"Which is why you're staying here under my protection," he continued, rising to his feet and fixing her with his most authoritative stare. "At least until we identify the threat."
"I don't need protection," she protested, but her voice lacked its usual fire. The attack had shaken her more than she wanted to admit.
"This isn't a request, Jade." His tone brooked no argument. "Someone targeted you today. Someone who knew exactly where to find you and when you'd be most vulnerable. Until we know who and why, you're not safe anywhere else."
She opened her mouth to argue further, then seemed to think better of it. "Fine. But only temporarily."
"Of course," he agreed, though his panther practically purred at the thought of having her under his roof. "Just until the threat is neutralized."
No, forever,his beast corrected with smug certainty.
"I'll show you to the guest room," Raikar said, leading her out of the bathroom and down the hallway. "We can collect your things from Talia and Brenn later, but for now you should rest."
The guest room he selected was spacious and comfortable, with its own private bath and a view of the pink ocean in the distance. Jade moved to the windows, her silhouette outlined against the alien sunlight, and something in her posture—vulnerable despite her strength, beautiful despite her wariness—made his chest constrict with unfamiliar emotion.
She could have died today.The thought hit him hard, stealing the breath from his lungs.I could have lost her before I ever really had her.
Unable to stop himself, he moved closer, drawn by the same magnetic force that had been pulling at him since the moment they'd first touched. She turned at his approach, her dark eyes wide and uncertain.
"Thank you again," she said softly. "For everything. I wasn't sure I was going to survive today."
The quiet admission shattered something inside him—some last vestige of the control he'd been desperately trying to maintain. Without conscious thought, he reached out and cupped her face in his palm, his thumb tracing the delicate line of her cheekbone.
Instead of pulling away as he expected, she leaned into his touch with a soft sigh that sent fire racing through his veins. Her eyes fluttered closed, and when she looked at him again, the barriers she'd erected between them seemed to have crumbled.
"Raikar," she whispered, and his name on her lips was the most perfect sound he'd ever heard.
He should have respected the boundary she'd set the night before. Should have stepped back and given her the space she'd demanded. But the memory of how close he'd come to losing her, combined with the way she was looking at him now—like she wanted him as desperately as he wanted her—obliterated his good intentions.
He leaned in and kissed her, tender yet desperate, pouring all of his fear and relief and need into the connection between their lips. To his amazement and delight, she kissed him back with equal fervor, her hand pressing against his bare chest.
When she deepened the kiss, her tongue sliding against his with bold hunger, his panther roared its approval, demanding he claim her fully and completely.
When she finally pulled back, her dark eyes were wide with a war between logic and desire.
"This might be a bad idea," she whispered, her gaze locked on his. "But I really want you right now."
That was all it took. A declaration stripped of all her usual armor, raw and honest. His panther surged in triumph.
He didn't speak. Words were useless now. Instead, he guided her with a hand at her waist, turning her toward the vast expanse of the guest bed. He guided her down, and she obeyed, her movements fluid and trusting. As soon as her back touched the mattress, she reached for him, pulling him down atop her into another kiss.
This kiss was different. It was hunger incarnate, a fierce and consuming claim. His hands found the hem of her simple black shirt, and he broke the kiss to pull it up and over her head. The sight of her lace bra, delicate against her toned frame, sent a jolt of heat straight to his groin. Then he removed it with efficient motions, hooks and fabric yielding to his need.
The sight of her bare breasts, full and perfect, was a masterpiece he wanted to worship. He lowered his head, his lips finding the hollow of her throat first, tasting the salt of her skin and the pulse of her life. Then his mouth worked its way down, his lips soon capturing one hardened nipple. She gasped, a sound that quickly morphed into a moan. He lavished attention on each breast for minutes, sucking and teasing, until she was writhing beneath him, her fingers digging into his shoulders.
She's so responsive,his panther purred.She belongs to us.
Then he moved lower, his hands sliding down her sides to the waistband of her leggings. He pulled them down, along with herpanties beneath, in one smooth motion. She was gloriously bare before him now, every inch of her revealed.
He paused, kneeling between her thighs, drinking in the sight. Her body was a landscape of toned muscle and inviting softness, a warrior's physique that was utterly feminine. His gaze traveled to the apex of her thighs, where she was already wet for him, glistening and ready. The scent of her arousal, mixed with her lavender-citrus essence, filled the room. His panther rumbled with deep satisfaction.
She wants us. She is ready.
"You're perfect," he growled, the words rough and unfiltered.
Then he leaned in, his mouth finding her sensitive folds. He started slowly, savoring her, exploring her, learning the contours and rhythms that would drive her wild. Her hands flew to his hair, gripping the dark strands as he intensified his efforts. His tongue circled her clit, building her pleasure with deliberate strokes.
The mate bond pulsed between them, a golden thread of connection he could feel vibrating in his very bones. He could sense her climax building, a tidal wave of sensation gathering force. He inserted two fingers inside her tight warmth, feeling her inner muscles clench around him. He worked her in rhythm with his mouth, a synchronous push and pull.
