Chapter 22
ELARA TURNED the bracelet over in her hands, its metallic surface gleaming faintly under the soft glow of the ship’s cabin lights. It sat inert now, its once-unrelenting hum of energy silenced. But the weight of it lingered, as though it still tethered her to something larger, something vast and unknowable.
Her fingers traced the grooves in its surface, remembering the pulse of shared emotions it had carried, the way it had blurred the lines between her and Zar’Ryn.
The ship pulsed around her, the soft vibrations a soothing backdrop to her swirling thoughts. Outside the viewport, distant stars streaked across the void, their cold light cutting through the dark expanse of space. She inhaled deeply, the faint, sterile scent of the cabin mingling with something warm and familiar.
Him.
Nearby, Zar’Ryn’s presence was an anchor. He stood leaning against the observatory window, exuding the same quiet strength she had come to depend on, but there was an ease to him now, alooseness in his posture that hadn’t been there before.
“We’re free,” she said softly, the words sounding strange, almost fragile, in the quiet space.
Zar’Ryn didn’t immediately respond. He straightened, turning to her, his expression remained as steady as ever, but there was a flicker of something more in his gaze—something tentative, unguarded.
“And yet you hesitate,” he said. “Do you feel unmoored?”
She looked down at the bracelet, her brow creasing ever so slightly. “A little,” she admitted. “It’s like… I’ve spent so long running, fighting, surviving. Now that it’s over, Idon’t know what to do with myself.”
He stepped away from the window and approached, not stopping until he stood only steps away. The subtle heat of his body radiated outward, grounding her in a way nothing else could. “You are not alone in that,” he said quietly. “I have followed a code for centuries. Every decision, every step, was dictated by duty. Without it, there is... uncertainty.”
Elara tilted her head to meet his gaze, searching his face. The vulnerability she saw there, so fleeting yet so raw, took her breath away. Zar’Ryn, the unyielding warrior who had faced death without flinching, was admitting his fear of the unknown.
“You didn’t have to come with me,” she said after a moment, her voice barely above a whisper. “You could have returned me to Earth and continued your own path.”
He reached for her, his fingers brushing the side of her face with infinite care. “And leave you in a place I could not return to?” he asked, his voice rough. “You underestimate how much you have altered my course, Elara. My path is with you. And that path does not take us to Earth.”
Her breath hitched, the intensity in his words, in his eyes, making it hard to think. She had felt the depth of his emotions through the bond before, but seeing them laid bare like this was something else entirely.
“I chose you,” he said. “Not because of the bond. Not because of obligation. But because you are my mate, Elara. My heart.”
The words shattered something in her, adam breaking as emotions surged to the surface. She didn’t hesitate. She stood and closed the distance between them, her hands reaching for him as she pressed herself against his chest. His arms came around her instantly, enveloping her in a warmth that chased away the lingering chill of doubt.
They stood like that for a long moment, the quiet vibration of the ship the only sound. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, Zar’Ryn tilted her chin up, his gaze searching hers. “Tell me this is what you want.”
Her voice trembled, but she didn’t falter. “It is. It always has been.”
The kiss that followed felt like nothing she had ever experienced—fierce and consuming, acollision of passion and desperation. His hands framed her face, holding her as though she were something precious, something irreplaceable. Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss until the air between them crackled with tension.
When they broke apart, both breathing hard, Zar’Ryn swept her into his arms. She let out a startled laugh, her hands clutching at his shoulders as he carried her to his cabin and the bed that seemed to use up most of the space there. In moments he had them both stripped while the world outside faded as he laid her down, his body covering hers in a cocoon of heat and safety.
“Wait,” she said, her voice a soft whisper as he leaned down to kiss her again. He froze, his gaze instantly searchinghers.
“If you are not ready—”
“No, it’s not that,” she interrupted quickly, her cheeks flushing. “I just… I need to say this first.”
He waited, his patience infinite, his expression open and unguarded. She reached up, her fingers brushing his jawline.
“I don’t regret this,” she said softly. “I don’t regret any of it. Not the bond, not the danger, not even the pain. Because it led me to you.”
Zar’Ryn’s expression softened, awarmth blooming in his violet eyes. He leaned down, snatching a fierce kiss. “And I would endure it all again if it meant finding you.”
He took her mouth again with a fervor that ignited a fire deep within her. Elara could feel every inch of his powerful body against her, the weight of him both exhilarating and reassuring. As he explored her mouth, she drowned in the delicious taste of his kisses, the way he breathed life into her verysoul.
With every skim of his fingers along her waist, her need grew stronger, unraveling under the heat of his touch. Zar’Ryn’s hands trailed down her sides, igniting every nerve with a raw electricity that made hergasp.
“Elara,” he said, his voice a low growl that vibrated through her. “Do you feel it?”
“I do. Ifeel it,” she breathed, unable to contain the swell of longing within her. The words spilled out as naturally as the lust that filled the small cabin, as intoxicating as the air they breathed.
He surged forward, capturing her mouth once more, this time with a primal intensity that made her heart race. She arched into him, their bodies molding together in a way that felt destined. His hands gripped her thighs, pulling her closer, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, urging himon.
