She met his eyes and inhaled sharply.His gaze had turned into liquid silver, his teeth sharp and menacing.He was neither human nor from Earth.Despite the danger his appearance suggested, her desire only grew stronger.She tightened her hold on him intentionally, embracing the newfound power she felt."What about kissing?"she whispered against his neck, her lips leaving a trail of heat on his skin.
Krevan's breath caught."Your mouth...it's all I think about."
"But you said something before—about being careful."Her fingers traced his collarbone as his muscles tensed beneath her touch.
"On Triaxe, we only share our mouths with our mates," he said, jaw clenched with restraint.
Ancelin's eyes locked with his as she leaned in until their lips nearly touched."Then what am I to you?"she asked, close enough to feel his fangs graze her bottom lip.
"I kissed you because I intended to mate with you, and now you are my mate, so I continue to kiss you."Krevan wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, almost as if he feared she might escape his admission.
"Your mate?"Ancelin's eyes widened, the water rippling around her as she shifted back slightly.
Krevan's golden skin flushed darker."On Triaxe, kisses and held hands are reserved for mates alone.Physical intimacy can happen without mating, but affection..."His fingers tightened on her hips."I've never desired to show tenderness to any female before you.Not even my wife."
"You were married?"she whispered.
"Yes, we were joined, but not as true mates."His eyes lingered on the place where water and foam concealed their almost-connected bodies."When we were together that first time—when I finished within you—it created a natural bond.That's why kissing is possible between us.My body has made yours immune to the poison in my kiss."
"A natural bond?"The syllables felt heavy on her tongue as understanding washed over her."What about your wife?Is she still...?"
"She died," he said, voice empty of emotion as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I'm sorry for your loss."
"It's fine," Krevan said more assertively."She was a complete slut.I never wanted to marry her anyway.It was an arranged marriage, something my grandfather insisted on," Krevan expressed with such intensity that it made Ancelin momentarily uneasy.She fell silent, and Krevan seemed to realize his strong reaction had unsettled her."I'm sorry, Ancelin.I didn't mean to respond so harshly.I don't mind sharing this with you.Please, don't be frightened of me.I'm sorry if I sound bitter.I have my reasons," Krevan sighed, his face reflecting distress."Feel free to ask me anything.Forgive me if talking about her makes me irritable."Then, Krevan kissed her deeply.
In haste, he stood up in the bathtub, holding her closely while they were still intimately connected.Water dripped from their bodies.Stepping out of the tub, he laid her down on the plush bathroom mat.Gently lowering himself onto her, he began to move rapidly within her."I couldn’t wait.I needed to speed things up.I want to take you hard.I want to savor this incredible bond between us.It’s intoxicating."He groaned with pleasure, thrusting deeply into her.Ancelin’s hair was pinned beneath her, tugging at her head and neck with each powerful movement.She let out a sound of discomfort.Krevan stopped immediately, concern etched on his face."Did I hurt you, Ancelin?"he asked.
"No, my hair is pulled underneath me.I need to adjust it," she replied.
Krevan helped her move her hair, and once she was comfortable, Ancelin pulled him back onto her.Understanding her invitation, he resumed, plunging into her.
"You want me, Ancelin?You enjoy what we do together?Everything about you draws me in.I’m going to explode inside you."Krevan thrust into her with such force that Ancelin struggled to hold onto his arms.She didn’t complain; instead, she reveled in his power and strength, discovering her own hold over this dominant male.His enjoyment of her body and desire for her exhilarated her, bolstering her newfound sense of security.Lovingly, she ran her hands over his firm backside, admiring his masculine form and yearning for more.His muscles flexed as he moved within her more intensely.
Slowing his pace, Krevan lowered his head to take one of her breasts into his mouth, flicking the nipple with his tongue and sucking on it.The sensation sent waves of pleasure straight to her core.Moaning with ecstasy, she arched up against him, matching his determined thrusts.Lifting himself back up, he increased his pace."You’re so incredibly sweet," Krevan grunted, his features sharp with intensity as he looked down at her.Suddenly, he cried out in satisfaction, his body trembling as he reached his climax.
