Page 119 of Command

Shit.

They were covered in sweat, blood, cum, and exorin. And now that it was over, Alina’s vision began to swim, then spin.

“I think I need to…” she began, but didn’t get to finish before her head grew heavy and everything went black.

CHAPTER 50

THREXIN

His Alina was unresponsive. Threxin had placed her as gingerly as he could on her back and then tore from the room and into the hallway, expecting to have to hunt down Lesthin or Renza orsomeoneto assist.

Instead, he ran into them just outside, Lesthin and Renza licking exorin from their lips as they leaned against the wall and Orion Halen and his female looking extremely disturbed. Kaia ripped her arm from her male’s grip. Her eyes widened at the crimson stain on his chest.

Seemingly unperturbed by the fact that Threxin was entirely nude, she shoved past him and into the room. “What the fuck did you do to her?”

“Lesthin,” Threxin barked at the medic and jerked his chin toward the door. He knew what to do.

Renza hesitated, then pushed himself off the wall. He glanced at Orion Halen, who did not seem inclined to follow his female into the room.

“Did it work?” Renza asked Threxin at last, seemingly deciding there was no point hiding anything from Orion Halen at this point, considering all he had witnessed.

Did it work,Threxin thought wryly.

What he had seen… What his Alina had shown him… The extent of this human’s capacity for connection rivaled even that to which an uhyre felt that innate rage inside. And she took that too. She felt the violence-fueled desire and took it. Held it and gave back a devotion so whole and so unthinkable that it dwarfed whatever base instincts he may have in comparison.

When Threxin had licked her blood from her chest, it made him want to consume the rest of her, but not by ripping her open or breaking her body. He wanted to consume her soul and hold it forever. He could not afford to hurt her and lose this thing she had given him, nor could he bring himself to let her go.

“Are all humans like this?” Threxin turned to Orion Halen. “Do they—you—all feel this much?”

Orion Halen glanced into the open door in which his female’s red hair bobbed over the bed. He ran a hand through his pitch black hair. “Yes. It can drive you fucking crazy.”

Threxin rolled his jaw, realizing he was in for a lot of pain with this newfound dimension of existence.

“It worked,” he turned back to his brother. “Perhaps too well. But it is necessary.”

Renza deflated with palpable relief and his hand, which had been gripping his weapon, lifted to land firmly on Threxin’s shoulder. “Then you have saved us all.”

CHAPTER 51

THREXIN

Alina Argoud had remained unconscious for the better part of two days. They had originally attempted to heal her in a regeneration pod, but apparently the necessary healing gel had been in short supply and it was not part of their supply run. Threxin made a note to dispose of the dockmaster who had compiled the list for their earlier run.

Despite Kaia Halena’s protests, Threxin had her moved to his cabins. He would have thought her more comfortable in her own bed—hecertainly would be—but she needed space and he needed to be at her side, so he had her in his larger bed where he would be able to watch and feel her presence without crushing her at night.

They had two weeks until the scheduled jump his engineers were working on. No humans knew of it—not even Orion Halen. Eventually he would have to tell them. Humans still needed to aid with the jump. His cohort had been training to take over the duties themselves, but their training did not take into account their accelerated timeline.

Threxin spent the better part of those days watching over Alina. He moistened her dry lips and dribbled water onto her tongue when she became somewhat responsive enough toswallow it. He applied the nutrition IV administered through her arm. He spoke to her, both in words and through his new Neurosync.

Even in her unconsciousness, she transmitted to him. She grasped for him when he was near. Her mind warmed when he touched her face. He had duties, but none so important than this. He did all he could from his cabins, leaving Renza and Orion Halen to take care of the remaining preparations.

Threxin lay next to her, peeling the cover from her chest to check her wound. The synthskin had been healing well. The marks on her belly were all but gone, but the ones between her breasts would scar. Four gashes running from the top of her right breast, through her heart, to end just below the left. A location not dissimilar to his own scar, only hers was inflicted by him.

Threxin had plenty of time to feel guilty now that there was no limiter to keep him on a more logical train of thought.

His distraction was frustrating for Renza, who was used to logic prevailing in all decisions. Alina would survive without him, but she may not survive if the jump failed, so shouldn’t Threxin be more active in its preparations?

It was true, but still it took Threxin until a week before the jump to come to terms with it.

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