Epilogue Nalina
EPILOGUE: NALINA
C olors blazed across my vision as our ship descended through Lysaria Prime’s upper atmosphere—swirling purples and deep blues streaked with ribbons of gold. Below, crystalline seas reflected the light in dazzling patterns, while floating islands drifted lazily through the air, trailing waterfalls and lush gardens.
“This is...” I pressed my hand against the viewport, overwhelmed.
I could see subtle variations in the light I’d never noticed before—layers of color painting the world in impossible beauty.
“I know.” Tyrix’s satisfaction hummed through our bond as he guided the ship toward a landing pad on one of the larger islands. “Wait until you see it up close.”
The pad extended from an elegant structure of sweeping curves and gleaming metal, its design blending seamlessly with the surrounding gardens. As we landed, I saw other visitors moving through open-air corridors—beings from a dozen worlds, their flowing resort wear rippling in the breeze.
“You brought us to a resort?” I turned to him, surprised. In all our time hunting together, we’d never stayed anywhere fancier than basic traveler’s lodging.
“We earned a break.” He powered down the ship and caught my hand. “And I wanted to show you something beautiful.”
The sincerity in his voice caught me off guard. Through our bond, I felt his desire to share this place with me, to offer a glimpse of something more than the harsh realities we were used to.
A group of staff awaited us at the base of the ramp, their uniforms echoing the resort’s flowing, organic design.
“Welcome to the Falling Gardens,” the lead greeter said, her scaled skin shimmering with welcoming patterns. “We’re honored to host such distinguished guests.”
I shot Tyrix a look at “distinguished,” but he only squeezed my hand, amusement flickering through our bond.
“Your suite is ready whenever you’d like to refresh yourselves,” the greeter continued. “In the meantime, would you care for a tour of the grounds?”
“Please,” I said, cutting Tyrix off before he could decline. If he was going to surprise me with luxury, I intended to experience every bit of it.
As Mahra, the greeter, led us through open corridors winding between lush gardens, the air thickened with the heady scent of alien flowers, each more vibrant than the last.
“The Gardens were established three centuries ago,” Mahra explained, “when the first floating islands were stabilized. Our founders envisioned a sanctuary where beings from across the galaxy could find peace and renewal.”
We passed an outdoor dining area where guests lounged at tables overlooking the crystalline sea far below. The murmur of a dozen languages mixed with the sound of flowing water.
“The main pool,” Mahra gestured to our right, where an infinity edge seemed to merge with the horizon. “Though your suite includes a private pool as well.”
I stumbled slightly at that, earning another wave of satisfaction through our bond. Tyrix was enjoying this far more than he let on.
The suite itself took my breath away. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed panoramic views of sky and sea, while the interior felt impossibly luxurious yet inviting. A private garden opened off the bedroom, complete with the promised pool, which appeared to float in empty air.
“This is...” I shook my head, overwhelmed.
“Perfect,” Tyrix finished, dismissing Mahra with a polite nod.
As soon as we were alone, I turned to him. “How did you even find this place?”
“Came here once, years ago,” he said, gazing out at the endless expanse of sea. “On a job tracking a dealer in stolen artifacts. Always wanted to come back… properly.”
I joined him at the window, letting the view wash over me. After so many years in cramped station corridors and grimy spaceports, the vast openness felt almost unreal.
“Thank you,” I said softly.
He turned to me, tracing the purple markings that now adorned my skin—mirror images of his own. His satisfaction at seeing his claiming marks on me rippled through our bond, mingling with emotions he still struggled to express.
“You’re welcome.” His thumb brushed my cheek. “Now, shall we see what else this place has to offer?”
I grinned, already spotting the massive bathing chamber through an archway. “Oh, I have some ideas...”
The garden’s mist settled on my skin like whispered promises as Tyrix’s knuckles grazed the side of my throat. “You seemed impressed by the pool,” he said, tracing the neckline of my flight suit. “But you’re overdressed for the occasion.”
A shiver chased his fingers downward. “Funny. Last time I checked, you skipped basic pilot uniforms in favor of ‘strategic nudity.’“ My breath snagged as his teeth caught the zipper’s pull.
“Complaining?” The zipper hissed open, inch by excruciating inch. His mouth followed, tongue glancing over the hollow above my collarbone. “Your pulse says otherwise.”
The suit peeled away in stages—each brush of his calloused palms against newly bared skin a fresh argument against coherence. When he reached my waistband, he paused, breath humid against my navel. “Was this your plan when you booked the suite?”
Sunlight fractured through the floating waterfall beyond the pool’s edge as his teeth scraped the sensitive dip of my hip. Through our bond, I tasted his reply before he spoke—dark and syrupy, the way pleasure felt against closed eyelids.
“Optimism,” he corrected, mouth migrating south. The suit pooled at my ankles. “With—” a lick along the inside of my thigh “—thorough—” teeth grazing the tendon there “—research.”
My knees buckled against the polished stone bench as he dragged me down. The air smelled of chlorine and alien ferns as his hands caged my hips. “Should’ve requisitioned cushions,” I managed, fingers twisting in his hair.
