Page 11 of Alien Warrior’s Claim (Nyxari Bondmates #1)

MIRELLE

"I want this," I whispered against Lazrin's lips, my voice calm despite the trembling in my limbs. "Whatever this is between us. I want to explore it. Without fear. Without holding back."

His lifelines surged with brilliant gold light, illuminating the cave around us. The storm outside had dulled to a distant rumble, but a new kind of tempest was building between us---electric, inevitable.

Lazrin's golden eyes found mine, searching. "You're certain?"

"Yes." The word emerged with surprising conviction. I'd spent days fighting this pull, maintaining careful distance. But here, now, with his warmth radiating against me and the starlike network beneath my skin pulsing in rhythm with his lifelines, resistance felt more unnatural than surrender.

He drew me closer, one hand cradling the back of my head while the other traced the line of my jaw. His touch wasn't gentle---it was possessive, deliberate, his fingertips pressing firmly enough to send shivers down my spine. The contrast between his controlled power and his careful restraint made my breath catch.

"If at any moment you wish to stop---" he began.

I pressed my fingers to his lips, silencing him.

"I know. I trust you."

The realization struck me as I spoke the words---I did trust him. Completely. This alien warrior who had appeared in my life barely a fortnight ago had earned what I rarely gave to anyone.

Our lips met again, but this time was different. The exploration was over; this was claiming. His mouth was hot, demanding, his tongue sliding against mine with a startling intimacy that made my silvery tracery flare with light. He tasted of something I couldn't name---sharp, almost metallic, with an underlying sweetness that made me crave more. His hands moved to my waist, lifting me as if I weighed nothing. I found myself settled onto the soft furs at the cave's center, Lazrin kneeling before me, his golden eyes dilated with unmistakable hunger.

"May I?" His fingers hovered at the closure of my jacket.

I nodded, my pulse pounding hard enough that I felt it between my thighs. With deft movements, he unfastened my clothing, each deliberate brush of his knuckles against my skin sending electric jolts through my body. When my jacket fell open, he paused, his gaze tracing the iridescent patterns that had spread across my torso since the crash.

"Beautiful," he murmured, reaching out to trace a line that curved beneath my collarbone.

The moment his fingertip made contact, my markings flared with searing pleasure. I gasped, arching toward his touch, my nipples hardening painfully against the fabric of my undergarments. It was unlike anything I'd felt before---as if he'd bypassed my skin entirely to stroke directly along my central nervous system. Each point where his fingers touched left a trail of raw sensation that lingered long after he moved on. When he traced the spiral pattern that curved around my breast, my markings responding with silver fire, I bit my lip to stifle a moan.

"I want to hear you," he said, his voice rougher than I'd ever heard it. "Don't hide your responses from me."

My hands trembled as I reached for him, fumbling with the unfamiliar fastenings of his garments. He helped me, his movements efficient despite the intensity burning in his gaze. When his chest was finally bare, I caught my breath at the sight. Golden lifelines covered his midnight-blue skin in intricate patterns that pulsed in synchronization with my own markings.

I reached out, running my palm across the expanse of his chest. His skin texture surprised me---smoother than human skin yet denser, with a subtle ridged quality along his lifelines that vibrated against my palm. Heat radiated from him, not just the normal warmth of a living body, but something more intense that seemed to penetrate into my bones, curling through my core with liquid heat. At my touch, his lifelines brightened to near-blinding intensity, and a low growl rumbled from his throat, the sound more animal than human.

"Your touch..." he said hoarsely. "It burns through my control."

"I don't want your control," I whispered, surprising myself with my boldness.

Something shifted in his expression---restraint giving way to raw need. With swift efficiency, he helped me remove the rest of my clothing, his gaze heating as each new area of marked skin was revealed. When I lay before him completely bare, my markings pulsing with silver light beneath my skin, I fought the urge to cover myself. Instead, I watched as he shed his remaining garments.

The differences between our species were stark and fascinating. His powerful form towered above me even while kneeling, midnight-blue skin adorned with glowing golden lifelines that now covered nearly every inch of his body. His proportions were both familiar and alien---wider shoulders, more defined musculature, the ridged texture of his spine, and the sinuous tail that now curled and uncurled with obvious excitement.

