“It raises hormone levels in females, increasing fertility.” Another thrust forward. Another moan.
“Oh my god, keep talking biology to me,” she whimpered.
“It will linger in your bloodstream until I induce you to release enough hormone to neutralize it.” His words were clinical and yet filthy at the same time. Science dirty talk should not be that hot.
“How do you induce me to release?”
Another thrust of his hips.
“Fuck, yes. Induce me, Ren.”
She barely felt the prick on her behind. He sighed, his head resting on her shoulder. Tenderly, he licked and sucked the old bite mark. It was nice, but not noticeably nicer than anything else they had done so far.
Huh. A bit underwhelming.
Then she felt it. A fire spread through her veins, warm and tingly. She felt the same, just more. Ren was warmer against her. The water felt more intense. The ache inside her demanding.
He pushed inside her, filling her. The intense need that burned inside her sighed with relief, but only for a moment. She needed friction.
“I need more,” she moaned, rocking her hips.
He murmured in her ear, pumping into her and withdrawing. Every push forward was wonderfully full, stuffing her to bursting, and every move back dragged all those wonderful spines. Again and again. She couldn’t think beyond how firm he felt against her, hard, flexing muscle. His arms, so steady and he held her. His lips, so soft and joyful, kissing and whispering the sweetest words. Her talkative man.
Pleasure surged through her, warm and dreamy. The spines flexed and rubbed, touching every part of her. She had never been so full, stretched to the point of breaking, and she loved it. She loved how their bodies connected. She loved how he watched her, how he touched her, how he held her, and she particularly loved the way his tusks scraped along her neck.
With her climax speeding toward her, Emry wanted the moment to last, but she couldn’t resist. Raw desire elevated her senses. Everything was intense, almost too intense to bear.
He lowered his mouth, fangs pressing into the curve of her shoulder.
“Do it. Claim me,” she said. “I want a new mark. One that means forever.”
A growl rumbled through him, reverberating in her core.
His teeth sank in, puncturing her skin with twin flares of agony. The pain faded fast, replaced by the dreamy, floating feeling of his venom coursing through her veins. Hard thrusts drove away any discomfort, lifting her to the brink. There was only them, moving together, her heart beating and wave after wave of glorious pleasure.
“Mine,” he growled.
Yes. Finally.
Emry agreed and agreed, shouting herself hoarse as her body quaked with her climax.
With one last thrust, he came deep inside her. Warmth spread and she tightened around him.
Her breathing slowed. Her pulse relaxed. Every part of her felt loose and comfortable. As quickly as it came, the venom was gone.
“Oh wow. No doubts about the feel-good venom,” she said, awash in a sea of bliss.
“Did I hurt you?” He lowered her to her feet but did not step away.
“No. Never.”
The future was unknown, but they were together, so they’d be all right.
Epilogue
Gemma
“Hold up.” Gemma hobbled after Zalis, struggling to match his pace. “This boot isn’t helping.”
He paused and stretched his neck from side to side. “Your foot pains you.”
“It’s fine.”
“It is not.”
Without warning, Zalis scooped her up. He held her like she was a live bomb, stiff and awkward.
He does know how to make a girl feel special.
Truthfully, the pain meds were starting to wear off. She declined another dose from the medic and now regretted that decision. Her fractured ankle throbbed.
When they arrived at his quarters, he awkwardly juggled her to press his arm against the security pad. She didn’t mind being held against his chest. It was nice. Well, it would have been nice if it wasn’t so stinkingly obvious how uncomfortable he felt holding her.
Right. This wasn’t his choice. Not that she had much of a choice, either, but the warlord did technically let her choose her mate. Honestly, what did the warlord expect her to do? It was either let some genetic test match her with a rando or pick the shy guy who rescued her.
Shy guy for the win. Obviously.
Zalis carefully set her down near a chair. She scanned the room. It was fine. Bland. As impersonal as a hotel room.
“You live here?” Somehow, she pictured his space as a crowded, dark room, lit only by the light of computer monitors. Full tech nerd. She liked the idea of Zalis hunched over a desk, sitting in the dark except for the green glow from an old-time screen illuminating him.
“No.”
He did not elaborate.
“So, um, we should talk.”
“Tomorrow. You are tired and in pain.”
“It’s not bad,” she said, totally lying.
He rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck, like her terrible lies exhausted him. “The cleansing room is through there.”
“A water shower or another sonic mist shower? Not that I’m picky.” The cleaning solution the medics used left a sticky film on her skin. Gemma had gone from filthy in a cage to filthy in a hospital bed. No amount of chemical disinfectants could make her clean. She needed soap and water.
