Chapter Nine

Sutton

The swirling vortices of subspace mesmerized me, their kaleidoscopic hues and hypnotic eddies unlike anything I could have ever imagined. One minute we"d been drifting in the silent void, the next everything dissolved in a thunderous roar as we blasted into... whatever this reality-defying realm was.

Part of me recoiled in primal terror at the maelstrom surrounding our tiny craft. The laws of physics I"d grown up taking for granted as immutable truth seemed to bend and distort with each passing moment. Up was down, left was right, and the very fabric of existence itself appeared to be fraying at the seams.

And yet, another part of me—a part I was only just beginning to acknowledge and accept—thrilled at the cosmic spectacle unfolding beyond the viewport. This was the grand cosmos in all its terrible, awe-inspiring glory. A realm of wonders and nightmares far beyond the narrow scope of human perception or experience.

I tore my gaze away from the swirling vortices for a moment, sneaking a sidelong glance at the imposing alien warrior beside me. Raxon"s expression was set in a mask of stern focus, whiskers twitching slightly as he guided our small craft through the tumultuous currents with the ease of long experience.

To him, this was just another routine transit, one of a thousand such journeys he"d no doubt undertaken over the course of his career. The thought should have filled me with a sense of wonder or perhaps even envy—to be so worldly and jaded to the incredible sights we were bearing witness to. But instead, I felt only a strange sense of... pride?

Yes, that was it. Pride in the sheer, unflappable poise and discipline Raxon displayed in the face of such mind-bending spectacle. To him, this was simply another aspect of his reality, one he accepted with the same cool professionalism he brought to every other facet of his life and duties.

It was... inspiring, in an odd sort of way. Humbling, even, to watch him weather the maelstrom with such rigid control, when any lesser being would have surely descended into howling madness by now.

My gaze traced the harsh, weathered contours of his alien features, searching for any hint of the turmoil or uncertainty that must be churning beneath that inscrutable facade. But Raxon"s piercing amber eyes remained locked on the sensor displays, his jaw set in a grim line of intense concentration.

He really was something else, I mused as a fresh tremor ran through the shuttle"s compact hull. An apex predator sculpted by evolution into a perfect merging of raw, physical power and that same unyielding discipline. A being as lethal as he was inscrutable.

And I was bound to him now, by his oath and the increasingly complex tangle of emotions blossoming in my chest. Emotions I still struggled to put words to, much less process or understand on any deeper level.

What did it mean, to be claimed by such an alien force of nature? Was I simply a curiosity to him, some exotic new plaything to be studied and catalogued before being discarded once his interest inevitably waned? Or was there something more profound at work here?

The memory of our fevered embrace in the cabin made a delicious shiver run down my spine. I could still taste the slight musk that clung to his rough tongue, feel the scorching heat of his calloused palms roaming across my sensitized flesh. He"d been so... intense. Focused in a way that should have terrified me, yet only stoked the banked embers of need smoldering in my core.

I bit my lip, fighting back a breathless whimper as the memories washed over me in vivid detail. It made me ache in the most delicious way, a slow-burning hunger kindling deep in my belly. One that went far beyond simple lust or physical need, hinting at something more profound. Something intrinsic and fundamental, an awakening of instincts and impulses I"d never truly acknowledged until this very moment.

Maybe it was the lingering adrenaline from our daring escape, or perhaps just the sheer enormity of my situation finally sinking in. Either way, I felt a sudden, almost desperate craving to connect with Raxon on a visceral level once more. To seek solace and affirmation in the scorching heat of his embrace, find reassurance that no matter how insane this new reality became, we would face it together as one.

So, hardly daring to breathe, I unfurled myself from the co-pilot"s crash-couch and rose on trembling legs. Raxon"s ear flicked in my direction, but he didn"t turn or acknowledge me further as I drifted closer.

I sidled up beside him, pressing against the solid warmth of his armored flank as I studied the inscrutable mask of concentration etched across his leonine features. Up close, I could make out the faint tics of tension along his jaw, the slight flare of his nostrils as he scented the air.

He knew I was there. Could no doubt smell the sudden spike of musk and pheromones wafting off me as the hunger coiled tighter in my core. And yet, he remained utterly focused on the task at hand, seemingly oblivious to my presence despite every nerve ending in my body thrumming with heightened awareness.

Slowly, hardly daring to breathe, I reached out and traced the contours of his arm where it joined the shoulder. He went utterly still beneath my touch, the only indication he"d registered the contact at all. Emboldened by his lack of rebuke, I let my fingers trail higher, tracing the whorls and ridges of his battle-scored pelt until my palm came to rest against the solid plane of his chest.

The steady thrum of his heartbeat pulsed against my palm, strong and reassuring despite the maelstrom of sensations roiling through me. I watched, mesmerized, as his chest expanded on a slow, measured inhalation.

