by Tehya Titan
Kadan knew that his warriors had gathered at the coliseum, ready to see the humans. A part of him didn’t even want to go, but he knew he had to. Striding out of his castle, he frowned at his second-in-command as Braec grinned at him.
“I thought you weren’t going to make it.”
Kadan sighed. “I must, although I have more important matters to see to.”
Braec chuckled as they walked together. “Aren’t you curious? Taitt sent word. He said the humans are smaller than we are, and their hair and eyes are a variety of colors we have never seen before. One even has hair the color of fire.”
“Strange.”
“Yes, it is.” Braec paused before saying. “There is a male in the group.”
That made Kadan stop. “Why would the Wraiths bring a human male here?”
Braec shrugged. “I guess they said he has the potential to be a mate to one of our females. It could go a long way to easing their tempers. They aren’t really happy with having to share our warriors with alien females.”
Kadan growled in annoyance. “They’re just jealous. Our warriors spoil them.”
Laughing, Braec nodded. “We do, but then again what the hell else do we have to do? Especially those of us who want sex. We have to stay on their good side.”
“True.” They began walking again, and Kadan had to admit, he was curious to see the humans with his own eyes. As they made their way into the coliseum, Kadan’s steps slowed. He sniffed the air as he caught a wisp of an intriguing scent. His pace quickened as he breathed deep, drawing more of the scent in. It was sweet, intoxicating…and addictive.
“My liege? “ Braec hurried after him. “Is something wrong?”
Kadan ignored him as he followed the scent inside. In predator mode now, his eyes scanned the interior of the coliseum, then stopped as they came to a small female with bright red hair the color of flame. Her skin was so light she almost glowed in the sunlight. His world narrowed, focusing on her while everything else simply faded away.
He knew instantly that she belonged to him.
Kadan had found his mate.
Worry filled Braec’s voice as he reached Kadan’s side. “Kadan, what is it?”
“Mine,” Kadan snarled, and took off running.
He watched as the female’s eyes widened in fear. She turned and jumped off the stage, sprinting away from him. Some of his warriors tried to stop her as she ran toward one of the exits in the back. Pride filled him when she evaded them, but rage quickly replaced it as he realized that they might hurt her if they took her down.
No one touched his mate.
No one but him.
Anger had him changing into his demon form. He could feel the stripes on his body expanding, thickening so they covered his body like black armor as he shifted. His wings burst out of his back, and he welcomed the brief bite of pain that always accompanied the transformation.
Kadan let out a roar of rage that was immediately heeded by his warriors. They turned and froze in place when they saw him. Their heads bowed, instantly showing him their deference, but he ignored them as he launched himself into the air. His mate was running from him.
The chase was on.
Jordan’s chest felt like it was going to burst as she sprinted across the ground. When the warrior had started running at her, her only thought was to get away as fast as possible. Her captors tried to stop her, but her smaller form easily slipped by them. She’d heard the roar behind her, and chanced taking a quick glance, then instantly wished she hadn’t.
Holy fucking shit!
The warrior had changed into a demon. A fucking demon with fangs that was now flying after her. His eyes had changed to a burning red and his body was pure black. Her gaze snapped forward and she pushed herself to run faster, desperation and fear giving her an extra spurt of energy. She had to get away or he would kill her. The doorway of the exit was right in front of her when strong arms wrapped around her, and she was lifted right off the ground.
She let out a scream worthy of a horror movie. For a moment that struck her as funny. She’d never had any reason to scream like that before during her life. Never thought she could scream that loud or that long, but she did.
Oh boy, did she.
When her lungs emptied of air, she sucked in more. That momentary pause was enough to allow the embarrassment to set in. Seriously, what good would screaming do? Instead, she started to curse him as she dangled in the air. The demon held her so tight she couldn’t move. He was solid muscle, and impossible to fight. Still, she tried to kick, to wiggle her body out of his grasp.
“Mine!”
“Oh, hell no!” she countered immediately.
Shit, don’t piss of the fucking demon!
He let out a low angry growl, and Jordan began praying silently in her head. Even as she fought his hold, she noted that he wasn’t hurting her. Although he held her tight, his embrace was gentle. She shifted in his arms, then went still as she felt his steel-hard erection against her ass. Fuck, the demon was getting turned on by her struggles. This was so not good. Before she could think of some way to break free, she felt his hot breath on her skin, then cried out as his fangs sank into her neck.
Son of a bitch, he bit her!
Oh, God! Was he a damn vampire or was he trying to eat her?
It felt like they stayed suspended in the air for hours, but she knew only seconds had passed. Heat burst from neck, moving through the rest of her system until she felt like her entire body was on fire. When he pulled his fangs out of her neck, she felt the rough slide of his tongue across her skin.
It made her shiver.
“You are mine now,” he whispered into her ear.
She tried to head-butt him in response.
He let out a triumphant laugh as he shifted his hold on her, picking her up so she was cradled in his arms, and took them higher into the air. His chest was rock hard, like skin stretched over solid steel. Jordan stopped fighting him, not wanting him to drop her.
“Warrior’s claim!”
