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He made her uncomfortable. It was the only explanation for the flush on her cheeks and the hesitation when she talked with him. He scanned all the knowledge available to him to find strategies to make her at ease in his presence.

Projecting nonchalance, talking about inane topics, and humor were the most widely mentioned.

Calyx reclined in the pilot’s seat, the hum of the fighter’s engine a comforting backdrop to the silence that had fallen.

His eyes sought Razili’s sleeping form time and again.

He rubbed his eyes. He didn’t need much sleep.

He could certainly stay awake until the next day.

She would appreciate that. He could sleep while she was awake, negating the need for them to share the bed.

He would lie with her for just a moment. He lied to himself with ease; the bitter truth strained at the fastening of his pants. He slipped under the covers with her as quietly as he could. She sighed and rolled toward him, tucking herself into his side. He didn’t dare breathe.

She felt good there.

Almost too good.

He closed his eyes and stifled a groan. His nanites were going crazy, urging him to touch her, to take her as his rhun and ease the tension in his cock.

Everything in him reached for her, but he locked his muscles.

He counted the rivets in the metal above him.

He sifted through databases with any mention of Dunia Prime. Neither distraction worked for long.

It was torture to be close to her, but he was loath to get up.

He startled when her hand slid up and over his chest. She faced him, and he scrutinized her expression for anything that might tell him she was waking up. There was nothing. She was relaxed and breathed evenly.

Then she curled fully toward him and moved her leg over his. Her thigh stopped just shy of his dick, which was throbbing to an almost painful degree. If he moved, she would wake. He took a deep breath and commanded his nanites to settle.

The heat of her sank into him. He clenched his fists as he fought the urge to claim his mate.

Rhun was not something he could ignore forever. The longer he delayed, the more difficult it would be. He needed to anchor his thoughts to anything but the intoxicating woman nestled against him.

Calyx eased his mind into a state of meditation, a practice taught to warriors in training.

He focused on the rhythm of his breathing, the flow of oxygen in and out of his lungs, the steady beat of his heart.

He imagined his nanites as a calm sea, their usual frenetic activity slowing to a soothing ebb and flow.

Hours passed, and the nanites settled. The discomfort in his groin subsided to a dull ache.

Razili shifted in her sleep, her breath hitching for a moment before resuming its peaceful cadence.

Her hand, which had been resting on his chest, slid further to lie curled against his shoulder.

The intimacy of the gesture made his breath catch, and a hopeful part of him dared to believe that rhun wasn’t as one-sided as he feared.

A warning chime from the controls caused her eyes to flutter open. He watched realization dawn in her eyes as she noted her position, wrapped around him.

She gasped and lunged up, almost hitting her head on the side of the ship. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to …”

He smiled and patted her leg where it still rested on his. “It’s alright.”

The chime sounded again and he sighed. He unfolded from the bed, his muscles stiff from holding himself so rigid. The control panel was lit with warnings. The air recycling system was malfunctioning. With Razili’s presence, he’d forgotten to make sure they’d completed the scheduled repair.

Razili moved to stand near his elbow. “What’s wrong?”

“The air purification system has an error. It’s why my fighter was on the deck instead of stored in a hangar. It was waiting to be repaired.”

Razili groaned. “I had to pick the bum one, didn’t I?”

He chuckled. “I have a workaround.” He turned to face her. “But I’ll need your help. I’m too big to fit into the maintenance shaft.”

She was shaking her head before he finished. “I’m not a mechanic, Calyx. I don’t know the first thing about repairing a spaceship.”

“It’s not difficult, and I’ll walk you through every step.”

Her eyes darted from the warning lights to him and back again. He watched her spine stiffen and she nodded. “Okay then. Tell me what to do.”

He grinned. “You aren’t claustrophobic, are you?”

What kind of question was that? Oh, the maintenance shaft must be small. “Not so far.”

Calyx tilted his head at her. “Not so far?”

She nodded. “It’s something my family says when there’s no absolute answer. If I say no, but I haven’t experienced being squeezed into something as small as this shaft might be, and I find I actually am claustrophobic in that circumstance, then my answer was false.”

