Torren rolled out of bed and staggered to the shower. As usual, he was the last one up. Zanyr and Jenna had probably been awake for an hour. He could hear them talking and laughing downstairs, bright and cheerful as they always were at this time of day.

He sent them a message via the link the three of them now shared. “Please tell me one of you obnoxious morning types has coffee waiting for me.”

“Of course we do. And we’re making waffles for breakfast. If you hurry, we might even leave some for you,” Jenna said.

“Shower first,” even his subvocalizations sounded groggy, but a blast of hot water followed by something energizing to drink should set him to rights. Today was important. He needed to be awake and ready.

The sanitation room was still steamy from Jenna’s shower. He knew she’d been there last, because she preferred cleansers that smelled fruity, while both he and Zanyr stuck to neutral scents.

Jenna’s love of fresh fruit had not faded after Sanjin’s attack. After a lifetime of algae broth and nutri-bars, she never went a day without eating something from one of the local farms. She walked around their property every day, too. Zanyr often went with her, giving them time together while Torren enjoyed a few more minutes of sleep.

He scrubbed and lathered as he considered all the ways their mahaya had changed their lives. Her laughter filled the house, lightening even the darkest days. There had been a few of those. Times when the threats to the colony and the lives of everyone in it became impossible to ignore.

In the past, he would have struggled to stave off the darkness as it seeped into his soul. But that was before they’d found their mahaya. She was truly their ana-ti, the fairest of winds. Her arrival heralded so many changes he couldn’t count them all, and he was grateful for every single one. So was Zanyr. How could they be anything else? Jenna was a warm wind that lifted them up, blowing away the shadows that clung to them even after they came to Haven.

Not long ago, he’d stood in this very shower, attacked by memories he thought he’d never escape from. Qarf, it felt like a lifetime ago. In someways, it was. It was before.

They all referred to the past that way. Before. Before they’d found each other. Before they’d been complete. Before they’d been happy.

Torren grinned. Happy was the right word. He could say it in more than twenty languages now. It was one of the ways Jenna encouraged her students to learn, and her translation of the day had become part of their morning ritual.

The tempting scents of waffles hit him as he walked back into the bedroom. His stomach rumbled in response, and the thought of food made him hurry to the closet to grab the outfit he’d already chosen for today.

Instead of his usual dark colors, he’d opted for a deep red vest with ornate beading around the collar. Winter weather meant he’d need a jacket as well, but that was easy enough, especially since they wouldn’t be flying to their destination. Jenna needed to look her best and had made it clear that windburned cheeks and tangled hair were not on the agenda. Pity, because he loved seeing her that way, almost as he loved the sight of her naked.

He left his own hair loose, not wanting to take the extra time to tie it back. The last thing he did before heading down to the kitchen was check the placement of his harani. Wearing it was a point of pride for him, and he always made sure it was clearly visible. He was a mated male, and he wanted everyone to know it.

“For fraxx sake, Vex. Breakfast is getting cold. Get your scaley ass downstairs,” Zanyr called up to him.

“Don’t shed your scales. I’m on my way,” he yelled back.

“Better hurry. He’s got his eyes on your waffles,” Jenna said.

Torren launched himself off the top of the landing and soared down to the main floor. “Mine!” He picked up the plate with one hand and wrapped his free arm around Jenna’s waist. “Also mine,” he declared before kissing her.

“She’s ours. And if you’d been a few seconds slower, those waffles would be ours too. As in Jenna and I would have eaten them.”

Zanyr flicked out two fingers in his direction and then drained his mug. “You eat. I’ll get the transport ready.”

Private vehicles weren’t all that common in Haven, but they’d purchased one for Jenna to use getting to and from work. She’d protested at first, insisting she could walk. Her tone changed the first day it snowed. Once she understood the reality of winter weather, she’d happily learned to drive. She’d changed so much since he’d first found her, becoming a confident, more outgoing version of herself. It suited her.

“Is it time already?” Her voice held notes of tension. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard her sound unsure. But today was a big day, and she had every reason to feel anxious.

“It is.” Zanyr kissed the top of her head on his way out. “Which means you are officially about to join the madness.”

“Right.” Her brows pinched together. “Why did I think this was a good idea?”

Torren waited until his anrik was outside before answering. “I recall trying to talk you out of this. Think of all the evenings you and I could have been home together. Peaceful. Quiet. Naked. Orgasms. But no, you wanted to do more for the community.” He grinned. Those weren’t exactly the words she’d used to explain her decision, but close enough.

“Congratulations again, council member Jenna.”

The newly elected member of the leadership council stuck her tongue out at him. “Eat your breakfast. I don’t want to be late for the swearing-in ceremony. We’ll discuss orgasms later.”

His cock twitched in anticipation of the private celebration he and Zanyr had planned for their beloved once the day’s official functions were over. “Witnessed.”