Page 72 of Salvaged By the Alien Pirate

“I thought I’d lost you,” he whispers, and the raw emotion in his voice makes my heart clench. His hands map every inch of me like he’s trying to memorize me all over again, checking forinjuries the medical staff might have missed. “When the bond went so quiet . . .”

I pull him down to me, silencing his fears with a kiss that quickly ignites into something deeper. There’s desperation in the way he touches me, like he needs to prove to himself that I’m really here, really safe. I pour everything I feel into the bond—my love, my trust, my absolute certainty that we belong together.

When we finally come together, it’s with a tenderness that brings tears to my eyes. Every touch, every kiss carries the weight of what we almost lost. The bond explodes with shared pleasure and emotion as we move together, erasing any lingering doubts about where I belong. His wings wrap around us like a living cocoon, tribal markings pulsing in time with our racing hearts.

Cirdox’s hands, warm and gentle, trace the contours of my body as if rediscovering every curve and line. His touch is a balm, soothing the lingering aches and fears that the Eclipse left behind. I can feel his restraint, the careful control he exerts to ensure he doesn’t cause me any pain. But beneath that gentleness, there’s a burning desire that matches my own.

His lips find mine in a kiss that’s both tender and hungry, a promise of the passion we’re about to share. I can feel the bond between us pulsing with need, a shared longing that’s been too long denied. As his hands roam lower, exploring the sensitive skin of my hips and thighs, I can’t help but arch into his touch, craving more.

He moves slowly, deliberately, making sure to gauge my reactions with each caress. When his fingers finally slip between my legs, finding the heat and wetness that’s been building there, I gasp into his mouth. The sensation is almost too much, but he holds me steady, his wings enveloping us in a cocoon of warmth and safety.

“Cirdox,” I whisper against his lips, my voice trembling with need. “I want you. All of you.”

His eyes, those deep red pools of desire and love, hold mine as he positions himself between my thighs. I can feel the hard length of him pressing against me, ready but waiting. He’s giving me the choice, the control, even now. And that’s why I love him—because he understands what I need, even when I can’t find the words to say it.

I wrap my legs around his hips, pulling him closer, urging him to take me. He enters me slowly, carefully, his eyes never leaving mine. The sensation of him filling me, completing me, is almost too much. Tears prick my eyes as the bond between us flares with a brilliance that’s almost blinding.

We move together, our bodies finding a rhythm that’s as natural as breathing. Each thrust, each roll of his hips, sends waves of pleasure crashing through me. His wings pulse with the same rhythm, their tribal markings glowing brighter with each shared breath.

His hands roam over my body, touching, caressing, claiming every inch of me as his own. And I do the same, my fingers tracing the lines of his muscles, the scars that tell the story of his battles, the markings that speak of his heritage. We’re not just lovers; we’re warriors, bonded by more than just passion. We’re bound by love, by shared sacrifices, by the knowledge that we’ve fought for this moment and won.

As our pleasure builds, I can feel the bond between us growing stronger, more intense. It’s not just physical; it’s emotional, spiritual. It’s everything. And when we finally reach the peak, the explosion of sensation is almost too much to bear.

We cling to each other, our bodies shaking with the aftershocks of our shared climax. His wings tighten around us, holding me close, protecting me even now. I can feel his heartbeating against mine, the steady rhythm a reminder of the life we share, the love that binds us together.

This fierce, protective warrior is mine, just as I am his. The Eclipse tried to break our connection, to reduce it to cold data, but they never understood. What we share can’t be quantified or controlled. It simply is.

Later, wrapped in his wings and watching his tribal markings pulse in contentment, I trace the new scars on his chest. The bond thrums with peaceful satisfaction between us, stronger than ever after our intimate reunion.

“I’m sorry I scared you,” I murmur, following the path of a particularly nasty scar that I know came from protecting me during the escape.

He catches my hand, pressing a kiss to my palm. “You have nothing to apologize for. You fought them every step of the way. I felt it through the bond—your strength, your defiance. You never broke.”

“We broke them instead,” I say with fierce satisfaction. “The data I managed to extract before they caught me, combined with what you recovered during the rescue . . . McCoy says it’s enough to bring down their entire operation.”

“The Brotherhood is already moving against their remaining cells,” he confirms, his fingers playing idly with my hair. “The STI can’t ignore the evidence anymore. Even Ta’vag’s diplomatic channels are buzzing with calls for action. Things are changing, little hacker.”

I shift closer, letting his warmth chase away the lingering chill of memory. “And Kira?”

His arms tighten around me protectively. “The specialists are making progress. The Eclipse’s programming is being purged, but . . . it will take time. She may never fully recover. But there’s hope—yesterday she remembered your name without prompting.”

I nod against his chest, grief and hope warring in my heart. Maybe someday I’ll get my sister back. Maybe I won’t. But I’m not alone anymore.

When Cirdox and I step onto the bridge, Zara’s russet fur practically bristles with excitement. She bounds over, her usual military precision forgotten as she wraps me in a careful hug.

“Finally! The bridge hasn’t been the same without your sarcastic commentary,” she says, her tail swishing with genuine joy. “Grig’s attempts at witty banter are terrible.”

From his position at the helm, Grig’s pale blue features arrange themselves into an exaggerated pout. “I’ll have you know my humor is highly sophisticated. You just lack the intellectual capacity to appreciate it.”

I can’t help but laugh, even though it makes my still-healing implants twinge. “Missed you too, you overgrown blueberry.”

Grig’s large eyes crinkle with amusement as he abandons his post long enough to give me a quick, gentle embrace. “Welcome back, little hacker. Perhaps now the Captain will stop prowling the bridge like a caged predator.”

Cirdox’s wing brushes protectively against my back as he growls, “I do not prowl.”

“Of course not,” Zara agrees with a completely straight face, though her tail twitches with suppressed laughter. “You merely . . . patrol. Aggressively. While glaring at everything.”

The warmth of their welcome, the easy banter and genuine affection, brings tears to my eyes. These people—my family now—had risked everything to save me. And somehow, impossibly, they still want me here.

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