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She leaned back just enough to meet my eyes, her hands still tangled in my mane. “Then explain it to me.”

The request was so simple, so reasonable, and yet the answer was anything but.

“For my people, this is not... casual.” I struggled to find words that would make sense to a human. “The dreams we shared. The connection between us. It’s called Unity. It’s rare. Sacred.”

Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t pull away. “Go on.”

“Kassari means fate mate. Destined.” My voice dropped lower, rougher. “When a Rodinian finds their kassari, it’s for life. The bond, once completed, is unbreakable.”

I expected shock. Fear. Retreat. Instead, her fingers tightened in my mane, tugging gently.

“That’s why you’ve been avoiding me,” she said, understanding dawning in her expression. “You think I can’t handle it.”

“It’s not a matter of handling it. It’s a choice that should be made with full knowledge, not in the heat of the moment or under duress.”

Her hand moved to my cheek, her thumb tracing the markings that spread across my cheekbone. “And you think I’m just looking for a quick roll in the hay with the hot alien who rescued me?”

“I don’t know what you want.” The admission cost me, but I owed her truth. “And I can’t do casual, Jas. Not with you. It would break me.”

She was quiet for a long moment, studying my face with an intensity that made my pulse quicken. Then she smiled—a slow, sure curve of her lips that sent heat spiraling through me.

“Try me,” she whispered, and then she was kissing me again, deeper this time, more demanding.

I fought for control, for reason, even as my body responded to her with devastating eagerness. When we broke apart again, both breathing hard, I made one last attempt at sanity.

“Jas, the bond?—”

“I don’t care.” Her fingers worked at the closures of my tunic, pushing the fabric aside to expose more of my chest. “I’ve been dreaming about you for days. I need to feel you like I did then. Need to know if it’s real.”

“It’s real,” I growled, my restraint slipping as her hands explored the markings on my chest. “All of it. But once we do this?—”

“We’ll figure it out.” She pressed her lips to my throat, and the sensation sent sparks of pleasure down my spine. “I’m not asking for forever right this second. I’m asking for now.”

Her teeth grazed my collarbone, and I surrendered.

With a growl that rumbled up from deep in my chest, I gathered her close and flipped our positions, laying her back on the mat with my body hovering over hers. Her eyes widened, pupils dilating with desire rather than fear, and the scent of her arousal filled my senses.

“Now,” I agreed, my voice barely recognizable even to my own ears. “But understand this, Jasmine. I will not hold back. Not completely.”

Her answer was to pull me down for another kiss, her legs wrapping around my waist to bring our bodies into full contact. The heat of her against my hardness tore a groan from my throat.

I let my hands explore her body, learning the curves and planes of her in reality rather than dreams. Her skin was softer than I’d imagined, warmer, more responsive to my touch. When my palm cupped her breast through the thin fabric of her tunic, her back arched beautifully, seeking more contact.

“Please,” she breathed against my mouth. “I need to feel you. All of you.”

I sat back on my heels, pulling her up with me to remove her tunic. The sight of her bare skin in the low light nearly stopped my heart. Beautiful. Perfect. Mine.

Her hands reached for me again, tugging at my own clothing until we were both bare to the waist, skin against skin. I lowered her back to the mat, careful of my weight, and began a slow exploration of her body with my hands, my mouth, my tongue.

The taste of her skin was intoxicating—salt and sweetness and something uniquely Jas. I learned what made her gasp, what made her moan, what made her fingers tighten in my mane. When my mouth closed around her nipple, her cry of pleasure sent a surge of primal satisfaction through me.

“More,” she demanded, her hands pushing at the waistband of my pants. “I want to feel all of you.”

I helped her remove the rest of our clothing, revealing us both completely to each other. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of me, fully aroused and very different from a human male in ways that would be impossible to miss.

“Just like in the dream,” she whispered, reaching out to touch me.

The first contact of her fingers around my length nearly undid me. I closed my eyes, fighting for control as she explored, learning the ridges and textures unique to my species. When her thumb circled the sensitive head, already slick with desire, I growled her name.

“Show me,” she said, leaning back and pulling me with her. “Show me what it’s like when it’s real.”

I settled between her thighs, taking my weight on my arms as I positioned myself at her entrance. She was wet, ready, her body opening for me as I pressed forward slowly, giving her time to adjust to my size and shape.

The feeling of her around me was beyond description—tight, hot, perfect. I moved carefully at first, shallow thrusts that had her gasping and clutching at my shoulders.

“You won’t break me,” she insisted, nails digging into my skin as she tried to pull me deeper. “I want all of you.”

With a growl, I gave her what she asked for, thrusting fully into her in one smooth motion. Her cry of pleasure echoed in the small space as I filled her completely, our bodies joining in a way that felt like coming home.

I established a rhythm, slow and deep at first, watching her face for any sign of discomfort. But there was only pleasure there, her eyes half-closed, lips parted, cheeks flushed with desire.

“Rhaekar,” she moaned, my name a prayer on her lips. “God, you feel amazing.”

“Kassari,” I growled in response, unable to stop the word from escaping. “My fate. My mate.”

Her inner muscles clenched around me at the words, drawing a groan from deep in my chest. I increased my pace, driven by her responses, by the way she met each thrust with equal hunger.

I felt the change beginning—the base of my cock starting to swell, preparing to lock us together when release came. It was too soon for that, too much for her first time with me in reality rather than dreams.

I slowed, trying to hold back the biological response that would bind us together.

“Don’t stop,” she pleaded, eyes opening to meet mine. “I can feel it—like in the dream. Let it happen.”

“It will lock us together,” I warned, voice strained with the effort of control. “For some time.”

Her answer was to wrap her legs tighter around my waist, pulling me deeper. “I want it. Want to feel you come inside me. Want to be yours.”

The words broke the last of my restraint. I claimed her mouth in a fierce kiss as I drove into her with renewed purpose, chasing our shared pleasure with abandon. My hand slipped between us, finding the sensitive bundle of nerves that would bring her release.

She came with a cry that I swallowed with my kiss, her body clenching rhythmically around mine, pulling me deeper. The sensation triggered my own climax, hot pulses of release as the knot swelled, locking us together as completely as our shared dreams had promised.

Wave after wave of pleasure crashed through me, more intense than anything I’d ever experienced. I buried my face against her neck, breathing in her scent, letting it imprint on my very soul.

“Mine,” I murmured against her skin, unable to stop the possessive declaration. “My kassari.”

Her fingers stroked through my mane, gentle and soothing as the aftershocks of pleasure continued to ripple through us both.

“Yours,” she agreed softly, the word settling into my bones like truth. “And you’re mine now too, aren’t you?”

I raised my head to meet her gaze, seeing no regret there, only wonder and satisfaction and something deeper I wasn’t ready to name.

“Yes,” I answered simply. “I am yours.”

And as we lay there, joined in the most intimate way possible, I finally allowed myself to believe that perhaps fate hadn’t been cruel after all. That perhaps it knew exactly what it was doing when it brought her to me across the stars.

My kassari. My fate. My mate.