“Claim a man? No, not really. Or I don’t think so,” I said, confused. “They ask you out. Maybe take you to dinner. Eventually, if they’re serious and a lot of time has passed to get to know each other, they propose. But it’s not… instinctive.”
Sorcha gasped. “They ask you out?”
“They wish to take you places. Do fun things,” I clarified.
“They propose?” she asked next. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish. “With words? The males?”
I frowned. “Well, yeah. How else would they do it? I mean, I’ve heard about some grand gestures like putting a ring in a cake or skywriting, but it’s pretty much the same thing.”
Catriona cut in, her tone sharper. “So, you expect a man who’s interested in you to make it clear. To ask you to be his mate?”
“Yes.” I hesitated, catching the weight of her question. “Why do you two look like I said puppies on Earth have two heads? Isn’t that normal dating practice here?”
“For you, maybe.” Catriona’s eyes narrowed slightly, studying me. “For us, Resonance speaks louder than words.”
“Resonance?” I asked, feeling a prickle of unease. Addan’s father introduced himself as Fiona’s Resonant.
I was about to find out what that meant. Was it an alien thing?
“Resonance,” Catriona repeated. “When an Insuri female is in the presence of her perfect mate, her body reacts. It’s… undeniable. The pull, the desire. That’s how we know who we belong to. Once Resonance happens, there’s no turning back. The bond must be honored. Denying it can cause physical pain.”
I froze. When I first arrived on Insuri… when I’d been on my knees beneath Addan’s desk.
Am I your Resonant? Is this a claiming?
He’d asked me that, but I’d been too overwhelmed by transporting and being shot at to understand his question. I’d ignored it because of being so horny for his big cock.
Oh shit. The ache I’d felt since meeting Addan… the way my body reacted to his presence…the way I couldn’t stop thinking about him…couldn’t stop wanting him. His touch. His kiss. His cock inside me.
Even now, my mouth watered, and my pussy clenched in want.
“Wait,” I said slowly, my pulse quickening. “You’re saying…your bodies decide for you?”
“It’s not just physical,” Catriona said, her voice softer now. As if she dreamed about meeting her Resonant since she was a little girl. To find her Prince Charming. “It’s deeper. Resonance means you’ve found the one who completes you. It’s rare. Not everyone experiences it.”
“I want that,” Sorcha whispered to herself.
“Which is why the royals have the rule about taking a mate if you haven’t found your Resonant by a certain age,” Catriona clarified.
Sorcha shrugged, oblivious to the undercurrent passing between me and her sister. To my roiling thoughts.
“And some of us have.” Catriona’s gaze met mine, sharp and knowing, and I felt the heat creep up my neck. My heart pounded as memories of Addan filled my mind—his mouth on my pussy, his scent driving me crazy, the way his gaze seemed to pierce straight through me. The fact that no matter how many freaking orgasms I had, it was never enough. I always wanted more.
Not from just anyone, though. I wasn’t running around the place looking at every guy with a dick like I wanted them to fuck me. Because I didn’t. I only wanted one man. One alien.Naked. Inside me. Addan consumed my thoughts. My dreams. Everything.
Oh, no.
I knew exactly what she was saying.
Did Addan know he was mine? Was that why he asked me if I was “claiming him”? Did he want me to claim him? Or was he simply doing his duty, as all males on Insuri did, and giving me what he thought I needed because he was a good little soldier? Like he had the night before, trying to gently fuck the queen. As if.
Was he doing it because any guy I asked on this planet would “service” any female in need of a good orgasm? God, he’d used that word.
Service. We’d even argued about it. He’d even insisted that I order him to make me stop thinking last night. He had. Holy shit. I could barely walk when I woke up this morning. But was he doing it because he wanted me? Or because it was his job? Ugh!
Sorcha tilted her head. “Are you all right, Paige? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I forced a laugh, shaking my head. “I’m fine. Just… it’s a lot to take in.”
