Page 12

VAREK

T he energy storm outside the alcove pulsed, its intensity diminishing just enough to let me catch my breath. Every flash cast harsh shadows across Rivera’s face as she finished wrapping my burn. My back pressed against the cold wall, legs stretched awkwardly in the cramped space. Pain radiated from my shoulder in waves that matched the storm's rhythm.

"This should hold until we get proper medical attention." Her fingers lingered on the edge of the bandage, careful not to press too hard. I’d touched live wires and unstable emitters, but nothing made my skin burn like her hands on me. Her care wasn’t clinical—it was too focused. Too gentle

I nodded, unable to form words through clenched teeth. The injury burned deeper than any wound I'd sustained in training. My body screamed to shift position, but movement only intensified the agony.

The alcove trapped us in proximity impossible to ignore. Her knee brushed my thigh as she leaned back to examine her handiwork. My lifelines flared at the contact, sending sparks of awareness through my already overtaxed system.

"You should rest." Her voice dropped to match the intimate space between us. "The storm might last for hours."

"I'll recover." The words came out rougher than intended.

She sat back on her heels, her silver markings catching the flashes from outside. They pulsed with a rhythm that somehow matched my own lifelines. The synchronization unsettled me more than the pain.

Another tremor shook the alcove. Dust and fragments rained from the ceiling. I instinctively reached out, pulling her closer to shield her from falling debris. The movement tore through my injured shoulder, drawing a sharp hiss through my teeth.

"Careful!" Her hands steadied against my chest. "You'll make it worse."

Our eyes locked. The storm's flashing light illuminated the fear in hers, but something else too—relief, concern, an intensity that mirrored the bond humming between us. My awareness of her expanded beyond the physical—her jangled nerves, the tight coil of fear in her chest, the relief that we both survived.

The air between us thickened with more than just dust and ozone. Her scent filled my senses—human sweat, fear, and something uniquely Rivera that bypassed all my defenses.

"Your lifelines..." She whispered, staring at the golden patterns beneath my skin that brightened in response to her proximity.

Another tremor, stronger this time. Her body pitched forward. My hand caught her waist, steadying her. The contact sent a jolt through both of us, her markings flaring silver in response to my golden glow.

"What's happening?" Her breath ghosted across my face.

"The bond." My voice hardly sounded like my own. "It strengthens in proximity."

Her fingers traced the edge of a lifeline on my arm, sending ripples of sensation through my entire body. "I can feel what you're feeling."

"And I, you."

The pressure of duty, of tradition, of everything I'd been taught about humans crashed against the overwhelming need for connection. Her solid presence anchored me as the world literally crumbled around us. Her unexpected competence, her care for my injury, her determination to survive—all of it challenged everything I'd believed about humans.

Another flash from the storm, another tremor. Her body shifted closer to mine, our foreheads nearly touching. The bond between us roared to life, drowning out pain, duty, and reason.

"..." My name on her lips broke the last of my restraint.

My hand moved to her face, fingers tracing the edge of her jaw. Her skin felt impossibly soft beneath my calloused touch. Her markings brightened at the contact, sending silver light dancing across the walls of our shelter.

"This is..." She didn't finish, but I felt her confusion through the bond, tangled with desire and fear.

"I know."

She leaned into my touch, eyes closing briefly. When they opened again, all hesitation had vanished. Her hand found my uninjured shoulder, gripping with surprising strength.

"We might die in here." Her voice carried no fear, just simple acknowledgment.

"Then we die knowing." The words came without thought, ancient and instinctual.

Her lips met mine with unexpected gentleness that quickly gave way to urgency. The bond between us exploded into awareness, doubling every sensation. I tasted her fear, her relief, her desperate need for connection.

My good arm circled her waist, pulling her fully against me. The pain in my shoulder receded beneath the flood of sensation. Her hands tangled in my hair, drawing me deeper into the kiss.

"This is insane," she gasped against my mouth.

"Yes." I agreed, trailing kisses down her neck where her markings glowed brightest. "Completely."

Her fingers found the fastenings of my armor, surprisingly deft for human hands. Each piece she removed felt like shedding a layer of resistance, of tradition, of everything that had kept us apart.

"Your shoulder—" she whispered, concern flickering through the bond.

"Ignore it." I tugged at her utility vest, needing to feel more of her. "I need this more than healing."

