Page 42 of Primal Bond

Taking a deep breath, he made a decision.

When Finn crept to the cockpit, Zanik was reclining in the captain's seat, his tall, muscular frame sprawled across the chair. His eyes were closed, but Finn knew he wasn’t asleep. There was an air of tension that clung to Zanik, something heavy and unshakable. Finn’s curiosity tugged at him, urging him to breach that distance.

He crept into the room, the soft sound of his feet muffled by the ship's low hum...

Just as he inched closer, Zanik’s eyes flicked open, a glimmer of annoyance flashing across his face. “Behave,” Zanik commanded, his voice low and gravelly.

Finn smirked. “You know that’s not happening.”

Without thinking, he lay down on top of Zanik, his smaller frame dwarfed by the Borraq’s powerful build. Zanik’s body radiated heat, filling Finn with a warmth that made his heart race.

But that warmth didn't fill Zanik the same. There was a tension to him that had nothing to do with their mission. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Finn rolled his eyes, shifting slightly on Zanik’s chest. “Sure, because you look like a happy little sunbeam right now.”

Zanik’s lips twitched. “Maybe I just don’t appreciate being used as a pillow.”

“Too bad,” Finn shot back playfully. "Now, spill. Pillows don't get to hide secrets."

For a moment, Finn thought that Zanik would refuse. But then Zanik’s expression shifted, his brow furrowing. “The clan Kyral mentioned... It was my home clan.”

Finn’s eyes widened. “Your home?!”

“It was. Not anymore.”

“What happened?”

Zanik stared at the ceiling, his jaw tightening as he spoke. “In the war, I watched my best friend die. I couldn’t save him. I saw him take his last breath in his brother’s arms.”

Finn felt a chill creep up his spine. He leaned closer, his heart heavy. “I’m sorry, Zanik.”

“It was chaos. I couldn’t do anything.” Zanik’s voice cracked, raw and unguarded. “Afterward, I couldn’t go back home. I felt like… like a ghost. Like nothing had changed for anyone else. But I had changed. I needed a place to let that dark side out.”

“Smuggling?” Finn asked softly.

Zanik nodded, his eyes still fixed on the ceiling, half-slitted. “It felt easier to lose myself out here in space. No one knows me. There's no roles, no expectations. I can be whoever I want.”

He said the words confidently, but they'd spent too long together for Finn to miss the tension in him. “Kyral seemed nice. The clan must be nice, too. Any place that would harbor a humanin the middle of this war can't be that bad. You… could still go home.”

Zanik turned his head, his icy gaze piercing through Finn. “If you could go home right now, would you?”

Finn’s heart sank. He shifted, wrestling with the memories that threatened to drown him. “I… I don’t know. I can’t even picture going back to my old life. It feels like a dream, one that doesn’t belong to me anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was a different person back then,” Finn admitted, his voice trembling. “Before Urlek, before Rivek, I was stupid. I didn’t know anything about life. I thought everything was… easy. Now, I can’t relate to that boy.”

Zanik wrapped his arms around Finn, pulling him close. The warmth of his embrace wrapped around Finn like a protective cocoon. “You’re not that boy anymore. You’re stronger than him. Stronger than you think.”

Finn inhaled Zanik’s scent, a mix of masculine musk and something earthy. “Maybe. But I still don’t know who I am now.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Zanik murmured, his breath warm against Finn’s ear. "I trust you."

Finn’s heart raced at the proximity, the intimacy of the moment. He felt Zanik’s heartbeat, steady and strong, a stark contrast to the chaos swirling in his own chest.

As Finn leaned in closer, Zanik’s breath hitched, a motion that sent shivers down Finn’s spine. Their lips brushed together, tentative at first, a whisper of contact that ignited a fire in Finn’s chest. He pressed forward, deepening the kiss, asking for more — and Zanik responded with a growl, pulling Finn closer.

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