OLIVIA
My finger throbbed as I finally lowered the blaster. The clearing around us was littered with shattered targets. After hours of training, my body ached in places I didn’t know existed. Forty colonists had been through Aeon’s combat crash course today, and I was the final student left with him in the training area.
“Better. Your aim is improving.” Aeon stepped behind me, adjusting my stance with a gentle pressure between my shoulder blades. “But you’re still anticipating the recoil. It makes you tense before you fire.”
“Easy for you to say. Your arms don’t feel like overcooked pasta.” I rolled my shoulders, wincing at the pull of tired muscles.
His chuckle was low, almost imperceptible. “The human body adapts quickly. By tomorrow, you’ll be stronger.”
“If we have a tomorrow.” The words slipped out.
His expression shifted, the hard lines of his face softening. Three weeks ago, I might have missed that subtle change, but I’d learned to read the microexpressions that betrayed his emotions.
“You need rest.” He took the blaster, his fingers brushing mine longer than necessary. “Come on.”
We walked in silence through the colony’s outskirts. The settlement sprawled through the clearing, a unique hybrid of efficient utility and wild beauty. Homes and buildings nestled among towering trees, connected by paths that worked with the jungle rather than against it.
Once inside Aeon’s quarters, I sank onto the edge of his bed, studying the sparse but comfortable space he called home. A datapad lay beside a collection of my handwritten notes outlining the new medical protocols and treatments. My influence, slowly infiltrating his world.
“You’re upset.” Aeon knelt before me, taking my hands in his. His bright blue eyes searched mine with an intensity that still made my heart race. “Talk to me.”
“I’m scared.” The admission felt like relief, a pressure valve releasing. “Not just of dying. I’m scared of what happens if we live through this. What happens to us.”
“Us.” He repeated the word carefully, as if testing its weight. “There was no us in my calculations when I brought you here.”
I laughed despite myself. “Your romantic vocabulary needs work.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “I’m practicing.” His thumb traced circles on my palm. “Before you, I understood purpose. Mission parameters. Now I understand... wanting. For myself, not just for the colony.”
“And what do you want?” I whispered.
“You.” His directness stole my breath. “A future where I wake up beside you every day. Where we bring these children into the world together. Where your presence here isn’t because I took you but because you chose to stay.”
My eyes burned with unshed tears. “I’ve been thinking a lot about Ben lately. And about his letter to me, saying cyborgs have the capacity to feel and pleading for me to help and guide them. I didn’t believe him or do anything back then.” I touched Aeon’s face, tracing the scar along his jawline. “I certainly believe him now, and I want to help and guide you in whatever way you need.”
He grabbed my hand and put it close to his heart. “When CE comes, I won’t let them harm you or take you away. Or harm anyone in this colony or take them away. What we’ve built here on Planet Alpha matters.”
“What we’ve built,” I echoed, leaning forward until our foreheads touched. “I never expected to find a home at the end of a kidnapping.”
His laugh was rich and genuine, a sound that had grown more frequent with each passing day. “I never expected to fall in love with my captive.”
At that moment, with CE’s ship drawing closer and our future uncertain, I knew I’d fight for this unexpected life we’d created and for the chance to see who we could be together in the future.
Something in me snapped. My hands cupped his face, and I kissed him with a desperation that surprised even me. His lips met mine with equal urgency, his fingers tangling in my hair as he pulled me closer. When we finally broke apart, we were both breathless.
“Aeon,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “If this is our last night, I don’t want to waste it.”
He didn’t hesitate. His hands moved to the hem of my shirt, tugging it up and over my head in one swift motion. He then unclasped my bra and tossed it aside. Next, he swiftly removed my pants and lace panties in one maneuver, throwing them to the floor. My breath hitched as his eyes raked over me, dark and hungry as he removed his shirt. I reached for his belt, fumbling as I undid the clasp and pushed his pants and boxers down his hips. He stepped out of them, kicking them aside without breaking eye contact.
“You are so beautiful to me,” he murmured, his voice rough with emotion. His hands traced the curve of my waist, sending shivers through my body.
I lay back on the bed, pulling him down with me. His body pressed against mine, warm and solid, and I marveled at how human he felt. The scars on his chest told stories of a war endured, but his touch was gentle, almost reverent. He kissed a trail down my neck, his lips grazing my collarbone before moving lower. When his mouth closed over my hard nipple, I gasped, arching into him.
“Aeon,” I breathed, my fingers threading through his hair. He responded by nipping lightly at my skin, sending a jolt of pleasure straight to my core.
He continued his descent, his hands and lips exploring every inch of me. By the time he reached my thighs, I was trembling with anticipation. His breath was hot against my skin as he kissed the sensitive flesh, teasing me with the promise of what was to come. When he finally pressed his mouth to me, I cried out, my hands gripping the sheets.
“Oh, god,” I moaned, my body arching off the bed. His tongue flicked against me, slow and deliberate, as if he was savoring every moment. I could feel the tension building, coiling tighter and tighter inside me. When he slid two fingers inside me, curling them just right, I thought I might come undone right then.
