19. Noelle

The shackwe were led to was better than sleeping on the cold ground with no blankets for another night. But before going through the door, I tipped my head up and looked at the starry sky. Nebula Outpost was up there somewhere, too high and too small to be seen by my eyes.

Did they realize we were gone yet? Was someone looking for us?

The existence of this settlement suggested help may not be coming.

Astrid took a pack from the man walking with us and handed it over. "Here are some clothes. There"s a tub in there if you want to clean your own and a bit of soap. There should be a rainwater collector out back for your water. There"s an outhouse out there too."

With that, she left us.

The shack wasn"t much. A single room with a fireplace, the tub she mentioned, and a bed fashioned from blankets—no mattress. And no bathroom. Right. Outhouse. No indoor plumbing or any other amenities. But the roof was nice.

Ryklin was staring at me.

I could feel his gaze on my back as I pulled out the clothes that Astrid had given us. They were old, probably scavenged from the miners" housing before they all left to make this camp.

The tub was tiny and made of metal. Ryklin wouldn"t fit in it, and it would be tight if I tried. But at least we could clean our clothes. "Do you think you could fill this?" I asked, offering the pitcher hanging off the side of the tub.

Ryklin took it, and our hands brushed.

I shivered.

Something was different.

I didn"t let myself think about it as I quickly stripped out of my clothes and changed into the clean ones. I tossed my dirty laundry in the tub and thanked Ryklin when he came back with the water. I took the pitcher from him so that he could change in private and filled it from the water out back.

The soap wasn"t like anything I"d ever used on the station, crude and somehow made from whatever supplies they had down here. It felt fatty in my hands and didn"t foam up, but since the water was turning dark with grime, I figured it was doing its job. Ryklin took the tub and dumped it out before wringing the clothes out and hanging them up.

It was the most exhausting version of laundry I"d ever done. Up on Nebula Outpost, I put my clothes in the hamper, and they were whisked away, returned a day or two later, clean as if by magic.

I missed home.

I sat down on the bed area and pulled my legs in close. "What do you think of all this?" I asked. I"d been certain we were dead when these people found us, and my brain was still trying to catch up to the fact that we were safe … ish.

He lowered himself down beside me and took my hand. His face was still as neutral as ever, but there was something in his eyes, something almost like worry. "I don"t want to lose you," he said.

My breath caught. That didn"t sound like the allegedly emotionless man he claimed to be. And before I could respond, Ryklin leaned in and kissed me.

This wasn"t like before. It wasn"t a gentle exploration so quickly cut off. Now he kissed me like I was the air he breathed. His lips caressed mine, and then his tongue slid against the seam of my lips. I was eager to taste him and moaned into his embrace, my hands going up to his shoulders and grasping as if he might disappear at any moment.

I should have asked why he was kissing me, why things were different now. Instead, I clung to him with everything I had and fell back onto the blanket, bringing him with me. His heavy body settled over mine, and it felt like it was the only thing anchoring me to this planet.

Ryklin was my one constant in this unwanted adventure, and I didn"t want to let him go. He pressed kisses down my neck as his hands began to explore my body. One of them dipped under the hem of my shirt, and a tingling thrill raced through me when he encountered bare skin.

He let out a rough breath, and I didn"t know if that pain that assailed him before was threatening now. And the more he explored, the harder it was to think to ask.

His fingers were rough with callouses, but his touch was deft as he gently cupped my breast, as if testing the weight of it.

"Ryklin …" His name was a prayer on my lips.

He buried his head in my hair and murmured something I didn"t quite hear.

"What?" I asked.

He didn"t raise his head, just curled his hand tighter around me. "Mine."

My body went up in flames as need washed over me. It wasn"t just enough to kiss, to touch. I needed everything he could give me and then some.

I"d never wanted to be claimed by any man, but one word from him tilted my entire world on its axis.

"Yes," I breathed.

He finally raised his head and stared down at me with glowing red eyes, something that might have looked demonic if I didn"t trust him with everything I was. The light flickered for a moment before he blinked, and they returned to normal. "I want you now," he said, the words coming out like a groan.

"Please." It was as desperate as he sounded, though I managed to keep it mostly in a whisper. The walls of this shack were thin, and I didn"t want anyone listening in.

But then he kissed me again, and I forgot everything else existed.

He released his hold on me only long enough to take off my shirt. I lifted my hips to help him drag my pants down and was about to help him get out of his borrowed clothes when he disrobed with disappointing efficiency.

But him naked was a sight to behold.

