Page 36 of Fourth

Slowly, his hands eased from her, tracing the line of her waist with uncharacteristic gentleness. His voice was low, nearly a growl. “Steady now.”

For several long seconds, neither of them moved. Riv’En’s breath was ragged against her neck, his hands braced against the wall on either side of her, caging her in as the water poured over both of them, ahiss of steam curling around their tangled forms. Her hands remained pressed against the wall, her back still arched, their bodies molded together in perfect stillness.

Slowly, Riv’En settled his mouth to the curve where her neck met her shoulder, letting the last tremors ebb away, his pulse syncing with hers. He traced his hands downward, steadying her, akiss pressed to her nape—less claiming now, more grounding. Only when her breath leveled out and his knot released, did he step back just enough to give them room towash.

Once done, he keyed the dry cycle sequence. Warm air pulsed through the shower enclosure, drying their skin in measured, efficient waves. Maya shivered slightly under the sudden change, and he steadied her with both hands until the cycle completed.

Only when they were both dry did he step back. Without releasing her hand, he led her from the washroom and back into the main quarters. His steps were steady, but a subtle tension in his grip was layered over something more visceral beneath. It was not weakness. It was adjustment, recalibrating from violence and claiming to discipline and duty again.

At the main panel by the sleeping platform, Riv’En entered a command sequence. The panel shimmered, displaying an array of clothing options. His hand hovered over the controls for a moment before selecting one specificset.

“Elaroin ceremonial robes,” he said as the fabrication unit engaged, soft whirring sounds filling the space. He waited until the unit completed its cycle, retrieving two folded garments as the panel slid open. The robes.

He turned to face her again, holding one out. It shimmered faintly, pale silver and green. “Elaroin ceremonial robes,” he explained. “They reflect emotional state. The color changes depending on what you feel. It is a form of enforced honesty among my mother’s people.”

Maya’s brow furrowed as she took the garment. “Why?”

Riv’En’s mouth tightened faintly. “Camouflage is our nature. These robes ensure transparency. Among Elaroins, deception is not permitted during certain gatherings.”

He pulled his own robe over his shoulders, adjusting the fastenings with practiced efficiency. As he spoke, the fabric shifted slowly in hue, from pale green to a mutedgold.

Maya watched, her voice quiet. “What does gold mean?”

He looked at her, steady and calm. “Resonance,” he said, his voice lower now. “It means everything aligns. Emotion. Purpose. Intention. Among Elaroins, it is rare. And irreversible.” His gaze held hers for a long moment. “It also signifies a bonded couple. When both robes turn gold in each other’s presence, it confirms the bond. It is not something that can be faked. Or undone.”

Maya glanced down at the robe in her hands, fingers brushing over the fabric as if weighing its meaning. Her throat worked as she swallowed. “And if it changes color?”

“Then it reflects what you feel in the moment,” Riv’En answered quietly. “There is no hiding.”

She pulled the robe on while Riv’En watched each movement, every tremor in her hands. The fabric settled against her skin like liquid silk, light but substantial. He noted the flicker of hesitation in her breath, the brief tension in her shoulders. Her eyes dropped to the shifting color, watching it begin to shimmer.

Riv’En observed the way her shoulders tightened subtly, the telltale shift in her pulse almost imperceptible. It confirmed what he already sensed through their bond, her uncertainty vibrating between them. Her robe shifted from pale silver to gold, deep and undeniable.

That color left no room for doubt.

For a long moment, she stared down at herself. Then, wordlessly, she crossed the space between them and pressed herself into his arms, burying her face against his chest. His hands rose, closing around her as he absorbed the tremor in her body through their bond. He did not need to hear her words to understand. The robe’s gold confirmed everything. That she accepted him. That she belonged to him. And that he was hers. His hold tightened slightly, not in possession but in silent acknowledgment. Letting her go now would have been as impossible as denying breath.

He settled his arms more firmly around her, the steady rhythm of her breath brushing against him. This was not a moment meant for battle. It was a moment meant for truth. “You are mine,” he stated quietly. “And I am yours.” He held her there, silent for a breath longer, letting his words settle between them like something final, unchangeable. As steady as the bond itself.

A sharp chime cut through the quiet, shattering the fragile stillness between them, abrutal, badly timed interruption.Riv’En’s head snapped up, muscles tightening as his gaze locked on the panel. Awarning indicator pulsed in red: long-range proximity alert.

“We are being shadowed,” he said, voice returning to its familiar edginess. He stepped toward the console, keying in a rapid command. Asingle blip hovered on the sensor display—then flickered, disappearing again.

“Someone is following us.”

“Who?” Maya asked.

Riv’En’s gaze stayed locked on the fluctuating blip. “Not Third. Not your twin sister. If it were them, they would have contacted us directly.” His voice dropped lower, the words sharper now. “No. This is someone else. Someone who does not want to be seen. Or known.”

He input another sequence, fingers moving rapidly. The blip vanished again, but not without leaving a ripple in the data stream, aghost signature, afaint electromagnetic trail. Riv’En’s eyes narrowed as he caught the anomaly, cataloging it in the back of his mind. Whoever was out there, they knew how to hide. But not perfectly. And not fromhim.

He turned fully toward Maya. “I can see what’s going on better from the bridge.” He caught her hand without waiting for her agreement, guiding her through the quarters and into the main corridor.

The ship’s lights shifted automatically as they walked, dimming to match Riv’En’s command protocols. The hum of the engines deepened, asubtle reminder of their silent momentum through open space. With each step, the tension between them twisted tighter, not from what had just passed—the fragile, unspoken acknowledgment of their bond, the calm that hadsettled like a rare stillness—but from the invisible danger now stalkingthem.

Maya’s fingers flexed slightly in his grip, her hand trembling and her pulse quickening. His own posture sharpened, as though steady management could hold the threat atbay.

When they reached the bridge, the viewport stretched before them, wide and dark. And there—filling the upper arc of vision—Elaros.

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