She shook her head slowly, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.“No, Ky’rn. It’s not that. It’s not our physical differences or where we come from. It’s…”She paused, taking a deep breath, trying to find the right words.“The expectations, the judgment. My grandfather, my family, my position. There are responsibilities and obligations that I can’t just leave behind, no matter how much I wish I could.”
The pain in her voice was palpable, and her words hurt, but I wasn’t one to give up easily.“Then let’s make it simple. Just for tonight. Forget the world outside this chamber. Forget the responsibilities, the obligations, the judgments. It’s just you and me, Isla. Let’s lose ourselves in this moment, in each other.”
She looked into my eyes, her resistance slowly melting away.“Just for tonight.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
ISLA
I couldn’t bring myself to tell him, not now.
He was the only thing I wanted but could never truly have.
I couldn’t leave my duties behind for him, and I refused to beg him to remain on Earth, not when he had been captured and tortured for a year here already. My grandfather, an unethical old man obsessed with power, was the reason Ky’rn was trapped in this tank.
As I gazed into those amber eyes filled with longing and desire, my resolve solidified. My first action as the new leader of my family would be this sacrifice.
I would do anything to protect this kind and honorable male even if it meant marrying Roman.
The words were on the tip of my tongue—how I would have to bind myself to Roman, all to protect Ky’rn from further harm. But I didn’t want to destroy this moment—my last with him—by telling him how I’d bought his freedom.
Unable to speak the words that ached in my chest, my hand trembled as I reached out to touch his cheek, tracing the strong lines of his jaw.“Pretend that I am yours, just for tonight.”
He didn’t hesitate, his fingers gentle as they brushed a strand of hair away from my face. A slow, gentle smile spread across Ky’rn’s face.“You were mine from the moment we met,”he replied, voice deep and filled with possessiveness and longing.“And no one else’s.”
The depth of his declaration seeped into my bones, warming me from within. For tonight, I would allow myself to bask in that warmth, to forget the looming decisions and the sacrifices ahead.
Just for tonight, I was his. And he was mine.
Ky’rn’s powerful grip on my legs pulled me into his tank, submerging me in the lukewarm water. My gown billowed around me, becoming a heavy, constricting mass. Panic threatened to set in, but then, strong arms encircled my waist, pulling me into the solid wall of Ky’rn’s chest. The reassurance in his gaze grounded me.
As he pressed me to the tank’s wall, every contour of his powerful form melded with mine. My fingers found the strong, sinewy ridges of his shoulders, pulling myself closer. My legs, almost of their own volition, wrapped around his waist, my heels digging into the small of his back. The sensation of being cocooned in his strength was heady, intoxicating. Every fiber of my being resonated with a singular thought: I was his.
His powerful tail thrummed against the current, keeping us both afloat.
Every ounce of me was electrified by his touch. The unyielding desire, the insatiable need to have and be had, coursed through me. I felt wild and untamed, wanting nothing more than to be consumed by the predator before me.
I needed him. I wanted him. I wished to be devoured by him.
His face nestled into the crook of my neck, lips seeking out the intimate mark he’d bestowed upon me. The sensation of his mouth on my skin was electrifying. I whimpered, fingers tangling in the wild mane of his hair, urging him closer, harder. As he sucked on the mark, a moan escaped me, the sound echoing in the chamber.
Every touch, every caress ignited sparks, threatening to set us both aflame.
“You smell divine,”he rumbled, his voice dripping with hunger and need.“I ache to taste you again, to feel you completely.”
His words sent a flare of desire through me.
My breath came out in ragged pants, the heat between us palpable.“Then do it,”I urged breathlessly, grinding against him in a silent plea.“Take me, claim me, mark me as yours.”
A devilish smirk formed on his lips, revealing his fangs, as his amber eyes darkened with passion and locked on to mine.“I want to fill your veins with ecstasy,”he whispered seductively.“To make your blood burn brighter, hotter…sweeter for me.”
The world spun in dizzying circles, my senses overwhelmed by the heady mix of desire and adrenaline. His strong grip on my thigh was the only thing grounding me, his touch a burning brand against my skin.“Please,”I whispered, a desperate plea for him to erase the looming choices, the impending goodbyes, and the responsibilities that would soon become mine to own.
His voice was husky with need, a hint of uncertainty shining through.“How do I please you, Isla? How do I make you feel amazing?”
A flush of heat raced up my cheeks, but the urgency of my need silenced any lingering shyness.“Use your hands,”I murmured, the words coming out more like a moan.“Explore me…you’ll know when you’ve hit the right spot.”
A wicked grin spread across his face, the predatory gleam in his eyes sending shivers down my spine.“Hold on,”he commanded, right before he released me and dove beneath the water’s surface.
