Page 23 of Primal Bond

Finn's eyes narrowed in defiance, clearly surprised by the intensity radiating off Zanik. "Why do you even care?"

Zanik’s mind raced. Why did he care? He should be focused on the mission, on keeping his crew safe, on outmaneuvering Rivek.

But standing here, pressed up against Finn, the human’s scent wrapping around him like a vice, Zanik found himself at a loss for words. He tried to suppress the primal urges, to ignore the way Finn’s presence stirred something deep and instinctual within him.

"Just want to keep me to yourself, huh?" Finn’s voice cut through his thoughts, laced with sarcasm and a hint of bitterness.

Zanik’s temper flared. "I don’t want you at all," he snapped, his voice harsher than he intended. The words tasted bitter on his tongue.

Finn’s eyes darkened, a mixture of hurt and anger flashing across his face. He shoved Zanik away, breaking the contact between them. "Could’ve fooled me," he muttered.

Zanik clenched his fists. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand.

The mission. Rivek.

Anything but the way Finn made his heart pound and his blood sing.

Zanik stalked off, leaving Finn and the charged atmosphere behind. His boots echoed in the metallic corridors of the Ironclad as he made his way to the shower block. It had been a grueling day of shipping weapons, each piece of artillery a reminder of the ongoing war and his own role in it.

The shower block was as utilitarian as the rest of the ship. Smooth, white hygiene amalgam lined the walls, pristine and smooth. The water dispensers were sleek, embedded into the ceiling, designed to fall like rainfall.

Zanik activated one of the showerheads, and hot water began to pour over his broad shoulders, running down his muscular frame. The heat seeped into his tense muscles, offering amomentary respite. He closed his eyes, letting the water wash away the grime and the stress of the day.

But instead of relaxing, Zanik found himself grinding his teeth. His mind, traitorous and relentless, wandered back to Finn.

The human’s scent, potent and inescapable, clung to his memory. Even through his defensive genetic modifications, the pheromones stirred something primal in him, something he struggled to keep buried. Finn's big, expressive eyes flashed in his mind, surprised that Zanik had shown any concern.

Zanik's body reacted against his will. His cocks hardened, a rush of heat that the shower’s warmth couldn’t account for. He growled low in his throat, a sound of frustration and reluctant desire.

He tried to ignore it, to focus on the water, the steam, anything but the way Finn had looked at him.

But it was no use. The tension coiled tight within him, demanding release.

Some battles were unwinnable.

With a resigned sigh, Zanik let his hand slide down his stomach, feeling the ridges of his muscles. He grasped one of his cocks, the touch sending a surge of heat through him. His other hand followed, wrapping around the second shaft.

His eyes slid shut as he began to move, trying to conjure a safe image. Something, anything, that wasn’t Finn.

He pictured an anonymous meeting, a faceless, nameless Borraq partner. Someone just there to blow off tension, to satisfy a basic need.

But as he imagined pressing up against them, the fantasy overlapped with memory — the memory of Finn's body pressed up against his, small and delicate, like it was made to fit within Zanik's arms.

His sharp teeth ground together as he tried to banish the image of Finn from his mind, but it was futile. The human's face, those defiant brown eyes, and that infuriatingly enticing scent… It filled his senses.

He imagined shoving Finn up against a wall, not in anger this time, but in a desperate, consuming need. The thought of tearing away the too-big Borraq clothes that Finn had borrowed made his pulse race. He pictured Finn’s lean, muscular body revealed beneath, skin flushed and warm, muscles taut with anticipation.

Zanik's breath hitched as he imagined Finn’s long legs wrapping around his waist, holding him close. He could almost feel the heat of Finn's body against his, the human’s skin slick with sweat and desire. His mind conjured the image of sliding into Finn’s tight, welcoming heat, the way Finn's body would arch and shudder with each thrust.

The thought of that smartass mouth, usually spitting defiant remarks, now groaning wide with pleasure… Zanik ground his teeth. He imagined the sounds Finn would make, the way his name might fall from Finn's lips in breathless, needy gasps.

His strokes became erratic, his mind lost in the fantasy of claiming Finn, of feeling the human writhe beneath him, desperate and wanting. He pictured the way Finn's body would tighten around him, the sheer intensity of the moment driving him closer to the edge…

With a guttural growl, Zanik's body tensed, his climax hitting him with the force of a supernova. His release spilled over his hands, the pleasure so intense it left him breathless. His mind was still caught in the fantasy, the imagined heat of Finn's body and the sounds of his pleasure echoing in his ears.

But over the sounds of the water and the rushing of his blood in his ears, Zanik heard a sound.

His eyes snapped open.

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