Page 19 of Zinnia and the Zombie (Alien Abduction #26)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

J axx stood motionless on the balcony, his eyes fixed on the distant glow that punctured the darkness.

The Grorn had lit a ceremonial fire, its flames casting long, grotesque shadows.

He had pulled the vines back down around the balcony, leaving just enough space to peer through—a concealed vantage point from which to observe their hunters.

He’d sent Zinnia to rest, but he wasn’t surprised when she rejoined him only a short time later.

“I can’t sleep,” she said quietly. “What’s happening?”

“Their preparations have begun,” he said, keeping his voice low despite the considerable distance between them and the Grorn. Old combat habits died hard.

“What exactly are they doing?” she asked, squinting at the distant light.

“In addition to the sacrifice? Purification rituals. Weapons consecration.”

She nodded, but he felt the tension running through her body—a fine tremor that hadn’t been there during the day’s preparations.

While setting traps and weaving nets, she had been focused and determined.

Now, the scent of her anxiety caused his protective instincts to surge, his skin warming in response.

He understood her fear—shared it, in fact—but not for himself.

For her. The thought of her in danger made his heart pound in a way no personal threat ever could.

“Come,” he said softly, taking her hand. “There’s something I want to show you.”

She allowed him to lead her away from the balcony, back through their apartment.

They moved silently through the corridors and up the stairs that connected their floor to the rooftop garden.

As they climbed, he noticed her gaze flicking to the weapons they’d stashed at strategic points—a last desperate line of defense.

The garden was different at night. During the day, sunlight streamed through the cracked dome, illuminating the vibrant colors of fruits and vegetables.

Now, with only starlight filtering through, the plants were rendered in shades of black and silver.

The air was heavy with moisture and the rich scent of growing things.

He guided her past the food-bearing plants and beyond the crystalline fruits that had cut her skin weeks ago. She followed without question, her hand warm in his, her pulse gradually slowing as they moved deeper into the arboretum.

They rounded a corner, and she gasped.

Before them lay a small clearing ringed by tall plants bearing enormous, luminescent flowers.

During the day they were simply ordinary plants, but with nightfall the hidden buds began to open, unfurling huge ivory petals that glowed with a soft, pearl-like radiance.

As they watched, more flowers opened, responding to some invisible signal that night had fully arrived.

“Night-bloomers,” he explained, watching her face as she took in the sight. “I found them yesterday while you were collecting water.”

“They’re beautiful,” she whispered, stepping forward. The flowers cast enough light to illuminate her features—the soft curve of her cheek, the wonder in her eyes.

He had brought her here to distract her from tomorrow’s dangers, to give her something beautiful to focus on instead of fear.

But now, watching her move among the luminous blooms, he found himself distracted instead.

The glow of the flowers caressed her skin, turning her into something otherworldly and precious.

A familiar heat stirred in his blood. A need not just for her body, but for the connection that flowed between them.

She must have sensed the change in him. She turned, her eyes finding his across the clearing, then walked slowly towards him. When she reached him, she placed her palms against his chest. The touch sent a current through his body, his skin warming beneath her fingers.

“I’m afraid of losing this,” she admitted, her voice barely audible even in the stillness of the garden. “Of losing you.”

He cupped her face, his thumbs tracing the curve of her cheekbones. “You won’t lose me. We’ve prepared well.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“No,” he conceded. “But I can promise I will do everything in my power to keep us both safe.”

She leaned into his touch. “I know.”

He bent down, pressing his forehead against hers. Their breath mingled in the cool night air. For a moment, they simply stood there, sharing the same space, the same breath, as if trying to merge their very atoms.

Then her lips found his, soft at first, then with growing urgency, and his own passion flared to meet hers. He pulled her closer, his hands sliding down to her waist, and the heat of his skin intensified, a golden glow emanating from wherever they touched.

Her fingers tangled in his hair, tugging his head down for a kiss, and his body responded instantly, his mating organ emerging from its concealment to press urgently against her. Her breath quickened as he deepened the kiss.

His hands slid lower, gripping her ass, lifting her off the ground, and her legs wrapped around his hips, ankles locking behind him. His shaft pulsed, a drop of pre-cum escaping the tip and wetting the fabric between them.

Her lips brushed his ear. “Now, Jaxx.”

He groaned, the sound rumbling through his chest. He yanked her dress out of the way and lifted her higher, suspending her over his cock.

He held her there for a second as she wiggled impatiently, then lowered her onto his shaft, impaling her in one hard stroke.