The only thing lighting the room was the fire, flickering yellow casting deep shadows on his teal skin. He was utterly alien and absolutely beautiful.

And I wanted him like nothing else.

"Let me see you, mate," he said, and I couldn"t imagine denying him anything. And I was too far gone in that moment to realize what he was saying then.

I couldn"t care.

I laid back and raised my arms over my head like some kind of ancient offering, something from back in the time of brutality and human sacrifice. He was the dark god come to claim me.

He bent over me, a hungry expression on his face, but all he did was look, eyes roving over me until I thought I might die from wanting. And then he did the unexpected and put his lips on the delicate skin of my wrist. My breath stuttered at the kiss, but my lungs failed me completely when he started trailing those lips upward.

He kissed up my arm, across the curve of my breast, and down my side, until he was on his knees between my spread legs. "Perfection." And then he licked my core, and I nearly levitated off the floor.

He put his hands on my hips to hold me down as he tortured me. He devoured my sex like a dying man consumed his first meal, and I couldn"t control the sounds he dragged from me. I didn"t want to. Especially not when I heard his groan of satisfaction.

The vibrations from it traveled up my spine, and I arched my back as my body seized, the pleasure that had been building from the first brush of his lips reaching a crescendo that left me unable to do anything but shudder.

It was the most incredible moment of my life.

But Ryklin didn"t stop. If anything, he became more determined as he held me captive against his lips. Pleasure rolled over me in waves, and I didn"t know how long it lasted, but I was drowning in it, and there was nowhere in the universe I"d rather be.

I clutched at his shoulders, desperate for something to anchor me to reality. I had no doubt that I"d fly apart if not for him.

He nipped at my clit, and stars danced before my eyes. And when he licked at me again, he didn"t stop, tracing the opening of my sex and fucking me with his tongue.

The moment his lips brushed my center again, I broke.

Pleasure roared through me with enough power to rip me to shreds. And again, it was too much. Too much and not nearly enough. "I need you," I told him, my voice wrecked and throat sore, like I"d been screaming, even though my lips hurt from how hard I"d been biting them to keep quiet.

He gave me a final kiss and crawled back over my body, covering me with his heat. "Mine," he told me again, and I loved the way his voice sounded, guttural and filled with promise.

I didn"t know what had come over him, but I wasn"t complaining. Not about this. And not as I wrapped my hand around the impossibly hard cock that rested heavy against my thigh. "Ryklin," I whispered as he threw his head back and groaned.

"Yours," he said when he opened his eyes again. He grabbed my wrists and pinned them down, letting his body rest against mine. I could feel every inch of him, every ridge and line, every hot, silky bit of skin. He rolled his hips, and his erection rubbed against my core. "My mate."

Again, those words sent a wave of heat through me, pooling where his flesh pressed against my own.

I wanted to reach for him, but he didn"t let me go. He lined up his cock with my center and pressed forward, entering me with excruciating slowness. He stretched me open as he entered, and I panted, not entirely sure how he could fit inside. He was built a bit differently than a human, his cock covered in intense ridges and veins that made me shiver as I felt every inch enter me.

It seemed impossible that he could go any deeper.

And yet he did.

I bit my lip when he bottomed out, so full of him that it seemed my body could only exist with his inside. He pressed kisses to my face, releasing my wrists and using his elbows to support himself so that he didn"t crush me with his full weight. "Perfect, my mate is perfect."

I ran my fingers through his hair, which was surprisingly soft and silky despite its stiffness. "Make love to me." I didn"t know what I was asking, but I wanted to belong to him with everything in me. I needed it like I needed air.

He drew his hips back slowly, and I clutched at his back, already afraid this might end too soon.

Then he thrust back in.

I saw stars again as pleasure consumed me. All I could do was hang on as Ryklin set a steady pace, claiming me again and again as he thrust in and out.

I wanted to live in this moment forever.

He trailed kisses over my cheek, jaw, and throat, murmuring what I assumed were Detyen words against my skin. And though I couldn"t understand it, I understood the tone. It was full of reverence and affection and worship, and the way his body worshipped mine sent shivers up my spine.

It wasn"t long before I was clutching at him as orgasm rose to consume me. My toes curled, and I opened my mouth in a silent scream as the pressure broke free and rushed out of me, sweeping away all thought.

He thrust one final time, emptying into me, and I swore I could feel something snapping into place in my chest, some missing piece I"d never known I needed finally there.

I smiled at Ryklin, but his eyes flashed red once more, then his mouth opened in horror, and he passed out.