Page 26 of Alien Healer's Touch

"It's pitch black," Selene whispered, her voice echoing. "I can't see anything."

"I can remedy that." I moved to the inner wall where bioluminescent fungi grew. My fingers found the familiar texture—soft, slightly sticky. I pressed gently, encouraging rather than damaging the growth.

The fungi responded, releasing spores that glowed blue-green. The light spread as I touched more clusters, until the cavern illuminated enough for Selene to see.

The space revealed itself in the soft glow. Water pooled in depressions on the uneven floor. Jagged shadows stretched across rough walls. Far from the healing chambers I had hoped to show her someday, with their polished vashkai walls and carefully tended warmth.

"Not exactly five-star accommodations," Selene said with forced lightness.

"Five... stars?" I questioned.

"Human reference. Means luxury." She hugged herself against the chill. "This is more like half a star, but better than being caught by Hammond's goons."

I nodded, understanding her meaning if not the reference. "There is a chamber further in. It should be drier, at least."

We picked our way through the narrow passage to the inner chamber. Here, the tremors had left less impact. The room opened into a roughly circular space with a higher ceiling. Fungi grew more abundantly, bathing everything in ethereal blue light.

Selene stepped into the center, turning slowly. "It's actually beautiful, in a eerie way."

I checked for hazards and entrances that might need securing. When I turned back, she stood motionless, staring at nothing. Her composure, maintained throughout our flight, cracked before my eyes.

Her shoulders shook first. Then her hands rose to cover her face. The sound she made pierced deeper than any blade—a half-smothered sob of pure anguish.

I crossed to her in three strides. "Selene?"

"They're using technology they don't understand," she choked out. "Treating marked people like test subjects. Like we're not even human anymore. Like we're just... things to be studied."

I hesitated only a moment before drawing her against me. My arms encircled her smaller form, mindful of my strength. "I am sorry you had to witness such cruelty."

Her tears soaked into my tunic. I held her, one hand stroking her back as I would comfort a child in pain. But Selene was no child. She was a healer, a woman of science and compassion, forced to confront the darkness within her own kind.

"How could Hammond do this? They trusted him. I trusted him." Her fingers curled against my chest. "What if he succeeds? What if he convinces everyone that the markings make us dangerous? That we're contaminated?"

I had no easy answer. The fear she expressed mirrored concerns my own people had raised about the marked humans. Not that they were dangerous, but that they were changing in ways we did not fully understand.

"Those who seek power often create enemies where none exist," I said finally. "It makes their control seem necessary."

Her tears subsided gradually. She pulled back enough to look up at me, her face streaked and eyes reddened. Yet in that vulnerability, I saw strength—a refusal to be broken by what she had witnessed.

Our eyes held. Something shifted between us, like the air before a storm. Her pulse quickened; I could hear it. Mine answered in kind.

I raised my hand, hesitant, giving her time to pull away. When she remained still, I brushed my fingers along her cheek, tracing the faint silver lines appearing there. The markings responded to my touch, illuminating with subtle light.

Selene gasped softly. My own lifelines stirred, golden energy flowing toward my fingertips where they connected with her skin. The sensation surpassed anything I had experienced in healing work—a rush of awareness, of connection that defied explanation.

"What is happening?" she whispered.

"I do not know," I admitted. "But I do not wish it to stop."

Her gaze dropped to my mouth, then rose again to meet mine. I leaned closer, drawn by forces older than conscious thought. Our breath mingled in the cool cave air. The pull between us intensified with each heartbeat.

Her lips met mine in a kiss both tentative and electric. The contact sent waves of sensation through my entire body. My lifelines brightened, casting golden light that mingled with the silver glow of her markings.

The kiss deepened. Her hands slid up my chest to my shoulders, then to the nape of my neck. My arms tightened around her waist, lifting her slightly to better align our heights. Months of unspoken longing found expression at last.

When we finally separated, both breathless, I struggled to center myself. The healer in me counseled patience, care, consideration. But another part—the warrior I had suppressed for so long—roared with possessive desire.

Selene's fingers traced the lifelines on my neck, sending fresh currents of pleasure through me. "I've wanted to do that for weeks," she confessed.

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