Alien Guardian’s Vow by Ava York

They told me not to touch the ruins.
They didn’t say anything about touching him.
I came here to fix a broken system—
not to be trapped underground with a Nyxari warrior whose touch sets my skin on fire.
Varek is everything I shouldn’t want: sharp, disciplined, utterly off-limits.
He doesn’t trust me. I can’t afford to want him.
But when a collapsing ruin forces us closer, the tension between us burns hotter than the failing tech around us.
Every brush of his hand, every clash of wills, pulls me deeper into dangerous territory—
where survival means trusting him with my life…
and risking my heart for something even more perilous.
The world above us might be falling apart.
But down here, it’s not just the ruins breaking open—
it’s me.