His chuckle vibrated against me. “You want comfort now?”
The first swipe of his tongue stole my retort. Every nerve ignited—lightning strikes following fault lines I hadn’t known existed. His rhythm built like hyperspace coordinates, nonsensical fragments coalescing into devastating clarity. I dug my heels into the bench’s edge, the friction grounding me even as the world splintered.
“Look at you...” His words dissolved into open-mouthed kisses. “Like tharla nectar spiked with starlight. All those smug jabs and now—” a deliberate swirl “—you’re biting your wrist to stay quiet.”
The orgasm coiled sudden and vicious, body arching like a snapped tether. “Ty?—!”
“Finally.” He held me through the convulsions, relentless, until the stars behind my eyelids erupted into novas. My throat burned raw—had I screamed? The resort’s ambient music swallowed the sound, leaving only the wet click of his tongue against his lips as he pulled back.
The stone bench bit into my knees, but the discomfort evaporated when Tyrix’s gaze locked onto mine. Herosi oil and salt clung to his skin—that particular musk I’d learned to crave during long jumps between sectors. My fingers trembled against his belt clasp.
“Eager?” His smirk didn’t reach his eyes, too busy drinking in the way my thighs glistened.
“Compensating.” The buckle gave way. “For your earlier... thoroughness.”
His snort dissolved into a sharp inhale as I peeled the fabric down. The scent of him hit me first—musky and primal, edges softened by the resort’s floral breeze. I nuzzled the wiry hair at the base, savoring his twitch against my cheek. “All this planning,” I murmured against heated skin, “and you still forgot the hover cushions.”
His hand fisted in my hair. “You’re—ah—still talking.”
The first lick stole his sarcasm. His hips jerked upward, the thick vein along his shaft pulsing against my tongue. Through our bond came fractured images—my mouth glowing faintly violet where his pre-come smeared my lips, the way my nails bit crescent moons into his thighs.
“Stars’ breath, Nal...” His curse tangled with the waterfall’s distant crash as I took him deeper. Salt burst across my tongue with each bob of my head, his groans harmonizing with the creak of stressed stone beneath us. When his fingers tightened warningly, I pulled back with a wet pop.
“Tharla nectar, was it?” I swiped my thumb across his leaking tip. “You taste like smuggled zorian rum—all heat and poor decisions.”
He yanked me upward, mouth claiming mine in a kiss that shared his flavor. “You want poor decisions?”
The world tilted as he flipped us, my spine meeting sun-warmed stone. His cock pressed against my entrance, both of us shuddering at the contact. “I want,” I growled, arching up, “to watch you unravel.”
He sheathed himself in one brutal thrust. The stretch burned glorious and bright, every ridge searing itself into nerve endings I didn’t know existed. My legs locked around his hips as he stilled, both of us panting.
“Fuck,” he breathed against my neck.
“Eloquent.” I rolled my hips, drawing a ragged groan from his chest. “All that—nngh—snarling bravado reduced to?—”
His next thrust stole words. Each snap of his hips lit wildfires beneath my skin, the delicious ache of overstimulation building anew. The bond surged open—his awe at how I sheathed him, my desperation for the specific angle that brushed that hidden spot?—
“Here?” He angled upward, grin feral when I screamed.
The climax hit like a solar flare, muscles clamping down as pleasure fractured my vision into prismatic shards. Through the haze, I felt his rhythm stutter, heard my name burst from his lips like a prayer.
He collapsed atop me, both of us slick and trembling. Distantly, a breeze carried petals from the floating gardens onto our tangled limbs.
“Research,” he panted into my shoulder, “paid off.”
His hips stuttered, that final push driving me down onto the stone bench as heat flooded my core. I felt each pulse through our bond—not just physical release, but the shuddering vulnerability he rarely showed. His forehead dropped to my shoulder, breath sawing against sweat-slick skin.
“Naal...” The broken syllable carried more weight than any endearment. His hands gentled on my hips, thumbs sweeping circles where bruises were forming.
I cradled the back of his neck, fingertips tracing the raised edges of his neural ports. The bond hummed with something richer than satisfaction—a resonance that made my throat tighten. “I feel you,” I whispered against his temple. “All of you.”
He turned his face into my palm, lips brushing the life line. Our mingled scents hung heavy—sex and mineral water and the faint ozone tang of overworked pheromone glands. When he finally lifted his head, the gold flecks in his eyes burned brighter than Lysaria’s twin suns.
“Look.” He nodded toward the pool’s edge where our joined fluids dripped onto flowering vines. The plants glowed faintly violet where droplets touched their petals. “Seems we’re fertilizing the local flora.”
I snorted, the tension breaking as he nuzzled the claiming marks on my neck. “Romantic.”
“Practical.” His teeth grazed my earlobe. “Now they’ll bloom year-round. Living testament to?—”
I pinched his flank. “Finish that sentence and I’m tossing you over the edge.”
His laughter vibrated through me as he lifted us both, carrying me toward the pool’s shallows. Water swirled around our ankles, then thighs, as he sank onto submerged seating carved from living stone. The sudden temperature shift made me gasp, muscles clenching around the slow trickle escaping me.
