Page 21 of Stolen By the Wraiths (Rift Wraiths #1)

T hirty-six hours later, the Raptor sliced through hyperspace like a blade through silk. The adrenaline had faded, replaced by bone-deep weariness and something I'd never felt before: safety that didn't come with conditions.

I couldn't stop touching the data core in my jacket. Forty-three people freed. This corner of Kess Vain's network in ashes, its data wiped and personnel scattered. His twisted research destroyed so completely the universe would never see another facility like it.

But more than the tactical victory was the personal one burning in my chest. We'd survived separation, torture, and systematic attempts to break what we'd built. Instead of destroying us, they'd only proven that what we shared was unbreakable.

"Status report from medical," Deyric announced from his station, his usual calm tinged with satisfaction.

"All rescued subjects are stable. Recovery proceeding faster than projected.

" He paused, a rare smile touching his lips.

"Dr. Hessler's personal files contained enough evidence to bring down three corporate sponsors and a dozen government officials. "

"Good," Jessa said from the pilot station. "Let them burn."

"There are encrypted references to other sites though," Deyric continued, his expression growing troubled. "Other handlers. Whatever Vain was running, it's part of something bigger."

Thoryn's massive frame shifted almost imperceptibly, his jewel-toned scales catching the light as his hands stilled on the table. Whatever he was thinking, he kept it locked behind his usual silence.

"At least we know what we're really up against now," I said, flexing my fingers. They still ached from the interface work that had brought down their security grid. The satisfaction was intoxicating—not just professional pride, but knowing I'd saved my mate through my own skills.

"True." Jessa glanced back at us with something amused flickering in her expression. "But right now, you two should take your victory lap. You've earned some privacy."

The crew's acceptance sent warmth through my chest. As Ressh's hand found mine, I caught a glimpse of Serak moving to stand beside Jessa's console. He said something too low to hear, and she looked up at him with a small, tired smile. A quiet moment between two pillars holding their world together.

For the first time, I felt like I was seeing the real heart of the Raptor.

"Come on," I said, turning back to Ressh. "I want to show you something."

His amber eyes darkened with hunger, and his arousal spiked so fast it made me dizzy. Through our restored bond, his desperate need to touch me, claim me, and prove to himself that I was real and safe—it was a living force.

"What do you want to show me?" he asked, his voice dropping to that low growl that made my knees weak.

"How a proper celebration looks," I said, closing the distance until his scent filled my senses. "How it feels when someone saves your life and you get to show them exactly how grateful you are."

The words shattered his control. He was on his feet, one hand tangling in my hair while the other locked around my waist. But instead of kissing me immediately, he held back, studying my face with intensity that brought heat to my cheeks.

"I almost lost you," he said, raw emotion making his voice rough. "When they separated us, when I couldn't feel you properly—I've never been that terrified."

For a split second, his gaze flickered past me to the door, and I felt the phantom echo of his fear. The trauma was still there, just beneath the surface.

"You didn't lose me," I said firmly, letting him see the certainty in my eyes. "You never could. I'm too stubborn to let some corporate psychopath break what we've built."

"Show me," he demanded, and there was something wild in his voice now, something that bypassed thought and went straight to the primitive part of my brain that recognized this dangerous male as mine.

The moment our quarters' door sealed, the atmosphere shifted. Less a room, more a sanctuary where we could drop every guard and simply celebrate being alive, being together, being victorious against impossible odds.

"Strip," I commanded, settling onto our bunk and taking control. "I want to see every inch of what's mine."

The order sent visible shockwaves through him. His eyes widened, his scent grew richer, but more than physical response was the way he straightened—suddenly alert to this shift in our dynamic.

"You want to watch?" he asked, hands already moving to his shirt.

"I want to worship," I corrected, letting my gaze track every revealed inch with obvious hunger. "I want to appreciate the male who trusted me enough to let me save him. Who waited for me instead of giving up."

Each fastening revealed more of the body that was mine. Bronze skin marked by elegant silver lines that pulsed with his heartbeat, muscles that promised strength and speed. Alien beauty that made him unmistakably Tsekai, and completely mine.

