“I will keep you safe,” I whispered against her hair. “I will bring down stars for you. I will rearrange universes if that’s what it takes to be worthy of you.”
The jungle hummed in approval around us, the vines pulsing with gentle bioluminescence that cast Miri’s sleeping face in ethereal light. Even the ecosystem recognized the truth in my vow.
She would choose me. On her own terms. In her own time.
And I would wait for as long as it took.
11 /MIRI
I woke alone,but not afraid. Somehow, I knew Lor was near—like a low hum under my skin, a steady reassurance that buzzed just beneath my heartbeat. The jungle seemed quieter in his absence, but not in a dangerous way. More like it was holding its breath, watching.
I stretched, immediately aware of the delicious ache between my thighs. A groan slipped out before I could stop it. “Oh, stars,” I muttered, flopping back onto the mossy nest.
Whatever those unity dreams had done to me before—hot, intense, wild—they were nothing compared to the real thing. Lor had wrecked me in the best possible way. Sore didn’t even begin to cover it. I was blessedly sore. That man had moved through my body like he’d been designed to live there, and frankly, I hoped he planned on renewing the lease.
I sat up slowly, wincing a little. “Worth it,” I mumbled, stretching my arms above my head. The moss rustled under me, soft as silk and smelling faintly of citrus. The jungle cocooned me in comfort. Warmth. Safety.
Phil, my clingy vine friend, had respectfully given me space during the night but now inched closer, his leafy tip extendingtoward me in what I was learning to interpret as a morning greeting.
“Morning to you too, buddy,” I said, patting him absently. “Don’t suppose you know where my sexy cat-man went?”
Phil curled around my wrist, giving a gentle squeeze that somehow conveyed both reassurance and direction. He pointed toward the eastern treeline, where the morning light filtered through in slanted gold beams.
“Patrol?” I guessed.
Another squeeze. Yes.
I was having conversations with plants now. If I ever made it back to Earth, this would make one hell of a podcast episode.“This week on Cryptid Chronicles: I fell through a military portal and made friends with sentient vegetation. Also, had mind-blowing sex with a alien warrior. Stay tuned for the graphic details!”
My stomach growled, reminding me that amazing alien sex, while spiritually fulfilling, wasn’t nutritionally complete. I needed food. And water. And probably to wash off the evidence of last night’s activities before Lor returned and decided round two was in order.
Not that I’d complain, mind you. But a girl needed sustenance.
I headed toward the pond, stepping barefoot across the familiar jungle path that Lor had subtly cleared for me. My body hummed from last night’s memory, but I needed water. And soap. And maybe clean underwear if the jungle had those tucked under a vine somewhere.
The pond shimmered ahead, sunlight filtering through the dense canopy. As I approached, a thick vine lazily unfurled overhead, arching wide to form a curtain of shade.
I blinked at it.
“Thanks, Phil,” I muttered, only half-joking.
The vine wiggled in response.
Okay. That wasn’t creepy at all.
Apparently, the jungle liked me. More than liked me. It responded to me now—almost like it could read my thoughts. When I imagined fruit, a low vine dropped a cluster of glowing golden berries down into my hand. When I thought about privacy, a curtain of leaves swayed into place, shielding me from sight. I didn’t ask the jungle to do these things, not out loud.
It just...listened.
I slipped into the water, sighing as the warm liquid enveloped my aching muscles. The jungle had outdone itself this morning—the pool was the perfect temperature, and those little soap-bubble things floated on the surface in greater numbers than before.
“So,” I said conversationally to the surrounding foliage as I popped one of the bubbles and worked the resulting cream through my hair, “is this special treatment because I’m sleeping with the boss, or do you just like me?”
The nearby vines swayed in what seemed like amusement. A small shower of pink petals drifted down, landing on the water’s surface around me.
“I’ll take that as ‘both,’” I decided, ducking under to rinse my hair.
When I surfaced, I found a large, flat leaf waiting at the pool’s edge, laden with those purple-blue fruits Lor had introduced me to earlier. My stomach growled again, more insistently.
