Page 56 of Human Reform
“You’re magnificent,” I whispered, my voice rough with deep emotion.“You saved us all.”
She didn’t respond, but her lips curved into a faint smile, as if she could hear me even in her dreams.I leaned down, pressing a kiss on her forehead.“Rest, Alora.I’ve got you now.”
And finally after thirty-six hours, I let myself relax, knowing we’d done it.Together.
I heard Alora whisper my name before I even opened my eyes.The sound of it—soft and tentative—made something in my chest tighten.When I looked down, her storm-gray eyes were blinking up at me, confusion written across her features.
“Good morning,” I murmured, brushing her hair from her face.“Welcome back.”
She shifted against me, her body warm through our clothes.“How long was I out?”
“About fourteen hours.You collapsed in the central processing hub after we finished processing the last cyborg.”
Her eyes widened.“Fourteen hours?Daxon, why didn’t you wake me?”
I chuckled, the sound rumbling in my chest.“Because you needed the rest.You saved us, Alora.You saved the entire colony.”
She shook her head, her fingers finding mine in the dim morning light shining in through my window.“No,wesaved the colony.Together.”
Something fierce and possessive surged through me as I looked at her.This brilliant, stubborn woman had stood beside me through everything.She’d fought for me even when I couldn’t remember her.With her, I felt like I could take on anything.The universe itself wouldn’t stand a chance against us.
“Together,” I agreed, pressing my lips to her temple.“We’re unstoppable when we work as one.”
Her full lips curved into a smile that caused my heart to race.“Anyone who messes with us is in for a serious reality check.”
“Damn right,” I growled, pulling her closer.“You make me stronger, Alora.Better in every way.”
We untangled ourselves from the sheets and each other, and I led her to my small bathroom.We shed our clothes slowly and deliberately—not with the frantic passion of the other night, but with a reverent care.Under the warm spray of the shower, I washed her hair, my fingers massaging her scalp while she sighed and leaned into my touch.
“Turn around,” she instructed softly, taking the soap from my hands.
I complied, closing my eyes as her hands moved across my shoulders and down my back, gentle yet firm.This intimacy—just touching and being—felt more profound than I could have imagined.No rush, no urgency—just us.
“I never thought I would have this,” I admitted as we held each other under the cascading water.
“Have what?”Her voice was muffled against my chest.
“Peace.”The word felt strange on my tongue but utterly right.“With you, I’m not fighting anything—not myself, not my programming.I just… am.”
She looked up at me, droplets clinging to her eyelashes.“That might be the most beautiful thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
I leaned down and captured her lips with mine, tasting the clean water mingled with something uniquely Alora.Her body pressed against me, all soft curves against my hard planes.My hands slid up her back, tangling in her wet hair as I deepened the kiss.
For years, I’d functioned on pure logic and duty.Emotions were complications—variables that couldn’t be properly calculated.Yet here, with Alora’s skin against mine, I understood something profound.Feelings weren’t weaknesses.They were connections that anchored me to something real.
“I want to memorize every moment with you,” I whispered against her mouth.“Every expression, every laugh, and every whisper.”
Alora’s fingers traced the scars near my temple, her touch gentle yet electric.“You’re becoming a poet,” she teased, though her eyes held something serious.“I like this side of you.”
“I have many sides I want to show you,” I growled, pressing her back against the shower wall.Water cascaded down between us.“Not all of them are this gentle.”
Her pupils dilated, darkening those storm-gray eyes.“Promise?”
I laughed—a real laugh that rumbled from deep in my chest.It was still strange, this unfettered expression of joy.Before Alora, laughter had been an odd human behavior I’d observed but rarely experienced.
“I promise,” I vowed, my voice dropping to a possessive register.“Starting tonight.”
Her smile was both shy and wicked—a contradiction that echoed my own evolution from rigid logic to embracing these chaotic, beautiful emotions.