When my gaze dropped lower, I couldn't suppress a small gasp. His arousal was unmistakable, impressive in its dimensions and uniquely Nyxari. Two distinctive ridges ran along its length, both glowing with the same golden light as his lifelines. The ridges pulsed with his heartbeat, the glow intensifying as I stared. The sight was intimidating, sending a mixture of apprehension and raw desire pulsing through my core.

"We are different," he acknowledged, noticing my stare. "But compatible in ways that matter."

"Show me," I invited, reaching for him.

He lowered himself beside me on the furs, propped on one elbow as his free hand began a slow exploration of my body. His touch wasn't tentative---it was deliberate, possessive, learning me with focused intensity. When his fingers trailed along the inside of my thigh, my markings responded with a flare of silvery heat that made me arch off the furs. My thighs fell open of their own accord, an involuntary surrender that made his lifelines pulse with golden light.

"Your markings guide me," he murmured, tracking the crystalline web that now shimmered visibly across my skin. "They show me where pleasure flows strongest."

He followed a particularly bright line that curved around my hip and inward. When his fingers reached the slick heat between my thighs, I cried out, my entire body jerking at the contact. The dual sensation of physical touch and the responsive flare of my markings was overwhelming---pleasure so intense it bordered on pain, spiraling outward from his touch in waves that left me gasping.

"Lazrin," I panted, my hands clutching at his shoulders, nails digging into his tough skin.

His golden eyes locked with mine as he slid one finger inside me, then another, the intrusion sending fresh surges of pleasure through my markings. Each stroke of his fingers was perfectly calibrated, as if my body's responses were an instrument he'd studied for years. I felt myself building toward release with shocking speed, my markings brightening with each passing moment until silver light spilled from my skin, illuminating the cave around us.

When his thumb pressed against the most sensitive part of me, circling with deliberate pressure, release crashed through me with violent intensity. My back arched, my body convulsing around his fingers as waves of pleasure radiated outward from my core. My markings flared with blinding silver light, the patterns pulsing in time with each contraction.

Before I could recover, Lazrin lowered his head to my breast, his mouth scorching hot against my sensitive skin. His tongue was rougher than a human's, textured in a way that sent fresh jolts of sensation straight to my core. When he drew my nipple into his mouth, applying gentle suction while his tongue flicked across the hardened peak, I cried out again, my hands tangling in his copper-colored hair.

His tail wrapped around my ankle, the grip firmer than I expected, its tip caressing the sensitive skin behind my knee in rhythmic patterns that somehow intensified the sensations his mouth was creating. The multiple points of contact---his mouth on my breast, his fingers still moving inside me, his tail stroking my leg---created a circuit of pleasure that kept me hovering on the edge of another release.

My hands weren't idle, mapping the unfamiliar terrain of his body. His back was ridged with subtle plates beneath the skin, his shoulders broader than any human's, his muscles dense and powerful beneath my exploring fingers. When I traced along his spine, following a particularly bright lifeline, he shuddered against me, a harsh sound escaping his throat.

Emboldened, I followed the golden patterns downward, until my fingers encircled his arousal. The heat against my palm was startling---far warmer than human flesh, almost too hot to touch. The dual ridges pulsed beneath my grip, the texture both alien and enticing. As I explored this new territory, I discovered that the ridges were slightly flexible, more sensitive than the shaft itself, growing firmer and more pronounced with each stroke of my hand.

"," he groaned, the sound more growl than word, his lifelines flaring with golden brilliance at my touch. "If you continue---"

"I want to feel you," I interrupted, meeting his gaze directly. "All of you. Inside me."

With a fluid movement that showcased his strength, he positioned himself above me, his weight supported on powerful arms that caged my smaller form. Our eyes met and held as he lowered himself, the head of his arousal pressing against me without entering.

"The first joining will be intense," he warned, his voice a guttural rumble. "Our markings will respond in ways neither of us can predict."

"Good," I told him, lifting my hips to press more firmly against him.

