When I flick my tongue, she lets out a whimper and grips the back of my neck. I smile at the reaction and teasingly graze my fangs over her flesh. The rolling pleasure I feel through our connection is remarkable. It is as if the pleasure comes from a body part I did not know I had. There is so much more to the Zhyrrak than I was ever told. It is remarkable.
“You taste like home,” I rumble as I grip the hem of her dress and start to pull it over her head. Pain shoots up my side with the movement, but the sight of Amara, fully bare, makes me quickly forget the discomfort. I run my fingers down her abdomen and watch enrapt as small bumps rise on her skin in the wake of my touch. At the apex of her thighs, there is a patch of dark fur that I drag my claws through. “Gods, I love your body.”
Her fingers trail over my shoulders with the lightest touch. “More,” she whispers, before kissing the side of my neck and licking her way up to my ear.
I tremble when she drags her teeth over my earlobe, and my cock strains painfully against my leathers.
She moves to lower herself back into my lap, but I stop her. The thin grasp I have on my control is quickly waning.
Take her.
Gripping her hips, I stand, spin, and lay her on the bed. More pain stabs through me, but I ignore it.
“You’re going to hurt yourself,” she protests as she props herself on her elbows and watches me stand. Her tongue flicks out to wet her lips, and my knees go weak.
I take a step back, breathing deeply, drinking in the sight of her, and working to cage the darkness in me.
“I am not as breakable as you seem to think,” I pant.
She gives me a lopsided grin. “I never said you were breakable.”
Her body is a flawless feast for my eyes—every curve, every dimple, every rise and fall is absolute perfection. Her unwrapped knee is still stained with my blood; dark hair a mess of tangles and waves; pale skin flush with arousal. She is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen—laid bare in the middle of this nightmare like a shining beacon of light.
I have no idea how we ended up here. Somehow, in the worst moment of my life, the gods sent me a beacon. “You are perfect,” is all I can say.
“Then why are you still up there?”
“I am admiring you,” I answer, unwilling to share the truth of my distance.
She bites her bottom lip while her eyes dance over me. “How does all of this feel so right?” she asks, kicking off her shoes. “I don’t even know you, but I … it’s hard to explain. You’re just… Fuck.” Her words are fractured and confused, but I understand her meaning.
Unable to resist the pull any longer, I climb onto the bed and lie by her side. For some reason, I still feel hesitant to touch her, but she smiles, and my apprehension melts. “We wouldn’t be bonded if we weren’t made for each other,” I say, running my fingers down her exposed stomach and watching a shudder roll beneath her skin.
“Why do you say that?” she asks, turning on her side to face me.
I ghost a thumb over her lips. “Because your lips are the color of my favorite food, you smell like my favorite place, you look like the Goddess of War, and I have never seen someone more beautiful or fierce than you.”
Her eyes go wide, and I kiss away her surprise, needing her mouth on mine, but I am forced to pull back when her handslides down to the waistband of my leathers. I catch her hand and guide it back to my chest. I cannot lose control with her, and if I remove the last layer between us, I will.
“Shit. I’m sorry. This is all moving too fast, isn’t it?” She looks troubled as she tries to sit.
“No,” I say, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back down with me. “I just want to learn your body first. I want to give you pleasure. I want to know you.”
“And you don’t want me to do the same with you?”
“You have worked hard enough today. Let me do this for you,” I nearly beg. It is not the best excuse, but it is better than saying, “There is a darkness inside me that wants to do horrible things, and I do not want it to harm you.”
She pauses for a beat and raises a single brow. “Do you know what you’re doing?” The question is playful but honest. I know very little about pleasuring a female, and if it weren’t for my brother Steinarr, I would be completely lost. Fortunately, Steinarr has taken his vow far less seriously than the rest of my siblings and enjoys sharing more details than he probably should. But that is not my only source of knowledge.
“Did you forget I can feel your pleasure?” I ask, as I throw a leg over her body and pin her hands above her head.
She lets out a puff of air. “Well, it certainly seems like you know what you’re doing.” Her eyes trace a path down my body with hungry intent, and I love it. Others have looked at me this way before, and it always felt … uncomfortable. But not with her.
Vok, this is going to be impossible.
I lower my face to her neck, running my tongue over her thudding pulse. “I will need you to guide me.” I nip her ear. “To tell me what I am doing right. But first, I would like to tell you the story of the Zhyrrak.” It is important for her to know. To give her context. Explain why she feels the way she does.
“Story time? Now?” she asks, exasperated.
