Niam

NIAM

T he air shimmered like water, colors bending impossibly as the device’s energy spread outward in rippling waves. I held my breath as reality itself warped around us, the cave’s darkness giving way to something else entirely.

There, emerging from nothingness, stood an Emergency Command Pod. Its surface bore impact damage and scoring from its crash landing, but the sleek design remained unmistakable. I’d seen its schematics countless times in the Temple’s databanks, though the priests had sworn all auxiliary systems were destroyed.

“What is it?” Tharon asked, moving to my side despite my warning. His arm wrapped around my waist, steadying.

“A piece of the ship that brought my people here.” I stepped forward, drawn by the pod’s familiar angles. “The Temple was built from its wreckage, but this... this survived intact.”

Tharon circled the pod slowly, wonder plain on his face as he studied it. “Your ancestors truly sailed among the stars?”

I stepped closer, drawn by the familiar yet alien shape materializing before us. Despite obvious crash damage along one side, the smooth lines of the emergency pod remained elegant, almost beautiful. A piece of the past, preserved in this hidden cave for centuries.

“It’s what I’ve been looking for.” My fingers trembled as I reached toward the metal surface. “A way to end it all.”

Tharon grabbed my hand. “Be careful.”

“Too late for that now.” I pulled away from his grip. “We need to find a way in. Help me look for an access panel.”

We circled the pod slowly, the device’s lights growing stronger near certain sections of the hull. My hands skimmed over the metal, feeling for seams or catches that might indicate a door. The surface felt cool beneath my fingers, familiar somehow.

“Here.” I stopped at a section where geometric patterns caught the light differently. “There’s something...”

My fingers found the edges of a hidden panel, muscle memory from years of Temple integration guiding my movements. The device hummed, resonating with dormant systems beneath the metal.

“Stand back,” I told Tharon, though he hadn’t moved from his protective position behind me.

I pressed the device against the panel, letting instinct guide me. A series of clicks echoed through the pod’s hull, followed by a hydraulic hiss. The door started to move, then stuck with a grinding sound.

Tharon stepped forward, muscles bunching as he gripped the edge. Metal groaned as he forced it the rest of the way open. Stale air rushed out, carrying centuries of silence with it.

Emergency lighting flickered reluctantly to life as I stepped toward the entrance. Tharon’s hand on my shoulder stopped me.

“Let me go first.”

I wanted to argue, but the intensity in his expression made me pause. He moved into the pod with predatory grace, checking each shadow before gesturing me forward.

The layout struck a chord of recognition in my mind - similar to the Temple’s familiar corridors, but older, purer somehow. This was what it had all looked like before the crash, before the Temple started replacing its damaged components with living tissue. My fingers traced patterns in the dust coating a nearby console.

“I feel like I know this place,” I murmured. “Even though I’ve never been here.”

“How?” Tharon examined everything with careful curiosity, his movements precise despite the growing darkness in his eyes.

“The Temple... it’s built on the same basic design. But this is older. Original.” I moved deeper into the pod, drawn toward what I knew would be the command center. “The Temple has modified itself countless times. But this... this is how it all started.”

The main console stood intact, its dark screens reflecting the device’s pulsing light. Familiar symbols mixed with ones I’d never seen before, their patterns calling to something deep in my memories of integration.

I settled into the command chair, letting my hands hover over the controls. “I can access it. I just need to...”

The device interfaced differently than I expected. I was used to being physically connected to the Temple’s network, metal jacks bridging the gap between flesh and machine. This was older, simpler in some ways but more complex in others.

“What exactly are you trying to do?” Tharon asked, examining a bank of auxiliary controls.

“Find a way in. The Temple built layers of protocols on top of the original systems. I need to...” I frowned as another attempt failed. “I need to unlearn everything they taught me.”

“Why?”

The question made me pause. “Because the Temple changed everything to suit its needs. This is pure. Unchanged.” I gestured at the console. “See these symbols? In the Temple, they represent pain protocols, ways to control the girls they connect with. But here... here they mean something else entirely.”

