Page 35 of Elas

I’ve never been struck breathless like I was when I turned and saw him last night, naked and defeated in the middle of that bed. An impossibly powerful warrior in a moment of devastating raw vulnerability. The sight was more beautifully heartbreaking than anything I’ve ever seen.

And then there was this morning, when we were both half asleep and logic hadn’t taken the wheel quite yet. His hands were on my hips and his cock was against my ass in a touch that was pure electricity. A need unlike anything I’d ever known stole every bit of my inhibitions, and with it, my common sense. It coiled down my spine and into my core, winding me into knots.

He apologized like he’d been the one responsible, but I’d rocked back into him just as eagerly as he had pushed forward. I’d wanted to feel him between my cheeks, probingat my hole, and was desperate for more of those fluttering kisses along my neck.

I had wanted him to push my pants down and slip inside me.

Hell, I’d wanted him tofuckme.

I’ve had plenty of sex in my life. Logistically, there isn’t much I haven’t done, and I’ve enjoyed most of it. But that’s the issue—it’s always been logistic. Mechanical.

A series of checkboxes that need to be met in order to please my partner, while having the benefit of release myself. The one thing I’ve ever found myself fantasizing about is the one thing my partners never freely gave. And ultimately, I was always okay giving them what they preferred.

I have neverneededit. Not like I had this morning.

A low, instinctual grunt forms in my throat as I realize I’m hard, and it leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination in these thin scrubs. “Fuck,” I groan, glancing guiltily over my shoulder for the third time to ensure I’m still alone.

My eyes dart around the room and land on the flyer again, and the reminder of my situation is enough to pull me out of my head. I sigh, taking in the mess. As desperate as I am to have answers, my freedom relies on my ability to make myself useful.

Elas promised me we’d figure this out. I just have to trust him.

The day crawls by, but I get lost in the monotony of my work and slip into a mindless rhythm. A third of the files have found their new, organized home on the shelves when the knob twists behind me, and Xeni peeks his head through the door.

“Hey, uh… is it okay if I come in?”

I frown and wave him inside as I place the paperwork I’m holding in its correct spot. “Of course. You don’t have to ask.”

When I glance over my shoulder, he’s scouting the room as he walks in, carrying a plate of finger foods. “I didn’t see you come out for lunch and thought I’d deliver.”

“Thanks, Xeni. That was really thoughtful.” He returns my smile as I accept the plate from him. A rickety chair had been buried in here, serving as a makeshift shelf, and it creaks as I sit to eat.

“Can’t have our only human dying of starvation, now can we?”

I snort a laugh as I chew on an apple slice. “It’s not like there are any humanitarian groups to protest my mistreatment.”

He relaxes at my joking, and the tension in his shoulders eases. “How’s it going in here?”

“Great, if I could get certain people to stop coming in and dropping their files in the most inconvenient places.” He grins as I shoot him a pointed glare. “Two minutes,Xeni. I leave fortwominutesto use the restroom, and I come back to papers hidden all over the room. I swear, you all have to be doing it on purpose just to mess with me. There’s no other explanation.”

“Don’t have the slightest idea what you mean,” he says, still grinning, and I roll my eyes.

“How’s it going out there?” I nod towards the hallway as I tear apart a muffin, but wrinkle my nose as I bite down. Raisins. Never one to waste food, I power through, even if I stop to pick out a few larger pieces.

Xeni is chuckling to himself when I glance away from dissecting my lunch. “Things are quiet right now. News of you working here is spreading around base.”

“Oh?”

“We’ve had a few patients specifically request the human. Pretty sure they’re viewing it like a petting zoo, though, just wanting to see the wild animal up close.”

I scowl. “I’m not positive that’s better than them refusing to let me treat them.”

Xeni shrugs and leans forward to pluck the raisins off my plate like the maniac he is, popping them into his mouth. “Give it time. They’ll get used to you. I did.” He winks at me and a kernel of discomfort forms in my stomach as I remember Elas’s jealousy.

But Xeni isn’t flirting with me.

Is he?

“We’re stubborn, August, but weareable to learn. You’ve taught everyone here a few lessons, just from working with us. Even the chief, except she’ll never admit it. But they don’t get that same level of exposure, and you can’t blame them for their anger when they’ve only everbeen told horror stories about your kind.” I bite back my retort that we were the victims, deciding it isn’t worth the argument. Fighting will only make him mad, and I have enough enemies.

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