Page 57 of Alien Attachment
“We’re clear,” Jhorn confirms after several tense minutes of silent running. “No pursuit detected. No alarms. As far as they know, we were never here.”
I slump back in my seat, the adrenaline that’s been keeping me going suddenly draining away, leaving me shaky and exhausted. “We did it,” I breathe, clutching the container holding Lila’s matrix to my chest like a treasure. “We actually did it.”
Jhorn moves to stand beside me, one tendril gently brushing a strand of hair from my face. “Did you doubt we would succeed?”
“About seventeen contingency plans’ worth of doubt,” I admit with a shaky laugh.
His expression softens, bond-lines pulsing with an emotion that flows warm and steady through our connection. “Your friend is safe now. As are you.”
The reality of what we’ve just accomplished hits me all at once—the danger we faced, the success against overwhelming odds, the precious cargo we’ve recovered. Exhilaration surges through me, a heady cocktail of relief and triumph and overwhelming gratitude.
“You were amazing back there,” I say, standing to face him. “That power surge trick, the way you handled those guards, how you kept me calm through the whole thing—”
“I merely ensured your safety,” he interrupts, though I feel his pleasure at my praise through our bond. “The plan was yours. The courage was yours. I was simply... technical support.”
“We’re a good team,” I insist, stepping closer to him. The adrenaline still coursing through my system transforms into a different kind of energy, a heat that builds between us like a living thing.
Jhorn’s eyes darken, his bond-lines pulsing more rapidly as he senses the shift in my emotions. “You are reckless, my Kaylee,” he says, his voice dropping to a rougher register that sends shivers down my spine.
I grin up at him, riding the high of our success. “And you love it, tentacles.”
His response is immediate and overwhelming. His cloak falls to the floor as he pulls me against him, tendrils emerging to wrap around my waist and trace the line of my jaw with reverent touches. His mouth finds mine in a kiss that’s hungry and possessive, channeling all the tension and fear of the past hours into something primal and electric.
I respond with equal fervor, my fingers digging into the firm flesh of his shoulders as I press myself against him. Through our bond, I feel his relief at my safety transforming into desperate need—a need that mirrors my own.
“I think,” I say breathlessly when we finally break apart, “we should celebrate properly once we’re back home.”
His eyes blaze with promise, bioluminescence flaring bright enough to illuminate the entire cockpit. “I have several ideas for how we might... commemorate our success.”
“Good,” I whisper, already anticipating the ways he’ll worship my body once we’re safe in our hideout. “Because after that rush, I’m going to need you to remind me I’m alive.”
Through our bond, I feel his answering hunger, his fierce possessiveness, his overwhelming love. Whatever comes next, we’ve proven we can face anything together—and right now, all I want is to lose myself in his touch and forget everything except the way he makes me feel.
“Home first,” he agrees, his voice rough with restraint. “Then I will show you exactly how alive you are, my Kaylee. In exquisite detail.”
The promise in his words sends heat racing through me, and I settle into the pilot’s seat with anticipation building in my chest. Soon, very soon, I’ll have both my family and my alien partner celebrating our victory in all the ways that matter most.
16
Family Reunion
Kaylee
Thejourneybacktoour hideout passes in a haze of anticipation and barely restrained desire. True to his word, Jhorn spends the entire flight reminding me exactly how alive I am, using every advantage his alien physiology provides to worship my body until I’m trembling and sated in his arms.
By the time we dock at our hidden outpost, I’m boneless with satisfaction, marked inside and out by his possessive touch. His bioluminescent traces glow softly across my skin like living tattoos, and I can still feel the echo of his tendrils in places that make me shiver with remembered pleasure.
“Feeling properly celebrated?” he asks with smug satisfaction, his bond-lines pulsing with contentment as he helps me dress.
“Mmm,” I manage, still not entirely coherent. “Remind me to plan more heists if this is how you respond to success.”
His laughter rumbles through his chest, warm and pleased. “If that is your desire, my Kaylee, I will ensure our ventures are... appropriately rewarded.”
Now, hours later, I sit at the command console with Lila’s matrix cradled carefully in my hands. The crystal core pulses with faint inner light, holding six years of memories, personality, and the closest thing to a soul that any AI has ever achieved. My hands shake slightly as I prepare to install her into The Starlight Tether’s systems.
“Will she be compatible with this ship’s architecture?” Jhorn asks, his genuine curiosity evident in both his voice and the gentle pulses of light along his bond-lines.
“Lila’s adaptive,” I explain, fingers dancing across the interface with practiced ease. “She’ll need time to integrate fully, but her core programming is designed to be flexible. She always was better at adapting than I was.”