The device showed new interface options as I spoke, responding to my growing understanding. Each failure taught me something, each setback revealed another piece of the puzzle.

Tharon explored further into the pod while I worked, his occasional questions helping me think differently about the systems. Hours passed as I delved deeper into the programming, stripping away layers of Temple conditioning to find the original commands beneath.

Minutes stretched into hours as I worked, testing every combination I could remember. Sweat trickled along my back, frustration building with each failed attempt.

“I don’t understand.” I slammed my palm against the console. “I should be able to interface with this. I was connected to the Temple for years.”

“Connected how?” Tharon asked.

I touched the newly-healed spots on my skull where the neural jacks had been. “Physically integrated. The priests embedded metal contacts directly into our brains. It let us merge with the ship’s systems, become part of its consciousness.”

“And this pod requires the same integration?”

“Maybe.” I stared at the unresponsive displays. “Or maybe the protocols are just too different. The Temple modified itself over generations, evolving to accept human interfaces. This is pure ship technology.”

Something crashed behind me. I spun to find Tharon braced against the wall, breathing heavily.

“I’m fine.” He straightened with visible effort. “Just having a little trouble.”

His words didn’t match his condition. His muscles trembled with barely contained power.

“It’s more than a little trouble.” I stepped closer, drawn by an instinct I couldn’t explain. “Let me help.”

“Stay back.” His voice dropped lower, rougher. The double rings in his irises flared bright - the inner blue nearly electric, the outer green darkening to emerald.

I took another step forward anyway. “No.”

His nostrils flared as he scented the air. “...”

“I’m not afraid of you.” The truth of it surprised me. After everything the Temple had done, fear should have been my constant companion. But watching Tharon fight against his nature only made my heart ache.

“You should be.” His hands clenched into fists at his sides. “I can’t... the beast...”

I closed the distance between us, reaching for his face. My fingers brushed the sensitive spots along his jaw, drawing a sharp inhale from him.

“Then let it come.”

His eyes widened, pupils expanding until only thin rings of color remained. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

“I know exactly what I’m asking.” I brushed my fingers over his lips. “Mahra told me what it means. A Valti must have its mate, or die.”

A growl rumbled in his chest. His hand shot up to capture my wrist, but he didn’t pull away. “This isn’t a game.”

“No.” I pressed closer, until I could feel the heat radiating from his skin. “It’s not.”

The beast looked back at me through his eyes, raw and hungry. But still he held himself rigid, fighting against what nature demanded.

“I won’t hurt you.” The words ground out between clenched teeth.

“I know.” I lifted my other hand to his chest, feeling his heart thunder beneath my palm. “That’s why I trust you.”

His control snapped.

His skin burned hot, the beast prowling just beneath the surface. I traced each mark deliberately, mapping the changes overtaking him.

“Last chance.” The words rumbled from deep in his chest. “I won’t be able to stop.”

“Then don’t.” I stepped closer, eliminating the last space between us. The heat of his body seeped through my clothes.

“I can smell your desire.” His nostrils flared. “But there’s no fear.”

“Why should I fear what you are?” I pressed my palm flat against his chest, feeling his thundering heartbeat. “The Valti wants to protect me as much as the man does.”

A sound tore from his throat - not quite human, not quite animal. His arms came around me, careful despite the tremors wracking his powerful frame. One hand splayed across my lower back while the other cupped my nape.

I tilted my head, baring my throat in deliberate invitation. His breath hitched. Then he buried his face in my neck, inhaling deeply. The rumble in his chest deepened to a purr that vibrated through my entire body.

“You smell like starlight.” His tongue, longer now, traced the line of my pulse. “Like lightning and ozone and something I’ve needed my whole life.”

My fingers wound into his hair, finding it thicker, wilder. When I scratched lightly at his scalp, his purr turned to a growl of pleasure. His fangs grazed my throat - not breaking skin, but marking me as his.