“Easy.” His hands spread across my lower back, kneading the tension. “Breathe through it.”
“You first.” I pressed our foreheads together, watching his pupils dilate as another aftershock rippled between us. The bond shimmered with echoes—his awe at the way my body milked him dry, my fascination with the pearlescent streaks his come left in the water.
He captured my mouth in a languid kiss, all earlier urgency replaced by a sweetness that made my chest ache. When we broke apart, he kept his lips moving against mine as he spoke. “Never thought I’d want this. Want... permanence.”
The admission hung between us, fragile as the soap bubbles forming around our legs. I traced the scar along his collarbone—a relic from our first messy job together. “Permanence has its perks.”
His mouth cut off the retort, hands sliding up to frame my face. The kiss tasted different now—softer, with an undercurrent of something that tightened my throat.
Through the bond, I felt it first—the shift from satiation to reverence. His thumbs brushed my cheekbones, smearing the dampness I hadn’t realized was there. When he pulled back, his own eyes glistened in the fractured light.
“Tyrix...”
He pressed two fingers to my lips. “Let me.” His other hand slid between us, gathering the pearlescent strands swirling around my thighs. With deliberate care, he painted a spiral across my sternum—mating marks glowing faintly beneath the residue. “My heart. My anchor. My?—”
The words dissolved into our joined foreheads, the rest conveyed through the bond in a rush of warmth that stole my breath. Distantly, a chime sounded—the resort’s automated system signaling sunset. Golden light gilded the droplets on his lashes as I sealed my promise against his pulse point, not with words, but with the steady thrum of our synchronized heartbeats.
The next few days passed in a blur of indulgence and discovery. We explored the resort’s countless amenities—restaurants offering cuisine from across the galaxy, spa treatments tailored to every species imaginable, and quiet gardens perfect for meditation or stolen moments.
I developed a fondness for floating meditation pods that drifted lazily through the air, offering perfect solitude and breathtaking views. Tyrix preferred the training facilities, though he seemed just as content watching me experience everything for the first time.
One morning, I woke to find him already at the windows, silhouetted against the rising binary suns. Their light painted his gray skin in shades of gold and purple, highlighting the markings that mirrored my own.
“Credit for your thoughts?” I asked, joining him.
“Just thinking how different this is.” He pulled me against his chest, his warmth chasing away the morning chill. “A few months ago, I worked alone. Trusted no one. Now...”
“Now you’re stuck with me.” I felt his amusement ripple through our bond.
“Hardly stuck.” His arms tightened around me. “Though I do wonder if I’ve gone soft. A proper Vinduthi warrior wouldn’t waste time on luxuries.”
I snorted. “A proper Vinduthi warrior wouldn’t have helped a random bartender either. Face it, you were never exactly typical.”
“True enough.” His hand slid into my hair, untangling the sleep-mussed strands. “Though I doubt any of my people predicted I’d end up claimed to a human.”
“Regretting it?” I teased, though we both knew he’d feel the flicker of uncertainty through our bond.
His growl sent shivers down my spine. “Never.”
He turned me to face him, red eyes burning with intensity. “You’re mine. My mate. My match.” Each word was punctuated with a brush of his lips against my skin. “The claiming marks prove it.”
I ran my fingers over the raised swirls decorating my skin. “They are rather pretty.”
“Beautiful,” he corrected. “Like you.”
Before I could protest, he kissed me properly, and all thoughts of conversation fled.
We made it to breakfast—eventually. The terrace overlooked the crystalline sea, its surface catching the light like scattered diamonds. A light breeze carried the scent of blooming flowers, mingling with the murmur of guests from a dozen worlds.
“I could get used to this,” I admitted, savoring something that looked like a pastry but tasted like summer and starlight.
“That’s the idea.” Tyrix’s satisfaction glimmered through our bond.
I reached across the table to take his hand. “You’re allowed to enjoy things, you know. Being claimed doesn’t mean you have to be serious all the time.”
His lips twitched. “Says the woman who spent years maintaining a perfect facade of submission while secretly plotting revolution.”
“Different circumstances,” I said, stealing a bite of his food. “This is just about pleasure.”
“Pleasure, hmm?” His voice dropped, sending heat skittering along my nerves. Through our bond, I caught flashes of exactly what kind of pleasure he had in mind.
“Behave,” I muttered, already standing. “We’re in public.”
“Then perhaps we should return to our suite...”
We didn’t make it all the way back.
Later, sprawled across the massive bed, I watched clouds drift past the windows. The afternoon light painted patterns across Tyrix’s skin as he dozed beside me, one arm draped possessively over my waist.
Through our deep bond, I felt the deep contentment that had settled over him these past days. It was a new feeling for both of us—this sense of safety, of belonging. Of having time simply to be.
“We can’t stay here forever,” I whispered, not sure if he was awake.
“No,” he said, his arm tightening slightly. “But we can stay a while longer.”
I thought of the work ahead—the Consortium facilities we needed to expose, the battles still to come. But for now… for now, we had this.
Crystal seas and floating gardens. Soft beds and gentle breezes. Each other.
The rest could wait.