Erin cried out, only dimly aware that Jaxor steadied her when she was on the verge of toppling over. Her thighs trembled, her belly clenched, light burst in her vision, and it continued to build and build until there was nothing left of her.
When it was finally over, she slumped forward into him, breathing hard against his slick chest.
His fingers left her—leaving her achingly empty—and his other hand came to her hair, stroking his fingers through it. He was gentle as he soothed her, a deep, relaxing purr starting up in his chest, rumbling underneath her cheek.
She could hear the way his heart thundered in his chest. She saw the mark ofOxandri, centimeters from her eyes.
That was the last thing she saw before she closed her eyes.
And her last thought before the world disappeared was:I better be careful or I will want him forever.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jaxor pressed his forehead against the stone of thefacev. His horns scratched the surface, but he savored that grating sound. Next to him was the pulley back up to his base. Threepollithat had fallen victim to his traps were slung over his shoulder. He hoped that hisrixellaenjoyed them more than she had thekekevir.Pollihad a milder flavor, tasteless to Luxirians, but perhaps better suited for his human female’s tastes.
He needed that moment to himself, knowing he would return to his base, knowing that the moment he caught sight of her, caught her scent, and the small, secretive smile that she’d begun to wear around him—he would be lost. He wanted nothing more than to be lost in her.
Jaxor growled, gouging his horns further into the stone, the discomfort helping him focus.
In two spans, Tavar was expecting him to deliver Erin. And Crystal. Jaxor wouldn’t even attempt to track down Crystal. If she was Cruxan’s fated mate, the hard-headed male wouldneverlet her go. The journey would be pointless.
As for Erin…
Ever since waking that morning to find her in his arms, sleeping peacefully, Jaxor had felt gutted. Ripped in half.
He remembered the night before, the intermingling of desire and guilt, watching her lips around his cock, feeling heat rise in hisvarx. He remembered afterwards when she sought her own pleasure, when she wanted his cock instead, and he wouldn’t give in.
“Vrax,” he whispered, his cock already straining at the mere thought of mating her. His Instinct made his chest rise, his spine straighten. Already, he felt his muscles begin to expand, as if readying for it.
But Jaxor knew that once that final bond was made, the promises he’d made ten rotations ago to himself would be forfeit. Any possibility of giving her up would be gone.
Jaxor never wanted to give her up. But duty and responsibility and a potential future for Luxiria was hanging in the balance. He couldn’t forget that.
With one last, steadying breath, he pushed away from the wall and boarded the circular platform of the pulley. The muscles in his arms flexed and shifted as he quickly pulled himself up, his pace quickening when he was nearer to the top.
Only a short moment more and Jaxor was able to secure the metal rope and pull himself from the hole.
Relief and warmth infused in his chest when he caught sight of Erin. She was standing near the raised crop beds, pouring water over the blossoming leaves. Soon, they would bear more tubers, which she seemed to like.
A part of Jaxor sobered, knowing that when they were ready for harvest, his world might look different. It might never be the same again, depending on which decision he made.
“Rixella,” he murmured, dropping thepolliby the fire pit. It was an unusually warm morning, so he hadn’t started it. The air felt humid and sticky and he wondered if there would be another storm soon.
“Good morning,” she said, watching as he approached her. His chest ached when that smile—one he knew was only for him—spread across her features. “I didn’t hear you leave earlier.”
He looked at the raised bed for the crops, something he’d built early on, and saw the black soil was fragrant and shining. A sudden image of her sharing life with him right there, of her watering the crops every morning while he went out to check the traps and walk the perimeter, made his fists clench with want. A simple life. But it would be everything he dreamed of, as long as she was there.
“You were tired,” he told her, reaching forward to wrap his hand around the back of her neck, pulling her into him, leaning down to touch his forehead against hers—when only recently, he’d had his forehead pressed to stone.
It was a Luxirian embrace. The Luxirian equivalent of a human kiss, perhaps. Affection and warmth built inside him, making his heart speed, making him want too many things.
Panic built with it, but he tried to keep it controlled.
“This is nice,” she whispered. His eyes had been closed but when he opened them, he saw her watching him, so near that he saw every strand of color in her eyes. There was a strange vulnerability in her gaze, one that he felt too, but she didn’t pull away from him.
Jaxor pulled away first. He released her neck, stepping back. Avoiding her eyes, he said, “I broughtpolli. I think you will like them better than thekekevir.”
“Oh,” she said. Her eyes didn’t go to thepolli, however—she kept her gaze on him. “Do you need help preparing them?”
