Naked. They had stripped her from her clothes and—
My palms hurt from the force of my fingers digging into them. She had been reluctant to let them perform their examinations and tests, and yet theyinsisted. What would have happened if Zhari had not been there with her? Would they have taken even more liberties with thebody that belonged to her? They were lucky she was not mine yet. But once she would have submitted to me—once my seed filled her inside and dripped down the inside of her smooth, soft pink thighs, they would have to kill me before getting their hands on her without her enthusiastic consent.
Her steps slowed and she struggled to walk as we progressed through the thick forest. It was late and she had probably been up for a long time…I should have requested the mating ceremony to happen earlier, that way, she would not be so tired now…
I threw the pouch filled with her stuff over my shoulders and grabbed her hand, forcing her to stop. She turned around in surprise but her eyes were half closed, like fighting to stay open.
“What—”
She let out a high-pitched squeal as I threw her over my free shoulder and secured my arm around her thigh, preventing her from falling should she fall asleep.
“Ghauro!”
My cock—blissfully down since I had learned of what she went through and anger overcame me—stirred in my pants at the sound of my name breaching her lips.
“You are tired,” I said as I resumed our walk. “We still have a good distance to go through before we reach our home. Rest.”
She scoffed, hitting at my back with her little fists.Adorable. “Let me down, you green savage!”
I groaned at the term she used. “Am I the savage? We are not the species performing invasive examinations on strangers.”
She stopped hitting, her arms falling limp. “Zhari told you.” Not a question. I grunted in response. “It’s not that big a deal,” she said. “Gynecological exams are frequent for human women.IfI get pregnant, there will be many more.”
“Not if I can prevent it.”
“Prevent what?” Melanie let out a dry laugh, not fighting to get free anymore. “The pregnancy or the examinations?”
Certainly not the pregnancy. I wanted to bury myself into her, fill her to the brim and let my knots do their work to keep and push my seed as far as it could. And I wanted to do that duringallher heats, even after she became pregnant…
“They do not have the right to touch a body that is not theirs,” I stated. “It is yours. Maybeminesoon.”
“Like you know enough about human anatomy to take my health into your hands,” she muttered, either carefully avoiding acknowledging my claim or too tired to pick up on it.
Not yet. But I would soon, thanks to the book and translating glass Zhari had stolen on their space base. I took an oath to look after her, and I intended to keep it.
Her breathing was even and body completely limp in my arms as I nudged the door open with my foot. I let her slide down my front, ignoring the arousal at feeling her breasts press against my naked chest. Once she was securely sitting on the cushioned seat of the main living area, I crouched in front of her, unable to resist taking a good look at her unguarded face.
So beautiful. It was a good thing Thanato was taking over for the next year, because this human female would prevent me from doing anything productive until I had my fill of her.
And something told me that I still would not get enough, ever after breeding her successfully. Which was…odd. It was not common for our kind to feel this unrelenting craving while close females were not in heat. Males’ ruts were connected to it, and it was manageable when we were alone—except for Thanato, who did not seem to have much control over his mating urges.
I never had too much trouble pushing these needs at the far back of my mind, even when surrounded by females. In over thirty years, I only acted on these urges five times. Five meaningless and mindless nights, and never interacted with the females I fucked afterward.
Except for one, who had become a damn thorne in my side, roaming around me constantly—and especially during her heats—hoping that maybe I would take her as my mate. She was one of the few who threw a fit after Thanato and I came back from the last space meeting three days ago with the news that my bride would be here today. She wasalso one of the females my mother hoped I would get with once the experiment was over.
Too bad she was not a short human with long, silky pink-orange hair and curves like I had never seen before; turns out it was my type. The kind of female who got me aching with want and need, even outside of her heats.
Five days. She would be ready in five fuckingdays. If she sent me spiraling out of my mind now, I could not imagine how I would be feeling then…
Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks before she opened her eyes. Our gaze met. Mine, probably curious and admirative while hers turned confused and…scared.
“What are you—”
“Are you scared of me?” I asked, resting my forearms on her knees, leaning over her, worried she would try to bolt away.
“I—well, you’re awfully close…while I was sleeping…I—”
“Are you hungry?” I interrupted. Her stomach kept making little noises…Maybe she was sick? I needed to read the book fast. I was completely unprepared to look after her like I should.
