The drain cycled between us as we moved together, her Essentia flowing into me like warm honey while mine fed back through the connection in waves. The mutual exchange had become easier with practice. Less overwhelming. More controlled.
Her hands worked at my belt. Mine found the waistband of her shorts. Clothes disappeared into the darkness until there was nothing between us but skin and heat and the electric hum of shared power.
"Wait," she said suddenly.
I froze. "What?"
"Nothing's wrong." She shifted beneath me, adjusting our angle. "I just wanted to see your face."
"Why?"
"Because you look different when you're like this. Less guarded. Almost human."
"I am human."
"Debatable." She wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled me closer. "But I like you anyway."
The first time we'd done this, it had been fast and desperate and driven by the system's requirements. The second time had been slower. More intentional. By now we'd found a rhythm that worked for both of us.