She helped me remove her layers, our movements awkward in the confined space. Each new expanse of skin revealed more of her silver markings, intricate patterns that responded to my touch with brightening intensity.

"They've never done that before," she breathed as I traced a pattern across her collarbone.

"They recognize the lifelines." My voice sounded foreign to my own ears, rough with need.

When she pressed her palm flat against my chest, directly over my primary lifeline, the sensation nearly undid me. Golden light surged beneath my skin, reaching toward her silver glow. The connection transcended physical touch—I felt her heartbeat as my own, her breath in my lungs.

"I can feel everything," she gasped. "Your pain, your need?—"

"And I yours." I captured her mouth again, drowning in the dual sensations of my desire and hers reflected back through the bond.

Her body fit against mine with impossible perfection. My tail curled around her leg, drawing her closer still. She made a small sound of surprise that transformed into pleasure as I used it to pull her firmly against me.

"That's... unexpected." A smile flickered across her face.

"Advantageous," I countered, demonstrating by shifting her weight with minimal effort.

Her laugh vibrated through both of us, a moment of lightness amid desperate need. Then her hands found new territory, exploring differences between our bodies with engineer's precision. Each touch sent golden light cascading through my lifelines.

"The bond amplifies everything," I explained between kisses. "Every sensation?—"

"Doubled," she finished, eyes widening as understanding dawned. "That's why it feels so?—"

"Intense."

My injured shoulder protested as I shifted positions, but the pain melted beneath the flood of pleasure coursing through the bond. I guided her to straddle my lap, mindful of the low ceiling.

"We have to be quiet," she whispered, glancing toward the alcove entrance where energy still flashed. "If something hears us?—"

I silenced her with another kiss, slower this time, savoring the unique taste of her. "Then we'll be very, very quiet."

Her markings traced patterns across her skin that seemed to reach for my lifelines wherever we touched. The golden-silver light illuminated our small sanctuary, casting everything in otherworldly glow.

When our bodies finally joined, the bond exploded into full awareness. Her gasp mirrored my own as sensation doubled, then redoubled. I felt her pleasure as my own, layered atop the physical connection in ways I'd never experienced, never imagined possible.

"—" My name on her lips sounded like ancient prayer.

"I know," I whispered against her throat where her pulse raced beneath my lips. "I feel it too."

We moved together in the cramped space, finding rhythm despite the awkward confines. Her hands gripped my shoulders—careful of the injury even in abandon—while my good arm supported her back. My tail curled tighter around her thigh, adding counterbalance and drawing her closer with each movement.

The dual sensations of physical connection and the bond's enhancement pushed us toward the edge faster than either expected. Her markings brightened to near-blinding intensity, matching the golden flare of my lifelines.

"This shouldn't be possible," she breathed against my ear.

"And yet..." I couldn't finish, words failing as pleasure built beyond bearing.

Her forehead pressed against mine, eyes locked with mine as the culmination approached. Through the bond, I felt her teetering on the same precipice, our shared pleasure creating feedback that intensified everything beyond reason.

"Together," she whispered, the word carrying weight beyond our immediate connection.

Release crashed through us simultaneously, amplified by the bond until individual sensation became indistinguishable. Her markings flared silver-white, my lifelines answering with golden fire. For precious seconds, we existed as one consciousness, one being, unified through pleasure and the ancient connection between our kinds.

As the intensity gradually subsided, she collapsed against my chest, careful even in exhaustion to avoid my injured shoulder. Our breathing synchronized, hearts beating in tandem rhythm. The storm outside seemed distant, irrelevant compared to the tempest we'd created within our shelter.

Reality returned in increments. The energy storm outside quieted to occasional flashes. Our sweat cooled in the alcove's stale air. Her weight against my chest felt both perfect and suddenly, uncomfortably intimate.

Rivera shifted first, creating minimal space between us. Her markings dimmed from brilliant silver to subtle glow that pulsed in time with my own lifelines. She avoided my eyes as she retrieved scattered clothing.

"Your bandage held." Her voice aimed for clinical detachment but trembled slightly.

I adjusted my position, wincing as pain returned to my shoulder now that adrenaline and pleasure receded. "Your skills are impressive."

