Page 76 of New World

Dorane was silent for a long moment. “I love her.”

Sergi nodded as if he had already known. “Then trust her.”

Dorane hesitated. “I’m afraid.”

Sergi’s smirk returned, but it was softer this time. “Then ask her what her plan is.”

Dorane narrowed his eyes. “And if she doesn’t tell me?”

Sergi’s expression was knowing. “Then you’ll have your answer.”

Dorane frowned. “What do you mean?”

Sergi’s eyes gleamed. “People like us—like you, like me, like Kella, like Mei—we don’t trust easily. We never, ever trust someone we don’t love.”

Dorane blinked, pulled back into the present when Mei shifted against him, rolling onto her side to face him. Her dark eyes searched his face, her expression soft, curious.

“What’s wrong?” she murmured.

Dorane inhaled slowly, then exhaled. “I was angry about your confrontation with Zoak.”

Mei’s brow lifted slightly, but before she could speak, he continued.

“And jealous.”

Her expression flickered with something unreadable. She started to pull away, but he caught her face between his hands, guiding her gaze back to his.

His thumb brushed lightly over her cheekbone as he studied her, as if committing every line of her face to memory. “You amaze me,” he admitted, his voice rough. “I’ve fal— I…” He cleared his throat and looked away quickly, blushing furiously. “I mean, I…” He drew a deep breath and locked eyes with her. “I adore you, Mei.”

Mei’s lips parted slightly, her breath hitching.

“My anger, my jealousy—it all comes from fear,” Dorane continued, his voice quieter now. “Fear of losing you.”

Mei’s expression softened. Slowly, she leaned down and kissed him, long and lingering, her fingers threading into his hair as she poured every unspoken word into the press of her lips.

When she finally pulled back, he let out a breath, searching her face.

Quietly, he asked, “What’s your plan?”

Mei studied him carefully as she gave him a small, crooked, secretive smile, her dark eyes shining with an inner light that was warm and deep. Then, slowly, teasingly, she trailed one finger down his bare chest, her touch light but deliberate. Dorane inhaled sharply, his muscles tensing under her fingertips. She leaned in just enough that her breath warmed his lips, her voice low and filled with dark promise as she said, “I thought you’d never ask.”

19

The warmth of Aetherial’s twin suns had begun to seep into the late morning air as Dorane stepped out onto the landing platform. The scent of warm sand, metallic starship fuel, and Kryla’s spiced market air filled his lungs. The light was golden, soft yet bright, casting elongated shadows across the stone walkways and the smooth hulls of docked ships.

His eyes found Mei instantly.

She stood with the others—Ash, Sergi, Kella, La’Rue, Julia, and Roan—her dark head tilted slightly, listening intently to something Ash was saying. Even in this group, amidst warriors and strategists, she stood out. A presence both fluid and sharp, quiet but commanding.

As if sensing him, she turned.

A small smile played at the corner of her lips, and then, in a gesture both simple and deeply meaningful, she bowed her head.

Dorane felt something shift in his chest.

He crossed the distance between them, his boots echoing softly against the stone. Mei met him in the middle, the others parting slightly as if instinctively understanding that this moment belonged to them. Together, they turned toward the wide, open doors that led out into the settlement.

He let his fingers brush against the small of her back as they walked. “Everything ready?”

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