The sounds their bodies made…

The ways he invaded her…

It hadn’t taken long for Simone to unravel and Zar knew it. That beast of an alien. He slapped his hand over her mouth seconds before the first groan tore through her. He kept it there as he ripped another scream out of her.

Letting him take her body while Chozo was in the next room had probably not been the best route, but it wasn’t like Simone had been thinking clearly. Not with the way Zar had been staring at her. Not with the way she was feeling.

Lust. Yes.

Desire was there. Hot and heavy. As heavy as his hand on her thighs. And his body crushing her to a rock. Denying that would be like denying the sun’s existence or the drenching of her essence as it slicked his face and between her thighs.

But it was more than just physical.

She had never been the sole receiver of someone’s attention before. She had never felt what it was like to be the center of someone’s universe. To be their top priority. To be the only thought in their mind.

Sure, the feelings that pulsed between her and Zar were overwhelming. Her body longed for the alien like she had been created for his invasion. Like she’d waited all her life to be stretched and smacked and stroked against an old cave wall in the middle of an alien desert.

But that wasn’t what made this moment so sweet.

She trusted Zar.

Trusted him to hold her heart and keep it safe.

Trusted him to be there for her when she needed him, no questions asked.

Trusted him to lay his life down for hers.

Had anybody been willing to die for her?

Hell no.

This was the first.

How could she not respond to that? How could she not kiss those firm blue lips and rake her fingers down that blue skin? How could she not tear her clothes off and open her legs wide to accept every dangerous inch of him as far and as deep as he could go? Straight to her heart, to her soul?

Simone felt like she was falling off the edge of a cliff. Someone had pushed her. Or maybe she made the leap for herself. Maybe she’d been desperate to dive off for a long time but just hadn’t found the right person to take the plunge for.

She felt like her arms were spinning and flailing. Like gravity was grabbing her by the neck and dragging her down just as Zar had grabbed her by the neck and kissed her until she nearly passed out.

Control was gone.

Disappeared.

She had only enough common sense to see in front of her. To see Zar.

Simone rested her forehead against his and soaked him in. The alien smelled of a now-familiar musk. Stardust and sweat. And her.

He smelled like her now.

Like them.

She inhaled it deeply, smiling in spite of how exhausted and sore she was. Zar grunted and pulled his hips back, allowing her legs to fall a little. But it was strange. Simone could still feel him inside her. Could still feel him pressing into her. Piercing her to her stomach. To her heart.

What was this?

Why did she feel so connected to this alien?

For a second, Simone began to panic. She opened her eyes, saw herself free-falling and wondered if she would be able to handle the consequences when she hit the bottom.