Only to let it out in a harsh rumble that made me start. Raxon turned his head, fixing me with the full blazing intensity of those amber eyes. His pupils were blown wide, dark pools ringed by a thin band of smoldering gold as he studied me with an undisguised hunger.

"Little one..." His voice washed over me, low and thrumming with promise. "What are you doing?"

I swallowed hard, mouth suddenly dry as a thousand thoughts and justifications raced through my mind. Part of me wanted to make some offhand excuse, to deflect or downplay the sudden, overwhelming need coursing through my veins.

But the greater part—the part ruled by pure, primal instinct—knew such deceptions would be worse than useless in the face of his intense scrutiny. He could smell the truth wafting off me, sense the slight tremble working its way through my limbs as I fought to maintain even a shred of composure.

So instead of trying to dissemble or retreat, I held his piercing gaze and spoke the simple truth burning in my heart.

"I need you, Raxon." The whispered confession emerged as little more than a breathless rasp. "I need to feel... to know that this is real. That you and I, we"re... we"re..."

I trailed off, unable to find the words to articulate the depths of my yearning. But Raxon seemed to understand all the same. His eyes searched my face for a long, endless moment, that same preternatural intensity rooting me to the spot.

Then, with a low rumble that resonated straight down to my core, he surged up from the pilot"s station and seized me in one smooth motion. His big paw cradled the back of my neck as he pulled me flush against the solid wall of his chest, covering my mouth with his own in a searing kiss.

I moaned into the heated exchange, every nerve ending blazing to life as his rough tongue slid past my parted lips to delve deeper. My fingers scrabbled for purchase against his shoulders, bunching in the coarse fur as I arched against him in wordless supplication.

Raxon rumbled deep in his chest, the sound vibrating through me in delicious waves that made my knees go weak. His free paw roamed my body with a hungry possessiveness, tracing the dips and curves of my frame with those wickedly sharp talons in a way that should have terrified me. But any last shred of fear was swiftly incinerated beneath the scorching need blazing between us.

This was madness, a voice whispered at the back of my mind. Utter insanity to surrender so completely to these primal impulses, to revel in the unbridled passion of an alien life form whose true intentions toward me remained a mystery. But that tiny, rational part of my psyche was quickly drowned out by the thunderous roar of my pulse echoing in my ears, the molten lava of pure desire coursing through my veins.

I was his, bound to this fierce warrior by oaths and impulses that transcended conscious thought or rational justification. And in that moment, with his rough tongue plundering the depths of my mouth and his big paws roaming across my sensitized flesh, I knew there was no going back.

Raxon broke the heated kiss with a rasping growl, nostrils flaring as he scented the sharp spike of my arousal. His pupils were blown wide with naked hunger, reducing those blazing amber irises to thin rings of smoldering gold. For a beat, we simply stared at each other, bodies pressed together as we panted harshly in the charged silence.

He pinned me against the solid weight of his frame, hips rolling against mine in a slow grind that made me whimper with need. I could feel the unmistakable ridge of his arousal pressing against my belly, thick and insistent even through the layers of our clothing separating us.

"You"re sure about this?" he rasped, hot breath ghosting across my lips. "Once I claim you fully as my mate, there will be no going back for either of us. Our souls will be bound together for eternity, transcending even death itself."

His words washed over me, heavy with the weight of solemn promise and ancient tradition. Part of me shuddered at the enormity of the vow he offered, the sheer significance of the path we were crossing into together.

But the greater part, the primal essence of my very being that had awoken the moment his lips first touched mine, already knew the answer. I was his. So I nodded, holding his blazing stare as I arched against him with a breathless mewl.

"Yes, Raxon. Take me, claim me, make me yours in every way that matters. I need to be bound to you, my fiercest protector, my... my mate."

A full-body shudder rippled through his muscular frame at the words. Then his mouth crashed down on mine with a rumbling snarl of pure possession. Any last shred of hesitation or restraint melted away as we surrendered to the primal storm raging between us.

His paws roamed with increasing fervor, bunching and tearing at the thin fabric separating our bodies. I arched into his heated caresses, fingers tangling in the coarse fur at the nape of his neck as I clung to him with desperate need.

With a rasping growl, Raxon hooked his arms beneath my thighs and hauled me up against the hull in one smooth motion. I gasped at the sudden shift in position, legs instinctively winding around his narrow waist as his thick shaft ground against the molten heat of my core. Long and thick, his cock sank into me in one deep stroke.

We moved together in a primal joining of undulating hips and shared breaths, each roll of his powerful body stoking the banked inferno coiling tighter and tighter within me. My universe shrank until it encompassed nothing but the scorching friction between us, the slick sounds of our mingled musk and the throaty rumbles of pleasure rasping from Raxon"s broad chest.

Part of me couldn"t quite believe this was happening, that I was surrendering so utterly to the wild throes of ecstasy with an alien life form. But the greater part of my psyche—the part ruled by pure, primal instinct—rejoiced in the freedom of that surrender.