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Zehn exchanged a glance with Khaaz before responding. “I didn’t want to influence your decision with our biology. Fate-mates are sacred to Rodinians, but the bond must be freely chosen.”

“You thought I’d feel compelled to accept if I knew?” I asked.

“Or frightened away,” Zehn said softly, surprising me. “The bond is intense. Permanent.”

I considered this, turning my empty cup between my hands. “You wanted me to choose based on my feelings, not some biological imperative or cultural obligation.”

“Yes,” Zehn confirmed.

“I did choose,” I said, my voice steady despite the nervous flutter in my stomach. “Before I knew any of this. I chose when I stayed with you after the crash. When I fought beside you against the sentinels. When I kissed Khaaz earlier today.”

Khaaz’s eyes widened slightly at my directness.

“What I want to know now,” I continued, “is what comes next. The archives mentioned claiming, bonding. I want to understand what that means. I want you to show me.”

Zehn’s expression intensified, his pupils dilating until his eyes were mostly black with just a rim of gold. “Everly, are you certain?”

“I’ve never been more certain of anything,” I replied, holding his gaze. “My old life is gone. Everything I thought I knew about the universe has been turned upside down. But this—what I feel for both of you—that feels real. That feels right.”

I noticed Khaaz shifting subtly, his body angling away as if preparing to leave. Without hesitation, I reached out and caught his wrist, feeling the corded muscle beneath my fingers.

“Both of you,” I emphasized, holding his eyes now. “I want both of you. Together.”

Khaaz froze, his expression a complex mixture of disbelief, hope, and longing so intense it made my chest ache.

I gave him a small smile. “The research mentioned dual-bonding was rare but possible. Unless you two aren’t comfortable sharing?”

The two males exchanged another look, something unspoken passing between them. As if there had already been an agreement.

Zehn’s lips curved into a smile that sent heat racing through my body. He looked to Khaaz, who gave a slight nod, his scarred face finally relaxing into something like acceptance.

“Done,” Zehn said simply, and the single word carried the weight of a vow.

We movedto the communications room where they’d created a makeshift sleeping area from cushions and bedding found throughout the facility. The soft blue lighting dimmed automatically as we entered, casting everything in a gentle glow that softened the harsh lines of the alien technology surrounding us. My heart hammered in my chest, a mixture of nerves and desire making my skin hypersensitive. When Zehn’s massivehand cupped my cheek, I leaned into his touch, my body already responding to the heat of his palm against my skin.

“We will go at your pace,” he rumbled, his golden eyes holding mine. “Tell us if anything becomes too much.”

I nodded, my throat suddenly dry. Behind me, I felt Khaaz’s presence—more hesitant than Zehn’s but no less intense. His scarred hands hovered near my shoulders, not quite touching until I reached back and guided them to my waist.

“Don’t hold back,” I whispered. “Either of you.”

Something primal flashed in Zehn’s eyes. He lowered his head, capturing my mouth in a kiss that stole my breath. Unlike our unity dreams, which had a dreamlike quality despite their intensity, this was devastatingly real—the slight roughness of his lips, the heat of his tongue as it explored my mouth, the rumbling purr that vibrated through his chest and into mine.

While Zehn claimed my mouth, Khaaz’s hands grew bolder, sliding beneath the thin garment I wore to caress the bare skin of my stomach. His touch was reverent, almost hesitant at first, then more confident as I pressed back against him. I gasped into Zehn’s mouth as Khaaz’s fingers skimmed the underside of my breasts.

They worked in tandem, as if they’d planned this—Zehn breaking our kiss to pull the covering over my head while Khaaz’s hands steadied me from behind. Cool air kissed my naked skin, followed immediately by the heat of their gazes. I should have felt exposed, vulnerable between these two massive predators. Instead, I felt powerful, desired.

“Beautiful,” Khaaz murmured, the word so soft I almost didn’t hear it.

I turned in his arms, raising up on tiptoes to kiss him. Where Zehn was commanding, Khaaz was tentative, letting me lead until I nipped at his lower lip. Something snapped in him then—his arms tightened around me, lifting me effortlessly as he deepened the kiss with a hunger that made me dizzy.

Zehn moved behind me, his hands replacing Khaaz’s on my waist as he pressed against my back. I was sandwiched between them, surrounded by their heat, their scent, their strength. They lowered me to the makeshift bed, and I watched through half-lidded eyes as they shed their clothing—revealing powerful bodies covered in the short, sleek fur that reminded me of a leopard’s coat, muscles rippling beneath.

“Let us taste you first,” Zehn said, his voice deeper than I’d ever heard it. “Let us learn you all over again outside of dreams.”

I nodded, unable to form words as they positioned themselves on either side of me. Zehn began at my neck, his tongue tracing patterns that made me shiver while his hands explored my breasts. Khaaz started lower, his broad palms sliding up my thighs, parting them gently.

The first touch of Khaaz’s tongue against my core made me cry out. He was methodical, exploring every fold with thorough attention, learning what made me gasp and what made me moan. Zehn’s mouth traveled lower, capturing a nipple between his lips, the gentle scrape of his teeth sending sparks of pleasure down my spine.

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