Page 19 of Primal Bond

The weight of his words hung heavy in the air. Memories, huh? Finn understood them all too well. He nodded, feeling a pang of empathy. “Yeah, I get that. Memories can be relentless. They sneak up on you, especially in the night.”

Zanik’s gaze shifted, a flicker of curiosity in his icy stare. “You have them too?”

Finn’s laugh was humorless. “More than I’d like to admit. Being a slave... you see things. You endure things. It changes you.”

He felt Zanik’s eyes on him, probing, but he couldn’t stop now. The words tumbled out, raw and unfiltered. “I was just a kid, you know? Thought I could take on the galaxy. But then Rivek happened. And suddenly, I was nothing. Just another piece of merchandise.”

Zanik’s expression softened, a subtle shift that didn’t go unnoticed by Finn. “You survived. That takes strength.”

Finn scoffed, bitterness coating his tongue. “Survived, yeah. But at what cost? I lost everything. My freedom, my dignity...”

My sense of self.The words stuck in his throat.

The silence stretched between them, heavy and charged. Finn’s heart raced, the vulnerability of his confession leaving him exposed. He waited for Zanik to dismiss him, to reinforce the walls Finn had spent so long building.

Instead, Zanik’s voice was low, almost a murmur. “I know what it’s like to lose yourself. The war took everything from me. Friends, honor. My purpose.”

Finn blinked, surprised by the admission. He had always seen Zanik as this unyielding force, but now he glimpsed the cracks beneath the surface. “What happened?” he asked, his curiosity genuine.

Zanik’s jaw tightened. “I lost someone. Someone who was supposed to protect me. His death... It was my fault.”

There was guilt in his voice. Finn felt a pang of empathy. “It’s not your fault,” he said quietly. “Sometimes things… just happen.”

Zanik’s gaze snapped back to Finn, a storm of emotions swirling in his eyes. “It doesn’t make it easier.”

Finn nodded, understanding all too well. “Yeah, I know."

A heavy silence settled over the mess room, thick with unspoken thoughts and emotions. Zanik's muscles tensed, his broad shoulders tightening as if bracing for an unseen impact. A deep furrow appeared between his brows, etching worry lines across his forehead.

Finn couldn't help but study Zanik's form, his eyes tracing the contours of the alien's muscular body. The proximity to a Borraq stirred something within him – a potent mixture of fear and shame.

The familiar scent of Zanik's species filled his nostrils, triggering a flood of memories from his time as a pleasure slave. His cheeks grew hot as unwanted images flashed through his mind.

The things he'd been forced to do, the humiliation he'd endured...

Yet now, looking at Zanik, those memories took on a different hue. Finn's breath caught in his throat as he imagined what it might be like to touch Zanik, to feel those strong hands on his skin.

What would it be like to help Zanik relax? To ease the tension from those broad shoulders? The thought sent a shiver down Finn's spine, a mix of excitement and shame coursing through him.

God, what am I thinking?Finn berated himself, his face flushing an even deeper shade of red.This is Zanik. He's a Borraq, just like all the others. He's dangerous.

The air in the room suddenly felt too thick, too heavy. "I'm done," Finn stammered, pushing himself away from the counter. "See you tomorrow."

Finn practically bolted from the mess, his heart pounding against his ribcage. Zanik's piercing gaze burned into his back, but he didn’t dare turn around.

Chapter nine

What the hell is wrong with me?Finn chastised himself as he fled the mess, picking up his pace.

Zanik is the enemy. His whole species is.

Don't you dare forget that.

He stumbled into his quarters — or rather, Zanik's quarters — and threw himself down on the bed. The room was dim, the soft hum of the ship's engines the only sound breaking the silence.

Finn pressed his face into the bedding, seeking some form of comfort. The fabric held a faint, lingering scent of Zanik’s skin, musky and masculine. It enveloped him, and he inhaled deeply, the scent seeping into his senses.

He groaned, frustration bubbling up inside him.Get a grip, Finn. This is messed up.

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