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The words cut sharper than he wanted them to. Her determination pressed against him like heat, but it didn’t change the truth.

“You do not have a choice,” he said, voice flat. “If I fall, someone must take you.”

Maya shook her head again. Her voice dropped low, tight with the strain of holding herself together. “You really think I’m just going to stand there and watch you die? That I’ll let you leave me like that? Iknow I can’t stop it. But I can be there. Until the very end.”

For a long moment, neither of them moved. The only sound was the low hum of the ship’s systems and the faint hiss of air cycling through the vents.

Then Riv’En reached for her. His hands settled on her hips, pulling her against him in silence. Her breath shuddered out between them, and for once, she didn’t push. She leaned intohim.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her there as the stars realigned and the ship jumped to hyperspeed.

The oversized shirt she wore—his—was thin, soft against his hands, her warmth bleeding through it.

No other layers. No other barriers. Her scent, the faint pulse of her Mating Flame beneath her skin, surrounded him.

And he realized, as she leaned into him fully, her breath catching against his shoulder, that she wasn’t wearing anything beneathit.

Riv’En’s hands slid up her sides, fingers finding the hem of the shirt and dragging it higher. From his perspective, Maya’s breath caught again, not from fear, but from awareness. It came as a ripple through the bond between them, sharper and brighter than before.

She was aware of his desire, yes, but also of how fully her body responded to him, every shift of his hands and rhythm of his breath feeding that awareness.

It wasn’t just physical. It was the Mating Flame drawing her deeper, binding her to every move he made.

It wasn’t just about touch. It was about everything building between them in completeness.

When the fabric bunched beneath her arms, Riv’En tugged it up and over her head in one smooth motion, letting it fall to the floor.

Her skin was warm against his palms, bare and soft and already flushed. Her Mating Flame glowed faintly just above her heart, its pulse slow and steady in time with her breath.

He guided her onto his lap, positioning her carefully, hands firm.

She settled astride him, her legs straddling his thighs, body close enough that her heat bled through every layer of him.

But his uniform was still in the way. In a purposeful motion, Riv’En pulled his shirt over his head, discarding it onto the floor beside hers.

His hot skin brushed against hers now, bare chest to bare chest, no fabric left betweenthem.

His fingers tightened slightly, soaking himself in her warmth.

Then, one hand moved down, fingers finding the fastening of his pants.

Without looking away from her, he opened them, the quiet rasp of fabric and fastenings the only sound besides their harsh breathing.

His cock pressed up against her now, bare and hard, the final barrier between themgone.

Riv’En leaned in, his mouth finding the hollow of her throat, teeth grazing over her skin before his tongue followed.

He worked lower, tasting the salt on her skin, the soft curve of her collarbone, down to the swell of her breasts.

His hands never stopped moving—one tracing up her spine, the other cupping her hip, guiding her upward and onto hiscock.

Her hands slid into his hair, fingers tangling as her head fell back, offering him more.

Her nails scraped lightly against his scalp, causing a desire that sent heat rolling lower in his spine .

Her touch reached beyond the senses, heightening the pleasure of their bond.

The flex of her thighs around him, the pulse in her throat, the faint scent of her skin.

All of it sharpened as she gave herself over, and with it, his own restraint stretched thin.

Her body moved with his now, friction building between them in pulses as steady as the ship’s engines.

Riv’En’s control thinned with every breath. His pulse roared in his ears, but he didn’t rush it. This wasn’t like before. This wasn’t about impetus alone. It was claiming her all over again, not because he had to, but because he wanted to. And because she wantedhim.

He caught her mouth with his, swallowing the sound as he lifted her just slightly, before pulling her down, slow, filling her, taking her, bottoming out deep inside.

Her heat wrapped around him, slick and tight, pulling him in deeper with each slow roll of her hips.

Her thighs quivered against his sides, muscles flexing as she adjusted to the full length of him, every inch, every pulse a fresh wave of unbearable tension.

Maya’s breath broke against his mouth, her hands braced against his shoulders now, nails biting into the muscle there as her body moved in impetuous rolls.

Riv’En held her steady at first, guiding her rhythm until it was perfect—until it seemed as though the stars outside weren’t moving nearly as fast as theywere.

His mouth found her Mating Flame again, tongue tracing the glowing mark as he rocked up to meet her every motion.

And with every slow, grinding thrust, he thought the same thing:

Only her.

The thought didn’t quiet him. It sharpened everything.

His grip tightened on her, holding her closer, moving deeper.

The bond pulsed steady between them, undeniable, and every slow drag and shift made it stronger.

Not just the need, but the absolute certainty that there was nothing beyond this moment.

Nothing except her.

Whatever happened next—Final Flight, death, all of it—she was already part of him. And there was no separating them now. No breaking what had already been sealed betweenthem.

She belonged to him. And the gods knew, he belonged to her.