The feel of her hot, slick flesh closing around him, welcoming him into her tight core, brought him to the verge of climax.

With a growl, he began to thrust, her body rocking with every powerful stroke.

Her hands were everywhere—his chest, his back, his shoulders, as if she couldn’t decide where to touch him first. He loved her like this, wild and abandoned, the sight of her lost in pleasure almost as intoxicating as the feel of her inner muscles rippling around him.

He wanted this moment to last forever, wanted to bury himself inside her and never leave, but his body had other ideas. He was too far gone, his desire for her too overwhelming.

He slid a hand between them, pressing the heel of his palm against her clit, and she threw her head back, moaning.

His mating organ swelled, the ridge along its base expanding, and she gasped, her inner walls contracting around him.

Her eyes were locked on his, dark and full of trust, and her orgasm triggered his own.

His roar echoed through the garden as he came, the force of his release nearly driving him to his knees.

For a moment, all he could do was hold her tightly, his face buried in the curve of her neck. The feel of her skin, warm and soft against him, grounded him in the present. In the reality of her, solid and real in his arms.

She pressed her lips against his cheek. “You’re still glowing.”

He released a breathless laugh. “That’s your fault.”

“Guilty as charged.”

With great reluctance, he withdrew from her body, his shaft returning to its concealment, and gently set her back on her feet. She wobbled a little, and he steadied her, a surge of male pride filling him at the thought that his body’s power could have such an effect.

She tugged her dress back into place, the silky material slipping over her skin, then reached for his hand, twining her fingers with his.

He had feared this night would feel like a farewell—a last desperate grasping at pleasure before the coming storm.

Instead, each touch, each shared breath had felt like a promise.

A declaration that this was not an ending but a continuation.

Their future stretched before them, uncertain but filled with possibility.

“We should go,” he said eventually but didn’t attempt to guide her out of the grove.

“I’d rather stay here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,”

“Very well.”

He carried her down to the ground and they lay tangled beneath the watching flowers. Her head rested on his chest, her fingers absently tracing patterns on his chest. The faint hum of the garden’s environmental systems provided a soothing background to their shared silence.

“Tell me about your world,” she said eventually, her voice soft in the darkness. “Not the sad parts—we’ve had enough of those. Tell me something beautiful.”

He considered the request, sifting through memories that had gradually become clearer over the past weeks.

“There was a mountain range near my training academy,” he began, his fingers combing gently through her hair.

“Twice each year, during the equinox, the positioning of our twin suns would create a phenomenon we called the Golden Path.”

“What was it?” She nestled closer, her body warm against his.

“A perfect beam of light that stretched between two peaks. It lasted only minutes, but during those moments, it appeared as though you could walk from one mountain to the other on a bridge made of pure light.”

She smiled against his chest. “Did anyone ever try?”

“Many,” he chuckled. “There were countless legends of those who supposedly succeeded—ascending to some higher plane of existence or gaining profound wisdom.”

“But not in reality?”

“Not that I ever witnessed. But the attempt was a rite of passage for young Zathix. On their seventeenth birthday, they would climb the western peak and stand at the edge as the Golden Path formed.”

“Did you?”

“Yes.” The memory came into sharper focus than he expected—the biting wind, the anticipation as the first sun crested the horizon, the collective gasp from those gathered as the light bridge materialized.

“I remember looking across that impossible distance and feeling… not disappointment that I couldn’t cross, but wonder that such beauty could exist at all. ”

She lifted her head to look at him, her expression thoughtful. “That’s how I feel about us. About finding you in the vastness of space. The odds were impossible, and yet here we are.”

He pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “We beat impossible odds to find each other. We will beat them again tomorrow.”

She nodded against him, and he felt some of the tension leave her body. Whether from their lovemaking or his reassurance, her fear had receded. In its place was a calm determination that matched his own.

They remained in the garden until the first hints of pre-dawn light began to filter through the dome.

The luminous flowers slowly closed, their glow fading as they sensed the approaching day.

He knew they should return to their apartment, make final preparations for the confrontation to come.

But he allowed himself a few more moments of this perfect peace, his mate warm and trusting in his arms.

He pressed one last kiss to her temple, then gently disentangled himself. “It’s time,” he said quietly.

They made their way back down to their apartment in silence, hand in hand. The first rays of sunrise were just beginning to illuminate the eastern sky as they reached the balcony. In the distance, the Grorn ceremonial fire had burned to embers.

The hunt was about to begin.