Page 59 of Alien Engineer's Mate

Free. He was free.

She couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Her nails dug into her as warriors surged forward around him.

V'irr's massive form blocked her view, and panic clawed up her throat until she caught another glimpse of Maax through the press of bodies. His eyes locked onto hers across the chaos, and everything else disappeared. The look in them was pure fire, need and triumph and something so huge it stole what little breath she had left.

He moved with single-minded focus, pushing past his celebrating brothers. The wooden barrier between them might as well have been paper. One second he stood surrounded by warriors, the next he vaulted over the railing.

His hands caught her waist, and the world tilted as he lifted her off her feet. The familiar scent of him hit her lungs—metal,heat, and something uniquelyhim—as he crushed her against his chest. Her hands tangled in his braids automatically, honor beads clicking against her knuckles as she held on.

"Eira." Her name came out rough, like it was dragged over broken glass. "Kelarris."

Then his mouth was on hers, desperate and demanding. She tasted salt and realized she was crying. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered except him being alive and whole andfree.

"I love you." The words spilled out between fierce kisses, his voice raw. "Should've told you before. Should've?—"

She laughed through her tears, wild relief bubbling up in her chest. "I love you too." The words came out breathless as he kissed her again, like he couldn't stop himself.

His hands framed her face, thumbs brushing away her tears.

"I thought—“ She had to stop, had to breathe through the memory of the endless hours where she thought she'd lose him. "I thought they'd take you away. That we'd never?—”

"Never." He growled the word against her lips. "Nothing in this universe could keep me from you. From you, from our family."

Our family. Fresh tears spilled, but they were ones of pure joy. He was still kissing her, each press of his lips its own promise. His heart thundered against her palms where they pressed against his chest, matching her frantic pulse.

Someone cleared their throat nearby… Leo? One of the warriors? She didn't care. Let them look. Let the whole empire see. She'd almost lost him forever, and now he was here, solid and real and in her arms. Nothing else mattered.

Maax seemed to share her complete disregard for their audience. His kisses deepened and grew hungrier, like he was trying to make up for the life they'd almost lost. He tangled one hand in her hair, cradling the back of her head, holdingher exactly where he wanted her as he poured emotion and desperation into each kiss.

She pulled back just enough to see his face, to drink in the fierce joy in his eyes. He was free. Their children were safe. Their future stretched out bright before them. And Maax... her warrior, her protector, her love... was free.

His answering smile could have powered the whole station. He bent to kiss her again, gentler but no less intense. She could feel him trembling, fine shivers that matched her own. The adrenaline crash would hit them both soon. But for now... for now there was just this. Just them. Just love, burning bright enough to scorch away every shadow of doubt and fear.

"Would someone," she managed between kisses, "explain what the hell just happened?"

Sheena chuckled softly. "The emperor just took on the entire purist movement. In public. With witnesses."

Eira turned in Maax's arms, though she couldn't make herself step away from his solid warmth. The courtroom had erupted into barely controlled chaos. Warriors clustered in tight groups, voices raised in excited discussion. Court officials scurried between tables, datapads flashing as they recorded everything.

"He didn't just dismiss the charges." Tisshel's voice held something Eira had never heard before… awe mixed with savage satisfaction. "He claimed Maax for the imperial house itself. No emperor has done anything like this in centuries."

Movement caught her eye. Emperor Daaynal strode through the chamber, moving with determination and clear purpose.

"The political implications alone..." Sheena shook her head, horns catching the light. "Every purist faction will have to recalculate their position now. They can't move against the imperial house without?—”

"I don't care about politics." She moved closer to Maax, his arm tightening around her waist. "Don't care about factions or implications or any of it. I just..." Her voice cracked. "I just needed him back."

"Oh, but this part is good.” Tisshel's smile showed teeth. "As Maax's mate, you've just become part of the imperial family yourself. Your status on this station and your children's has just gone through the roof."

"Status doesn't matter," she said firmly. "None of that matters. All I care about is having our family whole again."

Maax rumbled with approval, his chest against her back. His arms stayed locked around her waist as if he couldn't bear to let go. She understood completely and felt the same. Her fingers tangled in the leather of his sleeve because she needed that constant point of contact to remind herself this was real.

"There's something else." Maax's voice vibrated through his chest against her back. He shifted his grip, and she felt him take a sharp breath. "Something I didn’t dare reveal before. Not when it would have condemned you to share my fate."

He withdrew his arms from around her waist, and the loss of contact made her heart stutter until he moved to face her. With deliberate care, he pushed up his sleeves.

Her breath caught. Intricate patterns decorated his wrists and forearms, dark lines swirling beneath his skin like living vines. She recognized the style from S'aad's marks, but these... these were impossibly delicate, impossibly beautiful. Her fingers reached out on instinct to trace the patterns.

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