Page 22 of The Alien's Unwanted Bride

“Oh, Dravek,” she moaned, fingers gripping the comforter. Each flick of his wrist, each bite of his teeth, sent electrical currents straight to her core.

Dravek knew exactly how to make her lose control. He knew her body better than she did herself. Her climax built within her, growing hotter like a fire raging out of control.

“Dravek!” she cried out, body tensing as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her.

His dark eyes smoldered with desire as he gazed down at her flushed and trembling beneath him, lost in the blissful aftershocks of her climax. Zora’s hair fanned out in a silken halo around her face, skin glistening, lips parted on a shaky exhale. She was the most beautiful thing Dravek had ever seen.

Still panting, he climbed up her body, positioning himself between her thighs. Their eyes locked, the air crackling with tension.

“I need you,” Dravek rasped, voice rough with want. “I’ve always needed you.”

Zora pulled him down for a deep, hungry kiss. “Then take me,” she breathed against his lips. “I’m yours.”

Slowly, reverently, Dravek pushed inside her welcoming heat. They both groaned at the exquisite sensation, so right, it brought tears to Zora’s eyes. He stretched and filled her so perfectly. Like he was made for her.

They moved together, finding an intoxicating rhythm. Dravek rocked into her with deep, firm strokes that sent shockwaves of pleasure radiating through Zora’s entire body. She lifted her hips to meet his every thrust, urging him deeper. Harder.

“Zora...stars...” Dravek panted against her neck. His pace grew more urgent, more demanding. Zora moaned and writhed beneath him, nails scoring down his muscled back, lost to everything but the delicious drag of him moving inside her, driving her higher and higher.

All their pent-up longing poured out between them, the intensity building to a fever pitch. Dravek angled his hips to rub against her most sensitive spot and Zora cried out, seeing stars. Pressure coiled tighter and tighter at her core, pleasure sparking along every nerve ending.

“Let go, love,” Dravek groaned. “I’ve got you.” His fingers found her aching nub, stroking in time with his increasingly erratic thrusts, sending Zora hurtling toward the edge.

“Dravek!” She came apart with his name on her lips, inner muscles clamping down around him as ecstasy crashed over her in wave after wave. Dravek swallowed her cries with a fervent kiss, hips working furiously, chasing his own release.

Minutes or hours or lifetimes later, Dravek shuddered above her, letting out a guttural moan as he spilled deep inside her. They clutched each other tightly, chests heaving, hearts pounding as one. A profound sense of completion washed over Zora as she drifted back down from the heights of passion, sated and cherished in her lover’s arms.

SIXTEEN

“Absolutely not,” Dravek said, his tone resolute. He stepped back from the table strewn with maps and blueprints, crossing his arms over his chest with a stubborn set to his jaw. “I am a trained warrior. No one else in this rebel band is as experienced as I.”

Ylara’s eyes flared, and without missing a beat, she closed the gap between them. Standing nose-to-nose, her hands clenched at her sides. “And that’s precisely why we need you here, Dravek. You and Zora are too important to risk in a skirmish that might leave us leaderless. Zora should be in the lab, creating the botanical weapons that might give us a chance. And you—” she jabbed a finger into his chest, “you’re the one who strategically keeps this entire operation running.”

Dravek’s eyes darkened, his voice a low rumble. “I didn’t join this fight to stand by while others bleed and die. I will not let people walk into danger without me at the front.”

Zora watched them, her emotions a tumultuous mix of pride and tension. She knew Dravek’s strength, his unwavering dedication. And Ylara… she respected her fierce determination to protect them both. As the two locked eyes, Zora could feel the weight of all they risked, all that hung in the balance.

Finally, she stepped forward, placing a calming hand on Ylara’s shoulder. “Ylara,” she said, her voice soft but firm. “Dravek and I are capable. We’ve faced countless dangers before and emerged stronger each time. I’ll continue my work in the lab until it’s time, but make no mistake. When the battle comes, we will both be there, side by side, fighting for the Xuevis people—my people.”

Ylara’s shoulders slumped slightly, her fierce gaze softening as she looked between them. She took a breath, letting her hands relax. “Spoken like a true queen,” she murmured, a trace of admiration in her tone. “I apologize for my short-sightedness.”

Zora shook her head, smiling gently. “No, don’t apologize for caring about us,” she replied. “You are a selfless and honorable leader, Ylara. There’s no one I’d rather go into battle with than you.”

Beside her, Dravek cleared his throat, his lips quirking into the faintest hint of a smirk.

With a laugh, Zora rolled her eyes. “Okay,maybeDravek. But no one else.”

As hoursof intensive strategic plotting and preparations for battle wound down and the rebels settled in for a few hours of rest, Zora was unable to sleep. Her mind raced with thoughts of the coming conflict, the weight of responsibility, and... Dravek. Always Dravek. The memory of his touch, the warmth of his skin against hers, haunted her in the most delicious way.

She slipped out of her quarters, padding silently through the rebel base. Without consciously deciding to do so, she found herself heading toward the exit that led to the surface. Perhaps some fresh air would help clear her head.

As she emerged from the hidden entrance, the cool night air of Xuevis caressed her skin like a lover’s touch. Zora shivered, drawing her light jacket closer around her shoulders. The twin moons of Xuevis hung low in the sky, bathing the landscape in an ethereal silver glow. She took a deep breath, allowing the scents of her ancestorial world to fill her lungs—the sweet perfume of night-blooming flowers, the earthy aroma of the nearby forest, and something else... something uniquely Xuevisian.

Lost in thought, Zora didn’t immediately notice where her feet were taking her. It wasn’t until she saw the soft glow of bioluminescent flowers that she realized she had wandered into the sacred grove Ylara had mentioned earlier that day.

The flowers pulsed gently in the darkness, their light seeming to respond to her presence. They ranged in color from soft lavender to deep indigo with delicate, translucent petals that looked almost crystalline in the moonlight. Zora reached out, her fingers brushing delicately against a petal. To her amazement, the glow intensified at her touch as if the flower recognized her.

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” A deep, familiar voice said.

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