Page 40 of Stolen By the Wraiths
I pushed her over the edge again, this release deeper, more soul-shaking than the last. She went limp in my arms, supported only by my strength and the wall at her back, while I finally allowed myself to chase my own release.
When I came, it was with a roar of triumph that spoke of total possession. This was it. The final, unbreakable seal on our bond, a claiming so complete it left no room for doubt. For a timeless instant, we were a single entity lost in shared ecstasy.
In the aftermath, we stayed fused together, slick skin and shuddering breaths the only reality. My forehead rested against hers, the universe narrowed to the scent of her satisfaction and the faint thrum of the ship's engines.
"Holy hell," she whispered against my shoulder, her voice wrecked. "That was..."
"Perfect," I finished, carrying her to our bunk where I settled us both with careful tenderness that contrasted sharply with the fierce claiming we'd just shared.
As I looked down at her—flushed, satisfied, and marked with evidence of our joining—tenderness stirred in my chest. The urgent need was satisfied, but underneath was something deeper. A love that demanded expression through worship rather than conquest.
But even in her satisfaction, I caught the small tells. The way she didn't quite meet my eyes immediately—a lingering echo of the helplessness she'd fought through. The slight tension in her shoulders that spoke of someone who'd learned not to trust safety too quickly.
"Let me take care of you," I murmured, settling beside her with reverent care.
This time, when I touched her, it was with gentle reverence reserved for precious things. My hands mapped her body with patient thoroughness while my mouth followed, pressing soft kisses to skin that still carried the scent of our joining.
"You saved me," I murmured against her throat, my voice carrying absolute truth. "Not just from that facility, but from believing I was only valuable as a weapon. You taught me I could be loved for who I am rather than what I can do."
She made a soft sound, but I continued my worship, using touch and voice to convey everything I felt for this woman who'd chosen to love a broken soldier.
When I settled between her thighs, it was with patient devotion rather than urgent hunger. I used my mouth and hands to build her pleasure slowly, carefully, worshipping her with the kind of thorough attention she deserved.
"I love you," I said against her most sensitive places, feeling her body's reaction to both the physical stimulation and the emotional declaration. "I love how you see strength in me where everyone else saw a problem. I love how you cherish the parts of me I was taught to hide."
She came apart under my worship with soft sounds that spoke of emotional release as much as physical pleasure. When I moved up to hold her, she was shaking with more than satisfaction—tears streaming down her face as she processed everything we'd been through.
"I love you, too," she whispered.
I gathered her close, our bodies fitting seamlessly as our bond hummed with pure contentment. A quiet resonance between us, the rhythm of her certainty matching my own—deep, peaceful knowledge of our mutual belonging.
"No regrets?" I asked, echoing the question that had become our ritual.
"None," she said with absolute conviction. "This is exactly where I belong."
"What happens next?" she asked, though her contentment was palpable warmth between us.
"Whatever we choose," I said, pressing my lips to her temple as she settled against my chest. "New missions, new challenges, and new ways to prove that our bond is a strength, not a weakness."
Hours later, we finally emerged from our quarters, drawn by the scent of something that almost resembled actual food. The mess hall was warm with conversation and the kind of easy camaraderie that came from shared victory.
I paused in the doorway for just a moment before Ressh's hand found mine, grounding me. Safe. We were safe.
"Well, well," Malrik called out as we entered, his feather crest flaring with amusement. "Look who finally decided to rejoin the land of the living."
Heat flooded my cheeks, but Alix just smiled and settled into a seat beside me. "We were... debriefing," she said.
"Is that what we're calling it now?" Jessa asked, not bothering to hide her grin as she set plates in front of us.
"Extensively," I said, which earned a round of laughter from the crew.
But as we settled in with our meal, the easy humor vanished from Deyric’s face. He looked up from his data pad, his expression so grim that the laughter died in the room. "Speaking of debriefing," he said, his voice flat. "They knew about Alix from the beginning. Her files were flagged in Hessler's system."
A tense silence fell over the table.
"He played us," Jessa said, her voice tight with frustration. "The breadcrumbs on Dusthaven, the 'accidental' intel on Kairos... Vain led us to that facility every step of the way."
"We were so focused on the mission we walked right into his cage," I added, my jaw tight with self-blame. The fury at being outmaneuvered was a bitter taste in my mouth. Under the table, Alix's hand found mine, her grip firm. I felt a wave of her fierce, unwavering certainty through our bond, a reassurance that calmed the storm in my own chest.