He entered me with agonizing slowness, giving my body time to adjust to his size and the unfamiliar sensation of the ridges. The feeling was like nothing I'd experienced---not just the substantial stretch, but the way the ridges created points of exquisite pressure that made me gasp with each inch he claimed. More overwhelming still was the immediate response of my markings, which flared with incandescent silver light at the intimate contact. His lifelines answered with golden fire, the patterns on our skin communicating in some ancient language neither of us fully understood.

When he was fully seated within me, we both stilled, overwhelmed by sensation. The ridges along his length pulsed against my inner walls, creating points of pleasure so intense I could barely breathe. More than the physical joining, I felt him everywhere---not just where our bodies connected, but throughout my entire being, as if the boundary between us had somehow dissolved. I could sense his heartbeat as clearly as my own, feel the rush of his breath in my lungs, taste the metallic sweetness of his desire.

"I feel you," I whispered, my voice breaking with wonder. "Inside me. Not just physically. I feel your presence, your essence."

"The lifebond," he murmured against my throat, his breath scorching against my skin. "We are becoming one."

He began to move then, each thrust sending shockwaves of sensation through my spider-silk markings. The dual ridges of his arousal created friction against spots inside me that made me cry out, my back arching to take him deeper. When he angled his hips to adjust the pressure, stars burst behind my eyelids, pleasure so acute it bordered on pain.

His tail wrapped more firmly around my thigh, its strength surprising as it pulled my leg higher, changing the angle of penetration. The new position allowed him to drive deeper, the base of his arousal pressing against my most sensitive point with each thrust. My nails raked down his back, searching for purchase against his tough skin.

Our markings brightened with each passing moment, silver and gold light merging where our bodies connected. The cave around us faded from my awareness; there was only Lazrin---his scent filling my lungs, his weight pinning me to the furs, his presence filling every corner of my consciousness.

I felt something building inside me---not just physical release, but a deeper transformation. My markings were spreading, the patterns becoming more complex, multiplying beneath my skin as they synchronized perfectly with his lifelines. The pleasure spiraling through me intensified beyond anything I'd thought possible, my body tightening around him as I hovered on the edge of release.

"," he growled against my neck, his control fracturing. His thrusts grew harder, deeper, the ridges along his length swelling inside me as his own release approached.

His teeth grazed my shoulder---not breaking skin, but applying pressure that sent a fresh surge of desire through my core. The primitive gesture unlocked something within me, and I tilted my head back, offering my throat in an instinctive gesture of submission that made his lifelines blaze with golden fire.

Release crashed through us simultaneously, my inner muscles clamping down on his ridged length as he pulsed hot and hard inside me. Our markings flared with blinding intensity, silver and gold light intertwining until it was impossible to tell where his patterns ended and mine began. But unlike any climax I'd known before, this one kept building, transcending physical sensation to become something deeper, more profound.

My consciousness expanded beyond the boundaries of my body. I could sense Lazrin's thoughts, feel his emotions with startling clarity---his fierce joy at claiming me, his relief at our compatibility, his awe at the depth of our connection. His mind opened to me like a book, pages of emotion and memory flashing through my awareness---his first hunt, his grief at losing a fellow warrior, his wonder when my markings had first responded to his lifelines in the forest clearing.

In that moment of perfect unity, I knew him completely. Not just his body, but his heart, his fears, his hopes. More disconcerting still, I felt him experiencing my own thoughts and memories---my terror during the crash, my determination to keep the survivors alive, my growing fascination with him despite my initial resistance.

As the intensity slowly ebbed, we remained joined, our breathing gradually steadying as our heartbeats synchronized. His lifelines continued to pulse gently, matched perfectly by my markings. I lay beneath him, stunned by what had just transpired between us.

"That was..." My voice failed me, words utterly inadequate for the experience.

"The beginning," he finished, his voice a low rumble against my skin. "The first true sharing through the lifebond."

He withdrew from my body with careful movements, both of us gasping at the sensation of separation after such profound unity. He gathered me against his chest, my smaller form fitting against his larger one with surprising naturalness. His tail remained wrapped around my thigh, maintaining contact between us.

I traced a pattern on his chest, watching as my touch left trails of responsive golden light beneath his skin. "I saw into your mind. Your memories. Your emotions."

