He glanced down at her, nestled in his arms, her eyes closed and her body warm against his chest. The moonlight made the strands of silver in her dark brown hair gleam like stars in the night sky.
His little star. A glimmer of light in a life filled with darkness.
The moonlight made it easier to find his way, so he increased his pace, eager to reach the river and whatever shelter he could find for them. The raft she mentioned seemed promising, but he doubted anything that could fit in her pack would be useful.
They couldn’t stay on the ground where the local predators could find them. He could set up the netting he used to sleep on in situations like this, but sleep wasnot the only thing he wanted to do. Hell, it was a good way down the list of things he planned to do tonight.
When he reached the end of his run, he discovered the river here was not the slow-moving flow he’d expected. The water sped past the banks and swirled around the occasional boulder that rose from beneath the surface. It wouldn’t be easy to navigate by boat, but it would be much faster than walking.
Maddison stirred and raised her head. “Pretty,” she said.
He looked at the vista again and tried to see it from a less practical perspective. She was right. The shadowy trunks of massive trees crowded the shore on both sides, but the river was wide enough that a strip of star-strewn sky was visible overhead. The light of both moons illuminated the area and reflected off the water in ever-changing patterns.
“It is.” He lowered her to the ground with care. The moment she stepped away from him, he felt the loss of connection. The night breeze was too cold against his fur, and his arms ached to hold her again.
Maddison stretched her arms over her head, arching her back and lifting her face to the sky. “Until I came here, I’d never seen a completely dark night. Growing up, our home was in the center of a mining town. Work continued around the clock, so the lights were always on. Later, I lived on an orbital platform that stayed well-lit for security reasons. I know the darkness makes it more dangerous for us, but it’s soothing, too.”
“They used to punish us by locking us in small cells and turning off the lights. Sometimes it would only be for a few hours. Once, they left me there so long I lost all track of time. I thought it had been a few days. When they finally let me out, my brothers told me it had been more than two weeks. But that was a different kind of darkness. Out here, there’s always enough light for me to see.”
“I wish I had that ability.” Maddison sighed. “But I’m just human, and every species in the galaxy knows we’re nothing special. The only thing we’re good at is breeding.” Her voice cracked. “That’s what theHarvestwas really doing. Only a handful found a meaningful relationship, or the spark of one. Most of them accepted contracts that made them little more than sex-toys or breeding stock. I didn’t know that until it was too late, and now I’ll never have the opportunity to put things right.”
Once again, he found himself reaching out to comfort her. Gently, he took her hand and drew her in close. “You can’t be certain about that. I thought I’d never see my brother again. That I’d never be able to thank him for the punishments he endured to protect the rest of us. To protectme.Now, thanks to you, I know he’s still alive.”
She exhaled softly and rested her head against his chest. “Thank you. I feel a little better now.”
“I can think of several ways to make you feel much better.” He nuzzled the top of her head as hishands moved over her body. “Let me show you, Maddi.”
“You promised not to hurt me,” she whispered so softly even his acute hearing barely caught it.
“No pain, little star. Just pleasure. I think we’ve both been hurt enough already. Don’t you?”
The smile she gifted him told him everything he needed to know. “It would be nice to feel good again. It’s been a long time.”
“I’m taking that as a yes,” he growled and threaded his fingers into her hair. Then he tugged her head back and kissed her. His mouth slanted across hers as the need that had built up over the last few hours finally broke through his control.
“You’re mine,” he growled the words against her soft lips.
“Tonight I am.”
That wasn’t good enough. Whatever this was, it wouldn’t fade with the morning sun. It was too strong for that. Too real. “No. No limits, little star. No conditions. I’m done being told what I can and cannot have.” He raised his head so he could stare into her eyes. “You. Are. Mine.”
“And if I say no?” she asked, daring to meet his gaze for the first time.
“Then I will fuck you, feed you, and protect you until you change your mind.”
Her mouth, already swollen from those first heated kisses, fell open in surprise. “That…is not what I expected you to say.” Then she reached up and grabbed him by the horns, dragging him down to her level. “Your offer is accepted.”
She was laughing as she rose on her toes and kissed him. At that moment he realized he’d been wrong.
She wasn’t his… He washers.
CHAPTER 8
Maddison couldn’t pretendshe was dreaming. Not anymore. This was real, and so was the desire that tore through her body, clouding her mind and making her want things she’d never admitted to herself even in her darkest fantasies.
She wanted to climb him like a ladder, wrap her legs around his hips, and let him fuck her right here and now. Without even thinking about it, she released one of his horns and began tugging blindly at the fastening of her jeans. Wait. Shoes first and then pants.
While she floundered, Havoc unslung the bag from his shoulder and began systematically removing the weapons from his belt, back, and upper arms.
