Page 32 of Alien Warlord's Fury
His heart pounded against my shoulder blade, strong and steady. The intense heat of his body enveloped me in the cool darkness. My markings tingled, not with danger but with something else—recognition, resonance with the golden energy flowing beneath his skin.
I shifted slightly, trying to ease the cramp in my leg. The movement pressed me more firmly against him. Nirako's breath caught, his arm tightening reflexively around my waist.
"Don't move," he whispered, his lips brushing the shell of my ear.
The contact sent a shiver down my spine that wasn't due to fear. I remembered our kiss in the cave—the hunger in it, the way his hands had framed my face, the taste of him. Then his dismissal afterward, calling it a lapse in judgment.
But there was nothing dismissive in the way his body responded to mine now.
"Are they gone?" I whispered, my voice embarrassingly unsteady.
"Patrol's moving east," he murmured. "We should wait longer."
I nodded, hyperaware of how the movement caused my hair to brush against his jaw. The space suddenly felt impossibly small, charged with something electric. His scent surrounded me—clean sweat, forest, and something uniquely him that made my pulse quicken.
"Your markings," he said softly. "They're reacting."
I glanced down to see a faint silver glow emanating from my arms, visible even through my sleeve. Not the bright flare of danger or power, but a gentle, pulsing light that matched the rhythm of my heartbeat.
"I can't help it," I admitted. "They respond to... proximity."
His lifelines answered with their own subtle glow, golden light seeping through the fabric of his shirt where it pressed against my back. The resonance between us hummed in the cramped space, silver and gold energies reaching for each other even as we remained physically still.
"The bond," he said, his voice rough. "It grows stronger."
"Is that why you came with me?" I asked, seizing the opportunity while we were trapped together, unable to avoid the conversation. "Because of this... connection?"
His silence stretched long enough that I thought he wouldn't answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was so low I felt it more than heard it. His tail relaxed slightly against the rock behind him.
"I came because the children need saving," he said. "Because you needed guidance." A pause.
"But yes. Also because of the bond."
"You called it a lapse in judgment. The kiss."
His chest expanded against my back as he took a deep breath. "The timing was a lapse. Not the act itself."
Heat bloomed in my chest, spreading outward. My markings brightened in response, casting silver light on the rock wall before us.
"We should check if it's safe," I said, desperate to break the tension before I did something stupid—like turn around in this tiny space and see if he'd dismiss a second kiss as poor timing.
"Not yet," Nirako said, his arm still firmly around my waist. "Listen."
I strained my ears and caught it—the faint sound of voices returning, moving in a different pattern now. The patrol had circled back.
"They're being thorough," I whispered.
"Hammond values his security," Nirako replied. "They'll sweep the area at least twice."
We lapsed into silence again, listening to the distant movements of the patrol. My body remained hyperaware of his—the solid wall of his chest, the gentle rhythm of his breathing, and the arm that held me securely against him. My markings continued their gentle pulse, responding to his proximity in a way I couldn't control.
"Your heart is racing," he observed, his voice a rumble I felt through my back.
"Adrenaline," I lied.
"Is it?" His thumb moved slightly against my waist—just the smallest stroke, but it sent electricity skittering across my skin.
I swallowed hard. "We're supposed to be focusing on the task."
