Page 74 of An Alien for the Future

“How long…” She murmurs into my chest. “How long has it been?”

“Six, maybe seven sols.” My gaze traces the delicate contours of her face, memorizing every detail, every freckle, every curve.

“Seven days?” She sits up, a sudden panic in her eyes. “Oh Lord, my farm! My oogas! They must be…”

I chuckle, pulling her back down, my arms encircling her, holding her close. “Worry not, lira’an. Your farm is thriving. Arnak has been taking care of everything.”

“Oh god, Arnak?” Her eyes are still wide. “He doesn’t even know me. I’ll have to pay him handsomely for—”

I growl. “You will do no such thing. He was honored to do it. You are his kahlesta after all. Worry not, I will reward him for his time.”

She settles against me slightly. “Did you apologize to him?”

“For what?” I grunt, pressing my lips against her skin, my tongue flicking to sample a taste of her. She trembles, shuddering in my grasp.

“You almost attacked him at the conference center.”

I stop moving, my nose still pressed into her soft neck. There lies the proof of my bite. My claim on her and with her pressed against me like this, her scent, her sweetness, I can feel myself growing hard again. I want to claim her once more.

It’s an effort to control it. My mate must rest. Recover.

I groan. “I was not in my senses. But yes, I did apologize.”

“Good,” she smiles into me. “Nevertheless, I’m glad you came to me instead.”

I stiffen, my claw tangling in her thick coils. “You should have run, lira’an. I would have suffered…but if I had hurt you, I might as well have died.”

She settles against me some more. For a moment, she says nothing. But then, “Tovan…I didn’t run, because I’m tired of running.” Then she looks up at me. “But this is real. I don’t have to run anymore.”

It’s like a question. As if she needs me to confirm something, and as I press my lips against hers, I do.

“You are mine, Donna Johnson,” I murmur against her lips, my voice rough with emotion, with a possessiveness that is no longer a threat, but a vow. “And I will never let you go.”

She smiles against my lips. “Is that why you call me your lira’an? Your melody of the sun?”

I grunt. So she knows what it means. “Your voice…it’s like the first dawn after a long, harsh cold. Warm, radiant, full of life. And you, lira’an…” I pull her closer, shifting so I fall betweenher thighs, my whole body lighting up as if I didn’t just spend sols buried inside her. “You are like the star itself, Donna. A fiery heart that burns away the shadows, a light that guides me home.”

A soft shiver goes through her as she watches me. There’s a slow smile on her lips, and her body is lax, not an ounce of tension.

“I enjoy your warmth, lira’an.”

Donna snorts but her soft smile is still there as she lifts a hand to trace patterns down my arm. “Don’t you think you’ve had enough of that warmth to last you for a while now?”

I inhale sharply before I release a playful growl. Pinning her arms above her head, I lean in to her, letting her feel just how much I want her right now. I see the moment she senses it pressing between her thighs. The same moment her breath catches.

“Never,” I whisper. “I will never have enough.”

21

TOVAN

When Donna feels well enough to travel, I suggest returning to the farm. Her eyes light up at the mention of her homestead, and I’m reminded of how much the place means to her. We make the journey slowly. Instead of my grav-bike, I purchase a transport with a cab so she can ride in comfort.

The journey is short but there is no rush. It’s just me, mykahl, and forever ahead of us.

Passing through the town, I see the looks the other Kari send our way.

Envy flickers in some eyes, a resigned acceptance in others. But there’s also hope, a renewed sense of possibility that wasn’t there before. They see us, Donna and me, two beings from different worlds, bound by a love that defies logic, and they see a reflection of their own deepest desires. I understand their longing, the ache of loneliness that has haunted our kind for so long.

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