Chapter Seven

Sutton

The days blurred together in that tiny cabin, a bizarre purgatory of waiting and uncertainty. Raxon had tried to explain Kravok"s plan as best he could, but half the terminology flew straight over my head. Something about secure transports and encoded communiques, a whole mess of military jargon that made my eyes glaze over.

So instead of getting bogged down in the specifics, I just tried to focus on the basics: stay put, keep my head down, and let the two of them handle the heavy lifting. Easier said than done when my every waking moment was consumed by the nagging fear that the Coalition"s strike teams would come smashing through the door at any second.

I spent those first few nights huddled on the narrow bunk, knees tucked tight against my chest as I strained to make out every little sound from the corridor beyond. The slightest creak or whisper of movement had me flinching, heart thundering in my ears as I braced for the inevitable.

Raxon, damn him, seemed to take it all in stride. He prowled the confines of our temporary sanctuary with that same easy, rolling gait, amber eyes gleaming in the low light. From time to time, he"d pause beside the bunk, studying me with that unnerving intensity of his for long moments.

"You should try to rest," he rumbled once, after what felt like the thousandth time I"d startled awake at some imagined noise. "We may have a long journey ahead of us."

I shot him an incredulous look from my huddled position, mouth working soundlessly for a few seconds. "Rest? How can I rest when... when..."

When what? When I was trapped lightyears from home, surrounded by strange alien beings whose ultimate intentions toward me remained a total mystery? When the closest thing I had to an ally was a fierce warrior who looked like he could tear me apart with those wicked talons of his without even breaking a sweat?

The words stuck in my throat, a bitter lump I couldn"t choke down no matter how hard I tried. Raxon seemed to sense my struggle, though. His expression softened ever so slightly, whiskers twitching in a way I was slowly learning to interpret as concern.

"You"re safe with me, little one," he murmured, dropping into a crouch so we were eye-to-eye. "I gave you my word, did I not? And a Kal"doren never breaks an oath once sworn."

His voice washed over me, deep and rumbly, like the purr of some great slumbering beast. I found myself getting lost in the alien cadences, the strange lilt of syllables that shouldn"t have sounded so... soothing.

Maybe it was the exhaustion fraying my nerves, or just the simple fact that he was right—for all his fearsome appearance, Raxon had been nothing but gentle and protective since we"d first crossed paths. He"d shielded me at every turn, kept the shadowy threats at bay through sheer force of will and the promise of merciless retaliation against any who dared challenge his claim.

So I"d simply nodded, unable to muster up anything more articulate as he rose in one sinuous motion and retreated to his corner of the chamber once more. Just like that, the tension seemed to bleed from the room, leaving me wrung out and boneless against the thin mattress.

From that point on, things got... easier. Raxon continued his silent vigil, alternating between checking in with Kravok and simply sitting in stillness. Sometimes, I caught him watching me again, those alien eyes glittering in the low light. But there was no heat behind his gaze, no sense of threat or imminent danger.

Just... curiosity. Wonder, even. Like I was a puzzle he couldn't quite figure out.

I couldn't even describe the complicated tangle of emotions those looks stirred up in me. Part of me bristled at being looked at like some kind of exotic curiosity, a creature to be gawked at and dissected by his people. That part wanted to bare my teeth and hiss with all the defiant fury of a feral cat backed into a corner.

But another part... another part found a strange sense of comfort in Raxon"s steady presence. Because this hulking alien warrior had claimed me, sworn an oath to shield me from any who would do me harm. It was a twisted paradox, feeling safe only because I"d been claimed as some kind of possession by a fierce apex predator.

And yet, that"s exactly the tangled reality I found myself enmeshed in. The more time crawled by, the more my guard slipped ever so slightly around Raxon. I found myself studying him right back, tracing the contours of his battle-worn features and trying to glimpse the soul hidden behind those blazing amber irises.

He was an enigma, this alien warrior who should have terrified me down to my very core. Half the time, he seemed to move and hold himself with the poise and grace of some great hunting cat, a remorseless engine of sharpened blades and coiled lethality. Every fiber of his being radiated the aura of an apex predator, born and bred to stalk and slay without mercy or hesitation.

But then, just when I was sure I had him figured out, he would do something unbearably gentle. The way his calloused palm would brush against my arm as he passed, almost... reassuring. Or the slight dip of his chin when our eyes met, a subtle gesture of respect and acknowledgment that no mere beast could comprehend.

I didn"t know what to make of him, this strange alien who was my self-appointed protector. All I knew was that despite my best efforts, I could feel the last vestiges of fear slipping away, replaced by something else entirely.

Something dangerously close to... trust.

The thought should have terrified me more than any of the Coalition"s brutal scenarios. But as the days trickled by and the waiting game dragged on, I found it harder and harder to cling to that sense of self-preservation. My world had been shattered, the safe complacency of my old reality obliterated in one cosmic, terrifying instant.

In this strange new existence, threaded through with nightmares and horrors I could scarcely begin to comprehend, Raxon had become my solitary anchor point. The one stable, reassuring constant in a sea of variables that seemed determined to drown me.

So despite my better judgment, despite the nagging voice in the back of my mind screaming out its warnings, I let the tide of trust sweep over me and pull me under. If I was doomed to be adrift in this insane reality, then I would cling to the only lifeline extended to me.

Even if that lifeline came in the form of a brutal alien warrior who looked like he could snap me in two without even breaking a sweat.

Then, at long last, the waiting game came to an end. I"d awoken that morning to find Raxon hunched over the chamber"s communications array, rumbling in hushed tones with someone on the other end. When he noticed me stirring, he cut the channel with a flick of his thumb and rose in one sinuous motion.

