Page 90 of Taming Chaos

Like Kordolians.

The Kordolian in him didn’t feel any innate sympathy or remorse for these golden-skinned barbarians, but the scholar in him—he who had read and studied and absorbed the histories of countless civilizations—knew that what he’d done was wrong. Torin had always thought that by training his mind, by educating himself, he could overcome his hard-wired instincts, but the events on the Skalreg Va had proven him oh-so wrong.

That was, and would forever be, his paradox.

“Does that make me a sociopath in human terms?” he’d asked her at one point, needing a dose of her womanly wisdom.

“No,” she’d replied without hesitation. “The fact that you’re even asking me that question means you definitely aren’t a sociopath. Don’t be silly, Torin.”

“Oh.” And once again, he’d been left to ponder the duality of his very own existence.

Ponder, but not worry. He didn’t need to change a thing. If his darkness meant he could protect Seph, he would embrace it, just as she had.

His attention was diverted by the soft sound of footsteps.

“Torin, what are you doing up there?” Seph emerged with her hair puffed around her head like an ephemeral crimson crown. She dragged her fingers through the tangled mess in an unsuccessful attempt to tame it as she walked toward him, her bare feet making gentle imprints in the sand.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he muttered. That was okay, though, because Kordolians seemed to need a lot less sleep than humans. “I thought I’d just come out and keep watch.” He rose to his feet and jumped off the sloping roof, landing in the dust beside her. A surprised gasp escaped her lips as Torin slid his hands around her waist. “Sometimes, I just like to watch the stars.” He kissed her on her head, burying his nose in her hair. No matter what she did, Seph always smelled good.

“I couldn’t sleep either. It’s been two weeks since we landed, and we haven’t heard anything. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“They will come.” Torin pulled her close, enjoying the contours of her body.

“I hope it’s soon, because I can’t live on those dreadful protein mix bars forever.” She made a face.

“They will come,” Torin repeated, not a single shred of doubt in his mind. The General never left any member of his team behind.

He stepped back, taking time to study her lovely face, appreciating the way the moonlight cast a gentle pink glow across her features.

Slowly, the anxiety melted from her.

“Do not worry, Persephone. We are safe here. There is food and water, and the outpost is impenetrable to all forms of attack.” Unable to help himself, he slid his hands over the soft curves of her ass. His erection was there again. Impossible female. She always did this to him. “They will come, but in the meantime, there are plenty of ways to pass the time.”

She raised her eyebrows archly. “You don’t say?”

“I do say.” With his arousal building, Torin spun her around, curled his arm around her waist, and led her inside. The facility was quiet, the Veronians fast asleep in another section. They passed dark rooms filled with weapons, supplies, and tech gear, until they reached the small sleeping chamber at the back. Torin had figured out how to set the machine-lighting to a soft blue glow all around the facility, allowing Seph to see in the darkness.

“I guess sometimes insomnia can have its benefits too,” she said dryly as he pulled her into the sleeping pod, his bare hands roaming all over her semi-naked body. In the dry, dusty heat of Bartharra, there was little need for clothing, and Seph wore only her bra and a long military-issue undertunic Torin had found in one of the storage compartments.

“That it can,” Torin murmured as he lay her down, bringing himself over her luscious body. He leaned in and kissed her fiercely, still not quite believing how lucky he was.

He had found his mate.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

In the dim, cocoon-like sleeping pod, Seph felt cozy and safe and warm. After encountering such terror in space, the remote Kordolian outpost in the Bartharran desert was a blessing, because here, it was peaceful. The petty irritations of Earth—the Federation, that asshole Markov, her disgraced academic record—seemed a billion light-years away.

Still, she missed her home planet, and she had no choice but to believe help was coming. Torin kept her nerves at bay by filling almost every waking minute of her life with himself.

That was perfectly fine with Seph. She stared up at him, not quite believing he was hers.

Restored to his full physical prime, he was a sight to behold. Glistening silver skin, the body of a fucking god, hair spun from the stars, and eyes of brilliant fire, he was truly etched from her deepest fantasies.

Wild. Dangerous. Hers.

Holy hell, Seph. What have you done?

No… he was the one who had fought tooth and nail to keep her.

---