Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
EVERETT
Ihold my breath as Eden closes the distance, her hand flattening against my chest. The back glows red, darker veins snaking beneath the skin.
She cranes her neck to look at me, caught between chaos and wonder.
“But where is the vibration coming from? Almost like a musical note.” Her gaze sweeps the forest floor, as if expecting hidden speakers.
“Our resonance,” I tell her, placing my hand atop hers.
“All of this keeps getting weirder.” She exhales, her bottom lip trembling.
“It’s inside you, too,” I murmur. “I can feel it. Can’t you?”
She hesitates, afraid to name the thing already happening between us.
“I didn’t know this was possible with a human.” The disgust in my voice startles even me.
She jerks her hand back, fists clenching. “You make it sound unimaginable.”
“Because it is unimaginable.”
“I want you to take me back out of these woods right now. I’m done with this bizarre night.”
“No, my little Earthling,” I say, stepping closer, wrapping my arms around her before she can retreat. “This night has only just begun.”
She struggles like a wild bird, never hard enough to break free. The soft chuckle that escapes me only enrages her further.
“What are you laughing at?” she snaps.
“Such an emotional creature. How can you feel so many things at once?”
“Disgust, loathing, rage—you mean?”
“Yes.” I lower my head until our lips hover inches apart. “And desire. Need. Curiosity. Something almost like affection.”
“‘Something almost like affection’? You’re counting that a win?”
“No.” I catch her hand, pressing it to her heart, my palm covering hers. “But the resonance is.”
The sweetness of Star-honey lingers on her lips; the flutter of her lashes stirs something deep inside me. The pulse of her desire hums in the air like a storm waiting to break.
Human or not, I must have her.
And then, I must keep her.
My mouth crashes into hers as I’ve seen human couples do. And for an instant, I feel out of my depth—the awkward press of our lips together hard to comprehend.
She pulls back, breathless. “You’re terrible at this.”
“I know,” I admit, baffled. “Humans kiss like they’re trying to share breath. I’m still learning the … technique.”
“If you think—”
I press into her mouth again, brows furrowing. What the hell? I inch my head back. “What am I doing wrong?”
“Everything!” she explodes. “Starman, there’s no way you’re going to convince me we’re in a dream if you keep messing up like this.”
Her face glows with my light as she wraps her arms around my neck. We hesitate for one heartbeat, then our mouths meet again. Her warmth seeps into me; her breath trembles against my lips.
My chest tightens—something unfamiliar tugging at my heart. My hand cups her cheek, guiding the rhythm, learning by instinct. She relaxes, and my tongue darts, licking some honey from her.
She sighs, body taut. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No,” she pants. “That was right. You could almost—”
Eden doesn’t have to tell me to lick her twice. The resonance bursts inside my chest, our energy folding together until I’m not sure which heartbeat is mine.
Somewhere deep inside, the regulator sputters—a sharp static hiss beneath the pleasure. Warning lights flicker across my vision. A fault code. System overload. I ignore it. I can’t stop.
She tastes better than the pink and golden hues of sunrise, better than the white frost on the window on a winter morning, better than every thought I’ve ever had of returning to my homeworld.
She pulls back slightly, catches her breath. Then, we collide again—teeth clashing, hearts syncing, the vibrations between us merging into one aching note. Nothing has ever felt more right, though feeling itself is still so new.
“That’s much—” she gasps between kisses—“much better. Almost like a dream.”
Pride hums through me, intensifying the frequency. My hands trace her shape—delicate neck, strong shoulders, soft waist, even softer hips. Hips I could get lost in. Hips I have to get my head between.
But first … something I’ve been curious about for centuries. “Your breasts. Let me see them.”
Eden’s brows knit. “Ugh! There you go again, trying to pull me out of my fantasy.”
“Ugh,” I repeat carefully. “Is that one of your mating words? Or a warning? I can’t tell the difference yet.”
She exhales sharply, frustration softening into laughter. “Maybe you shouldn’t talk at all.”
Her eyes flick to Mother Tree, noticing how the light orbs drift around us.
“They hide us … visually and acoustically,” I explain, proud of my efficiency.
She just stares.
“Ah,” I add quickly, “humans don’t find that romantic. Noted.”
“Shush, Everett,” she orders, pulling her costume over her head to reveal a lacy black bra and panties. Items I’ve only ever seen in a clothing store.
My hand rubs the back of my neck, awe tightening my throat. I never imagined how breathtaking a human woman could be—especially one with curves shaped for worship.
“What are you staring at?”
I frown. “You told me not to talk.”