“I want to be lost in you,” Zar’Ryn murmured against her lips. She could see the wild yearning burning in his amethyst eyes, tinged with need that mirrored herown.
“Then take me,” she urged, her voice a husky whisper “Show me how much you want me.”
He responded with a fierce growl, his eyes flashing as he delved deeper into their shared passion. His hands explored the curves of her body, trailing across her breasts, thumbing her nipples before skating downward to her mound. He dipped a broad finger deep inside her. Then a second before scraping across her clit with his thumb. Then three fingers, drowning in the warm liquid that flowed from her passageway. Finally, he positioned his cock at her entrance and surged inward.
As he took her, their bodies collided in an exquisite harmony, each movement sending waves of pleasure rippling through her. She clung to him, lost in the sensations, the rhythm of their bodies harmonizing like an ancient song woven throughtime.
His mounds pulsed inside her, aconstant rhythmic ripple that threatened her sanity. His fluids combined with hers, adelicious heat that prepared her for his knotting.
“Together,” he said, his voice a deep promise. “We are infinite together.”
Elara cried out, an affirmation of love and desire, the sound swallowed up in the wild cacophony of their joining. With each thrust, each caress, the barriers of their worlds crumbled, leaving behind only the two of them, entwined in an electric embrace—adance of warriors and lovers, their hearts beating in synchrony, acosmic rhythm that transcended the confines of space andtime.
Zar’Ryn’s movements were powerful, yet he maintained a tenderness that seemed to coax every fragile part of her to blossom beneath the intensity of hisgaze.
“Your body is a marvel,” he breathed against her skin, leaving kisses like fire along the curve of her neck and down to her nipples. Elara gasped, feeling his lips igniting trails of desire, waking every inch of her with his reverence. “I wish to see you unravel for me.”
“Then see me,” she urged, her voice thick with need. She surrendered fully, giving herself to the tides of pleasure that surged between them. With each thrust, he drove deep into her, an embodiment of primal force and protective strength, grounding her in the moment while sending her spiraling toward ecstasy.
Zar’Ryn grunted softly with each movement, an intense vibration that resonated through her core. She clenched around him, feeling powerful and alive, as if they were two stars colliding in the vastness of the universe. “You create a fire within me, Elara,” he said, his voice laced with need. “A hunger that demands to be satisfied.”
“Then take what you want,” she gasped, feeling a torrent of passion rushing through her. It twisted and pulled within, threatening to unleash. His hands roamed her body, mapping her curves like a warrior claiming his prize, fueling the blaze betweenthem.
“Do not hold back,” he commanded, his voice a low growl that sent shivers racing up her spine. “Let the world outside fade. You belong to me.”
“And I choose you,” she groaned, her climax building, tightening around him as she felt the world go dark for just a moment. The room spun, filled only with their shared breath and the heat of their bodies clashing like stars in a celestial dance.
With a final surge, he pressed deep, and everything within her shattered. She cried out, her voice lost to the ether as pleasure coursed through her like an electric storm, binding them even tighter together. Zar’Ryn followed suit, his own release crashing over him, filling her with warmth. In that moment, they became one—aboundless entity, atruth forged in their ferventlove.
As their breaths slowly steadied, they remained entwined, the aftershocks of pleasure still rippling through them. Elara nestled against him, feeling safe. Zar’Ryn’s heart beat steadily beneath her ear, asoothing rhythm that grounded her in the present.
“What happens now?” she asked softly, her fingers tracing idle patterns on hisskin.
Zar’Ryn’s hand came to rest over hers, his touch warm and steady. “We make our own path,” he said. “All the various ways that we choose.”
She tilted her head to look up at him, asmall smile playing on her lips. “And what do you choose?”
He met her gaze, his expression serious but filled with a quiet determination. “You. Always you.”
Her chest tightened, emotion welling up and spilling over. She pressed a kiss to his chest, her lips lingering over the steady drum of his heartbeat.
They lay in comfortable silence for a while, the weight of their journey settling over them like a blanket. But the quiet wasn’t heavy—it was peaceful, full of possibility.
Eventually, Elara spoke. “What if the bond fades?” she asked hesitantly. “What if we lose this connection?”
Zar’Ryn tightened his hold on her, his voice a low rumble. “We have a connection that does not rely on the bond. What we have is more than that, Elara. It is real. It is us.” He cupped her face and took her mouth in a prolonged, passionate kiss. “I will say something to you I have never said to another. Ilove you. Ilove you and will love our younglings and the family we will create.”
She nodded, tears sparking in her eyes, his words soothing the last of her lingering doubts. “I love you, too, Zar’Ryn. More than words can express.” She spread her hand across his chest. “I know you can feel it. And even if the bond does fade, this never will.”
Zar’Ryn kissed her again, slow and tender, apromise of everything they would face—and conquer—together. Outside, the stars stretched endlessly, avast expanse of possibility waiting for them to claim it. While inside, the love they professed created a connection that would never die. Alove for all eternity.