Page 28 of Zayrik (The Protectorate Warriors Alien Fated Mates #6)

Nyla

HIS WORDS UNRAVELED something in me.

Not just the fear. Not just the walls I’d spent years building.

But the belief that no one would ever see me. Not really. Not without wanting something in return.

Zayrik did.

He saw all the broken, sharp-edged pieces.

And stayed.

I didn’t know how to explain what that did to a girl like me.

Didn’t have the language for the ache that bloomed in my chest.

So, I did the only thing I could do.

I stepped forward.

A low, instinctive rumble from him resonated deep within me.

Because he didn’t reach for me like I was fragile.

He waited.

He let me choose.

I reached for him.

Fingers skimmed his jaw, feeling the roughness there. The restraint.

Gods, he was holding back. For me .

“I don’t know how to do this,” I whispered again. “But I want to try.”

Zayrik’s hand covered mine. “Then let me show you.”

He kissed me like I was a prayer he didn’t expect to be answered.

Slow. Intimate. Deep.

Not like a thief.

Not like a mission.

Like a woman worth cherishing .

Clothes fell away, but not in urgency. Each layer shed like armor.

His hands moved with reverence, every brush of skin asking if I was still with him.

I was.

When I stood bare in front of him, he didn’t pounce.

He lifted me.

Just... lifted me into his arms like I weighed nothing.

Cradled me like something precious.

I clung to his shoulders, throat tight as he carried me across the small space.

He laid me gently on the bed, and the way he looked at me... gods, it shattered something tender inside me.

Next, he kissed his way down my body. Mouth soft. Hands sure.

He explored every curve and line of my body, his touch reverent, his attention so absolute that time ceased to exist.

The warmth of his mouth enveloped my nipple as his tongue expertly traced its shape, creating a delightful tingling sensation that spread as he moved to the other. My breath caught in my throat in soft moans as I arched my back, craving more of his touch.

His fingers explored my folds before teasing my clit, sending a surge of electric pleasure through my body. He began kissing the inside of my thigh, a tender touch before his tongue took over. The slow, relentless, patient way he devoured me sent waves of intense pleasure through me.

My hips instinctively arched, pushing my core against his eager mouth. “Zayrik...Don’t stop.” My voice broke as a climax hit hard.

I threaded my fingers through his thick brown hair, gripping as crashing waves washed over me, leaving me trembling.

And when I finally opened my eyes, dazed and undone, he was there.

Hovering over me.

Eyes full of something so raw, so honest , it nearly undid me all over again.

He didn’t need to ask. I pulled him down to me.

And when he entered me, slow and deep, like he was giving me all of himself, he was .

I could hear his thoughts echoing in my mind. I sensed his feelings for me.

This wasn’t the hard, desperate claiming of before.

This was something sacred.

Our foreheads touched.

Our breaths mingled.

And when I moved beneath him, rising to meet every careful thrust, I knew this was a choice.

Mine.

He didn’t own me.

But I gave myself to him, anyway.

Because he saw me. Held me. Loved me in a way I didn’t know how to name.

And tonight... I wanted him to know I felt it too.

With a desperate grip, I held onto him; his heartbeat echoed my own, steady, yet filled with an overwhelming intensity as we moved as one.

Another climax built and his cock began to vibrate against my inner walls. My hips faltered for a moment and I looked at him. “This didn’t happen last time,” I panted.

A self-satisfied smirk played on his lips, the corners crinkling slightly. “Apparently, it only happens with our fated mates,” he groaned, with another roll of his hips.

I moaned and wrapped my legs around his hips. My pelvis rising to grind against him as he moved inside me.

Another intense orgasm ripped through me and I cried his name into the soft space between us. He was right there, following me over the edge with a groan that sounded like worship.

He collapsed beside me after, arms already pulling me in.

No demands. No expectations. Just presence.

And for the first time in my life...

I felt cared for.

I stayed curled against him, tucked beneath the warm press of his arm, listening to the steady rhythm of his breath as sleep tugged at the edges of my thoughts.

I wanted to stay in this moment.

To believe in it.

To believe in us .

But even as his hand settled over my hip, grounding me, I could feel the ache start to settle in my chest.

The one that whispered this wouldn’t last.

That tomorrow, I’d do what had to be done.

He’d made me feel safe.

Seen. Wanted.

And maybe that was why it had to be me.

Why I couldn’t risk him for what came next.

I pressed my face to his chest, eyes burning.

“Don’t fall in love with a thief,” I whispered into the dark.

But he was already asleep.

And I...

I was already too far gone.