Kane, standing between Sacha and Melissa, pulled them close into a tight embrace. He kissed their lips, letting his energy hit them without mercy — and not only them.

  That single gesture was enough to draw tears from everyone. A feeling so pure, beautiful, and pleasurable that it demanded to be experienced.

  “Damn…,” Tariel murmured, trapped in Julis’s arms. “I want that too, Kane…” she begged.

  The intimacy in her voice sparked jealousy in me instantly, even though I knew those feelings weren’t hers. Still… I wanted to be in the arms of those two as well.

  I looked at Anastácia and wiped the bit of saliva running down the corner of her lips. The touch snapped her out of the trance.

  “Breathe and try to control yourselves,” Kane asked. “Affection is a need for us.”

  They gave us a minute. A predatory smile formed on Melissa’s lips.

  “Anastácia…” she began, turning to her. “Willian belongs to us, but you belong only to him. That means we won’t decide for you. And, since Willian is human, your future is yours to choose.”

  “I… I don’t know. I’m alone.”

  “No,” Melissa’s voice was firm. “You are not, and you won’t be. I said you belong to Willian. I’ll help: you may choose to go to Earth, where you’ll be cared for. You’ll be able to build a family, and Willian will be your guardian. As a human, your destiny will be decided by you.”

  “Or…” Sacha continued, “you may stay with Willian and Tariel. In that case, you will belong to us. You’ll lose the freedom of choice. We will decide everything for you. Answer now.”

  Silence fell over us.

  Confused — and perhaps still affected by the Sekvens’ energy — Anastácia couldn’t speak. More than testing her decision, they wanted to know if she understood what it meant.

  Love or freedom.

  “Tariel…” she whispered, eyes on the floor. “Does Tariel belong to you or only to Willian?”

  “Tariel belongs to us,” Melissa confirmed. “She belongs to the Known Universe.”

  “Will you take care of me like you took care of her?”

  “That’s what we said,” Sacha replied, leaning forward while still seated. “Look into my eyes and say the words.”

  Then both spoke together, precise, unwavering:

  “I want to be yours.”

  Anastácia gasped, frozen — maybe for a small eternity — staring into Sacha’s eyes.

  A single second was enough for the Sekvens to reach into her mind, to search through memories and possibilities.

  Anastácia collapsed sideways, caught by Zircon. The closeness — and the invasion, granted the instant she accepted to belong — was too much to bear.

  “Your turn, Tariel,” Melissa smiled.

  Tariel tensed and squeezed both of Julis’s hands. Julis laughed at her reaction.

  “My love,” Melissa continued, “Sacha has created comfort and pseudomemories in Anastácia’s mind. So when fear and bad memories come, she won’t feel alone. That’s how we help.”

  Sacha paused.

  “You don’t really know what trauma is, do you?” I smiled faintly.

  “You’ll do the same with me?” Tariel asked.

  “Unfortunately, we can’t,” Melissa said, stepping closer. “We’ll have to help you differently. As you probably know, we partially descend from humans; your mental patterns are accessible to us. But you… you are different.”

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  Aninha arrived with her group, settling herself on the Sekvens’ laps as if she lived there.

  “It’s not impossible,” the fairy said. “Your feelings are similar to humans’, but the risk is big. We want you to remain yourself. If something goes wrong, you could become someone else. We don’t want that.”

  “Then how will you help me?” Tariel asked.

  “With a lot of love,” Melissa smiled.

  “Lots of kisses, hugs, touch, affection…” Aninha thought for a moment, then grinned mischievously. “And some other fun things.”

  Without warning, Melissa cupped Tariel’s face.

  My heart jumped. I wanted to move, but Ana was still on my lap. By the time I reacted, Tariel and Julis were already sprawled on the floor, breathless. Before fading out, Tariel reached a hand toward Melissa.

  “Your turn, Willian.”

  Sacha’s voice echoed inside me.

  I had been touched before — but that smile of hers awakened every defense I had left. I braced myself for something overwhelming.

  In the next instant, I was locked into her gaze. I couldn’t feel my body. My mind was no longer alone. Comfort, union, intimacy wrapped around me completely.

  When Sacha finally looked away, I silently celebrated: I was still conscious.

  But she leaned in and kissed me.