Jordan’s ears rang from his loud bellow, but it was nothing compared to the wild response of the crowd below them. The shouts and roars coming from the arena were deafening. The demon holding her flapped his great wings, propelling them through the air, and she closed her eyes in defense as her stomach rolled.
“Relax, human. You’re safe with me.”
“Safe? You fucking bit me,” she bitched. “Now, I’m going to plunge to my death from a hundred feet in the air, and you’re telling me to relax? Not likely.”
“I won’t let you fall. You insult me by thinking I would.”
“Oh, well, I wouldn’t want to do that,” she muttered, keeping her eyes shut tight.
He chuckled, then his hard chest vibrated as he let out a soft purring sound. Jordan was shocked when she felt calmed by the deep rumble.
“What is your name, little one?”
She took her time answering him. “Jordan.”
“Jordan.” He purred her damn name, and his arms tightened possessively around her. She felt the rush of cool air on her skin as he flew them higher. She’d always hated flying, but risked opening her eyes to see where he was taking her. Her fear was forgotten as he flew them toward a large, gray, stone castle unlike anything she’d ever seen before.
Her stomach gave another little flip as he flew toward a balcony on the highest square tower. When he landed, he let her slide down his body so her feet were once again touching the ground. As soon as he did, she tried to push away from him, and was surprised when he released her. Because of his strength, she wouldn’t have been able to get away from him if he didn’t allow it, and knowing that pissed her off.
She quickly backed away from him. Taking a quick glance around the room, she saw he had taken them to his bedroom. All the furniture in the room was made of the same deep sapphire wood that the walls of her prison had been built with, including a bed that was as large as a lake. It was covered with an iridescent blue and purple
fabric that made her want to reach out and touch it to see if it was real.
Her gaze skittered away from the bed when he took a step closer, then her eyes widened as his wings retracted into his back, and the onyx color of his body once again changed to dark stripes on his golden skin. When his eyes shifted from red back to a dark amber color, he was just a warrior again. A huge, hard-bodied, sinfully sexy warrior, with an enormous erection that seemed to be doing its best to poke right through his leather pants.
Christ, stop looking there!
Watching his shift had been amazing, but it was also a reality check for her.
He wasn’t human, and she was totally fucked.
CHAPTER FOUR
“What are you?”
Kadan frowned at her question. “You don’t know?”
“No, I don’t know! How the hell would I know? I woke up in a cell with these—” Jordan lifted her hands to show him the shackles still binding her hands, “—on my fucking wrists, then I was dragged out into that arena where you attacked me.”
He felt a wave of discomfort at her accusation. Kadan had felt such an overpowering need to claim her that he hadn’t been able to stop himself from going after her. And that lack of control was very unusual for him. He’d needed to give her the mating bite, to bind them together and take what was his. Still, he didn’t like seeing the fear in her eyes, nor did he like seeing her in chains.
“I scented you the moment I entered the coliseum, and knew you were my mate. I didn’t mean to frighten you, but now it is done. You are mine.”
“You keep saying that, but I don’t even know what that means!”
That gave him pause. “You don’t have mates on your world?”
“No! And where the hell are we? What world is this? Wait…you scented me? This is crazy. I’m crazy. People don’t just sprout wings and carry women off. Shit, that’s it. I really died, and this is all just some fucking up dream. You’re a demon, right? Does that mean I’m in hell?”
His frown deepened. “Your language is atrocious.”
She glared back at him. “I’m having a breakdown here, I think I’m entitled to swear.”
Kadan couldn’t help it. He laughed. His new mate was a delight to him, even if she did ask too many questions and swore worse than any of his warriors. He was proud of the fact that even though she was terrified, she didn’t fall at his feet in tears. He didn’t care for the acrid scent of her fear, though. He would try to answer her questions and put her at ease, but he didn’t have much time. When he had bitten her, he had injected her with his own scent marker to claim her.
That bite would also trigger her heat, and she would need him soon.
“You’re not dead. I am King Kadan Krell, leader of the Vor. The Wraiths brought you here to Vor because you were destined to be my mate. We are a shifter race with heightened senses, which allows me to smell your emotions.” His voice lowered as he said, “I can also smell that your heat is beginning. Explanations will have to wait.”
Her bright green eyes went wide. “Heat? Oh my God, did you infect me with something when you bit me?”
“My bite bound us together, and will trigger your heat.” Silence filled the room for two beats before he added, “From the look on your face and the scent of your fear, I’m guessing your people don’t go into heat.”
“No, we don’t.”
“You do now.”
Jordan was about to ask what he meant by that when a wave of heat punched through her so hard she almost doubled over. Before she could fall to her knees, Kadan had her in his arms, holding her up. Her hands gripped his arms as the muscles in her stomach slowly unclenched. Panting, she waited for the pain to ease.
“What…the…fuck?”
Kadan brushed the hair back from her face gently. “It has begun.”
“Can you make it stop?”
“There is only one way to do that. You need my seed inside you.”
