Page 81 of Alien Devil's Shadow
“That was...” She couldn’t finish the sentence.
“I know.”
We lay tangled together, catching our breath. Her contentment. Her satisfaction. Her love. It was everything I’d ever wanted, but never could have imagined.
“Again?” she asked.
I laughed. Pulled out and flipped her over, pulling her hips up. “Again.”
Later,when the ship had gone quiet, we stood at the viewport and watched the stars.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“For what?”
“For seeing me. That first day, when I had a pulse rifle pointed at your chest. You saw me. Not a threat. Not an obstacle. Me.”
“I couldn’t look away.” I pulled her closer. “From the moment you said Torek’s name, I knew you were different. Special.”
“Torek would have wanted this.” She smiled, looking out at the stars. “His ghost and his farmer, saving each other.”
“Is that what we did?”
“Isn’t it?” She turned to face me. The black traceries on her skin caught the starlight. My marks. My mate. “I was alone for three years. Waiting for the end. And you gave me a beginning instead.”
I kissed her. Slow and deep and full of promise.
Outside the viewport, the universe stretched on forever. Billions of stars. Countless worlds. A future full of danger and hope in equal measure.
Somewhere out there, the Sovereign’s vault waited. The Conclave was still hunting us. The fight wasn’t over.
But right now, right here, I had everything that mattered.
“I love you,” I said.
“I love you, too.” She smiled, and the bond between us pulsed with warmth. “Now take me back to bed.”
I did.
The pieces are in place.It’s finally time.
Rylos has spent years as the leader. The strategist. The one who sacrifices everything and wants nothing for himself. He's watched every member of his team fall in love, told himself that's a luxury he can't afford, and kept his focus where it belongs: on the mission. On revenge.
Then she walks out of the enemy's inner circle with everything he needs to end this war.
She's sharp, dangerous, and she's been playing the long game just as long as he has. He doesn't trust her. She doesn't need him to. And the more time they spend planning the most impossibleheist of their lives, the harder it gets to remember why he's supposed to keep his distance.
The final target. The full crew assembled. And the one woman who can break through every defense he's ever built.