The words fell flat in the awkward silence. We dressed with mechanical efficiency, the cramped space forcing occasional contact that sent aftershocks through the bond.

The situation crashed back with crushing force. We remained trapped in unstable ruins. Hammond's operation continued to destabilize the entire system. My injury needed proper treatment. And I had just violated every tradition of my people by bonding with a human during a moment of weakness.

Shame burned through me, followed immediately by fierce possessiveness that startled with its intensity. Through the bond, I caught fragments of Rivera's turmoil—embarrassment, confusion, lingering pleasure, and sharp focus returning to our survival.

"We should—" she started.

"Yes." I cut her off, unable to hear whatever practical assessment she planned to offer. "The storm has lessened. We should continue once it's safe."

She nodded, still not meeting my eyes. "Your shoulder needs proper treatment."

"It will hold."

"..." She finally looked at me, her expression unreadable. "What just happened between us?—"

"Was a mistake." The words tasted bitter. I felt her flinch through the bond.

"A mistake," she repeated flatly. "Right."

"Not because—" I struggled to articulate the conflict raging within me. "The circumstances were not... appropriate."

"Appropriate?" A flash of anger sparked through the bond. "We nearly died. Multiple times. We're still trapped in a collapsing ancient facility. What exactly would be an appropriate time?"

Her logic, as always, cut through tradition with engineer's precision. I sighed, leaning my head back against the wall.

"You don't understand. Among my people, bonding is sacred. It should be approached with ceremony, with the blessing of elders, with proper consideration."

"Bonding?" Her eyes widened. "Is that what happened? I thought it was just... I mean, I thought we just..."

"The physical act between compatible partners initiates bonding," I explained, discomfort growing. This conversation should happen with proper preparation, not in a cramped alcove with danger still surrounding us. "What we experienced—the sharing of sensation, the connection—that is the beginning of a lifebond."

She sat back, shock radiating through the bond. "And that's... bad?"

"It's unprecedented." I closed my eyes briefly. "A human and a Nyxari, bonding without ceremony or preparation. The Council will?—"

"The Council might not even be there if we don't stop Hammond and stabilize this facility," she interrupted. "Let's focus on the immediate problem."

Her practicality cut through my spiral of tradition and consequence. She was right—survival came first. The implications of our actions could wait.

"You're right." I straightened, ignoring the pain that radiated from my shoulder. "We need to move as soon as the storm subsides completely."

She nodded, relief evident in her posture. Through the bond, I could feel her mental shift—compartmentalizing what happened between us, focusing on the technical challenges ahead. The engineer reasserting control over the woman.

I envied her ability to separate emotion from duty. My own thoughts remained tangled between shame at my lack of discipline and fierce protectiveness toward the human who now carried part of my essence through the bond.

"Your shoulder," she said after a moment. "How bad is it really?"

"Manageable."

"That's not what I asked." Her eyes narrowed. "I can feel your pain through this... bond. Don't lie to me."

The directness of her gaze challenged me. "It will slow me down but not stop me. The burn damaged muscle but missed major vessels."

She nodded, accepting the assessment. "We'll need to find another way to the surface, warn your people about Hammond, and somehow stabilize the environmental systems before they fail completely."

"A simple task," I replied dryly.

Her mouth quirked in almost-smile. "Just another day's work."

The flash of humor eased some of the tension between us. Through the bond, I could feel her determination solidify, pushing aside confusion and regret about what had transpired between us.

"The storm's nearly passed," I observed, noting the decreasing frequency of energy flashes. "We should prepare to move."

She gathered her scanner, checking its damaged display. "Any idea which direction leads up?"

I extended my senses, feeling for air currents, listening for the subtle differences in sound that might indicate a path to the surface. "There." I pointed to the right passage. "The air flows more freely in that direction."

She nodded, accepting my assessment without question—a marked change from our earlier interactions. Trust, hard-won through shared danger.

"Ready?" she asked, rising to a crouch.

I stood carefully, testing my injured shoulder's range of motion. Pain flared, but I pushed it aside. "Ready."

We paused at the alcove entrance, checking for lingering energy discharges. The silence stretched on, heavy with unspoken questions about what had happened and what it meant.

"," she said quietly. "Whatever this is between us?—"

"Can wait," I finished for her. "Survival first."

She nodded, relief and something like disappointment mingling in her expression. "Survival first."