Page 10 of Aries

Large, careful hands make quick work of the fastenings, his fingers brushing against my bare skin with feather-light precision. Each point of contact—knuckles grazing my spine, fingertips ghosting across my shoulder blades—sends electricity skittering across my skin.

I bite my lip to stifle a gasp as his warm breath fans against my neck, so close I can almost taste the spicy-sweet scent. The ceremonial silk beneath the thick brocade slides against my heated flesh as he works, the caress of fabric somehow more intimate than nakedness.

More unsettling than the touch is my unexpected response to it. My body betrays me with each fastening undone—nipples tightening beneath my slip, skin flushing with warmth that pools low in my belly. This simple, necessary task shouldn’t feel so forbidden, so delicious. Yet here I stand, trembling slightly as his deft fingers work their way down my back, each touch igniting sensations I’ve denied for five long years.

“Your turn,” I manage, proud of how steady my voice sounds.

We switch places, maintaining careful distance as I help with his robe. The bulging muscles of his back shift under my fingers.

“All done,” I say quickly, stepping back. “I’ll just…”

“Callie.” His voice stops me at the archway. “About the sleeping arrangements…”

“It’s fine. We’re both adults. We can handle this.” The words come out with more confidence than I feel. “Besides, it’s better than that cell, right? No bars, and this bed is more than twice as wide as… the other one.”

His sharp intake of breath makes me realize what I’ve said. We never talk about the cell. Never acknowledge those weeks of forced proximity, careful distance, and the Urluts’ commands to “complete the act.”

“Right,” he says finally. “Better than the cell.”

The Manual sits accusingly on the table, reminding us of tomorrow’s tasks. Meditation cushions wait in their corner, positioned for forced intimacy. The bedroom beckons with its slim pillow positioned in the exact middle of the mattress.

“Actually…” I hate to admit I’ve got cold feet, but we’re in this tiny house together, with psychic beings monitoring us. We have no choice but to join each other in bed. “We should sleep,” I say quickly. “This has been one of the worst days of my life.”

Did I really say that when Aries was sentenced to death a few hours ago? How selfish of me. And I said the quiet part out loud—that this is the worst day of my life because I had to marry him.

“Right.” His expression sours. “Early morning tomorrow.” He runs a hand through his hair, looking as shaken as I feel. “Sleep.”

The bed awaits, promising a long night of hyperawareness and careful distance. Just like old times, I think wryly. Except nothing about this feels like old times, and I’m not exactly sure why.

Sleep comes fitfully, interrupted by the strange sounds of the cottage settling and Aries’ steady breathing on the other side of the barrier. Just as exhaustion finally pulls me under, a sharp sound jerks me awake.

“No… can’t let them…” Aries thrashes against his side of the barrier, his voice rough with anguish. “Kren, I’m sorry… had to stop… hurting you…”

“Aries?” Sitting up carefully to maintain proper distance, my heart pounds at his obvious distress. “Wake up.”

“Can’t watch anymore… Kren… please…”

“Aries!” Louder this time, fighting the urge to reach across the barrier and shake him awake.

His eyes snap open, pupils dilated in the semi-darkness. For a moment, he seems lost between nightmare and reality. “Callie?”

“You were dreaming.” The words come out gentle despite my racing heart. “Something about… Kren?”

His breath catches. In the dim moonlight filtering through the window, I can see him struggling to rebuild his walls. “My brother,” he says finally, the words barely audible. “I had to… he was suffering, and I…”

The silence stretches between us, heavy with unspoken pain.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” Rolling away to face the wall, his voice turns flat. “It was just a dream.”

But we both know it wasn’t just a dream. And as I lie awake listening to his carefully controlled breathing, I wonder what impossible choice he had to make regarding his brother—and how it led him to face execution on Garrox Prime.

Dawn eventually creeps in, finding us both pretending to sleep while questions multiply in the growing light.

Chapter Seven

Aries

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