonious vibes.
“The heartstone possesses mysterious powers that have long been revered among my kind. We rarely sell them outside of our home planet,” Ula explains.
Kai narrows his eyes at her. “So why exactly did you bring them with you here?”
She smiles mysteriously and closes her eyes.
“I had a dream that told me the couple destined for this pair of amulets was ready to be found and that I must bring them with me on my travels. The Laidhu trust in the prognostic powers of dreams and consider their wisdom in all that we do.” She opens her eyes and beams at us.
“The moment you two stepped into my stall, I knew you were the ones these amulets traveled so far to find.”
I give Kai my best puppy-dog eyes. “Can we get these? Pretty please, babe. It’s our freaking destiny!”
He searches my face. “I take it you’re buying all of what she’s telling us?”
I reach a hand up and stroke the side of his face. “Look, I may not entirely know what these amulets are or what they do, but I do know my gut’s telling me we can trust Ula and her super magical-mystical heartstones.”
“All right,” Kai agrees.
He turns back to Ula. “How much for the pair?”
They spend a few minutes haggling, and I’m entirely in the dark, since I have no idea what Intergalactic Standard Currency—ISC—amounts translate to in USD. I should ask Nirblob to create a conversion app for me…
Eventually, they come to an agreement, and Kai holds out his Alliance ID card so she can scan it for payment.
“These amulets are meant to be worn at all times. They are water-resistant and the metal is hypoallergenic.” She touches my cuff to activate a tiny, almost invisible mechanism, and I jump a little when it snaps the entire thing closed with a click.
“Only your partner can open your amulet,” she explains as she uses the same maneuver on Kai.
She shows us how we can unlock and open each other’s cuffs before closing them again.
“May these amulets bring you good fortune and keep you safe from harm. If either of you are in danger, your amulet will let you know.”
I blink at her. “How, exactly?”
Ula flashes me a small, mysterious smile once again. “You will know if the time comes, but I pray it will not.” She clasps her hands over her chest and gives us a bow. “I wish you both a lifetime of love and happiness together.”
We say our goodbyes and find a quiet corner outside of the plaza where we sit on a bench and admire our new wrist cuffs. The purple stone in each of them shines in the sun, and I’m even more certain now that we made the right choice.
“I know I can’t really explain it,” I tell Kai, “but it was like I was being called by these cuffs.” I grin. “And mine pairs super well with the Iyaran betrothal amulet you gave me.”
I touch where that beloved love token hangs on a chain around my neck.
He smiles, then studies his own cuff and nods slowly. “It’s in no way logical, but I experienced a similar electrifying sensation when Ula first put the cuff on my wrist. It should have been unnerving, but it was eerily… natural.”
“There’s the added bonus that these babies are kind of like an organic tracking device, so to speak.” I waggle my eyebrows and channel my inner Lord Vardox. “Mwhahaha! You’ll never be able to get away from me now.”
That makes him laugh.
“If nothing else, they look awfully damn fine on both of us,” I add. “Not to mention, they match your beautiful eyes and talented tentacles. What’s not to love?”
“I’m glad they please you so much. It was well worth the cost.”
I gulp. “Uh… how pricey were they?”
His lips twitch. “You mean the super rare mystical heartstone amulets that are the stuff of fairy tales?”
I whimper. “Please tell me I didn’t have you drain your bank account to buy them?”
Kai leans back on the bench with an air of unconcern. “They were expensive, but in line with the value of such a rare and coveted stone. No doubt, some of our colleagues back at the Alliance will want to get their hands on them to learn more about the Laidhuian heartstone.”
I clutch my wrist to my chest. “Fuck that. I’m not letting anyone get near mine and you can’t share yours. They might mess with the mystical powers of our stones.”
Kai snorts with amusement. “Whatever you say, darling.”
“Damn straight.” I pat his thigh in approval.
Kai doesn’t think he is, but he’s totally a stealth romantic under his gruff exterior. It’s even more freaking adorable to me because I know I bring it out in him.
I stand and pull him to his feet. “Come on, we need to hurry and grab some lunch.”
He raises a questioning eyebrow. “Why do we need to hurry?”
I grin from ear to ear. “Because we’re going undercover into the fray once more.”
Tentacular Tales Con, here we come—again!