Jordan’s eyes closed as another wave of heat flashed through her at the thought of him filling her. She’d just met him, now she was expected to have sex with him? Jordan had never been casual about sleeping with anyone. Okay, she’d had a few one-night stands in the past, but this was something beyond anything she’d ever had to deal with before. She was mated to the leader of a race of aliens she’d never heard of, and now she needed to fuck him to stop the pain he’d caused by biting her and bonding them together?
Fucking fantastic.
“All will be well, mate,” Kadan assured her, then he let out one of those rumbling purrs.
Damn it, why did her body seem to react every time he did that? “Stop that!”
“No, you like it. You’re in pain, and I won’t wait any longer to have you.”
Her eyes popped opened as he jerked her body closer to him, surrounding her with his strength. His muscular arms banded around her waist, and she melted into him. The feel of his body against hers made the heat inside her even worse. She should have fought it, but was mortified when she found herself rubbing against him instead.
She cried out in pleasure at the feeling of his warm skin against hers. The sound was captured by his lips as they slammed down on hers. Fire exploded in her belly on another wave of heat, making her moan. His kiss was vicious, demanding her surrender as his tongue pushed deep, caressing and stroking hers.
Jordan felt her very soul shudder.
God, he felt good pressed against her. She breathed him in, wanting to take his scent deep into her lungs. His scent intoxicated her, and the taste of him made her crave more. Her heart pounded in her chest, and blood roared in her ears as desire burst through her like an explosion. Hard hands gripped her tight, one on her hip while the other pulled at her hair, forcing her head back so he could take the kiss deeper.
Lust was a living, breathing entity inside her. Like a great beast that was unfurling inside her, taking over until her body was no longer her own. His strong hands moved over her, cupping her breasts, pinching her nipples lightly. It sent a jolt through her system, straight down to her clit, making it throb and pulse.
Madness clouded her mind, blurring her vision until all that existed in her world was him. Inhibitions blown to hell, it didn’t matter that she didn’t know him. She couldn’t even make herself give a shit that he shifted into some sort of flying demon. Her need for him was like a fever, burning her from the inside out. It was a brutal ache that needed to be sated. Her pussy clenched hard, demanding satisfaction as her juices slickened her thighs with her desire for him.
Rubbing against him wasn’t enough, she wanted more.
She needed him inside her…right now.
Mouths still fused together, her hands were rough as they clawed down his body until they were tugging at the waist of his leather pants. Frustration made her growl as she yanked at them, unable to find the fastenings to take them off of him. Giving up, she pressed her hand against his cock through the material, squeezing tight so she felt the hot, hard length of him throbbing against her palm.
Tearing his mouth away from hers, Kadan let out a low, feral growl of hunger. It thrilled her to hear the answering call to her fierce need. Suddenly, he ripped the thin dress she was wearing off her, then went to work on his own clothes. His movements were hampered as she tried to wrap around him, clinging to him like a vine as her hot mouth sucked and licked at every inch of his flesh she could get to.
“Jordan,” he gasped. “Fucking hell, let me…”
Jordan didn’t care about what he was saying as he tried to remove his boots and pants without toppling them both to the ground. All she could focus on was the taste and scent of him as she used her tongue to trace down the thick black lines covering his torso. He had no body hair, nothing to get in the way of her mouth on his smooth, golden skin as she feasted on him. She thought she heard a groaning laugh escape his lips, but she didn’t care, not when she was busy using her teeth to scrape against the flesh covering all the hard muscles on his broad chest.
She
’d always been attracted to big, well-built men, but she’d never seen anyone quite like him. He was utterly magnificent. Powerful and strong, she loved the feel of his muscles flexing as he moved. Running her hands down his abs, she traced every ridge and dip, moving lower until she gripped his cock.
He was so large she needed both hands to rub up and down the thick stalk, then she moved one of her hands lower to cup his large balls. Somewhere in the back of her mind was relief to find that he was formed like a human, then came the slight worry at how much bigger he actually was than anyone she’d ever been with before.
Christ, would he even fit inside her?
Just thinking about that big, beautiful cock moving inside of her made her shiver. All thoughts and worries dissipated like a puff of smoke as she continued to touch him. Fascinated by the huge, bulbous head of his cock, she ran her finger over it, then cupped it in the center of her palm. It was bigger and rounder than a human male’s, and she wanted to taste the copious fluid leaking from the tip.
But she wanted it inside her more.
Another flash of fire raced through her so strong it had her entire body tensing. Her knees buckled again, but before she could hit the ground, he swept her up into his arms. In a few long strides, he had them over by the bed, where he shoved her face down. She was draped over the end with her legs dangling toward the ground. Furious at the position he’d placed her in, she tried to flip over, but he held her down with one hand on the center of her back.
“You are mine, Jordan.”
“Shut up, damn you, and just fuck me!”
“I will, mate. As soon as you admit that you belong to me.”
She let out a scream of rage and tried to slap at him, her legs kicking out at him. The scream turned into a moan as he parted her thighs and shoved two large fingers into her hot pussy. She was wet, so slick with her need that he entered her with ease. The feel of his fingers pushing through her tight muscles was amazing, and her hips immediately began rocking, trying to shove them deeper inside her where she needed it.