He’d heard the stories. His own parents had been true mated—Luminance was rare now, but it happened. Just never with another species. Never like this.
His body pulsed with demand. The fever climbed.
He clenched his fist around the glove.Ridiculous.This had to be atmospheric. Altitude or air pressure or something that made sense.
Not mate fever. That was impossible.
He turned back toward the house. Each step took more effort than the last, his body swaying as dizziness crept in. The wind tore at him. Snow blinded him. But he pushed forward, drawn by something he refused to name.
When he finally reached the door, he hit it with his shoulder, barely staying upright.
It opened. Her scent wrapped around him—delicious and warm like that drink she’d made. He groaned, stumbling inside.
Small hands steadied him. Her face swam in his vision.
“Maelic?” Her voice pitched high with worry.
“Glove.” He thrust the damp fabric at her.
“Oh my god! Are you okay? Get in here.”
She ignored the glove entirely, maneuvering him deeper inside instead. He leaned against the wall, fighting to keep his weight off her. He’d already pinned her once. Crushed her against the barn in his feral state.
Enough shame for one rotation.
“Thank you.” Her voice softened. Those pale brown eyes searched his face, wide with concern he recognized even through the haze.
He grunted, swallowing hard against the nausea churning in his gut.
He barely registered being led up the stairs. Tried not to lean on her, but his body had other ideas. Her warmth pressed againsthis side, and he clamped his free hand over his neck, fighting to keep his lumin glands from releasing.
This wasn’t good.
She was taking him to her nest.
The realization hit as she opened a door to a small room. The bed dominated the space, covered in a chaotic spread of blankets and pillows. But goddess, the scent—
His cock went rigid. His coremata pulsed, seed threatening to spill right there. He groaned.
Delaney patted his arm, oblivious. “It’s okay, it’s probably just a fever? You were out there a while, and with no coat… I can’t believe you went out there to get that glove. I can’t believe I even let you.”
She helped him down to the bed. He clenched his fists to keep from reaching for her curves.
“Think nothing of it,” he grumbled as she pushed him back into the mattress. He pulled his wings tight—flexible enough to tuck beneath him, unlike many other winged species. As long as they weren’t restrained at odd angles, he could rest like this comfortably.
He looked ridiculous sprawled across the small square of mattress. Humans had odd tastes.
That scorching heat flamed in his gut at the thought oftastesandhumans. She’d worried he wanted to eat her, hadn’t she? Now that the image was in his mind, he considered it… just not the way she had implied.
He took a breath to steady himself. Mistake. All he did was inhale more of her scent. He wasn’t even sure if humans possessed pheromones, but whatever it was ignited something primal in him.
He’d never gone into rut. Not once. Stars, he’d never even taken a female to bed. His brow furrowed. Mate fever wasn’t supposed to be this intense, was it? But he’d missed the years when he should have been learning these things—had been off-world with Katan instead. How would he know what was normal?
Delaney was speaking. He blinked, shook his head.
“Apologies.” His antennae flicked in appeasement.
“I said, let me make you some food. It should be okay… I don’t know what aliens like to eat. But a broth made from meat and bones would be fine, yeah?”
