Page 46 of Sixth
He pulled back and thrust forward, setting a rhythm that started slow and built to something primal. Every stroke hit deeper, the mounds along his length creating sensations she’d never imagined. The marks on their wrists blazed brighter with each movement, pulsing in perfect synchronization.
Outside the ship, the planet responded. Lume chirped from somewhere in the cabin, her glow brightening. Through the viewport, the forest’s bioluminescence intensified, colors shifting and flowing in waves that matched their rhythm. The world was listening again, and this time it sang withthem.
Emmy wrapped her legs around his waist, taking him deeper, meeting each thrust with her own rising need. His restraint frayed further, movements becoming less measured, more desperate. He buried his face in her neck, teeth grazing her skin, the sharp edge of his canines scraping against her pulse.
“Mark me,” she gasped, not fully understanding the request but knowing it was right. “I want everyone to know I’m yours.”
He groaned, asound of surrender and possession tangled together. His teeth pressed against her throat—not breaking skin, but leaving an impression that would fade to a visible mark. The claiming sent her spiraling higher, pleasure coiling tighter in hercore.
“Apex— I’m—”
“Let go,” he commanded. “I have you.”
She came apart in his arms, the orgasm rolling through her in waves that seemed to sync with the planet’s pulse. The Valenmark exploded with light, so bright she could see it through her closed eyelids. He followed moments later, his body going rigid as he spilled inside her, her name a broken prayer on hislips.
They stayed locked together, breathing hard, hearts thundering in unison. The marks on their wrists gradually dimmed from white-hot to a warm, steady golden glow. Outside, the planet’s light settled back into its usual rhythm, as if satisfied.
He lifted his head to look at her, and what she saw in his eyes made her throat tight. Not just satisfaction or relief, but something deeper. Recognition. Belonging.
“Mine,” he said softly, brushing hair from herface.
“Yours,” she agreed, then added with a smile, “And you’re mine.”
“Affirmative.” He kissed her gently, acontrast to the fierce possession of moments before. “Always.”
He shifted to move away but she tightened her legs, keeping him close. “Not yet.”
A small smile curved his mouth—rare and precious. “As you wish.”
They lay tangled together in the narrow space, the ship humming around them like a satisfied cat. Eventually he did ease away, but only to pull her against his side, one arm wrapped protectively around her. She rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady drum of his heartbeat, feeling the rise and fall of his breathing.
“The planet approved,” she murmured sleepily.
“It did.” His fingers traced lazy patterns on her shoulder. “As did I.”
She huffed a laugh. “High praise from Lord Kael Vettar.”
“The highest,” he said seriously, then added in a lower tone, “Sleep now. Iwill keep watch.”
“You should sleep too.”
“Later.” He pressed a kiss to her hair. “For now, let me have this—holding you while you rest. It is enough.”
She wanted to argue, but exhaustion pulled at her, the aftermath of terror and pleasure and emotion leaving her boneless. The last thing she experienced before sleep claimed her was the steady pulse of the Valenmark, beating in perfect rhythm with his heart.
Hours later, she woke to quiet and the low light of the instruments washing the cabin in soft color. Apex lay where she’d left him. He hadn’t moved except to set a thermal wrap over her knees. The wrap held a ribbon of heat that kept her sheltered. She lifted her head and watched him for a few breaths. There was a kind of peace in his stillness that no one would ever accuse him of having.
“How long was I out?”
“Two cycles.”
“Any movement from the cruiser?”
“Minimal course corrections,”Core said. “No scan sweeps directed at our vector. The memorial broadcast begins in one and a half cycles.”
Apex did not take his eyes off the stars. “Good.”
She rubbed her hand over her face and sat up. The wrap slid and pooled at her waist. His gaze flicked down and returned with the kind of reaction that made heat lick low in her belly.
