The air between them pulsed with heat and silence. Stillness wrapped around them like a cocoon, holding them in that fragile, tender place where the kiss had just been, where everything had just changed. Mae's breath shuddered softly. Her heart raced, not from fear, but from the raw weight of what just happened, and what didn't.
Ashar was still close. So close. His hand lingered at her neck, thumb tracing the edge of her jaw like he was memorizing the moment.
And then, he whispered. "I'm sorry." The words broke the silence like ripples in water, gentle, but deep. Mae blinked, confused. "For what?" His gaze dropped to her lips, then back to her eyes. "That." A pause. "I've wanted to do that since the auction. I want to do more, but we can't. " Her breath caught in her throat. Her lips still tingled where his sking touched. "When you looked at me." His fingers flexed slightly. "It felt like I heard you, not out loud. But in my mind. You said 'come here.' Like you wanted me beside you."
Mae's eyes widened, lips parting. "I-" Her voice barely made it past her lips. "I was thinking that." She blinked rapidly, stunned. "I did want you closer. I felt, safe. Like I needed you next to me. Like the only way I would be okay in that moment" Her voice dropped, soft. "Now I know why." She leaned forward, hesitant, lips brushing his again, a whisper of a kiss, not something she did voluntarily and just as she realized it.
He pulled back. Not roughly. Not like rejection. But with care. A hand at her cheek, stopping her. Breathing ragged. "We can't. As bad as I want too.. We can't."
Mae froze, confused. "What?" Ashar looked away for the first time, his jaw tight.
"It's not that I don't want to." His voice was low, rough with restraint. "It's, my species. The way we reproduce, it's not like yours." Her brows furrowed. "Meaning?"
He exhaled hard. "The connection, it doesn't require traditional triggers. Not always. A bond, true, spiritual, instinctive, can initiate the process. If it's strong enough, conception can happen through touch. Proximity. Even thought." Mae blinked, stunned. "Wait. You're saying-" He nodded once. "I think we already passed that threshold. If I heard you, without words," He met her gaze, unflinching now. "We're already bonded."
Silence fell again, but this time it rang with meaning. With implications. With reality.
Mae leaned back, her expression caught between awe and fear. "How deep does the connection have to be for that to happen?" Ashar's answer was immediate. Quiet. Steady. "This deep." He gestured to the space between them, the nonexistent space.
"We've crossed it." She stared at him, absorbing the truth. Her heartbeat pounded like thunder in her ears.
Pregnant. Just from this? A kiss? The thoughts? The bond? Ashar's voice gentled. "I won't risk putting you in danger. Not until we know what you are. What that would do to you." Mae bit her lip. Swallowed. Then nodded, slowly. She felt a sensation rush through her, at the thought of it. "Yeah, okay. That's probably smart." A soft, almost-awkward laugh escaped her. "I don't think I want to end up pregnant from our first kiss-"
She paused, glancing at him. "Even if, I didn't want it to stop." He smiled then. Just a little. A shadow of something warmer beneath the surface.His smile sent a chill down her spine. How can he be so perfect all the time was something she kept asking herself. Mae watched him, wondering how one simple kiss could lead to that. She was a virgin, oblivious to human relations, this made it more confusing. More interesting. More, wanted. "I didn't either Mae."
And somehow, that made it worse. She knew what would happen. Why they can't.
And it made it better at the same time. She wanted it. To taste him. They didn't kiss again. They sat there looking at each other, not saying a word. Their bond growing deep without knowledge of it happening. They sat there, shoulders touching, silence stretching, hearts pounding in rhythm, until sleep eventually came. It took some time but when it did. They didn't dream alone. Side by side they fell asleep. Mae first then Ashar. When they fell asleep, they made sure they wern't touching.
Finally Mae could got some needed sleep. And felt safe with Ashar beside her.