Chapter 21 #3
"For believing in me. For seeing something worth saving."
I pulled back enough to look at him. "You saved yourself, Ahrick. I just... I just got to be there for it."
He kissed me then—deep and claiming and full of promise.
And through the bond, I felt everything he couldn't put into words.
Love. Devotion. Forever.
Our quarters on Historia were temporary—just a small suite in the diplomatic wing, meant for short-term stays.
But they were clean and private and ours.
And right now, that was all that mattered.
Ahrick closed the door behind us and locked it with a finality that made my pulse quicken. The bond hummed between us, carrying his desire, his need, his absolute certainty that I was his.
"Come here," he said quietly.
I went.
His hands found my waist, pulling me against him. I felt his heartbeat through his chest—steady and strong and perfectly synced with mine.
"I love you," he said. "I don't think I've said it enough. But I love you, Merrilee. More than I thought I could love anyone."
"I love you too." I reached up to cup his face. "And you're going to be amazing as Master of Arms."
He smiled—that rare, genuine smile that transformed his whole face.
"We're really doing this. Building a life together."
"We really are."
"No more running. No more hiding."
"No more fighting just to survive." I pressed closer. "Now we get to fight for something better."
His mouth found mine, and the kiss was different from the ones before. Not desperate or claiming or born of fear and adrenaline.
This was celebration.
Joy.
The recognition that we'd made it through the darkness and come out the other side together.
His hands moved to the fastenings of my clothes—the borrowed Alliance uniform that didn't quite fit right. I helped him, my own fingers working at his shirt, needing to feel his skin against mine.
We shed the layers between us until there wasn't left but warmth and want and the bond singing between us.
He lifted me easily, carrying me to the bed. Laid me down with a gentleness that made my throat tight.
"You're beautiful," he said, his gaze traveling over me. "And you're mine."
"Yours," I agreed. "Always."
He settled over me, his weight a comfort rather than a burden. His mouth found mine again as his hand traced down my side, learning the curves of my body with the kind of attention that made me shiver.
I arched into his touch, my own hands exploring the planes of his chest, the ridges of muscle, the scars that told the story of everything he'd survived.
"I can feel you," I whispered. "Through the bond. Everything you're feeling."
"Good." His mouth moved to my throat. "Then you know exactly how much I want you."
I did.
The desire flowing through the bond was intense—but it was more than just physical need. It was emotional. Spiritual. The recognition that we were two halves of something greater.
When he finally entered me, it was slow and deliberate. A claiming that went deeper than flesh.
Our hearts beat in perfect synchronization.
Our breath matched.
And through the bond, I felt everything—his pleasure and mine, tangled together until I couldn't tell where I ended and he began.
We moved together, finding a rhythm that felt ancient and new all at once. His hands gripped my hips, holding me steady as he drove deeper. My legs wrapped around him, pulling him closer, needing more.
The pleasure built slowly. Intensely.
And when it finally crested, it crashed over both of us at the same moment—our bodies and hearts and souls perfectly aligned.
I cried out his name.
He buried his face in my neck, his own release shuddering through him.
And through it all, the bond held us together.
Unbreakable.
Eternal.
Forever.
Later, we lay tangled together in the darkness, my head on his chest, his hand stroking lazy patterns on my back.
"What are you thinking?" I asked.
"That I never thought I'd have this." His voice was quiet. Wondering. "A mate. A future. A reason to be more than just a prisoner."
"You were always more than that."
"Maybe. But I didn't believe it." He pressed a kiss to my hair. "You made me believe it."
I smiled against his skin. "We made each other believe it."
"Yeah." His hand tightened on my waist. "We did."
We were quiet for a while, just breathing together, hearts beating in perfect time.
"Merrilee?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you for choosing me. For choosing a life with me."
I lifted my head to look at him. "There was never any other choice. From the moment I met you, it was always going to be you."
His eyes gleamed in the darkness—amber and warm and full of love.
"Then I'm the luckiest male in the galaxy."
"We're both lucky." I settled back against him. "We found each other. We survived. And now we get to build something beautiful."
"Together."
"Together," I agreed.
And as I drifted off to sleep, wrapped in my mate's arms, our hearts beating as one, I knew with absolute certainty that this was just the beginning.
We had a whole life ahead of us.
Challenges to face. A future to build.
But we'd face it all together.
Bonded.
Mated.
Forever.
And that was more than enough.