"You're beautiful," I murmured as he stripped his shirt off, revealing the full glory of the patterns flowing across his chest and shoulders. "And mine. All mine."

"Yours," he confirmed, hands moving to his pants with deliberate slowness. "What do you want me to do?"

"Turn around. Let me see all of you."

He obeyed, and the sight of silver lines flowing down his spine sent liquid heat through me. The elegant patterns caught the cabin's subdued lighting, creating shifting designs that were mesmerizing. When he faced me again, fully naked and aroused, a moan caught in my throat.

"On the bed," I ordered. "On your back. Hands above your head."

As he settled into position, I grabbed his discarded shirt, the fabric still warm from his body. "Give me your wrists."

His eyes flared with understanding and arousal as I bound his hands with the soft material, securing them to the bed frame.

The restraint was symbolic—he could break free easily if he wanted—but the trust implicit in his compliance made something fierce rise in my chest. After hours of being bound and helpless, he was choosing to give me control.

"Don't move," I said, beginning to strip with deliberate slowness while his gaze tracked every movement. "Don't touch yourself. Don't touch me until I say you can."

His breathing grew ragged as I revealed myself inch by inch, but he obeyed perfectly, muscles trembling with restraint.

"You're killing me," he said, voice strained.

"Good," I replied, settling beside him. "You nearly died. I want you desperate before I give you what you want."

I started with my mouth on his throat, pressing soft kisses where his pulse beat fast and strong. His scent was intoxicating here—warm spice mixed with the unique signature that meant safety and home.

"I could taste your fear through the bond," I murmured against his skin. "Even with that collar interfering, I could sense your terror at being separated. It drove me insane."

"I was terrified," he admitted, voice breaking slightly. "Not of what they'd do to me, but that I'd never touch you again. Never get to claim you properly."

The honesty constricted around my heart, but also sent heat racing through my veins. I moved lower, using my tongue to trace the traceries across his chest while he gasped and arched beneath me.

"Well, you're touching me now," I said, letting my breath ghost across his skin. "And I'm about to claim you in ways that will make you forget every moment of separation."

I started at his throat, using my tongue to trace each silver line that pulsed beneath bronze skin.

The patterns were hypersensitive—when I pressed firm licks along the pathways, his back arched off the bed and strangled sounds escaped his throat.

When I barely ghosted my tongue across junction points where multiple lines converged, his entire body shuddered.

"There," I murmured against a particularly responsive cluster near his collarbone. "That's your weakness, isn't it?"

I worked my way down his torso, following every silver line, learning that the markings along his ribs made him shiver while the ones across his abs made his cock twitch. By the time I reached the patterns decorating his hipbones, he was breathing hard and leaking pre-cum.

The silver lines extended to his cock too—delicate patterns spiraling around his length, flaring brighter as his arousal increased. He was thick and long, the head flushed dark with need, and those beautiful markings made him utterly unique.

"Please," he gasped, hips lifting slightly. "I need your mouth on me."

The words sent a dark thrill through me. This powerful, dangerous male was begging for my touch, submitting to my control.

"Happily," I said, then lowered my head and took him into my mouth without warning.

He roared, a purely animal sound that vibrated through the cabin. I hollowed my cheeks and took him deeper, feeling those ridges along his length with my tongue while he fought to obey my order not to move.

The silver patterns pulsed brighter as I worked him, vibrating against my tongue in the most incredible way. When I swirled around the head and pressed into the sensitive slit, his hips jerked despite his efforts at control.

"Sorry," he gasped, but I just hummed approval around him, the vibration making him swear.

I took him deeper still, relaxing my throat while using my hand to work what I couldn't fit. The combination of textures—smooth skin, pulsing silver lines, and the ridge along his underside—created sensations I could never get enough of.

"Alix," he gasped, muscles trembling. "I'm close. So close."

I pulled back, denying him. "I'm not finished with you."

"I'm begging," he said, voice breaking. "I need to come. Need you to let me fall apart."

The raw honesty was my undoing. I took him as deep as I could, throat muscles working around him while my hand twisted around his base.