"I know you stayed longer than you planned," I said, looking down at my hands, unable to meet his gaze. My vision blurred slightly, and I blinked hard, refusing to cry. "You have your life, your work aboard the ship. You don't have to—"
"Ruby."
The way he said my name—firm, almost commanding, but with a raw edge—made me stop mid-sentence and look at him.
His expression was intense, almost fierce, and something in his gaze made my breath catch.
"I don't want to leave," he said quietly, each word deliberate.
My heart flipped in my chest. "You... what?"
"I don't want to leave," he repeated, his voice rougher now, raw with emotion. His tail twitched, the tip curling anduncurling in a way that seemed almost nervous. "I don't want to go back to the Historia. I don't want to leave you and Teddy."
I stared at him, unable to form words, my mind trying to process what he was saying, what it meant.
"Ruby, I need to tell you something." He shifted closer, eliminating the small space between us, and his hand came up to cup my face, his palm warm against my cheek, his thumb brushing gently across my cheekbone. The touch was so tender it made my chest ache. "Back on Kwado, when I first saw you, when I first touched you, something happened to me."
"What do you mean?" My voice was barely a whisper.
His tail moved again, this time sliding closer to my leg, the tip brushing against my calf in a touch that felt intimate, meaningful.
"My tail," he said, his voice dropping lower. "It tingled. Like electricity running through it, like nothing I'd ever felt before. I've heard about it my whole life—stories, legends, warnings—but I never thought..." He paused, his honey-brown eyes searching mine with an intensity that made me feel exposed, vulnerable. "You're my mate, Ruby."
The world seemed to tilt sideways.
"Your... mate?"
"Yes." His hand was still on my face, his touch grounding me even as everything else spun out of control. "I knew it then. I've known it the whole time. And I tried to tell myself it didn't matter. That you might not want me, that you had your life here, and I had mine on the ship. But I can't do it anymore. I can't pretend. Craig's funeral reminded me just how short and precious life is, that we shouldn't waste time."
Tears streamed down my face now, hot and fast. I couldn't stop them. I didn't even try.
"Cristox—"
"I want to stay," he said, his voice fierce and certain, leaving no room for doubt. "I want to be here with you. With Teddy. I want to be your mate, Ruby. I want to be his father, if you'll let me. If he'll let me."
A sob broke free from my throat, raw and uncontrolled, and suddenly his arms were around me, pulling me against his chest. I buried my face in his shoulder, breathing in his scent while my body shook with the force of my emotions.
His arms tightened around me, and I felt his lips press against the top of my head, tender and loving.
I pulled back just enough to look up at him, and the expression on his face—the raw emotion, the vulnerability, the love shining in his eyes—took my breath away.
"Teddy's going to be so happy," I said, laughing through my tears, the sound watery but undeniably joyful. "He asked me if you could be his dad."
Cristox's eyes widened, his pupils dilating, and then something soft and almost broken crossed his face. "He did?"
"Yeah." I reached up to trace the line of his jaw with my fingertips, feeling the texture of his pelt, the warmth underneath my touch. "He loves you." I paused, my heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. "I love you too."
Something fierce and possessive flashed in his eyes, and then he was kissing me, deep and desperate and full of everything we'd been holding back. His tail wrapped around my leg, holding me close, claiming me, and I melted into him, surrendering completely to the heat building between us.
When we finally broke apart, both of us breathing hard, our foreheads pressed together, his voice came out rough and thick with desire. "I love you, Ruby. Goddess, I love you so much."
"Show me," I whispered, the words barely audible but unmistakable in their meaning.
His eyes darkened, his gaze turning molten, and a low growl rumbled in his chest that sent shivers down my spine. "Are you sure?"
"Yes,” I breathed, smiling. “I love you, Cristox."
He stood in one fluid motion, pulling me up with him, and I found myself pressed against his chest, my feet barely touching the ground. His mouth found mine again, hot and demanding, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding on as he carried me down the hallway.
