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Elian's eyes flew open as strong arms encircled him, lifting him from the ground. He found himself pressed against Rael's powerful chest, the alien's intoxicating scent enveloping him.
"Rael..." Elian breathed, scarcely able to believe this was real. He was alive. They were both alive.
Rael cradled him close, his fingers deftly undoing the ropes binding Elian. "You're safe now, my love. I've got you."
The moment the bonds fell away, Elian flung his arms around Rael's neck, clinging to him with every ounce of his being. He buried his face in the crook of Rael's shoulder, shuddering with the force of his relief.
"Rael, Rael..." His name was a prayer, a benediction on Elian's lips.
Rael held him just as fiercely, one hand cradling the back of Elian's head. When they finally drew apart, just enough to look into each other's eyes, Elian saw a whirlwind of emotions in Rael's blazing gaze.
Anger. Fear. Desperation. And beneath it all, an emotion so profound it stole Elian's breath away.
"Why?" Rael's voice was a low rumble, his green eyes colored with anguish. "Why did you run from me?"
Elian's heart clenched. He pressed his forehead to Rael's, struggling to find the words. "I had to. If I stayed... every Borraq would be against you for sheltering an enemy. I couldn't let you ruin your life like that." He trailed off, his throat tight.
Rael's fingers tightened in Elian's hair, forcing their gazes to meet again. "You think I care about the opinions of others?" he growled. "You are mine, Elian. My mate, my heart, my everything. I will fight the entire planet to keep you safe and by my side. Never doubt that."
The intensity in Rael's eyes sent a shiver down Elian's spine. He saw the truth burning there, bright and undeniable.
Slowly, Rael's expression softened, the hard lines of his face relaxing into something infinitely tender. "But I will not have to fight, not for this. My clan... they will see how precious you are. How brave and loyal. They will welcome you, just as I have welcomed you into my heart."
Elian's breath caught in his throat. A clan. Somewhere he might finally belong.
A family.
"I want that," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "More than anything."
Rael's smile was like the rising sun, bright and radiant. "Then it's yours, my heart. All of it is yours."
Their lips met in a searing kiss, all the passion and desperation of the past few days pouring out between them. Elian clung to Rael, drinking him in like a man dying of thirst. He'd thought he'd thrown this away, thrown away the one beautiful thing he'd managed to find in the midst of so much chaos and pain.
But now, with Rael's arms around him and the heat of his mouth claiming Elian as his own, he knew he'd never let it go again.
When they finally parted, gasping for air, Elian looked up at Rael with shining eyes. "I love you," he said simply, the words carrying all the weight of his soul.
Rael's smile was impossibly tender as he traced the line of Elian's jaw. "And I love you, my mate. My Elian."
He turned to face the rising dawn sun. "Let's go home."
Epilogue
The deep wilderness of Vasz was like nothing else. The Borraq homeland was a place of strange beauty, all soaring cliffs and deep valleys, thick forests and rushing rivers. The trees were like nothing on Earth, their broad leaves a deep blue that drank in the light of Vasz's twin suns.
Elian was just a small figure in that vast landscape, a slender human in a world that wasn't made for humans.
And in the middle of that landscape was Rael's village.
Elian was perched high on a platform, working on the intricate electronics of a broken radio. Over the past few months that he'd been there, tinkering had been a daily task, something to keep his mind busy.
He might not have the strength of the Borraq, but he was smart. He'd found ways to be useful, ways to carve out a space for himself in a world that was never meant for his kind.
Below him, the sounds of the clan drifted up from the open courtyard at the base of the platform. Rael's home was a place of constant activity, filled with the deep voices of the Borraq.
A pair of them were working on a garden, carefully tending to plants that were just as alien as the rest of the world. Near the garden, a group of warriors were going through their drills, their weapons flashing in the sunlight. A pair of thick-bodied cooks were arguing good-naturedly about something by the entrance to the communal kitchen, their deep laughter booming out.
Elian looked away from the sight and focused on his work, screwdriver in hand. The electronics were a delicate thing, and he had to be careful with them. Despite their species using plenty of advanced technology at the front lines, it was clear that most Borraq that lived on Vasz never used technology that was this complicated — or this finicky to repair.
