Epilogue
PLANET: AETHERIUM
Ten years later
Renn’s breath fogged around him as he strolled down Main Street in Solitude Ridge.
His boots crunched against the icy ground, the snow drifts climbing by the week as the cold was settling in for the long season.
It was his favorite time of year, when the town had the perfect amount of tourists vacationing at the resorts, but the town itself was mostly left alone, wholly theirs, as the roads would get more difficult to pass with each storm that blew through the mountain range.
From the moment he beheld this planet from his dying ship, it felt like an enchantment—a dream of a home he never knew, but wanted so badly.
He often visited that lonely year floating through space, unaware of an invisible string pulling him to this place.
A true miracle that he would never take for granted.
And when she came into his life, he finally found what he had been looking for all along.
The nightmares still invaded his dreams occasionally, but they didn’t burrow deep like they used to, because whenever he woke up from those hellish memories, heaven was there beside him the moment he opened his eyes.
It has been nearly three years since he returned from Earth, and his last time on that planet had been an ordeal.
The countless discussions and the thorough investigation of what happened to the crew of the Seraphim was more than just reliving a memory.
Renn was there—back there on that ship—watching his crew become nothing more than stardust. It was the worst moment of his life, forever staining his heart that was already full of darkness.
He hadn’t expected to be forced to relive so much of Grey’s betrayal in every painful detail.
“And what, exactly, did the admiral say at that moment?”
“Did you have any indication beforehand that Officer Locke was planning this?”
Thomas Grey had mentored him for years, and in all that time, right up to the very end, Renn had thought of him as a noble man.
Surely, the change in Grey happened after he became captain, but even then, it was alarmingly quick for a man to change his morals.
It was disturbing to Renn either way. He was either too blind to see it, or people were capable of unthinkable actions at any moment.
Renn suspected the latter was the most true and he hated to think about it.
The sign of Tall Tales Bookshop was mostly hidden under freshly fallen snow, but a warm glow from the windows still gave it an inviting aura.
Tasha and her mother had left for their yearly vacation, heading south for the winter, but instead of closing the shop they owned, they decided to leave it in the hands of a trusted person who also loved the store as much as they did.
The bell above the door jingled as he entered and Maven instantly had a smile on her face. She knew Renn was planning on stopping by after the work day.
She had been counting the hours—minutes, if she was being honest. Maven kept her back to him for a moment longer before she turned to face him, giving him enough time to appreciate her long, dark thick braid laying down her back.
It was the longest she’d ever had her hair, and Renn was obsessed with it.
He never missed an opportunity to run his hands through it, craving the way it looked hanging around him like a curtain whenever Maven was on top of him, or how it hung perfectly around her face whenever she wore a beanie.
His heart never failed to skip a beat whenever those icy blue eyes locked at him, especially when they twinkled with a smile on her lips. But he had to admit, he might have loved just as much when she was annoyed with him too.
He wasn’t the only one who admired the view.
Maven unapologetically examined him from head to toe.
Renn looked spectacular in a uniform; she had been lucky to see him in it when viewing his recorded captain’s logs, but Renn like this, rugged and raw .
. . he was devastating. It was enough to make her melt on the spot without him saying a single word.
He wore his dark blue jeans, dark grey sweater under his coat, and the black beanie that was her favorite. And to top it all off, he removed the beanie, running his hands through his hair. He knew exactly what he was doing to her as it did, too.
Renn didn’t speak before he practically ran to her and enveloped her in his arms, picking her off the ground with ease. He inhaled her scent—a mixture of coffee and worn book pages.
“I love that smell,” she hummed, breathing in his scent in return.
“I was just thinking the same thing about you.”
For Maven, it was the smell of the car repair shop that lingered on him at all times, always mingling with an earthy scent that was purely him.
They held on to each other a moment longer before he set her down.
She ran fingers through his hair, tracing his jaw.
His face was covered with stubble, just the way she liked it.
“Shy upstairs?” he asked, his eyes suddenly looking somber.
She nodded. “She must not have heard you. I think it’s gotten worse in the last few weeks,” she admitted sadly. Neither of them liked addressing the subject that Shy was getting on in years.
Shy was more than a dog. She had been Renn’s first companion as he navigated this new planet and later saved both their lives.
That stormy cold night had changed everything, but even before Maven learned the truth about Renn’s past, the moment he stepped into her life as the “new guy in town,” she knew she would never be the same.
Renn felt the same in every way. He never would have imagined a life like—a life with someone like Maven.
The darkest parts of their lives had brought them together and he was enterally grateful for every step, every mile and hardship that had brought him here, to her.
They didn’t have to bury their pasts, try to forget what happened, but rather faced them together, hand in hand, sharing the good days and the bad days.
And when the guilt would creep up on them, they always pulled each other back, being the lifeline the other needed.
“Did you hear from Nate?” she asked, going back to her task before he arrived, sliding a book onto a shelf.
“He should be here in a few weeks,” he said, grinning as he picked up a book from the pile she was re-shelving.
She could tell he was more excited than he was letting on.
If Nate liked Solitude Ridge enough on this second visit, when they actually introduced him as Renn’s long-time friend from work, then maybe he would stay permanently.
They worked together, putting the books back for a moment, but she caught him sneaking glances her way and smiling every few seconds.
“What are you smiling at?” Her cheeks blushed and he absolutely loved that he could still make her do that with just a look.
“I just can’t help but think about this being the place we first met,” he said, gazing around, like he could see the memory floating around them. “And you were stalking me through the shelves.”
