Page 53 of Tempted By the Alien Warrior

“No.” I hook one leg around his hips, keeping him close, unwilling to let even an inch of space come between us. “You were perfect.”

His eyes search mine like he’s still not convinced. Like he’s afraid he was too much. But I mean it. Every word.

I reach up and brush my thumb along the edge of his jaw. “You don’t have to be afraid with me. You don’t have to hold back. I can handle it.”

A breath releases from him and the tension in his shoulders eases. He leans down and presses a soft kiss to my forehead. “I’ve never felt anything like this.”

Neither have I.

The flutter in my chest turns into a full-on ache at his words, and I know that should scare me, but it doesn’t.

He rolls over to his back, taking me with him, and I melt against his warmth, resting my cheek on his chest. The steady thrum of his heartbeat echoes beneath my ear. It’s so deep and strong it almost sounds like two hearts beating as one. His arms wrap around me, and I relax against him.

That bubble of safety that seems to follow him around envelops me, and I let myself enjoy it.

I don’t know where this thing between us is headed. I don’t know what it means for tomorrow or the days after. But right now, in this moment, none of that matters.

I let my eyes drift shut, breathing in the rich scent of moss and him. His warmth, his heartbeat beneath my ear, the way he holds me like I matter… they all feel like part of something I’ve always needed but never dared to hope for.

This doesn’t erase the danger waiting for us. Or the ache in my chest when I think of Lily. But right now, I don’t feel alone in it.

Sleep tugs at me, and I let it take me, held in the arms of a warrior who has come to mean everything to me.

16

Vrok

Emily is still wrappedin my arms when I wake.

For a moment, I do nothing. I just breathe her in and savor the warmth of her body pressed against mine. Her scent clings to my skin, soft and sweet, stirring something deep in my chest that I don’t know how to name.

I shouldn’t wake her. She needs the rest. But I can’t stop myself from shifting enough to look down at her sleeping face.

She looks peaceful. At ease. Like she belongs here.

Like she belongswith me.

It’s a dangerous thought, and I know better. She doesn’t belong with me. She’s not mine, and she can never be.

And yet, my arms tighten around her before I can stop myself, my instincts rebelling against the voice in my head warning me to let her go. I want to keep her like this for just a little longer.

Beyond the shelter of the low-hanging branches, the sky has shifted to a soft gray, and I can see the faint edge of dawn creeping in. We’ll need to move soon. We’re close to the nestinggrounds now, and if Lily is alive, then we have to find her before it’s too late.

Emily stirs against me with a small sigh, nestling closer and burying her nose against my neck. Her fingers slide across my chest, moving in slow, idle patterns. I close my eyes, willing time to hold still. Just for this.

Then her fingers graze over one of the deeper scars that lies low on my ribs. It’s a jagged, raised line that didn’t heal cleanly. She pauses, then traces over it again.

“This one’s different,” she murmurs, her voice still thick with sleep. “What happened here?”

I stiffen before I can stop myself. For a heartbeat, I consider lying. I consider telling her it was the result of a hunt gone wrong or a battle fought long ago. Something honorable. Anything but the truth. But this small, stubborn, extraordinary female deserves more than a lie. She deserves the truth. Even if it makes me look weak.

“I was a kitling,” I say quietly. “Training with my father.”

Her hand stills on my skin, but she doesn’t pull away. She waits, patient and calm, like she knows I need the space to say it in my own time.

“He didn’t want me to train with the wooden practice swords the other kitlings used. Said they would make me lazy.” My throat tightens as the memory plays through my mind. “He said it would make me stronger to use a real blade.”

The memory crawls up from some dark place I thought I’d buried long ago. “I was too slow blocking one of his strikes, and his blade slipped past my guard and cut deep into my flesh.” I pause and take a deep breath, keeping my gaze on the green leaves above me. I can almost smell the sharp scent of my blood from that day and the searing pain shooting through my abdomen. “He told me pain would make the lesson stay with me, and it did.”

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