She groans. “More like don’t say anything that pulls me out of whatever this is.”
I meet her gaze and shift tactics. The bond isn’t complete, but the resonance should be strong enough to—
“Hey! Get out of my head!”
I chuckle, drawing her closer. She’s the most confusing, fascinating, irresistible life-form I’ve ever encountered. And now, she’s mine.
I brush against her thoughts again. Let me in. Let me learn how to please you.
“You’ve got another thing com—”
Eden, relax.
My mouth descends to hers again. This time, I let my thoughts bleed into her mind. Let her feel me feeling her. Let her taste me tasting her.
“Oh, God, what is that?” she gasps, then smiles wickedly. “You mean, you could do that to…?”
“To know what you want before you want it,” I murmur. “Yes.”
“I’m losing my mind. You’ve drugged me or—”
“Let me be your drug,” I murmur, then pause. “That’s the correct idiom, yes? Not … narcotic?”
Shut up, Starman, she says without words.
Her thoughts unfurl in a rush; my pulse races, the forest itself vibrating in response. I’m flooded with what she needs, what she fears, what she hides.
I unclasp her bra in a practiced motion not my own and take one of her pebbled, rose-colored nipples into my mouth. I circle it greedily, feeling her unravel around the heat of my mouth.
Yes, whatever you need, little mate, I will give you. I will bring your dreams to life and protect you from the nightmares.
My hands come up, kneading and teasing her. I nip and suck, walking the tightrope between pleasure and pain until she gasps, and I alternate sides.
But she needs more. She needs—multitasking. My mind scrapes over hers, slowly getting the picture. I smile. I can do that.
My rough hands wrap around her waist, fingers of one hand teasing and caressing, following the curve of her thigh inward until I find heat and moisture. Her need wafts through the air, tempting and teasing me as I slide greedy fingers beneath the fabric, finding her slick cream.
Her desire throbs through me, pounding in my temples as I explore her folds, falling in love with her hot velvet.
The thought of her wrapping this around my manhood is almost more than I can bear.
So is the delightful little button I find after tracing my pulsating fingers up to the top of her mound.
She gasps as I round her for the first time, hips bucking toward me.
I slide a finger inside, noticing when her breath hitches and her heartbeat stutters.
I tug my finger back toward myself, hitting again, and she moans.
I do it again and again, mouth still lapping and teasing her breasts until her walls flutter as if she’s trying to suck me into her. This, I like.
“Don’t stop, Everett,” she begs, “I’m so close now.”
If close is heat and wet and spasms, then she’s right. “Oh, God,” she whispers, body arching around me as darker thoughts fill her mind. Thoughts that match my own.
I drop to my knees in front of her, whole body pulsating, light dancing around us beneath the tree. I grab one leg, easing it over my shoulder, then press into her with another kind of kiss.
Her fingers tangle into my hair, gripping my head hard and drawing me in as I roll my tongue over her, ecstasy rushing through me. I let her feelings guide me, knowing they’ll lead me to come in my own pants. But I have to take her wherever this feeling leads.
“Your tongue,” she moans. “Is so skilled and textured and—” She looks down, eyes rounding as I look up reluctantly, tip still buried inside. “Long.”
Another rush of pride. Maybe instead of looking past my differences, she could grow to appreciate them.
Her hand slides down to my back, fingers gouging into me. I hesitate for a second. Violence? Is this a normal part of human mating? All I know is the move sends shivers dancing down my spine to the place where self-control immolates.
I dive back in, lapping and teasing, swirling and sucking until her whole body shakes around me. Her hands grip the back of my head again, shoving me tightly against her. A good sign, right?
Stop talking, she scolds internally.
I press into the fireworks demolishing inside her brain, hoping I’m not hurting my little mate. But the more I wreck her, as she puts it, the more she begs. And I cannot deny her.
When her release shatters the air like light breaking open the sky, I glimpse myself reflected in her mind—disorienting, beautiful, terrifying. Something she may have to forget just to stay sane.
The sight knots something behind my ribs.
The resonance will burn forever, no matter what.
I’d thought I was built to withstand supernovas and war. Turns out, I’m fragile where she’s concerned.
One human heart might undo an entire species.
The air hums wrong.
A thin, familiar voice cuts through the static—Rook.
“Everett. What have you done?”
His signal shouldn’t reach this far. Not through the dampeners. Not through Mother Tree’s field.
The regulator pings, then sizzles—like a dying star trying to hold its shape.
The light inside me flares, teetering on the edge of failure. If Rook found me, Command won’t be far behind.