Page 12 of Kazmyr: Molten for Her
He nodded slowly, watching my face with growing concern. His gaze cleared, as if coming out of the post-sex fog. "Silvyr warned us about leaks in the system. About how the pirates were targeting unbound matches."
My head spun with implications. "Silvyr? Who the fuck is Silvyr?"
"An AI hybrid who escaped the Registry's control," Kazmyr said, his voice careful now, measuring each word. "He's been tracking the trafficking network, warning those at risk."
"So let me get this straight." I shoved his hand away when he tried to reach for me. "You knew the Intergalactic Dating Agency was compromised. You knew pirates were hunting matched pairs. You knew my DNA had been collected without my consent. And you just... what? Waited for me to show up?"
My voice rose with each accusation, sharp enough to cut through the Heartforge's low, steady hum. Kazmyr's marks dimmed to a dull glow, his expression darkening.
"I did not know it would be you," he said, the rumble of his voice carrying an edge of defensiveness. "We learned of the infiltration with Maya. I only had a moments warning that you existed and were next."
"That's not the point!" I scooted further back on the moss, using my arm to cover my suddenly vulnerable nakedness. "You should have told me all of this from the beginning!"
He reached for me again, but I jerked away. His hand fell to the moss, which curled around his fingers as if trying to comfort him.
"Jenna—"
"No." I wrapped the sheet tighter around myself, anger and betrayal tangling with the aftershocks of pleasure still humming between my thighs. "You don't get to 'Jenna' me right now. You kept vital information from me. Information that affects my safety, my freedom, my entire fucking life!"
His marks flared bright, then dimmed to almost nothing… the equivalent of a flush, I realized, watching shame work its way across his features.
"I wanted to protect you," he said, and the worst part was I could hear the sincerity in his voice. "We didn't have enough warning. The agency knows they're compromised, but it's too late for the data that's already identified. Besides, Silvyr said humans often respond with panic when faced with too much unknown."
"Oh, that's rich," I snapped. "So this was for my own good? Keeping me in the dark about an interstellar trafficking ring targeting my DNA?"
The moss quivered beneath us, responding to the tension. It tried to slide tendrils around my waist, perhaps attempting to soothe, but I shoved them away, trembling with anger.
"You don't get to decide what information I can handle," I continued, my voice quieter now but no less furious. "You don't get to feed me bits and pieces as you see fit, like I'm some child who needs sheltering."
Kazmyr's massive form seemed to shrink somehow, his shoulders curling inward as he absorbed the force of my anger. The marks across his chest pulsed in slow, mournful rhythms.
"Among my people," he said finally, "withholding information that causes distress is considered an act of care, not deception."
"Well, I'm not your people." I gestured at my very human body. "And on Earth, withholding information from someone you're trying to—" I faltered, not sure how to categorize what had just happened between us. "It's considered manipulation. It's considered wrong."
His gaze finally met mine, those molten eyes reflecting a complex mix of emotions I couldn't fully decipher. "I am not skilled at human courtship rituals. I believed..." He hesitated, his marks flickering with uncertainty. "I believed showing was better than telling."
"Showing what? Your dick?" The crude language felt good on my tongue, a small revenge. "Because that's not a substitute for honesty."
To my surprise, a rough sound escaped him… something almost like laughter, though tinged with pain. "No. Showing that I would protect you. That my ship would shelter you. That together, we could evade those who hunt us."
The sincerity in his voice threatened to soften my anger, but I held firm. "No more secrets," I insisted, clutching the sheet tighter. "This isn’t some interstellar Tinder date where ghosting me is an option. If you want me to trust you… if you want whatever this is between us to continue, I want to meet them. Maya, Vylit, this Silvyr person. I want to hear about all of this from someone who isn't trying to screw me into submission."
His eyes flashed at that, marks flaring bright with what might have been hurt. "That was not my intention."
"Maybe not consciously." I held his gaze, refusing to back down. "But you kept me off-balance from the moment I arrived. New world, new rules, new dangers—all doled out in little pieces whenever it suited your purposes."
The moss beneath us had gone completely still, as if holding its breath. The Heartforge's ambient hum seemed to quiet as well, the entire ship waiting for Kazmyr's response.
He was silent for a long moment, his ember marks pulsing in slow, thoughtful patterns. Then he bowed his massive head, the gesture unexpectedly humble.
"I have erred," he said, and it was the first time his voice sounded less like a volcano and more like a man cornered. "By the standards of your world, and perhaps by the standards of mine as well. I did not give you the respect of full knowledge."
My anger didn't vanish, but something in his admission made it harder to maintain at full blaze. The sheet slipped slightly from my shoulders, and I readjusted it, suddenly aware of how ridiculous we must look… him naked and glowing, me wrapped in cuddling moss like some offended Victorian maiden.
"I want to understand what I've stepped into," I said, my voice steadier now. "All of it. Not just the parts you think I can handle."
Kazmyr nodded slowly, his ember marks gradually brightening as if gaining confidence. "The colony has communication technology. We can arrange a gathering… what my people would call a Heart-Circle. All truths spoken, all questions answered."