She blushed again. “I won’t apologize for that. Not ever,” she teased.
He laughed, his big, full, contagious laugh. And then he had a wicked grin on his lips that bloomed butterflies in Maven's stomach in an instant. She knew that look—she loved that look. He casually ran his fingertips over the spines of the book near her head.
“You know, there are a lot of other activities we could do, hidden in these bookshelves,” he teased, his voice lower than before.
She bit her lip. “You wouldn’t.”
He winked, and she had no time to protest.
“Renn!” she exclaimed as he picked her up and carried her deeper into the store before pushing her back against the shelves.
She didn’t protest because he was already kissing her like his life depended on it—like he had been wanting to do this all day.
She dug her fingers through his blond hair.
It was getting darker the older he was getting, making him even more distinguished, and she loved it at this length—long enough for her to hold on to, but not an out-of-control tangle.
Renn was always in control. Cool. Collected.
Always did things a certain way, except when it came to Mave.
With her, he lost control in the best way.
“What if someone comes in?” she gasped between kisses.
“They won’t,” he panted, sliding his mouth to her neck. “I locked the door.” He must have done it when she wasn’t looking.
“Oh, I see; you planned this.” Maven smiled as he bit her ear softly.
His mouth lingered there as he whispered, “And what do you think of this plan so far?”
“Pretty good,” she teased, a little breathless already.
“Pretty good?” He sounded offended. “I can do better than that.” And oh did she know it.
Renn grabbed the hem of her sweater and she lifted her arms above her head as he pulled it off, letting it fall to the side.
His green eyes bore into her for a moment before he leaned back to drink in the sight of her lace bra and then slowly dropped to his knees.
His height put him at the perfect level to bury his face between her breasts, kissing and nipping her through the fabric.
Her heartbeat quickened. “Oh, Renn. Yes,” she said with a soft gasp.
He trailed down her stomach, and when he reached the top of her jeans, he looked up at her and he slowly, tortuously, undid the button and slipped the zipper down.
His eyes never left hers as slid her pants over her hips, removing them completely.
Instead of removing her underwear next, he lowered his face to her core, planting a kiss at her center, and then, with his tongue, created the most perfect friction as he dragged it over the fabric.
Her nails dug into his scalp, trying to remember how to breathe.
Renn rose, giving Maven the chance to trace her fingers across the hard plains of his stomach as he pulled off his jacket and shirt.
She helped him with his jeans and quickly, he removed the rest of her clothing.
He traded spaces with her, his back against the shelves as he lowered them gently to the ground, his strong body making it all too easy as she straddled him.
He paused, holding her face, dragging his thumb over her swollen lips and reverently lifting the necklace lying against her chest—his necklace, that she always wore—between his fingers.
He used it to pull her toward him until their noses were touching.
Maven never took it off, not since the day he had left for Earth, when they weren’t certain he would ever return, and he had never asked for it back.
It was hers now, just like she was his. She treasured its significance ever since she knew the story behind it.
“Tell me,” she whispered, her breath skating over his lips.
“I love you, Maven. More than worlds, more than the endless stars and space. I love you infinitely.” And then he kissed her deeply—everything that he couldn’t put into words.
She never would tire of this feeling, never take for granted that she could call him for anything, tell him her darkest guilts.
That he would kiss her like this again and again.
He always took his time with her, always made sure she felt worshipped.
Renn had chosen her to be the only person who knew him completely—who he was, who had been.
It was her and her alone and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Renn’s true origin had come up a few times since his return to Aetherium, and they debated if they should share Renn’s secret with the people in their lives, but they always came to the same conclusion—in the end, it didn’t matter.
He was here, this was his home, and nothing would ever change that from being true.
Maven pulled back for a moment, just to admire the man that had saved her, who had come back for her, crossing though a star-filled landscape just for her.
“I love you, Aldrenn Anton.”
And that was all he needed, all he would ever need.
She knew his darkness and his light—everything that made him who he was.
He guided her down, lining them together until they were joined fully.
They started to move with each other slowly, letting every place they touched have a moment. It was perfect every time.
“Renn,” she moaned, begging him for more. He leaned forward, kissing her neck, his hands in her hair as she moved on top of him, her legs tightening around him as she got the closer to her release
“Yes, Mave,” he muttered before his desperate pleas switched to his native tongue.
He couldn't control it in these moments, and that always gave Maven a thrill.
She knew he was truly lost in it. They found their release together, sinking into each other, coming down from the high.
And only after their breaths began to calm, their heartbeats steady once again and Renn told her over and over how perfect she was—how beautiful she was—did they finally get dressed.
“Do you want to stop for coffee?” he asked as they were locking up the shop.
“You know you never need to ask.”
With Shy following, the three of them trekked through the snow, passing friends along the way, the faces of people that had accepted them both for different reasons. The residents of Solitude Ridge were their family.
“Let’s go home,” Maven said, when she had her coffee in hand, looping her free arm around his. He kissed her on the top of her head, letting his mouth linger there, breathing her in.
“I was home the moment I walked in the door and saw you.”
Her nose was red from the cold, but her cheeks turned pink for a different reason. She paused, looking up at him. “You’re my home too, Renn. Always.”
He couldn’t hide the joy that spread through his body, and it wasn’t the cold that stung his eyes.
Maven always had that effect on him. He lifted her chin, gazing into the brilliant icy blue of her eyes that had enchanted him more than any constellation and great wonder in the universe, kissing her again because he would never take for granted that she was his and that he could.
“Always.”