He moved closer, towering over me with that imposing frame that no longer intimidated me the way it once had. “Helix would have died without you. Her baby, too.”
I swallowed hard, the reality of those words hitting me. “I can’t leave now, even if I wanted to, Aeon.”
His expression shifted in that subtle way I’d come to recognize when emotions overwhelmed his ability to process them. He reached for my hand, his fingers entwining with mine.
“Come back inside,” he said, his voice gruff with feeling. “There’s something you should see.”
He led me back through the doors, where I found Laine and the others had gathered outside Helix’s room. When they saw me, they straightened, forming an almost ceremonial circle.
“Dr. Parker,” Laine stepped forward, “we want you to know that you’re not just our teacher. You’re part of our family now.”
One by one, they shared words of gratitude and trust. Tears blurred my vision as I looked at these faces—once strangers, once captors—now my team, my people. The weight of their acceptance crashed over me in waves of emotion I couldn’t contain.
“I don’t know what to say,” I whispered.
Aeon’s arm wrapped around my shoulders, strong and steady. “You don’t need to say anything. You belong here, Olivia. With us. With me.”
I soon collapsed into Aeon’s bed, every muscle in my body aching from the intensity of Helix’s delivery. The now familiar scent of his sheets—a mixture of something earthy, clean, and uniquely him—enveloped me as I sank deeper into the mattress.
“You were incredible tonight,” Aeon murmured as he settled beside me, his weight creating a delicious dip in the mattress that rolled me gently against his side.
I turned to face him, taking in his strong profile in the dim light. “We were incredible. The way you handled that seizure...” My fingers traced one of the scars on his chest. “For someone who claims he was only programmed for battlefield triage, you’ve got impressive obstetric instincts.”
“I think it’s less programming and more...” His brow furrowed in that adorable way it did when he searched for the right words. “Learning from you. Watching you.”
His hand found mine in the darkness. The simple touch sent warmth radiating up my arm.
“Sometimes I think about how I never would’ve known about this place or you. If you hadn’t...” I swallowed hard, the word “kidnapped” sticking in my throat because it no longer felt like the right term for what had happened between us.
“Brought you here?” he offered, a hint of guilt still coloring his voice.
“Yes.” I shifted closer, resting my head on his chest where I could hear the steady beating of his heart. “I would have missed all this. Missed being part of something that matters so deeply.”
His arm tightened instinctively around me. “You’re talking like someone who isn’t planning to leave ever.”
The realization washed over me with startling clarity. I wasn’t planning to leave ever. Whatever Earth forces were coming, whatever rescue mission they thought they were mounting, they were too late. My heart had already made its choice.
“I’m not leaving, Aeon.” I pushed myself up on one elbow to look directly into those piercing blue eyes. “Tonight made it crystal clear. These women need me. The babies being born here need me.” I paused for a moment. “And I need you.”
Something fierce and protective flashed across his face. He pulled me closer, his lips finding mine with an urgency that stole my breath. When we finally broke apart, he pressed his forehead against mine.
“Are you certain? If Earth comes…”
“Let them come.” The fierceness in my voice surprised even me. “Ben recognized what I couldn’t see then—that you’re all more than what CE programmed you to be. You feel, you care, and you love.” My voice caught. “He’d be proud that I’m finally finishing what he started—fighting for your right to build a life here.”
Aeon’s hand cupped my cheek, his touch achingly tender for someone so powerful. “And what about your life? The one you had before?”
“My life is here now.” I smiled, feeling lighter than I had in months. “My home is wherever you are, Aeon. I’ve fallen completely in love with you—with all your warrior instincts and your secretly soft heart.”
His eyes gleamed in the moonlight, filled with an emotion I’d never quite seen there before. “I love you, Olivia Parker.”
TWENTY-TWO
AEON
After I escorted Olivia to the medical bay before dawn to check on Helix and her baby, I headed over to the security center. Once I arrived, I stalked inside and found Tegan at his post. My muscles were tight with a tension I couldn’t shake. Morning light soon filtered through the reinforced windows, casting elongated shadows across the room’s curved metal walls. The jungle beyond our colony’s perimeter swayed in the breeze, deceptively peaceful.
“Tell me our defenses are ready,” I said to Tegan, who hunched over the control panel. His fingers raced over the transparent screens, rearranging patrol routes and security protocols.