“Water.”
“Perfect.” She limped her way across the room.
Zalis shadowed her like he expected her to collapse or break another bone. “Do you require assistance?”
“No, I should be good.” The cleansing room was fully stocked with the standard complement of hygiene products. “The medic said I can get the boot wet, so I’ll be fine.”
He nodded and took a step back from the cleansing room door.
Gemma stripped off the clothes she borrowed from Emry and shoved them in the built-in unit to be cleaned.
The water felt amazing. Better than amazing. Life-changing. How had she never appreciated hot water and soap? With suds running down her, her brain finally started working.
Wait. Was Zalis hoping for naked time? Did she just blow it?
By the time she finished and wrapped herself up in a fluffy towel, the room was empty.
A set of folded clothes waited on the table. A packet of pills had been placed next to a mug of tea, still steaming.
The tea was terrible, but she washed down the pills.
Tomorrow, she’d find out how big a mess she made.
Afterword
Thanks for reading Ren! I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts. As this was an Advanced Reader’s Copy, you’re under no obligation to leave a review but it’s appreciated. As usual, this book has not gone through the final proofread. You will find some typos.
Ren is scheduled to be published August 23rd.
* * *
I’ll have a spoiler thread up in my Facebook group:
facebook.com/groups/NanceyCummingsReadersGroup/
* * *
I hope you enjoyed Ren and Emry’s second chance at a Happily-Ever-After.
What’s up with Gemma and that Zalis guy? You’ll see.
And Caldar just got away again! Well, see, he didn’t. Caldar will get what coming to him. You’ll be able to read all about it in a super special, super amazing anthology coming next summer. You have no idea. I’m so excited about this project.
Writing was slow going because everything is hard in the world right now. I know authors complain about characters nit doing what they’re supposed to, but seriously. It’s a problem. Every time Emry and Ren were faced with a choice, they picked the worst one. The. Worst. One. So I spent a lot f time panicking about how I was going to get them out of the trouble they were clearly making for themselves. I did enjoy Thalia showing up and adding some chaos goblin mischief.
I’ve a ton of people to tha
nk who helped me work out the plot, let me cry about pigheaded characters, and generally are awesome. We all need awesome people right now. In now specific order: Jenny, Regine, Stacy, Stephanie, Tamsin, Tiffany, Alicia, Marina, Lyndsey, and Aaron.
Specifically I have to mention my friend Sushma. I don’t remember the why now but I do remember she told me she wanted a shout out in the Afterword. You get your own paragraph, Miss Sushma.
Let me know what you think of Ren.
The best way to keep in the loop is to join my newsletter, follow my website, NanceyCummings.com, or join my Facebook readers group.
Stay safe.
About the Author
Join my newsletter and get a FREE copy of Claimed by the Alien Prince.
Get it at here:
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/jektemqay4
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I write fun, flirty and fast stories featuring sassy heroines, out-of-this-world heroes, all
the mischief they can managed and plenty of steamy fun. Hopefully you want to read
them too.
I live in an old house with my husband and a growing collection of cats.
Follow my Facebook reader group for early teasers and whatnots.
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Also by Nancey Cummings
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Snowed in with the Alien Warlord
Alien Warlord’s Passion
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Warriors of Sangrin (with Starr Huntress)
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Kalen
Mylomon
Vox
Warlord’s Baby
Seeran
Rohn
Jaxar
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Ren
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A Winter Starr (with Starr Huntress)
Alien Warlord’s Miracle
The Alien Reindeer’s Bounty
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Delivered to the Aliens
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Tail and Claw (Celestial Mates)
Have Tail, Will Travel
Pulled by the Tail
Tail, Dark and Handsome
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Valos of Sonhadra
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Taken for Granite (Khargals of Duras)
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Wolf’s Bane
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Alpha Aliens of Fremm
Claimed by the Alien Prince
Bride of the Alien Prince
Alien Warrior’s Mate
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Available in Audio
Warriors of Sangrin Series (Narrated by Logan McAllister)
Paax
Kalen
Mylomon
Vox
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Warriors of Sangrin Vol 1 Box Set (Contains Paax, Kalen, Mylomon, & Vox)
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Snowed in with the Alien Warlord (Narrated by Logan McAllister)
Alien Warlord’s Passion (Narrated by Logan McAllister)
Tail and Claw Series
Have Tail, Will Travel (Narrated by Hollie Jackson and Stephen Dexter)
Pulled by the Tail (Narrated by Jay Alder)
Tail, Dark and Handsome (Narrated by Jay Alder)
Ren: Warlord Brides: Warriors of Sangrin #11 Page 21