Quinn was staring at him when the Erados, his flagship, started to emerge from the wormhole. It was always the trickiest part of the journey, most dangerous to the ship and everyone in it.

Bending time and space to move around in the galaxy wasn't the safest way to travel, but it had kept Luminos safely hidden for the entirety of the Nayanor existence. The planet was the only one in the region that was habitable, perfectly situated between a cluster of stars. If it would have been a bit closer to any one of them, there would never have been any civilization born in that part of the galaxy.

It was also the reason why the Galactic Union's scans had never found them. No heat signature showed when Luminos was in the shadow of a star so gigantic their people hadn't invented numbers to describe it.

As the Erados emerged from the wormhole, guided by the expert hand of Rhys' pilot, artificial night had fallen on the ship.

"Do I have a choice in this?" Quinn asked, looking at him with the smile that had stayed on her face ever since they emerged from the bath, more familiar with each other's bodies.

The harbinger had to exercise every last bit of his self-control not to fuck her right there. His fated was calling to him with a power that wasn't in his nature to resist, even if he'd wanted to, which Rhys didn't. The need to hold Quinn against him grew by the second, which was why it was so easy to reply.

"Not really," he told her. "My bed is yours now. It's big enough for both of us."

"I can see that," Quinn said, coming closer, wrapped in the cloth he'd provided for her. "That's not the problem."

She let her hand glide over the soft sheets as Rhys watched her, amused.

"If I should ever see Terra again, I will definitely tell them to start equipping their ships better," Quinn said, glancing at him, unable to hide her enjoyment. "I don't know how many women are seduced by your warriors, but I'm definitely getting some signals from these sheets. If they were a man, they'd buy me a drink."

Rhys leaned against the wall, dressed in nothing but a pair of boxers and a large open shirt, watching her with interest.

"Forget Terra," he told his fated. "Luminos is your home now, or wherever I am."

"So you keep telling me," Quinn replied, apparently deciding to ignore her captivity for as long as possible. "Can I send them a memo, then?"

Rhys laughed.

"Not if you say it helps us make you see the bonds are real and that we belong together," he replied.

"I wouldn't confuse comfort with love," Quinn told him.

"No," Rhys agreed, taking a step toward her, making Quinn jump away from the bed like it had stung her. "I don't. But I won't refuse you the comforts you desire."

"You know what that is?" Quinn asked, her sharp blue eyes keeping him firmly in her sights. "That's a really nicely wrapped gift, only to find that it comes with a price. I won't be bought with some soft linens and a nice bath. It takes a lot more than that to create an actual relationship and on Terra, one of the basics is that one half of the couple doesn't kidnap the other."

She took a breath.

"But if you admit that the purpose of this is merely to make babies, I'll –"

"Be more inclined?" Rhys asked, grinning, knowing the answer already.

Quinn snorted.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I was going to say that at least then you'd be honest with me, which is a good basis for something, at least. That way, I'd know what's waiting for me, if nothing else."

"You'd still say no?" Rhys pointed out, making it a question.

"Of course," Quinn said. "Would that make a difference to you?"

Rhys didn't answer that. Forcing a female wasn't something a Nayanor did, but the point remained. They didn't bring females to Luminos to ask them if they wanted to be there. It was clear most of them didn't. Even so, it was generally agreed and hoped that the fated couples would work things out between them in a natural way.

The truth was that no one knew. The fated bond was sacred and private, no one's business but those who belonged to it.

"When I fuck you, you'll be begging me for it," Rhys said, seeing the way Quinn's body shivered when he spoke. "And if you ever, by the grace of gods, bear our sons, you will do so because you want to."

Quinn was looking at him, searching his face for the truth again. Rhys wondered if she'd ever stop doing that, but he supposed she had no reason to trust him.

For his part, he couldn't keep his eyes away from her. After the incident in the docking bay, Quinn had slowly become happier, coming out of her shell. Now she stood in front of him, her soft golden blonde hair still wet, clinging to her neck and shoulders. The blue eyes were watching him like a predator bird, trying to gauge the answers she sought after.

The cloth she was wearing was red with copper patterns, his colors. It looked like a long, flowing dress around her amazing body and Rhys imagined how easy it would have been to pull it away from her.

"Do you expect me to believe you?" Quinn was asking, still keeping herself carefully covered.

"I expect you to sleep," Rhys said, not letting her back away from him this time.

"With you," Quinn confirmed.

Rhys pulled at the cloth and it went tumbling to the floor, sliding out of Quinn's grasping hands. She was left standing in front of him only in her underwear that was see-through after their shared bath. Quinn's mouth opened and closed to, undoubtedly, snap something at him, but Rhys didn't give her the time.

He pressed his mouth on hers, cradling her soft, curvy body against his, loving every second of holding his fated like that. The harbinger was taken aback by how much he wanted more. No female had ever had such an effect on him, but then again, none of them ever could be his fated mate.

"You really do get to your point fast," Quinn whispered against his lips when she pulled away, panting softly.

"Funny," Rhys replied, running his hands over her soft, warm skin. "I was just wondering why is it that you have to fight me on every matter, forcing me to repeat myself."

"Is this about the sleeping arrangement again?"

Rhys released her, gesturing to the bed.

"You are my fated," he said. "This is where you sleep from now on. I suggest you don't choose to sleep on the floor. Exiting the wormhole, which we will be doing as soon as the pilot can, will be especially rocky for the ship."

"Safer in your arms?" Quinn guessed and he could see her reluctance melting away once more.

"Among other things," Rhys said, pushing her toward the bed gently.

Quinn landed on the bed, her eyes wide. The harbinger climbed on top of her, kissing her deeply. His fated didn't struggle this time.

"You said sleep," she said, protesting weakly.

"And we will," Rhys said, hearing her shallow breathing, looking into her flushed face. "Do you feel particularly sleepy right now? I don't hear a denial from you."

He pushed his hands up her body, coming to grab and fondle her breasts, hearing Quinn moan at that.

"Don't – she whispered.

"Don't what?" Rhys asked with a grin, his deep voice bringing goosebumps to Quinn's flesh, kissing his way up her belly to the dip between her plump breasts.

"Don't stop."