Unfortunately, as soon as I shifted a half inch, his hand flexed on my ass, and his eyes popped open. Since I was staring at his face, looking for signs he was waking, our gazes locked together.
His grip on the bare flesh of my butt cheek tightened enough that I felt the prick of his claws. His cock twitched against my hip, which made my eyes widen. Bokkan’s gaze remained hooded and sleepy as he stared at me.
Then, his leg shifted, pressing his muscled thigh more firmly between my legs. A bolt of electric heat zapped my clit, making me squirm against him. Flames danced at the edges of his black eyes, casting a reddish glow into the onyx depths. A low rumbling sound started in his chest, growing louder as we continued to stare at each other. It was too rough to be a purr, yet too soothing to be a growl. It also moved from his chest to the rest of his body, meaning the flesh of his leg vibrated against my clit.
Another arc of lightning shot from my core to the rest of my body, tightening my nipples and inciting wetness to gather between my legs.
The lecture I’d given myself about being attracted to Bokkan completely vanished from my brain. All that was left was the far more primitive voice of my body, demanding that Ido somethingabout the sensations coursing through me.
My entire body tensed as I tried to grasp a rational thought rather than a horny one. Before I could, it was Bokkan who moved. But not in the way I expected.
He shifted his grip from my bare ass to my hips and gently moved my stiff body off of his. His gaze never left mine.
“You are safe,” he murmured, removing his hands from my body and holding them away from his body with his palms out. “No one will touch you, remember?”
I realized that he mistook my tensed muscles for fear rather than a wild surge of lust. But I didn’t contradict him. I only nodded.
He slipped from beneath the blankets and walked over to the fireplace. I collapsed onto the mattress and stared up at the ceiling as I listened to him put more logs on the fire.
“When you’re ready, come downstairs and Masu will feed you breakfast,” Bokkan said. “I have to train with the soldiers today.”
Before I could reply, he grabbed some clothes from his wardrobe and disappeared into the bathing room, shutting the door behind him. I still had no idea what to say when he emerged a few minutes later, fully dressed.
I didn’t move or even try to say anything as he left the bedchamber. Though he didn’t appear to be rushing, I got the distinct impression he was running away from me.
And for reasons I really didn’t want to examine, it hurt my feelings.
With a groan, I grabbed the blankets and tugged them over my head. Bokkan’s spicy, slightly smoky scent suddenly surrounded me. And it definitely didn’t help the throb between my thighs. What in the heck was wrong with me?
Maybe it was time to give myself another lecture on why this was reality and not fiction, and I couldn’t jump on a giant monster dick like the heroines in the monster romances I read.
Chapter
Ten
Bokkan
After a short, very cold dip in the pond at the back of the estate, I went to the barracks. The soldiers were all eating breakfast and drinking cups ofszitearound the long wooden tables set up in the dining hall.
While Masu was responsible for making my food, the younger males took turns preparing meals for the other soldiers. They weren’t fully grown and ready for the type of rough training we did. They had their own training sessions and schooling after they prepared breakfast and lunch. Dinner was made by the younger males and the soldiers together.
Aware that all eyes were on me, I moved to the back of the food line and patiently waited for my turn to be served. Voices quieted as more of the males became aware of my presence. After a few moments of silence, conversations continued, this time at a softer volume.
Once I received my food andszite, I carried them to the end of a half-empty table and plunked them down. The soldiers nodded at me when our eyes met, but no one approached. Which was for the best because I was still battling the primal urges inside me.
The mating instinct was growing stronger every hour I was near Leda. This morning, I awoke with her soft body draped over mine, and the sweet tartness of her scent in my nose. She hadn’t smelled frightened, only… ripe and ready for fucking. But her eyes had been wide and a little afraid. It had taken all my willpower to set her aside and leave the bedchamber.
I’d promised her I would not touch her that way. Even if it killed me, I would follow through on that vow. No matter how much I yearned for her.
As I ate, I wondered if all these unreciprocated feelings I had for a human were my punishment for some terrible wrong I’d committed. That would be the only explanation for this torture.
“You look frustrated.”
I glanced up as Guldan plopped his bowl on the table and settled on the bench across from me. My only response was a grunt.
“The human female making you miserable?” he asked.
“No.”
