As the rolling green clouds cleared and twinkling stars appeared in the blue velvet sky, Maxu described his whole life. Meg listened with an absent smile on her face. She loved the way his words reverberated through his chest, thrumming against her cheek.
Every bit of information he revealed was a puzzle piece, and as he told her more and more, the pieces finally began fitting together. His mother had died when he’d been too young to remember her, and his father had had a difficult time spreading affection between his six children. Though Maxu didn’t admit as much outright, it seemed as though he’d grown up very lonely.
It made sense he was so closed off and distrustful. He’d been relying on himself for so long, it was no wonder he didn’t care about anyone else. Meg kissed the underside of his jaw when he described the one temporary marriage he’d participated in and how awful it had made him feel.
When he couldn’t think of anything else to say, he asked about her life, and she told him everything, matching his raw honesty with tough admissions of her own. He wasn’t pleased with what she had to say—especially not the bits that involved Jeremy—but when she broke down while admitting how scared she was of Earth opening contact with Clecania, he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her close.
The warm cocoon of his embrace eased her worry. When Clecania made contact with Earth, she’d let her parents know she was safe. She even felt confident allowing them to have a relationship with her, but it would be on her terms this time. Whether they chose to accept that would determine how much a part of her life they’d be.
“I never want to lay eyes on them,” Maxu growled when she explained this.
Meg sniffed, wiping away a tear. “They aren’t bad people. I think they really believed they loved me in their own way. They’re just misguided, too focused on what they’ve been told and too insecure to question it.”
“You mean their religion?” he rumbled, recalling what she’d described concerning their ties to the Evangelical church.
“It’s not religion that’s the problem. Religion is a healing thing, and it’s used by so many people to spread happiness and love. But it’s like anything powerful, I guess. It can be used as a weapon too. My family and many of the people in my small town used it to control others. And Jeremy,” she sighed. “He’s just a product of it. I hope one day he’ll start thinking for himself. Maybe me going missing will push him to grow up. I doubt it. He didn’t really want to be married. That’s why I never felt much guilt about moving on when I was brought here.”
“He’s a fool,” Maxu growled. “He’d trample a brenti, then curse it for hurting his foot.”
Meg peeled herself away from Maxu and stared up at him with a confused grin. “What?”
His warm gaze roved over her body as she reclined on one hand. Goose bumps sprouted across her skin. “It’s a saying from my mother’s home planet.” Eyes riveted to the slice of skin showing at her belly, his large palm curled over her waist. “Brenti are creatures that flatten themselves over small pools of water. They’re spiny on top, so they hurt to step on. But Traxia is a very dry planet and finding a brenti means finding water. It’s a blessing.” His eyes lifted to her and grew warm with affection. “It means he’s a pishot who didn’t recognize the gift he’d been given.”
Meg smiled at that.
“I will not make the same mistake, vahpti,” Maxu rumbled, tightening his grip on her waist.
“Good.” Meg’s chest was tight, her lips twitching. With a laugh, she added, “I don’t get why you still call me a bug, though.”
Maxu’s face split, and he chuckled, pinching her chin with his thumb and forefinger. “You will always be buzzing about my head, vahpti, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Do you know what happens to the animals that have lived with vahpti for years when the insects die?”
Meg sat up, bringing her face close to his, and gave him a playful smile. “No. What?”
“They go mad.” He flashed his white teeth, eyes softening as they lingered on her mouth. “They grow so used to the sound that when it’s gone, the silence is unbearable. That’s how I would be without you. The world would turn off and I wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
“That’s so messed up,” she cried, all but swooning at the morbid idea of animals and their pests. How was he able to make something like that so romantic?
With a great exaggerated sigh and a sarcastic roll of the eyes, Maxu gestured to her, then himself. “Now you understand what it feels like to have a mate.”
She shoved against his shoulder, laughing and only managing to push herself back.
He lifted the iPod to her. “Play something for us now.”
***
Maxu’s chest was permanently expanded, warmth seeping from every pore. His mate was with him. He hadn’t scared her away, and he was confident he couldn’t. She was a fierce female.
Meg played him song after song, explaining the words when his translator couldn’t communicate their meaning, and sighed out a sweet sound of contentment when the thing she called a playlist ended.
While he fed the fire, she relaxed into the blankets. He stared down at her, loving the way her short, dark hair fell around her face. She bit her lip and grinned up at him. As though daring him to pounce, she slowly spread her bent knees wide and licked her lips. Maxu needed no more invitation.
He fucked her in the moonlight until she was sore and wrung out, then used his mouth to make her come until her legs were shaking and she was kicking him away with her feet on his shoulders.
Then he dragged her naked body into his arms, shielding her back from the cold with his body warmth, and whispered Vrulan folk tales into her ear until she drifted to sleep.
His whispers didn’t stop, though. He told her how smart and confident and capable he found her to be. How incredible she was. If he said it enough, perhaps it would leak into her subconscious and overshadow the harm her family had caused.
He whispered all the things she should’ve been told her whole life, hoping the words played out in her dreams. And before he shut his eyes, he admitted how deeply he loved her.