Ancelin’s voice joined his as she too found release, the intensity of their connection more powerful than ever before.Every inch of her body shuddered with joy, her tightness clenching around him as she climaxed repeatedly."Oh, Krevan, I love how you make me feel."
Collapsing beside her, Krevan whispered soft words in a language other than Common.They lay there for a few moments, recovering.Ancelin began to drift off to sleep.Krevan picked her up and placed her on the bed.Daylight was fading.Ancelin’s body still trembled with their shared vibrations.What she shared with Krevan was extraordinary.Even with her limited experience, she knew their connection was far from typical.It had to be the mating bond he spoke of, truly addictive.
She felt intoxicated by the aftermath of their explosive orgasms and full-body vibrations.Each time he nipped at her, her head spun even more, yet she felt deeply relaxed.The sensation of his bite burned wonderfully through her system, pulsing through her blood like a living force.
After their bodies and souls had fused in ecstasy, Ancelin's body melted into the sheets.When she woke, her hand reached across to find only cold emptiness where Krevan's warmth should have been.The peaceful cocoon of her sleep shattered.She pulled on her pajamas and slid back beneath the covers, but her mind now raced with his absence.Minutes stretched into hours as she stared at the ceiling, knowing what awaited her behind closed eyelids.Without Krevan's presence, the nightmares would return—those same terrors that had haunted her almost every night for a year.She curled into herself, clutching his pillow to her chest.The scent of him lingered there, but it wasn't enough to keep the shadows at bay.As the first tendrils of sleep finally reached for her, she heard something move in the darkness beyond her door.
Chapter 4
Krevan stalked back and forth across the rooftop observation deck, his gaze fixed on the streaking stars beyond the viewport.Morning was on the horizon, yet energy still coursed through his veins like lightning.He'd left Ancelin asleep in their bedroom, her delicate skin bearing the marks of his desire.Three separate times he'd nearly returned to her.Each time, he'd forced himself not to.Her taste lingered with him—sweeter than the rarest delicacy in the galaxy.His fangs throbbed with the memory of piercing her soft flesh, of her breathless cry as she'd writhed beneath him.His fingers curled involuntarily, recalling the silk of her skin.To return now would mean claiming her again and again, his need for her unquenchable.
Ancelin required recovery time—her human body still adjusting to his venom, to the intensity of Triaxen passion.He'd restrained himself as much as possible, attentive to her every response.She deserved patience as she learned what it meant to be with him—she was an innocent until him, but no Earth male could have prepared her for the primal nature of a Triaxen mate.
Before Ancelin, Krevan's heart had been a frozen wasteland, his grief like shards of ice piercing his chest with every breath.The blame for his wife's death and the cold walls of his prison cell had buried his desires so deep he'd forgotten they existed.But Ancelin's laugh—that sound had cracked something open inside him.Even when her questions had pushed against wounds still raw, he'd found himself wanting to answer, just to please her.The memory of her voice echoing off the bathroom tiles made his throat tighten with a tenderness that terrified him.She had awakened something in him he'd thought long dead—not just desire, but hope.
Krevan left the deck, his footsteps slowing as he approached his office.He paused at the threshold, considering what he was about to do.Ancelin's computer sat in its protective case where she'd left it.With careful deliberation, he lifted it, weighing both the device and his intentions as his fingers worked to connect it to the Galaxnet.When the screen flickered to life, he found himself staring at a queue of unread messages.The name "Lena" appeared repeatedly in the sender field.A muscle twitched in his jaw as he closed the screen halfway, suddenly aware of the intimacy of what he'd accessed—these messages were fragments of the life she'd had before him, connections he had no right to read or scrutinize.
Krevan shifted focus to recalibrating the Satview array, fingers dancing across the control panel as he coaxed the storm-damaged system back to life.Without warning, a piercing alert sliced through the quiet office.On Ancelin's computer, the screen flared crimson, an urgent message overriding security protocols to display itself:
WE WILL FIND YOU.Did you think distance would save you?We made your father watch us rape your mother.Your mother and siblings, their screams still echo.The item belongs to us, not you.Return it or we'll extract it from your corpse.Our agents inhabit every system you might flee to.As your eyes scan these words, one of us may be within arm's reach.Rest will elude you now, Ancelin Trever.Time grows short.Your family awaits a reunion.
