Page 51 of Second

The ship pulsed around her, the soft vibrations a soothing backdrop to her swirling thoughts. Outside the viewport, distant stars streaked across the void, their cold light cutting through the dark expanse of space. She inhaled deeply, the faint, sterile scent of the cabin mingling with something warm and familiar.

Him.

Nearby, Zar’Ryn’s presence was an anchor. He stood leaning against the observatory window, exuding the same quiet strength she had come to depend on, but there was an easeto him now, alooseness in his posture that hadn’t been there before.

“We’re free,” she said softly, the words sounding strange, almost fragile, in the quiet space.

Zar’Ryn didn’t immediately respond. He straightened, turning to her, his expression remained as steady as ever, but there was a flicker of something more in his gaze—something tentative, unguarded.

“And yet you hesitate,” he said. “Do you feel unmoored?”

She looked down at the bracelet, her brow creasing ever so slightly. “A little,” she admitted. “It’s like… I’ve spent so long running, fighting, surviving. Now that it’s over, Idon’t know what to do with myself.”

He stepped away from the window and approached, not stopping until he stood only steps away. The subtle heat of his body radiated outward, grounding her in a way nothing else could. “You are not alone in that,” he said quietly. “I have followed a code for centuries. Every decision, every step, was dictated by duty. Without it, there is... uncertainty.”

Elara tilted her head to meet his gaze, searching his face. The vulnerability she saw there, so fleeting yet so raw, took her breath away. Zar’Ryn, the unyielding warrior who had faced death without flinching, was admitting his fear of the unknown.

“You didn’t have to come with me,” she said after a moment, her voice barely above a whisper. “You could have returned me to Earth and continued your own path.”

He reached for her, his fingers brushing the side of her face with infinite care. “And leave you in a place I could not return to?” he asked, his voice rough. “You underestimate how muchyou have altered my course, Elara. My path is with you. And that path does not take us to Earth.”

Her breath hitched, the intensity in his words, in his eyes, making it hard to think. She had felt the depth of his emotions through the bond before, but seeing them laid bare like this was something else entirely.

“I chose you,” he said. “Not because of the bond. Not because of obligation. But because you are my mate, Elara. My heart.”

The words shattered something in her, adam breaking as emotions surged to the surface. She didn’t hesitate. She stood and closed the distance between them, her hands reaching for him as she pressed herself against his chest. His arms came around her instantly, enveloping her in a warmth that chased away the lingering chill of doubt.

They stood like that for a long moment, the quiet vibration of the ship the only sound. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, Zar’Ryn tilted her chin up, his gaze searching hers. “Tell me this is what you want.”

Her voice trembled, but she didn’t falter. “It is. It always has been.”

The kiss that followed felt like nothing she had ever experienced—fierce and consuming, acollision of passion and desperation. His hands framed her face, holding her as though she were something precious, something irreplaceable. Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss until the air between them crackled with tension.

When they broke apart, both breathing hard, Zar’Ryn swept her into his arms. She let out a startled laugh, her hands clutching at his shoulders as he carried her to his cabin and thebed that seemed to use up most of the space there. In moments he had them both stripped while the world outside faded as he laid her down, his body covering hers in a cocoon of heat and safety.

“Wait,” she said, her voice a soft whisper as he leaned down to kiss her again. He froze, his gaze instantly searchinghers.

“If you are not ready—”

“No, it’s not that,” she interrupted quickly, her cheeks flushing. “I just… I need to say this first.”

He waited, his patience infinite, his expression open and unguarded. She reached up, her fingers brushing his jawline.

“I don’t regret this,” she said softly. “I don’t regret any of it. Not the bond, not the danger, not even the pain. Because it led me to you.”

Zar’Ryn’s expression softened, awarmth blooming in his violet eyes. He leaned down, snatching a fierce kiss. “And I would endure it all again if it meant finding you.”

He took her mouth again with a fervor that ignited a fire deep within her. Elara could feel every inch of his powerful body against her, the weight of him both exhilarating and reassuring. As he explored her mouth, she drowned in the delicious taste of his kisses, the way he breathed life into her verysoul.

With every skim of his fingers along her waist, her need grew stronger, unraveling under the heat of his touch. Zar’Ryn’s hands trailed down her sides, igniting every nerve with a raw electricity that made hergasp.

“Elara,” he said, his voice a low growl that vibrated through her. “Do you feel it?”

“I do. Ifeel it,” she breathed, unable to contain the swell of longing within her. The words spilled out as naturally as the lust that filled the small cabin, as intoxicating as the air they breathed.

He surged forward, capturing her mouth once more, this time with a primal intensity that made her heart race. She arched into him, their bodies molding together in a way that felt destined. His hands gripped her thighs, pulling her closer, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, urging himon.

“I want to be lost in you,” Zar’Ryn murmured against her lips. She could see the wild yearning burning in his amethyst eyes, tinged with need that mirrored herown.

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