22. Astrid

22

ASTRID

Alice was going to be okay. The med team was very confident, and Zyrus had asked two of his fellow Detyens—Kaelor and Jorin—to hold vigil outside her door to make sure nothing bad happened to her. She'd woken up long enough to tell me she was ready to get the hell off this station.

And I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I carefully flexed my fingers and toes, wincing at the dull ache that radiated through my body. Apart from a smattering of bruises and a few tender spots, I'd somehow escaped relatively unscathed. The silence from Zyrus, however, was deafening. He hadn't uttered a single word about my ill-fated encounter with Vastrien, but I could sense the tension rolling off him in waves. His jaw was clenched, his eyes a swirling storm of crimson.

I'd royally screwed up. Sneaking away without a word, recklessly throwing myself into danger's path—I might as well have painted a target on my back. By all rights, I should be dead. The gravity of my actions hit me like a punch to the gut.

So why wasn't Zyrus tearing into me? His eerie calm unnerved me more than any shouting match ever could. I swallowed hard, the taste of fear bitter on my tongue as I waited for the inevitable explosion.

"I'm sorry," I said as I crawled into bed beside him. "I shouldn't have run off like that. I saw the message, and I panicked." And Alice had been the one to ultimately pay the price for all of it. I'd spent the last few weeks certain they'd come for me and left her undefended.

"I'm not angry." Zyrus pulled his shirt over his head and let it fall to the floor. It made concentrating on what we were talking about a bit difficult. "It should be over now. We're finally together. I'm not going to waste any more time on getting upset over the past." He noticed that my eyes hadn't moved from his chest. "Were you going to continue this heartfelt apology, or …" He let his fingers trail over the muscles of his abs.

I liked "or."

I clambered to my knees, the cool sheets sliding off my skin as I made my way across the bed. The mattress dipped and shifted beneath me with each awkward movement, but I didn't care. My focus was solely on Zyrus. Heart pounding, I reached out and grasped his shoulders, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath my palms. Without hesitation, I tugged him towards me and pressed my lips against his, savoring the electric spark that jolted through my body at the contact. The taste of him, familiar yet thrilling, made my head spin as I deepened the kiss, desperate to convey everything I couldn't put into words.

I melted into Zyrus, his lips grazing mine with an electrifying tenderness that quickly ignited into fierce passion. His mouth seared against my own, demanding and unyielding, as his powerful arms encircled me. He pulled me flush against his chest, eliminating any space between us until I was engulfed by his presence. My fingertips glided over the planes of his torso, marveling at the contrast between his impossibly smooth skin and the rock-hard muscles beneath. Every inch of him radiated heat, setting my nerves ablaze as I lost myself in his embrace. The scent of him—a heady mix of spice and something uniquely alien—filled my senses, drowning out everything else until there was nothing left in my world but Zyrus.

I savored every moment of contact with Zyrus, relishing the feel of his skin beneath my fingertips and the taste of his lips on mine. The steady thrum of his heart against my chest sent shivers down my spine, a constant reminder that this was real, that he was there with me. The intensity of our connection left me dizzy, overwhelmed by emotions I'd never dared to hope for. As we clung to each other, the gravity of my recent actions hit me anew. I'd nearly lost all of this—lost him—because of one stupid, bravado-filled charge. The thought made my stomach clench, but I pushed it aside, determined to focus on the present and the man in my arms.

I gasped and had to pull away.

Zyrus cupped my cheek, his eyes glowing red with emotion. "We're here now. It's okay."

I kissed him again.

I never wanted to stop kissing him, not for the rest of my life. I craved the sensation of his tongue exploring my mouth, his strong hands gripping my hips, our breaths mingling in a heated exchange. Every fiber of my being yearned to belong to him completely, to claim him as mine in return. The intensity of my desire almost overwhelmed me, but I couldn't get enough.

Reluctantly, I broke away from his lips, immediately missing their warmth. My heart raced as I trailed kisses down the sharp line of his jaw, savoring the slight roughness against my lips. I made my way to his neck, inhaling his intoxicating scent. There was something else I'd been fantasizing about for a while, an urge I could no longer ignore. My pulse quickened as I prepared to act on this long-held desire.

I made my way down his body, my hand landing over the band holding up the sleep pants his was wearing. "Let's get rid of these."

He didn't need more convincing. And then he laid back in all his glory. Naked and hard and totally mine. I licked my lips in anticipation. I couldn't wait to taste him.

But instead of getting right down to him, I trailed kisses across his hips and thighs. Teasing, tasting, enjoying him in a way I'd fantasized about for weeks.

He growled with frustration under me, his fists clenching and unclenching like he was trying to stop himself from grabbing my head and taking control. I hummed with appreciation at that show of restraint and sank my mouth down around his cock until I nearly choked, then rose up and began a slow, tortuous rhythm, learning every ridge and curve until I knew him by heart.

His next growl was deep and hungry, and it made me tremble with need, but I didn't stop. Not a chance. Not when I could turn him on so completely, when his iron self-control was melting away and leaving only pleasure behind.

I wanted to savor this forever, this powerful feeling of controlling my mate's pleasure, of giving him everything he needed while he gasped and jerked beneath me.

But he could only take so much, and when I pulled back, he stopped me from diving in again, a wicked grin on his face.

"My turn."

And whether or not I wanted to stop savoring him, Zyrus was in control. He rocked me back on the bed, my clothes disappearing in a skilled flick of his claws until I was naked, my legs splayed wide, and he was between them, tongue deep inside of me.

I bucked my hips with abandon, lost in the sensations he gave me. He worked me with his fingers and his mouth, driving me higher and higher until I lost all sense of everything but him. Until the only thing in my universe was pleasure and him.

When he sank into me, his cock filling me to the brim, my breath left my lungs in a long exhale, and I clung to him with everything I had. He started out with gentle thrusts, letting the pleasure build slowly and deliberately. I reached up and clutched at his shoulders, encouraging him to give me more.

And when he did, it was like a dam breaking inside of me. The heat rushed through me, flooding my veins and sparking along my nerves. Every inch of my body ached with it, and I never wanted it to end.

My body trembled with ecstasy, and he held me in place, keeping us close so that nothing could interrupt this moment. This perfect joining where we were becoming one.

I was on the verge of bursting, and I let go, coming harder than I ever had in my life, clinging to Zyrus as he joined me in tumbling over that edge.

We couldn't stop touching each other, not even when our bodies untangled and the sweat began to cool. He had an arm wrapped around my shoulders, and I kept tracing the clan markings on his chest.

"The second I saw you on this station, I knew there was something there." I leaned in and brushed my lips against his chest, savoring the warmth of his skin. "I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner. That we had to wait so long. All that time wasted when we could have been together."

"We're together now, denya. And I'm not letting you go." Zyrus's arms tightened around me, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through his chest. I pressed closer, breathing in his scent and savored the steady thrum of his heartbeat against my cheek.