He nodded. “A scientific approach to things that have variables or unknowns.”

She grinned. “Exactly.”

He accepted her answer and opened a cabinet. He retrieved a white box that was open on two sides and handed it to her. “A replacement filter. Once you swap the old one for this one, the system will reset.”

“Okay. Take the old one out, put the new one in. That sounds simple enough.” Her confidence grew. She could do this. They wouldn’t suffocate to death because she made a poor vehicle choice.

He walked past her and opened a small door. “This is the maintenance shaft. You’ll need to take a left at the first junction.”

She bent down and maybe she was a little claustrophobic because that space seemed tiny.

She shook her free hand out and took a deep breath.

She could do this. Just had to reframe it as a pleasant walk in the park.

A very small park. “Will I have to back all the way out? How will I hear your instructions once I make the turn?”

He pinned a small communicator to her top. She was still in her pajamas. “Should I change?”

“There’s no need. The maintenance areas are clean and that fabric might ease your way through.”

Right. Because her sleep shirt was worn with age and slippery. She hadn’t packed for having a roommate. Her pajamas were the most comfortable she owned—the pants and tee worn to perfection.

“As for backing out,” he continued, “the area where the filter is located should be large enough for you to turn around.”

Okay, she could do this. If she kept telling herself, it might stick.

On her stomach, she slithered into the shaft.

It had a slight downward angle, which forced her to use her hand as a brake against the artificial gravity.

The image of her sliding headfirst willy nilly into the unknown spiked her anxiety.

The communicator on her shirt chirped. “You’re doing great. Almost to the first junction.”

She took as big a breath as the cramped space allowed. “I turn left, correct?”

“Correct.”

She put the replacement filter into her right hand in anticipation of the turn. The junction was slightly bigger than the entrance shaft, and as she made the turn, she was happy to note that tunnel was larger.

“Where to now?”

Calyx’s voice steadied her nerves. She didn’t want to examine that too closely. She just wanted him to keep talking.

“About three meters in, you’ll see a panel on your left. Push on it and after depressing slightly, it should pop out.”

She found the panel right where he said it’d be and popped it open. Pulling it further caused it to block almost the entire width of the tunnel. She scooted onto her knees to free her hands.

“It’s open, but I don’t see anything that looks like the part you gave me.”

“You should see a small red panel on the right-hand side.”

“Okay, yep.”

“Take a breath, Razili.”

She wasn’t hiding her panic as well as she thought, then. She took a deep breath. “Red panel. I see it.”

“Press with one finger on the upper near corner. It should pop open.”

The little door sprang open with a clack, and Razili screamed. She could hear Calyx calling to her but his words didn’t register until her heart descended from her throat.

“…happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.” She cleared her throat. “Just startled me, that’s all.” She tilted forward to peer into the hole behind the now open door. “I see the filter!”

“Great! All you need to do is slide it out and put in the replacement. Then close everything back up.”

She could do this. She reached into the opening and tugged. The filter slid free and she slumped in relief when the new one went easily into place. She closed everything up, making sure both panels were secure. Calyx was right, and she could turn around in the small passage.

The way back wasn’t as easy as the way in. She was fighting the artificial gravity that wanted to pull her back down. One hand wasn’t enough to pull her forward and keep her from sliding back after she made the turn. She wedged the old filter under her chest to free both of her hands.

She grinned when Calyx came into sight. The way he crouched to look down the shaft had to be uncomfortable. When she was close enough, he reached for her. She took his hand and he tugged.

Both of them were confused when she came to an abrupt halt just shy of the opening.

“Oh! I had to put the old filter under me to crawl back up.” He kept one of her hands while she rooted beneath her with the other.

She bent her elbow at an extreme angle, but she still couldn’t pull the part free.

Her back was lodged against the top of the shaft and every breath jammed her tight against the sides.

Breaths which became more rapid. “Calyx?”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay! I’m stuck!”

She panicked. Her heart pounded in her ears and all other sounds muffled as she stared at him. She watched his eyes dart around her and the tunnel. Could almost see his nanites doing calculations. Then he leaned in…

And kissed her.