He nodded, his expression solemn. "The lifebond allows such sharing when it deepens. The barriers between minds thin during joining."

"Is it always like this?" I asked, still trying to process the intensity of what we'd shared.

"No," he said, his fingers trailing along my spine where new markings had formed. "What we experienced is rare even among my people. The strength of our connection is unprecedented."

I should have been frightened by this---by the profound violation of privacy, by the alien nature of our bond. Instead, I felt oddly exhilarated, as if some part of me had always been waiting for this connection without knowing it.

"Your markings have spread," Lazrin observed, his fingers tracing new patterns along my shoulder and down my arm.

I looked down at myself in surprise. The silvery lines had indeed expanded, covering more of my skin in complex, swirling patterns that mirrored the golden lifelines on his body. More startling still, I could feel them pulsing beneath my skin with renewed energy, as if they'd been activated by our joining.

"What does this mean?" I asked, watching a new spiral form beneath my skin, following the curve of my breast.

"The markings expand as the bond deepens," he explained, his expression thoughtful. "They are channels for the energy that flows between us. Yours are changing more rapidly than I've ever witnessed."

I shifted to look at him more directly, suddenly curious. "What did it feel like for you? Being inside my mind as well as my body?"

His eyes held mine, his expression unguarded. "Like discovering a universe I never knew existed. Your mind is beautiful, . Complex. Fierce. Uniquely yours."

I found myself unexpectedly moved by his words. I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his in a gentle kiss that held none of our earlier urgency, but carried a deeper meaning.

Outside, the dawn light strengthened, signaling the storm's complete passing. We would need to leave soon, return to the settlement, face whatever consequences our night together might bring. But for now, nestled against Lazrin's chest with our markings pulsing in perfect harmony, I allowed myself to simply exist in this moment of connection.

I drifted into sleep, exhausted from the intensity of what we'd shared. When I woke perhaps an hour later, the reality of what had happened hit me with startling clarity. Lazrin still slept beside me, his massive chest rising and falling with steady breaths, his lifelines dimmed to a soft glow.

I sat up carefully, examining my body in the strengthening daylight. The geometric patterns had spread across my torso, down my thighs, curling around my breasts and hips in intricate designs that mirrored Lazrin's. They were beautiful, mesmerizing even---and utterly alien.

The wonder I'd felt during our joining began to give way to unease. I'd allowed him complete access to my mind, my memories, things I'd never shared with anyone. He'd seen my weaknesses, my fears, my deepest vulnerabilities. And I'd seen his---a violation of privacy so profound that its implications were only now becoming clear.

Was I still myself? The markings had changed, expanded. What else had changed? I recalled how our consciousness had merged, how for moments I couldn't distinguish his thoughts from my own. The sensation had been exhilarating in the moment, but in the cold light of morning, it felt terrifying. How much of myself had I surrendered in that cave?

I slid away from his sleeping form, gathering my clothing with shaking hands. My human clothes, from my human life. A life that seemed increasingly distant with each passing day on Arenix.

Hammond's accusations echoed in my mind: "They've done something to you, changed you somehow." I'd dismissed his paranoia, but looking at the expanded markings covering my skin, I couldn't deny the visible evidence of transformation.

What was happening to us? The line between human and Nyxari seemed to be blurring---at least for the marked women. And I had just taken that blurring further than any of them.

As I dressed, I studied Lazrin's sleeping face. Even in rest, his features remained alien---the copper hair, the midnight-blue skin, the subtle ridges along his brow. Yet I'd found comfort in his arms, pleasure in his body, connection in his mind. The contradiction made my head spin.

We would need to return to the settlement soon. Face the others. Explain our absence during the storm. I wasn't prepared for their questions, their knowing looks. Wasn't prepared to define what had happened between us.

I needed time to think, to process, to understand what these expanding markings meant for my identity, my future, my very humanity.

The pull toward him remained strong---a physical ache that intensified with each step I took away from his sleeping form. But I needed distance, clarity. Space to sort through the implications of what we'd shared.

Whatever challenges awaited us beyond the cave, I could no longer deny I’d changed. Become someone neither fully human nor Nyxari.

The thought no longer electrified me. It terrified me to my core.