Chapter 31

Chigs worked tirelessly with the team to bring the heavy cryopods onto the Icarus, carefully maneuvering them through the narrow corridors to the med bay.

"When can we talk to them?" asked Tovik hopefully, staring at one of the denaidan females. He wasn't the only male looking at the females, hoping one of the sleeping beauties could be his destined mate.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Tovik," Mek warned as he checked the vitals monitor embedded in one pod. "Let's just focus on reviving them first."

Chigs helped settle the final pod in place and took a step back. For the first time in months, he was not wrestling with dread and anger. The rebellion had a long way to go yet, but for now, there was hope for his people. And I have my mate. A true gift from Ellam Cua.

He felt an arm slip around his waist and looked down to see Emmy's warm brown eyes looking up at him. Her courage and wisdom had captured his heart and soul in a way he'd never dreamed possible.

She tilted her chin toward Tovik, who still looked longingly into one pod. "Think one of these women is his mate?"

"I hope so." Chigs wrapped an arm around her shoulders, loving the way her smaller body fit against his. "If I deserve it, Tovik definitely does."

Mek shooed everyone from the med bay, announcing that there was a feast waiting in the mess hall.

Chigs took Emmy's hand and led her down the hall. He'd prefer taking her to their quarters where they could be alone, but knew she had to be hungry. His own stomach was rather insistent about the matter, and he was glad when the savory smell of roasting meats and spices met him instead of burned protein.

He and Emmy sat in the center of the table, recounting the harrowing details of their mission. Kantarellian rum flowed freely as laughter echoed off the metal walls. When Chigs got to the part about discovering Dollard in a denaidan body, the room grew thick with tension.

"How is that even possible?" Ekwok asked incredulously.

"Something about the mind being a living computer," Chigs said, recounting Dollard's explanation of the transfer.

Rust pounded one cybernetic fist into the palm of his opposite hand. "I only regret I didn't get to deliver the killing blow." Then he gave Emmy an approving glance. "But I'm glad one of us did."

"How did you get mind controlled, anyway?" asked Tovik. "Did my pendant stop working?"

"Dollard had set up a trap in the shuttle bay. One of the cranes had been rigged to release a load of shuttle parts onto my head. By the time I climbed out from under the debris, I was certain I needed to kill Chigs."

Chigs gave the cyborg a good-natured slap on the back. "Good thing neither of us are easy to kill."

Emmy shuddered. "Dollard said something disturbing before dying, though. That his mind transcended the flesh. I think there may be more copies of him out there."

Fists clenching at the memory of the madness in the scientist's eyes, Chigs said, "He thought he'd found a way to live forever. Without denaidan hosts, we can only hope his plan will fail."

The mess hall was silent for a moment as everyone contemplated what the future might hold. Then Tovik lifted his glass of rum. "But at least one of us came out of this adventure with a mate! Congrats to Chigs and Emmy! Now let's all cross our fingers for the rest of us hopeless romantics!"

Kashatok slapped Chigs on the back and a cheer rose among the tables.

"I'll take that as our cue to leave," Chigs said, sweeping Emmy into his arms. He grinned and winked at his friends. "We need to catch up on our… um, rest."

More hoots and catcalls followed, and Emmy flushed a deep red. But her gaze on his face was full of adoration as they made their way to their new quarters.

Twerp had prepared the rooms for them, delighted to design a new shared space for the couple. In the sitting room, plush burgundy pillows adorned a cream-colored sofa, and tiny lights flickered from low sconces on the coffee table, setting the perfect ambiance for an intimate evening together. In an adjoined room, a wide bed invited further investigation.

"I've been waiting forever to have you alone again, akhala," Chigs said, setting Emmy back on her feet. He cupped her cheek, her skin like pyrelux silk against his battle-hardened palm. That wasn't the only thing that was hard at the moment. His need for her pressed almost painfully against the inside of his pants. The mission had demanded his focus for too long, and now all he could think about was renewing their bond with the joining of their bodies.

"Me, too," Emmy said, nuzzling his hand. "But would it be all right if I cleaned up first?"

He ran the pad of his thumb over her lips. "Maybe we both should. Twerp said there's a tub in this unit."

Her eyes sparked with excitement, and Chigs took that as agreement. He pushed her ahead of him through the bedroom into a lavish bathroom where a sunken tub already awaited them, filled with steaming water and strewn with naujiar petals. Their sweet fragrance filled the room in a heady cloud.

"Twerp thought of everything," Emmy breathed.

Hands roaming her petite curves, Chigs quickly lifted her shirt over her head, exposing her cleavage to his gaze. She quickly stripped out of the rest of her clothing as he stood transfixed by her loveliness.

"You're... perfect," he breathed.

"Take those off," she said, pointing to his clothes.

He tore his own clothing free, exposing his throbbing cock, then stepped close to her to claim her mouth in a bruising kiss. She moaned as he pressed gentler kisses along her collarbone, on her shoulders, and down her chest, relishing the small gasps and sighs that escaped her lips.

Emmy's fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer as he claimed first one nipple, then the other. Burying his face in the soft, warm cushions of her breasts, he carried her into the tub, sinking them both beneath the heated surface.

Rising to kiss her mouth once more, he pinched her nipples while plundering her mouth. Every touch, every caress, felt as though the very air around them was charged with electricity.

She arched her back and moaned in pleasure, flinging one leg over his to pull him closer. He used a knee to part her legs, then slid a hand down her belly to find her slit. His fingers slid into her slickness, circling her sensitive nub. His cock throbbed with need, but he continued massaging her clit until her legs trembled.

When it seemed she could take no more, he plunged a finger inside her, finding the ridges along her channel. With a thumb on her clit and a finger inside, he brought her to climax, her sweet breath panting against his neck.

"I want you inside me," she whispered, her voice thick with desire.

Chigs rose, water streaming from his sides, and centered himself between her thighs, the head of his cock teasing her entrance. She moaned, wrapping her legs around him, and he entered her in one long stroke. Thrusting her hips up to meet him, she embraced him completely in her heat.

He pulled back, then began stroking in and out, her tight wetness like a glove around his thick cock. Bodies slick with the scented water, his passion grew to frenzy as he thrust into her. She dug her fingers into his back, ankles locked behind his ass. With every stroke, her cries of pleasure brought him to the brink of ecstasy.

When he felt the walls of her channel flutter around him, he thrust harder, faster. Her back arched, and she cried out, the flutter becoming a spasm as she rocketed over the edge of climax.

His balls tightened. "Akhala," he breathed like a prayer as his own pleasure overcame him. With two more thrusts, he released his hot seed deep inside her. When their mutual shuddering subsided, he pulled her close, resting his head on the edge of the tub. The water buoyed them like a heavenly cloud, warmth and peace soaking into his bones.

"I thought the cave was fantastic, but this was incredible," Emmy breathed, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Will it always be like this?"

"I think so," he replied softly, his heart swelling with love. "The mate bond completes us."

She grinned. "I'm glad you chose me, Chigs."

He brushed her lips in a kiss that promised more to come. "I'm glad you chose me in return, unqu akhala."

She grinned. "It was touch and go for a while."

"That only makes it even more special." He sat up and pulled her with him, feeling himself already hardening. "But if I need to prove my love to you, I'm happy to do it over and over again."

Her answering kiss was all the answer he needed. He was more than willing to prove his love to her—as many times as she wished.