Ragged breaths escaped him, and he struggled to open his eyes.Seeing him undone in the aftermath of his own climax also brought Wren a great deal of satisfaction.
How extraordinary that they could join their bodies together like this and find… bliss.
Tenderness.Intimacy.
Finally, he opened his eyes.“You belong to me now, little star, and I belong to you.”
Chapter14
They were officially mated.
Lorrd could scarcely contain his joy as he held a slumbering Wren in his arms.She looked so tranquil in sleep, and so enchantingly beautiful, that he thought he might stay up all night just to watch her.Because watching her sleep so serenely brought him a sense of peace unlike anything he’d ever known.
She gave a gentle sigh and shifted, causing a strand of hair to fall across her face.He brushed it behind her ear, then pressed a kiss to her cheek.She sighed again, and this time it was a sigh of utter contentment.He was sure of it.
Yes, he could happily stay up all night holding her while he memorized the softness of her features.
His mate.
His precious female.
He pondered the virus that was affecting his ship and suppressed a growl.He would have to spend some time away from her as he worked to repair the many systems that were still damaged.
But the idea of parting with her so soon after their first mating session… he couldn’t bear to leave her side.Not yet.
He resolved to hold her for a while longer, then he would spend some time working to vanquish the virus and repair the damage it had caused.He hoped to have the ship fully operational within three days.
He’d deployed several drones to the surrounding towns, which had allowed him to analyze the combat strategies and calculate the remaining firepower of the different warring factions—the rebels, the US army, and a local militia.After studying the data, he’d determined that they were all evenly matched, and he suspected it would take at least a week or more before the fighting spread to Hillsboro.
Unless there was a surprise development, which was always a possibility.
He sighed and resumed stroking Wren’s dark hair.It was silky soft compared to Vaxxlian hair, which was typically much coarser, and he couldn’t stop touching it.
How curious that only days ago he’d been hesitant to submit his VAMOB application.Yet now he couldn’t imagine life without Wren.The peace settling over him deepened, and it wasn’t long before sleep began to tug at him.His eyes grew heavy, and he eventually nodded off… only to awake moments later to a strange sound.
Wren tensed in his arms.Whatever it was, it had woken her as well.
He winced.The high-pitched sound filled the air, and fury gripped him when his mate covered her ears and her face twisted with pain.Whatever—whoever—was causing the painful noise would pay with their life.
He tucked Wren closer and lifted his wrist comm, then issued a command for the technology to reveal the footage from the drones that were currently monitoring Hillsboro, as well as the street the bakery was on.
But he saw nothing.No hint of encroaching danger.The streets were empty.At this late hour, most of Hillsboro was likely asleep.
He issued numerous verbal commands to the main computer, and finally an answer was provided—the high-pitched noise was the result of an unauthorized transmissions being blocked, however, as the individual sending the transmissions kept attempting workarounds, this created a feedback loop that resulted in the agonizing noise.
Wren shot him a worried look, though she didn’t say anything.She simply watched as he hurriedly donned a fresh warrior’s uniform, then rushed to a small command console he’d recently installed in his quarters.He hated to leave her side, but he needed to further assess the transmissions.His fingers danced over the console and the screens.
Fluxx.It was Poseidon.
There was now no doubt in his mind that the original transmissions from the planetary broadcast system had been intentional.
He peered over his shoulder briefly, giving Wren a reassuring look.“Don’t worry, little star.I’ll have this matter sorted out quickly, and I’ll do my best to stop that awful sound,” he called out.“Don’t be afraid.”
Seated in the middle of the bed, wearing nothing but his discarded black warrior uniform shirt from earlier, she dug her fingers into her ears and nodded in understanding.
He reminded himself that even though the noise might be uncomfortable to her, just as it was to him, it would not cause her any permanent damage.Any potential damage to her ear drums would be fixed by the nanobots coursing through her bloodstream, and it would be the same for him.
But Star God, how he wished he could take away her discomfort.
