Page 87 of Alien Mercenary's Wife
He dropped back into the chair again and leaned closer. Close enough that she could see the gold flecks scattered through his eyes. "Because losing you wasn't an option. Because watching you die slowly while I had the means to save you would've destroyed me." His voice roughened. "Because I love you."
"T'Raal..." She reached for him, needing contact, needing to bridge the distance he'd put between them.
He caught her hand, his fingers intertwining with hers. "I know what acknowledging my heritage means. I know it changes things for both of us. But I'd do it again. A thousand times over."
His certainty hit her hard. "You claimed your birthright for me."
"I claimed it for us. For a future together." His thumb traced patterns across her knuckles. "The crown, the responsibilities, the politics… none of that matters if you're not here to share it."
Heat built behind her eyes, threatening tears she hadn't shed since her squad died. "I never asked you to?—"
"I know." T'Raal lifted their joined hands, pressing a soft kiss to her palm. "You never asked for anything. That's what made the choice easy."
"Easy?" She stared at him in disbelief. "You call giving up your independence easy?"
"Easier than losing you. Easier than living with the knowledge that I could've saved you and chose not to."
"I love you too," she said, the words coming out rough and unsteady. "I love you, and I hate that you had to sacrifice so much for me."
Relief softened his face, quickly replaced by fierce possessiveness. "Don't hate it. It was my choice. My decision." He leaned closer, close enough that she could feel his breath against her lips. "And I'd make it again."
Before she could respond, he kissed her. Soft at first, careful, like he was afraid she might disappear if he held too tight. Then she kissed him back, pouring everything she felt into it, and he pulled her closer.
His hands found her face, fingers threading through her hair as he deepened the kiss. When they broke apart, both breathing hard, he rested his forehead against hers.
"What happens now?" she asked softly.
"Now we figure out how to build a life together. Imperial politics, royal responsibilities, whatever comes next—we face it together."
"As what? The future Emperor and his human mistress?"
T'Raal pulled back to look at her, something dangerous flickering in his expression. Then he rolled up his sleeves, revealing the dark, intricate patterns that traced beneath his skin. "See these? They appeared when we mated. Which means, technically, we're already married."
Her breath caught as she stared at the patterns. "Married?"
"Bonded. Mated for life, by Latharian law." His lips quirked up at the corners. "Which makes you a princess, like it or not. My equal in every way that matters."
"A princess." She tested the word and met his gaze in a panic. "Fuck.I don't know how to be a princess."
"Good thing I don't know how to be a prince either." His smile was filled with wicked amusement. "We'll figure it out together."
She found herself smiling, the first genuine smile she'd felt in months. "I suppose someone does need to keep you from making a complete mess of Imperial politics."
"Exactly." He grinned, the expression transforming his serious features. "Might as well be someone who's not afraid to tell me when I'm being an idiot."
Despite everything, she found herself laughing. "I do have experience with difficult commanding officers."
"Perfect qualifications." His expression grew tender again. "I want you beside me for whatever comes next,kelarris. All of it."
"I want that too." The words came easily. "You keep calling me that. What does it mean?"
"What?Kelarris?"
"Uh-huh." She nodded as he moved to sit on the bed with her, pulling her into his arms.
"Kelarris means beloved. It means heart of my heart. Soul of my soul," he explained, his deep voice filled with rough temptation as he reached up to trace the line of her jaw gently.
She tilted her head to study his expression, seeing past the man underneath.
