Page 55 of Fourth

“You will not. We will not.” His hand slid down her back, securing her even closer. His voice lowered to a husky whisper. “But it must be real, Maya. You cannot hold back. You cannot just wait for me and surrender. You have to run. Make it real. Make it urgent. The Chase is not a formality. It is survival.”

She shuddered in his arms, her body pressing closer. Her voice was barely a murmur, but there was no mistaking the burning edge of want in it. Her hands clenched on his shoulders, fingers curling to cling. Her pulse quickened, uneven, as though each beat tethered her more tightly to him and the moment they shared.

“Then show me. Not like the Chase. Not like before. Iwant it just for us.” Her hands slid up his chest, and she pressed her mouth to his throat in a slow, measured kiss. “No teeth. No mark. That can come later. For now, only the two of us.”

Riv’En drew her closer, restraint flexing tight beneath his skin. But he understood. This was not about dominance or survival anymore. It was about connecting them both. About setting aside what would come, for the here andnow.

His grip eased. He rolled her beneath him, his weight braced on his arms, lowering with exacting command until his mouth brushed against hers in a kiss that was less a demand and morea promise. Asteady, thorough claiming that said everything he could not. No marks. No battle. Justthem.

Her body tensed beneath him, asubtle quiver rippling through her as though she could no longer hold still, the strain in her easing as his mouth shifted over hers with unhurried, patientcare.

Her legs shifted beneath him, curling languidly around him. The automatic motion tightened something inside Riv’En, amplifying both restraint and hunger. It stabilized him while simultaneously stoking the deeper drive that simmered beneath hisskin.

Her trust fed both his discipline and his hunger in equal measure. That small, silent motion hit him harder than any declaration—her trust, her willingness, folding herself into him without fear. It was not surrender. It was decision made with unwavering, unflinching intent. And it steadied something deep inside him. She wasn’t pushing, wasn’t demanding. She was waiting, open and unshaken. And that calm lit something fierce and protective in his chest.

He kissed her again, thorough, deep, letting her experience every pass of his mouth, every patient slide of his hand. He trailed his lips along the side of her face, her throat, down to the rhythm beneath her collarbone. Her skin was warm, alive beneath his touch. Her fingers threaded through his hair, holding him there. Not pulling. Just holding.

“Like this,” she whispered. “Please. Like this.”

He moved lower, tasting her skin, mapping every inch of her with mouth and hands. There was no rush. No firestorm. Just the gradual, mounting build of need layered with something more dangerous than hunger. Something he did not have a name for, but recognized all the same—like recognition. An echo ofprotectiveness tangled with want. Something dangerously close to belonging.

When he finally joined with her, it was unhurried. Deep. The rhythm between them was not frantic now. It was measured. Intentional. Every motion a delicious movement, paced as though nothing beyond this moment existed. And still, that bond between them radiated—steady, hushed, alive. It settled deeper into his core, not a sudden flare but a muted energy, grounding him in a way no battle or order ever had. It was not just awareness. It was the certainty of belonging, as inevitable and immutable as gravity.

She whispered his name again, voice low and pleading, and it cracked something wide open in his chest.

“You are my center,” he stated, avow, absolute and unshakable, each word laced with absolute sincerity. This time it was not a claim. It was a truth. Simple. Absolute. “Always.”

Her voice broke on a sound that was half a sob, half a moan. Her hands tightened on his shoulders, legs tightening around him, and her body rose to meet his, urgency replacing steadiness, the rhythm between them quickening. Still intentional, still focused, but each stroke now carried heat, inevitability.

Riv’En slid one hand down her side, cupping her hip as he angled deeper, drawing a ragged gasp from her lips. Her head tilted back, exposing the vulnerable line of her throat, and he bent to press his mouth there, tracing the subtle beat beneath her skin with his tongue.

Her voice caught, and she shuddered beneath him, arching, seeking. Their exhalations tangled, piercing now, fast. Her nails dragged down his back, not in defense but in frantic demand. Her body clenched around him with each thrust, her legs pullinghim closer, urging him harder, until there was nothing left between them but desire.

Her cry broke first. Asharp, fractured sound that echoed off the walls as her climax took her, her entire body tightening beneath him, her energy vibrating against his skin. The bond between them surged in response, alow throb that set every nerve alight.

Riv’En followed a heartbeat later. His restraint snapped in a silent, violent wave, driving into her once more as his release tore through him. His body locked, shuddering with the force of it, his exhale ragged, arms braced to hold them both balanced.

For long moments, there was nothing but their shared breath, the heat of their bodies still joined, the strength of the bond humming between them like a mutedstar.

And outside, somewhere beyond their walls, sunsrise crept closer, carrying with it the promise of the Chase that would decide everything.

Chapter 13

THEY ROSEin silence just before sunsrise, skin still marked by the echoes of the night before, by the heat and closeness neither had spoken of aloud.

Beneath the quiet, aslow, rolling tension unfurled in Maya’s chest, equal parts dread and steady resolve. The immensity of what waited beyond their door pressed in from all sides, sharper than breath, more demanding than thought.

Riv’En dressed first, every movement regulated, pulling on the ceremonial robe provided for the gathering. No armor. Only pale fabric edged in dark thread, falling in quiet layers that concealed muscle and line of form alike. Maya followed, fingers trembling slightly as she gathered the pale cloth the Elaroins had provided, knotting it with jerky, too-sharp motions. The robe’s substance settled across her shoulders like something more than fabric, but a signal to everyone who would watch.

When Riv’En extended his hand, she took it. No words. No protest. Their bond throbbed between them like a living thing.

They stepped out into the pale morning together, and the first chime knifed through the air, high and sharp as a blade drawn from its sheath.

Maya froze, spine stiffening beneath the press of Riv’En’s hand at her lower back. Together, they crossed the wide courtyard, the hush of the gathered crowd folding around them like a veil. Their ceremonial robes whispered with each step, pale gold fabric brushing against stone as they moved in sync, neither speaking.

The raised platform loomed ahead, its base surrounded by concentric circles of inlaid resonance stones that shimmered faintly beneath the dawn light. Without breaking stride, Riv’En guided her to the first step. They climbed together, purposefully, each footfall matched, the quiet knowledge of what was coming sinking into every step. The platform beneath her feet vibrated, alow, steady hum from the resonance stones layered beneath the stage. At the far side, the Councilors stood in perfect formation, tall and still as carved figures, waiting.

She glanced up, squinting against the riot of color overhead. The dawn light didn’t fall in steady gold as on Earth. It fractured through layers of crystalline flora, shifting blue to green to a pale, molten silver. The entire courtyard shimmered with it, trees and buildings alike painted in refracted light that pulsed with the planet’s slow heartbeat.

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