Page 172 of Alien Burn

Her breath caught. He lifted his head at once, eyes searching hers, and kept his body still while the knot formed and held them together.

“I'm here,” he said. “Stay with me.”

She nodded. It was so much sensation at once: the stretch, the heat, the steady pressure against the place he'd found inside her. His armor rose along his shoulders and arms, warm beneath her hands, and his forehead came down to hers as they both began to shake.

Pleasure took her again before she could find words for it. He shuddered with her, holding her close while she clung to him.

For a long time she could hear only their breathing.

Then his thumb moved over her cheek.

“My mate.”

She smiled before she could answer.

“Mine too.”

He kissed her, gently now.

“Keep courting me,” she reminded him when he lifted his head. “You promised.”

“Years of it. Decades.” His mouth brushed hers again. “You'll be sick of flowers.”

“I won't.”

Her voice caught, and she let it.

“I'm going to notice everything.”

They stayed joined while the knot slowly eased. He told her when it was safe to move, helped her find a more comfortable position, and kissed her whenever she looked at him for long enough.

She looked often.

The room dimmed as the household shade screens closed for rest. Beyond the window, the jungle continued its bright, noisy life.

Sereya lay with her head on Dhomhes's chest. His fingers moved slowly through her hair, avoiding the dressing without having to look.

“Tomorrow I have to go back to the search,” he said.

“Then let me help where I can.”

He watched her.

“I remember things about Roemary. People she spoke to. Places she asked about. Some of it might mean something to your investigators.”

“It might.”

“I want to give it to them because I choose to. I don't want to spend the rest of my life being afraid of being useful.”

His hand settled against her back.

“We'll arrange it.”

She laid her head down again, listening to his heart.

After a while she said, “And you'll still owe me the stars.”

His chest moved beneath her cheek with a quiet laugh.