“What’s wrong?” Zara asked, concern immediately replacing the desire in her voice.
I pulled my hand away and looked at it, expecting to see blood. But there was nothing.
“Oh my god,” Zara breathed, staring at my neck. “Torven, there’s something on your neck.”
I turned toward the window, using the reflection in the glass to see what she was seeing.
Dark, intricate markings had appeared along the left side of my neck, tracing down toward my collarbone in patterns that looked like ancient script or tribal designs. The marks were still forming, the pigment seeming to write itself across my skin in real time.
Mating marks.
The knowledge hit me like a lightning strike, bringing with it a clarity that was both terrifying and absolute. Zara was my mate. The female I’d been trying to keep at arm’s length, the brilliant scientist who challenged me and frustrated me and made me want to be better than I was—shewas the other half of my soul.
I looked at her, seeing her with new eyes. Every protective instinct I’d felt, every moment of desperate fear when I’d thought she might be in danger, every surge of attraction and affection—it all made sense now.
She reached out to touch the marks, her fingers tracing the patterns with gentle reverence. “They’re beautiful.”
“Rivers.” I caught her hand, pressing it flat against the marks. “Do you understand what this means?”
Her eyes widened. “Are they…?”
“They’re mating marks.You’remy mate.” My words came out rough with wonder.
“And you’re mine. It means we belong to each other.” Her voice was steady, sure.
The absolute certainty in her voice took my breath away. “How can you be so calm about this?”
“Because it feels right,” she said simply. “Because when I look at you, when I think about spending the rest of my life with you, it doesn’t scare me.” She smiled. “You’redefinitelyas interesting as atmospheric data to me.”
Maybe it wasn’t a conventional confession of love and devotion, but coming from Zara, there was no higher compliment. I pulled her against me, burying my face in her hair and breathing in her scent. Everything that had been chaotic and uncertain in my life suddenly felt like it had fallen into place. The mistakes of my past, the guilt I’d been carrying, the fear of failing someone I cared about—none of it mattered now.
What mattered was the human female in my arms and the marks on my neck that proclaimed to the universe that she belonged to me, and I to her.
“I’ll protect you,” I murmured against her ear. “No matter what happens, no matter what we face, I’ll keep you safe.”
“I know,” she whispered back. “And I’ll figure out how to get us home. We’re going to survive this, Torven. And you should probably start calling me by my first name, now.”
“I don’t know.” I held my mate in my arms, soaking in the warmth of her body and the steady beat of her heart. “I kind of like Rivers.”
“Fine.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve gotten used to it.”
For the first time since we’d crashed on this hostile planet, I felt like we might actually make it out alive.
Because now I had something worth living for.
Now I had something worth fighting for.
Now I hadher.
CHAPTER 10
ZARA
Istared at the dark, intricate patterns shifting down Torven’s neck and tried to process what had just happened to my life.
Mating marks.On my—on Torven. Because of me. Because we were apparently destined to be together for the rest of our lives, whether we’d planned it or not.
This was huge. This was life-altering, world-shifting, everything-I-thought-I-knew-about-my-future-is-now-different huge. If we survived this planet and made it back to civilization, my entire existence would be different. I wouldn’t be Dr. Zara Rivers, independent atmospheric scientist who lived alone and focused on her work. I’d be Dr. Zara Rivers, mate of a Destran transport captain, probably expected to live on his Sola and integrate into his society.
