Chapter 30
LIA
The quiet stretches, but it’s not awkward or heavy—just full.
Rakkh shifts first, guiding me gently toward the pallet.
He doesn’t pull. He doesn’t lead without checking.
Every movement is an invitation awaiting my response; I answer each one without hesitation.
When we sit, he remains close but not crowding, his knee warm against mine, his presence as steady as gravity.
“This is not how I imagined my claiming,” he says softly, eyes lowered for a moment as if choosing the words with care. “There was supposed to be ceremony. Witnesses. A formal declaration.”
I smile, a little crooked. “Sorry to disappoint.”
He huffs out a breath—almost a laugh.
“You do not.” His gaze lifts to mine again, intent and unguarded. “This is better.”
Something in my chest aches at his words. I reach for him this time, fingers brushing the edge of his jaw, feeling the faint ridges of scale beneath my thumb. He stills completely, as if he’s memorizing the sensation.
“You don’t have to be perfect,” I murmur. “I don’t need vows or rituals tonight. I just need… you. Here. Choosing me.”
His eyes burn—bright and fierce and suddenly vulnerable.
“I am,” he says. “In every way possible.”
He kisses me.
It’s not wild or consuming, not at first. It’s deep and deliberate. His mouth warm and sure against mine, his restraint finally giving way to need.
The kiss carries everything we haven’t said—relief, victory, fear survived, a future chosen. I lean into him with a soft sound I don’t bother to swallow, my hands sliding up his chest, feeling the strength there, the scars, the truth of him.
His arms come around me fully this time, drawing me close until there’s no space left to doubt. The world narrows to heat and breath and the steady certainty of his hold.
When we part, it’s only because we need air.
He rests his forehead against mine again, wings flexing slightly behind him before folding in tight, enclosing us in a private shelter of leather and warmth.
“This binds me to you,” he says quietly. “Not by law, not by tradition, not by demands. By will.”
I smile, brushing my nose against his.
“Good. Because that’s how I’m choosing you too.”
He exhales, something like peace settling into his features. Carefully, reverently, he eases us down onto the pallet, the hides soft beneath us, the night beyond the tent held at bay.
There is no rush after that.
Just hands learning, breath syncing, warmth shared. Just the quiet unfolding of something new and steady and real. Something that doesn’t need the world to witness it to be true.
Outside, the camp settles. The desert holds its breath.
For the first time since Tajss chose me, I let myself rest. Safe in the arms of the one who chose me back.