It was the solution with the greatest chance of success. That was true. She exhaled, and he felt her breath whoosh across his cheek. The exhalation gave him enough room to pull the filter from under her. As soon as he threw it aside, he tugged her free.

He intended to end the kiss, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on, and he was lost. His nanites screamed and rejoiced.

Every nerve ending in his groin was fixated on his cock pressing against her soft body.

On instinct, one of his hands traveled down her back and pulled her into him.

She gasped and leaned back. Stars only knew how he had the strength not to chase her perfect lips, lay her on the bunk and get her naked, but he managed. Just.

“Th… Thank you.”

Her cheeks flamed. He should be contrite. He shouldn’t have kissed her without consent. But if she hated it, why was she thanking him?

She chuckled nervously. “I guess I am claustrophobic, after all.”

Her arms were still around his neck. He wanted them permanently fused there. He almost whined when she let go, then stepped away.

“Sorry, I know you just distracted me to get me out and I really appreciate it. I didn’t mean to hang on you like a spider monkey.”

“Never apologize for touching me, Razili.”

Her head whipped up. He could see a question form in her eyes but before it reached her lips, she pursed them and nodded.

“I apologize for taking advantage of the situation, but I don’t regret the kiss.”

“Oh.” She looked everywhere but at him.

He sighed and ran his palms down his thighs. After a glance at the control panel showed him the new filter reset worked, he straightened his spine. His nanites were going crazy after the brief touch of their lips and he calculated the chance of splitting his pants at more than zero.

He had to tell her. “Razili—”

“Can we just forget it ever happened? I’m so embarrassed.”

“You have no reason to be embarrassed.”

“I got myself stuck in a maintenance shaft! I’d say that’s reason enough.”

“Razili, you’re my rhun .”

Of all the ways he’d imagined her reacting, freezing like a statue with a horrified look on her face wasn’t one of them. She came unstuck moments later, her head shaking so furiously that her hair whipped around her in a cloud. “No. I can’t be. You don’t like me.”

“I thought I explained that wasn’t the case.”

“But… but… how? When? What… what does this mean?”

Her questions arranged themselves in logical order in his mind. “It means that I do like you. Very much. I’ve been using excuses to stay near your lab.” He looked away. “It isn’t as hard if I’m near you.”

She snickered, the laugh high-pitched and slightly manic. She waved her hand at his crotch. “That’s a lie.”

His lips twitched, but he managed to keep a straight face.

“I mean emotionally. That is hard no matter if you’re near or I’m just thinking of you.

” He shook his head to get back on track.

“I knew the second time I walked into your lab. I waited in the hope you’d come to reciprocate the feeling, but I see now that was an error. I should have told you then.”

“You should have, yes.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. He watched her eyes flare wide. “Is that why you agreed to take me to Dunia Prime? Because you knew we’d be alone?”

He couldn’t deny that was part of his reasoning. “Not entirely. Your determination was obvious. If not me, then you’d find another way to get there, and I wouldn’t—couldn’t let anyone else be responsible for your safety.”

“Oh.” She deflated a bit. “So what happens now?”

“Nothing you don’t consent to. It will become harder for me to resist fulfilling rhun as time passes, but I will.”

She stood silent for a few minutes with her eyes cast to the floor. He gave her space to think. It was the least he could do.

“I read up on rhun when the others started pairing up, but I haven’t studied it extensively. Is it true that once rhun is triggered, it’s an imperative to be fulfilled?”

He nodded.

“And what happens if it isn’t?”

“Madness. Death.” He could actually feel his nanites pinging around his system. Would she reject him? Was that why she asked?

“And fulfilling rhun , that entails… what, exactly?”

He would feel better about this conversation if she’d look at him. This wasn’t about him feeling better, though. “Us having sex.”

“I thought it was a pregnancy requirement?”

“Ultimately, that’s the goal. But the physical aspects of rhun are satisfied with copulation.”

She nodded and he held his breath.

“So we have sex and you feel better? No more madness and death?”

“That is correct.”

He felt like a pinned insect when her eyes met his.

“Okay then. Let’s have sex.”