  I could write an entire book about what I felt in that moment — and still fail.

  Love, sensuality, safety, pleasure, warmth, happiness.

  Too much of everything — and still perfectly balanced.

  Maybe I saw paradise.

  No… paradise was a tiny point compared to all of that, a lonely star in an infinite universe.

  I breathed. Only then I realized: during the kiss, my heart and lungs had stopped.

  I just died… I thought, feeling life drain and then rush back into me.

  I was the last to wake up. I opened my eyes with my head resting on Tariel’s lap, facing her smile.

  “Are we alone?”

  “Jazzia prepared a snack,” she said, leaning down to kiss me. “What was that?”

  “Was it good?”

  “I want more…”

  I laughed and nodded.

  “Aren’t you hungry?”

  “It feels like I haven’t eaten in days. Julis said he’d stay here, but he wanted to wait for you.”

  Ana played with Julis at the table. Seeing a Xerantos playing was fascinating.

  Anastácia ate but kept staring at the Sekvens. The overwhelming hunger Tariel and I felt was a direct result of their contact: our bodies spent everything just trying to keep us alive.

  While we ate, Melissa explained what we felt — and what we could feel from now on.

  I leaned toward Aninha, sitting at the table’s edge.

  “What was that kiss? A Sellar kiss?”

  “No!” Aninha laughed out loud. “A Sellar Kiss is only between Sekvens partners. One of those would kill you instantly. No chance of coming back.”

  I swallowed hard.

  “Willian,” Kane called, “before we take you for ourselves, we offer you a choice. Sacha told us you’ve already made yours.”

  She had been inside me. They just wanted me to say it.

  “I want to build a place in Donna where humans and Seliums can live together. The problem is finding enough people to start.”

  “It won’t be easy,” Melissa said. “You’ll need humans like Anastácia — those who still have love in their hearts. And you’ll need to break the hearts of the Seliums.”

  “And remember,” Sacha added, “love must be fed so the Known Universe recognizes Donna as a whole. If you want to unite two peoples, start with yourself.”

  The explanation followed:

  “Love is a powerful magnet,” Melissa said. “It pulls those who have it, even from afar. On Donna, where love is rare — with no poles to balance it — union happens fast. Don’t think you found Tariel, Anastácia, and Ana by chance.”

  “You’re the one who chose that village,” Aninha said. “You believed reason guided you — but no. A lonely light in the dark can be seen from very far away. You saw Tariel’s light going out. That wasn’t luck. It was love.”

  Tariel smiled, lighting up the room.

  “You also ran to Anastácia and Ana,” Aninha continued. “They were still shining. That will help you bring other humans. Anastácia will become your partner. That way, you unite the peoples of Donna and connect them to our universe.”

  Anastácia listened in quiet shock.

  “You didn’t understand any of that, did you?” Aninha flew right up to her face. “So let me simplify: from now on, you’re Willian’s wife — along with Tariel.”

  “Me? But…”

  “No buts!” Aninha cut her off. “It’s the best for you — and for Donna.”

  “What’s wrong, my love?” Sacha asked Tariel, whose smile was fading.

  “You’re afraid Willian’s love will shrink… or that you’ll have to share him?” Milena teased.

  “I think… both.”

  “Your love overcame barriers,” Sacha said. “It didn’t even acknowledge them. Love like that doesn’t diminish. It doesn’t wear out with time. It only grows.”

  “Anastácia is stepping into this tornado,” Aninha added, “and she’ll never want to leave it.”

  “You intend to rescue the Selium slaves,” Sacha continued. “If you rescue them all at once, and there is still love inside them, you’ll find balance. If you want more partners, do it one by one.”

  “No!” I almost shouted.

  Aninha rolled on the table laughing. The others joined in. I didn’t.

  “Regardless,” Sacha concluded, “all the ones you rescue will belong to you.”

  It hit like a punch to the stomach. If I wanted to help them, I would have to take responsibility for every life.

  A sweet smell filled the air — freshly baked cake.

  Melissa grabbed a slice and bit into it, staring at me with a sensual look.

  I decided not to interpret it.

  I didn’t want to.

  “You’re afraid,” Sacha said. “Imagine if Milena had refused to give herself because of fear.”

  “We wouldn’t exist,” I answered.