The Martian Novels & Stories

I continued quietly, “I mark you as my forever mate and Luna.” Jane’s eyes filled with emotion so quickly it nearly unraveled me. “I Jane Foster, accept you in the name of our Moon Goddess as my mate,” she whispered back. “I swear to always love you with every breath I breathe. I mark you as my forever mate.” The world around us went completely still. The lake. The wind. The night itself. Everything faded until all I could feel was her beneath me. My mate. My forever. I pressed my forehead against hers again, holding there for a moment while emotion threatened to overwhelm me completely.

They saw the only thing standing between them and the slaughterhouse. Marta was already lying out on a wooden supply sled in the main stable bay, her shattered leg wrapped in clean linens, her face gray with exhaustion but her mind completely lucid. Beside her, a young mountain fox; one of my father's old scout beasts, sat perched on the edge of the wooden frame, its green eyes blinking intelligently in the dark. "You're going to him," Marta croaked as I approached, her frail hand reaching out from beneath the wool blankets to catch the hem of my coat.

Fire was no mere element to her. It dragged her back to the night of her childhood, and when trolls had cornered her and laughed about how they would roast her alive. The memory really hurts, but she forced herself to be calm and not to let her fear show, she had to win. Above them, glowing letters carved themselves across the sky, the ingredient list. Moonveil Mushrooms. The first challenge. Crystal baskets appeared in their hands, it was cool and glowing faintly. The consorts tightened their grips, nerves and excitement sparking in their eyes.

“If it weren’t for you, Iris wouldn’t have chosen someone else! You scheming wolf, do you think you deserve to be my Luna?” To make it worse, and to sever any ties between them, he spat a secret that could destroy her, “Look at yourself. You're a worthless, low-blood Omega. You don’t even deserve to shine my shoes, yet you dare dream of being my mate?” The words “low-blood” exploded through the crowd like thunder. Everyone turned on Fawn with contempt. Their looks cut like blades. Her face went deathly white. Under the whispers and pointing fingers, she lost it.

I answered rather too desperately, glad she was buying the story. Liam stared at me with his brows furrowed deeply like he was trying to understand what I was saying. He was the smarter one. It will be a bit harder to convince him but I was optimistic and determined. He’ll buy the story and eventually give in. I just needed to make it sound very real. “In another planet?” “Yes.” “Which one?” “Mars,” I blurted out. “Planet Mars.”

The moment I least wanted to remember came replaying in my mind again: the moment of Lenhandro's betrayal, carrying along fierce hatred and a seething rage. "That day when Lenhandro came around, something happened, and I reincarnated." I answered, my voice low and heavy, tinged with a mix of anger and hatred for Lenhandro. "My soul has been occupying this body ever since then." I added, my gaze fixed on a particular point in space as I brooded over my surging wrath. "Then who's that Xenra that's ruling us?" Marcus' question broke into the fog of anger that had settled in my heart, snapping me back to the present.

If only the world could be as peaceful and uncomplicated as this moment, everything would be so much better. The constant worry I feel when I can't see Phoenix, especially at night, would vanish, and my life would be so much simpler. Every night, I find myself hoping to make it through the next day safely and to see Phoenix again. I should be enjoying life and anticipating the search for my mate, but instead, I'm consumed by thoughts of safety every moment. Wait, did I just say "mate"? In all my life, I’ve never considered that word until now. I glance at Bane, who is focused on the road, clearly annoyed that I opened his window.

Does he think I'm happy being here? I just want to get out of here and go back to my normal freaking life. I don't want a mate. Mates are myths and filled with the stupidest stuff in their heads with no brains; I hate them so much. They are never loyal nor faithful but think of themselves and the fun they are going to have, forgetting that we are at a low point here and don't give a fuck about us; who cares anyway? I don't want one and so shall it be; I don't give a damn...

Nevertheless, Vance had been a rock for me to rest on while he masked his concerns. Seeing Venus smiling at us made my whirling mind gradually quell into a peaceful calm as Venus stretched her hands in the air and yawned as though she had awakened from a regular sleep. Her ivory skin tone was well balanced in comparison to the pale white that accompanied the kripling’s tainted venom that was killing out her regular blood cells. Mom removed all the tubes and ventilator. She completed the last of her examination and helped Venus to drink some water. Then she stepped back from the bed to stand beside Marlena.

Sarah read. “Yes. There we can ride in the Car of Tomorrow— a brand new vehicle they call the Mustang—upon the Road of Tomorrow." Tracing the path of the half mile spiraling road of reinforced concrete paved with non-skid Monocork, she elaborated. "It passes through part of the pavilion, circling the exterior garden. It's the highest view of the fairgrounds from any pavilion here. Inside, they have a wonderful exhibit with graphics that show how things we take from the soil are made through industry into the things we use in our lives.” “It sounds as though you’ve already seen it.” Sarah sounded disappointed.