“That’s it.” I ran my hands over his shoulders, feeling the way his muscles bunched and shifted. “Let me see you. All of you.”

He pulled back just enough to meet my eyes. The beast stared back at me through rings of brilliant color - electric blue surrounded by deep emerald. But intelligence still burned there, along with a desperate sort of wonder.

“How can you accept this so easily?” His clawed fingers flexed against my spine. “You should run screaming.”

“I’ve seen true evil.” I traced the darkened spots trailing down his neck, fascinated by how they responded to my touch. “You are so much more than that.”

His head dropped back to my throat, scenting along my collarbone. Every brush of his tongue left a trail of fire across my skin. My hands explored the planes of his chest, finding the muscles even harder, more defined.

“Mine.” The word vibrated against my pulse point. “My mate.”

“Yes.” The admission came easily. After years of the Temple trying to strip away my humanity, Tharon’s possessiveness felt like coming home. “Yours.”

His purr deepened as he continued mapping my skin with lips and tongue and careful fangs. One hand slid into my short hair while the other kept me pressed firmly against him. Even lost to the change, he handled me like something precious.

I let my own hands wander, learning the feel of him

His large hands spanned my ribs, rough palms catching on the fabric of my shirt as he unfastened my vest. A gasp tore from my throat at the gentle exploration, so different from his beast’s growls against my neck.

“More.” The word slipped out before I could catch it. Heat bloomed across my cheeks.

Tharon's purr deepened as his thumbs brushed the undersides of my breasts. Even through layers of fabric, the touch sent electricity arcing through my body. My hands fisted in his shirt, needing an anchor against the flood of sensation.

“Tell me what you want.” His voice rumbled where he nuzzled my throat. “Let me hear you.”

“I...” The words wouldn't come. This raw need caught me off guard, overwhelmed my senses.

His hands stilled. “We can stop.”

“No!” I pressed against his touch, shameless in my need. “Please don’t stop.”

The beast’s satisfaction vibrated through his chest as his palms covered my breasts fully. My head fell back, offering more of my throat to his exploring mouth. Each brush of his tongue against sensitive skin drew fresh sounds from my lips.

“Beautiful.” His thumbs circled slowly, drawing peaks through the fabric. “The sounds you make. The way you respond. Perfect.”

I should have felt exposed, vulnerable. Instead, power thrummed through me at how carefully he touched, how desperately he wanted.

“More?” He lifted his head to study my face, pupils blown wide with desire.

“Yes.” I pushed into his hands, craving pressure, friction, anything to ease the growing ache. “Please, Tharon.”

A growl of pure possession rumbled through him. His hands squeezed gently, thumbs working circles that had me gasping. Every touch sent fresh sparks dancing across my skin, building a fire I hadn’t known my body could contain.

“Tell me if it’s too much.” Even lost to desire, he watched my reactions carefully. “I won’t hurt you.”

“You won’t.” I pulled him down for a kiss, letting him taste my need. “I trust you.”

His purr deepened at the words. One hand slid to my back, supporting me as he explored with the other. Each careful touch drew fresh sounds from my throat, sounds I hadn’t known I could make.

Strange, how natural this felt. How right. Tharon’s touch made me feel alive in my own skin. Made me want things I’d never dared imagine.

His thumb brushed a particularly sensitive spot and I cried out, clutching his shoulders. He repeated the motion, drinking in my response with beast-bright eyes.

“Perfect,” he breathed against my lips. “So responsive. So beautiful.”

Desire pooled deep inside me, an ache I didn't quite understand but desperately wanted to explore. My hips rocked without conscious thought, seeking more contact, more friction, more of everything he offered. His growl held approval as his hands continued their careful exploration. Each touch built the fire higher, teaching my body pleasures I'd never imagined possible. Teaching me to want, to need, to crave. And I wanted more.

So much more.