"It"s time," was all he said, those two words laden with enough weight and tension to rob me of breath.

I could only nod, numb disbelief washing over me as the reality of our situation finally crashed back down. We were really doing this—leaving the Coalition flotilla, casting our lots with... whatever insane gambit Kravok had cooked up.

As if sensing my rising panic, Raxon closed the distance between us in two long strides. He reached out, palming my cheek with one calloused paw as he forced me to meet that piercing amber gaze.

"You will be safe," he rumbled, each word ringing with the weight of a solemn vow. "No harm will come to you. This I swear on my life and honor."

His thumb brushed across my cheekbone, an unbearably tender gesture that made my breath catch in my throat. I gazed up at him, at this formidable otherworldly soldier who should have been the manifestation of my most horrifying dreams, yet elicited anything but fear or disgust within me.

In that moment, something inside me shifted, like the last few shards of my old reality crumbling to dust. Without conscious thought, I found myself rising up onto my tiptoes, straining to close the distance between us.

Raxon went utterly still, ears flicking forward as if he couldn"t quite process what was happening. I searched his alien features for any hint of revulsion or anger, but found only that same burning intensity smoldering in the depths of his amber eyes.

Then, before I could second-guess myself, I closed that final gap and pressed my lips against his.

They were dry and slightly roughened, textured like the rest of his fur in a way that should have felt alien and off-putting. But instead, a strange thrill went through me at the simple contact, setting my nerves alight in a way I"d never experienced before.

For a beat, Raxon remained frozen, seemingly too stunned to react. Then a low, rumbling sound built in his chest—not a snarl or growl of anger, but something deeper and more primal. His big paw slid around to cup the back of my neck, holding me in place as he responded to the kiss with a surprising tenderness.

Heat blossomed in my core, spreading out in tingling waves until my whole body felt feverish and hyper-aware. I leaned into him, drinking in his heady, musky scent and the solid strength of his frame against mine. My fingers traced the hard planes of his chest, the whorls of battle-scored fur and the faint ridges of old scars crisscrossing his hide.

This was madness, a voice whispered at the back of my mind. Utter insanity to be kissing—embracing—a fierce alien predator who could snap me like a twig if the mood struck him. But that voice quickly drowned beneath the thunderous roar of my pulse in my ears, the molten need coiling tighter and tighter in my core.

Raxon rumbled again, the sound vibrating through me in a way that made my knees go weak. His free paw slid down my back, flattening against my spine to pull me flush against the hard length of his erection. I gasped at the sudden contact, lips parting in a breathless moan that he immediately swallowed with a hungry lap of his rough tongue.

That simple, shockingly intimate gesture punched the air from my lungs in a harsh exhale. My fingers clenched against his battle-scored pelt, bunching into fists as my head swam with dizzying intensity. This was too much, too fast, every nerve ending ablaze with a searing need I couldn"t begin to process or understand.

And yet, I knew with every fiber of my being that I couldn"t stop. Didn"t want to, no matter how much my rational mind screamed at me to regain control. I was a live wire, thrumming with a current that threatened to sear me from the inside out if I didn"t find some way to ground it, to slake this all-consuming thirst threatening to drown me.

Raxon seemed to sense my rising desperation. With a rasping growl, he angled his muzzle and deepened the kiss, fangs grazing my lips with tantalizing promise. I whimpered into his mouth, hips surging against his solid weight of their own volition as my fingers scrabbled for purchase against his armored shoulders.

Part of me recoiled at how easily I surrendered to these base, primal urges. This was nothing like the gentle, almost chaste kisses I"d shared with the few human boys I"d dated back home. This was raw, visceral need, fueled by instincts and impulses that transcended language or conscious thought. And yet, another part of me—a part I"d never truly acknowledged until this moment—rejoiced in that freedom.

Raxon"s paws roamed my body with a curious reverence, tracing the dips and curves of my slender frame with a tenderness that surprised me. For all his fearsome appearance and brutal skill, he handled me with a surprising delicacy, like I was something infinitely precious to be savored rather than simply taken.

The realization made me shudder, clinging to him as the world seemed to spin and tilt around us. This was really happening. This insane descent into primal surrender with a being who should have terrified me down to my core. But any last shred of uncertainty or fear was swiftly burned away beneath the banked heat of our mingled breaths and twining forms.

A sudden chime split the charged air, making me jump. Raxon tensed, lips peeling back in a snarl of pure frustration before he seemed to get himself back under control. Panting hard, he broke the heated kiss and turned his head towards the door, ears swiveling forward.

"That will be our escort," he rasped, the words a low rumble that made my insides clench with renewed need. "We... need to go. Now."

I could only nod mutely, legs trembling like a newborn fawn"s as he gently disengaged and took a measured step back. The sudden distance between us made the cool air of the chamber seem to crash over me in a dizzying wave.

Raxon studied me for a long moment, pupils blown wide in a way that made my pulse thunder in my ears. Then, with visible effort, he shook his head and turned for the exit without another word.

I followed in a daze, every nerve still singing from the echo of his scorching touch. My lips tingled, slightly swollen, and no doubt flushed a dusky shade that would have been a dead giveaway of our heated embrace to anyone who looked close enough.

The thought should have kindled a fresh surge of panic or uncertainty. But as Raxon paused beside the outer door, shooting me a sidelong look filled with banked embers, I found that I simply didn"t care anymore.

I was his now, by his oath and my own choice. And despite the insanity of it all, I knew deep in my soul that I wouldn"t have it any other way.