“Careful,” he murmured, the rumble of his voice tickling my palms.
As I eased away, sparks of electricity crackled between us, sending a jolt of intense energy through my body. A charged connection lingered in the air as I struggled to maintain a semblance of composure. “Thank you,” I managed to say.
We moved on, Zikkar a silent guardian flanking my side, scanning the underbrush for the plants I sought. Each step I took felt heavy, laden with an unspoken tension. My skin tingled where his hands had touched me, and I was acutely aware ofevery movement he made: the shifting of his muscles on his bare chest and arms, the occasional brush of his arm against mine.
For a nerdy tech guy, he moved with a primal grace, radiating raw power and sensuality. My core throbbed with a need that was as foreign as the world around me.
I trailed my fingers over a moss-covered trunk, its surface cool and slightly damp, a stark contrast to the warmth that radiated from Zikkar where he walked beside me. There was an undeniable beauty in the chaos of intertwined branches and vibrant blooms making up the jungle—a wild tapestry of life untamed. Yet, no matter how hard I tried to focus on the reason for our excursion, my senses kept straying back to him.
Amid our lush surroundings, my mind waged a silent war. There was a part of me that wanted to reach out, scratch this itch that was driving me to distraction. But if I sealed the deal with Zikkar and Gia was right, a matching shawra would form and I would be marked as his. Becoming Zikkar's spirit mate would mean embracing this world completely and forsaking all I had known, most especially my twin.
I wasn’t sure I was ready to let her go.
If he wasn’t meant to be mine, sex would forever change my friendship with him.
“Will you tell me more about what it means...to be a spirit mate?” I asked, my voice barely audible over the rustling leaves.
“Of course,” he said, pausing to look at me with a gravity that made my heart skip a beat. “It is a bond for life, one that intertwines complementary spirits. It’s not something entered into lightly.”
“Is it love?” The question slipped out before I could catch it.
“It’s more than that,” he said softly. “It is a union deeper than emotion. A sharing of life essence between two kindred spirits.”
I absorbed his words, letting them settle over me as we continued to collect seeds and select plants, filling the bag Zikkar carried. In his words, I heard the promise of something profound, but also the echo of loss, a surrender of what was once familiar.
“Look at this one,” I murmured, digging up a delicate white flowering plant with silver tips. The sparkling glow it emitted was enchanting, but even as I admired it, the energy coursing between us tugged at my attention like an insistent current. His presence was a magnetic force, pulling at the very core of me, and I struggled to keep my cool. My hand brushed against his as I passed the flower, and a spark of electricity shot up my arm. I swallowed hard, feeling my entire body flush with heat.
“Beautiful,” Zikkar agreed, carefully placing the flower inside the collection bag, though his silver eyes lingered not on the plant but on me. He seemed so attuned to every shift in my mood, every quickened breath. Could he sense the turmoil raging within me?
I glanced around, pretending to survey our surroundings, even as my heart pounded a frantic rhythm. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep my mind on the task at hand. Every scent, every sound in the jungle only served to remind me of Zikkar's nearness—the spicy aroma clinging to his vibrant scales, the gentle timbre of his voice. It was as if the jungle itself conspired to draw us closer, its lush embrace cocooning us in a world of our own making.
“Rowan?” His voice, laced with concern, pulled me from my thoughts.
“Um…I think we've gathered enough specimens for today,” I said hastily, maybe too quickly. My voice betrayed a tremor, revealing the tumultuous sea of desire I was desperately trying to navigate. “The garden will be brimming with what we’ve collected.” I gestured vaguely to the collection bag which was now bulging.
He nodded, his penetrating gaze drilling into mine as if he could read my thoughts.
“Let's head back,” I suggested, almost stumbling over a vine in my haste. My pulse raced for reasons beyond the exertion of our trek. As we made our way out of the jungle's embrace, I could feel the weight of his gaze on me, heavy with things unsaid. I knew then that the seeds we planted today would grow into something far more tangled and wild than I had anticipated.
Chapter Six
ZIKKAR
The air inside the dome was stifling despite my internal temperature lowering to compensate for the warmth inside. I barely recalled thanking Brunnex and Truxxet, the warriors who had guarded our backs, too enamored with Rowan to even think straight.
On the path leading to our huts, I trailed behind the female who had become a chasm in my self-control, each of my steps deliberate and silent like a predator stalking its prey, ready to pounce. Ready to lay claim to the fragrant blossom blooming between her thighs.
The open space where Rowan’s garden would flourish seemed to pulse with an unspoken promise. In the bag slung over my shoulder were seeds ready to be planted in fertile soil, mirroring my need to sow what leaked from the tip of my swollen member into her fragrant sex.
We knelt side by side, the bag of seeds and plants between us. My fingers trembled slightly as I reached in for a delicate sprout.Our hands met in the act, a touch fleeting yet charged with a current that stole my breath.
“Sorry,” I said, though my voice held no trace of apology, only an undercurrent of something erotic.
“It's fine,” she replied, taking the digging tool I handed her. Her smile quivered ever so slightly, her fragrance stronger than ever, cloaking me in a cocoon of incessant need. “How do we water everything once we’re finished planting?”
“There’s an underground hydration system running the whole of the city since rain cannot penetrate the dome.”
Rowan cast her eyes at the ceiling high above, then grinned at me. “Well, that’s way better than dragging out a garden hose.”
