by Stacy Jones
“Do you know me? Do you remember me?”
She heard him drawing in a deep breath, pulling in more of her scent now that she was closer, but still no answer. Another step brought her within ten feet of him. She didn’t think he had enough chain to reach her, but stayed poised, ready to jump backward in case he attacked.
Hiding any signs of tension in her voice, she continued speaking softly. “I believe we were close once. Maybe more than once. Zhrovni—”
That got her a vicious snarl.
“Yeah, he’s a real bastard. He mentioned wiping our memories, but that we always managed to find each other, regardless of his efforts. That is, until he locked you up down here. I found Tirox and Kix in the arena. That’s who you smelled earlier. But, I didn’t remember you until I saw you chained up in the canyon.”
Pausing just before she stepped within grabbing range, she gazed up at him searchingly, trying to read the expression on his face.
Deciding blunt was best, if only to gauge his reaction, she asked, “If I come closer, will you try to hurt me?”
He stiffened, whether because he was offended by the question or because he was unsure, she couldn’t quite tell, but after a beat, he seemed to force himself to relax. He lowered his shoulders and bowed his head slightly, making it appear as if he was looking right at her, then very deliberately put his hands behind his back.
Taking that as a ‘no,’ she took a step closer. They were less than three feet apart now. She could smell him. Despite being positive he hadn’t had access to a bath or the three shells, he smelled… incredible. Warm and rich, like dark chocolate and vanilla with an underscore of leather. It made her think of really good sex, the kind you don’t walk away from but wobbled drunkenly on on legs gone numb from too much pleasure.
What the hell is up with these alien men smelling like all my favorite things?
A little flustered at the unexpected image, she shook it off before Kix picked up on it and decided that was reason enough to storm in. Searching for something else to focus on, she glanced down at the shackle encircling his ankle and followed the chain to an anchor set in the stone.
Maybe if I pile rocks on top of a throwing star, it’ll direct the blast and…
She was only distracted for a split second… but it was enough.
Like a predator sensing opportunity, he sprang.
Her little passenger didn’t even have time to warn her. Between one heartbeat and the next, he yanked her off her feet, spun her around, slammed her against the stone wall, and had her pinned in place with his big body.
Aria blinked, stunned.
If he’d moved even an inch after that, she wouldn’t have been able to stop herself. She would've lashed out. Aggression would’ve taken over. But, as though he knew that, he stayed perfectly still, not even breathing, almost as though he was as stunned by his actions as she was.
That stillness was the only reason she answered Kix’s mental probe with a wave of calm reassurance.
When she didn’t attack him or struggle to get free, he loosened his grip on her wrists and slid his hands up until they were flattened over hers, completely concealing her much smaller ones beneath his.
She felt him bend slightly and rub what had to be his cheek over her hair before a deep inhale expanded his chest, pushing her breasts and shoulders into the stone. He released it in a shuddering gust, sending strands fluttering into her face.
Aria stayed tense, alert, but, oddly, once the adrenaline waned, she felt… safe. Comforted.
Breathless.
A deep, tortured groan vibrated her back as he sniffed his way from her hair down to her throat, burying his face in the crook of her neck. A grinding sound and the fall of grit on her arms had her flicking her eyes upward. His fingers were flexed so hard his claws scored the stone and sent crumbles raining down on her.
The intensity of his reaction to her scent had her breath hitching and a flutter of excitement tightening her stomach.
Something hot and wet trailed over her shoulder, raising goosebumps on her arms and sending a shiver down her spine.
He’d tasted her.
Oh, god…
She tried to choke back the moan rising in her throat, but he heard it and answered with a low growl.
“Miinnee. Mate,” he groaned.
Aria gasped, her lashes fluttering. Those two words sent a bolt of lust arrowing between her legs. His voice was impossibly deep, more of a bestial growl than speech, and hoarse, as if that was the first thing he’d said in a long time.
He slid his hands down her arms, his touch hesitant, rough, as though his control was fraying and he expected her to shove him away any second.
He shouldn’t have worried. She didn’t have any desire for him to stop.
His hands felt hot, unusually so, as he skimmed over her shoulders, down her sides, until he was gripping her hips. As though a knob had been cranked to full power, all of her senses kicked into high gear.
Everything felt heightened—his breath on her skin, the feel of his body pressed against hers, his hands gripping her hips—until she was panting, trying to breathe through the lust flooding her.
He paused there, his muscles trembling with effort as he held himself still, waiting…
“Mate… ”
There was such need, such profound longing and hope in that guttural whisper, the kind of hope that was both fiercely demanding and bitterly fragile.
Somehow, she understood what he couldn’t say. It was a plea for her to be real, for her body against his to be genuine instead of a figment of his imagination.
A lump formed in her throat, sorrow mixing with lust until she wasn’t sure which was stronger. Something within her responded to his pain. She needed to ease that hurt, needed to answer his demand.
She needed him to know she was there.
Aria knew she was playing with fire. She should turn around, put space between them so she could think past the overwhelming desire clouding her mind. She knew this feeling, had felt it with Tirox and Kix, knew how easy it was to embrace it, to let the hunger and the heady sense of finding home drown out everything else until only she and the piece of her heart she hadn’t known was missing were the only things that felt real.
She should push him away, and, yet, she didn’t. She relaxed back against him.
A second, deeper growl thrummed against her. Whatever restraint he had snapped.
All at once, his hands were everywhere—cupping her breast, tugging on her nipple, pulling her hips back so she could feel the hard length of his cock against her ass, fisting her hair to tilt her head to the side so he could lick and nip at her neck. Aria almost came when he dipped a hand between her legs and slid his fingers over her pussy but, before she could do more than moan, they were gone.
Opening her eyes, she followed his hand with her gaze, turning her head in time see him raise that same hand to his mouth.
She watched, wide-eyed and breathless, as he licked her wetness off his fingers then shuddered and groaned. There was something intensely animalistic and, yet, almost unbearably erotic about watching him taste her.
With a snarl, he dipped down and pushed his cock between her legs then straightened and bent over her, bowing her body forward. Thrusting himself back and forth over her pussy, he slicked himself with her juices.
Aria threw her head back, her fingers clenched on the stone, her teeth sunk into her lip to hold in a cry. Each stroke grazed her clit, sending shocks of pleasure through every nerve ending.
Her knees almost gave out, but he caught her with an arm around her waist, holding her up while he continued hammering his thickness between her thighs.
She was going to come if she didn’t stop him. She was so close, and she wanted, so badly, to arch her back, just enough that the next thrust would be inside her.
That other part of her was pushing, demanding, driving her to claim him, to let him claim her. That part didn’t care about talking or remembering. She knew thi
s man was hers.
But, Aria couldn’t do it.
Her men might’ve come there knowing that, lost memories or not, she and the dragon were mates and what that entailed. This moment between them might feel achingly right in so many ways, but having sex with him would be crossing a line for herself.
It left a sharp ache in her chest, but she forced herself to move.
Aria twisted around suddenly, ignoring the twinge when the rocks scraped her bare skin, until she and the dragon were chest to chest. Leaning her head against the wall at her back, she stared up at him miserably and whispered one word.
“Stop.”
His white eyes were aimed at a spot just to the left of her face instead of at her. His lips were parted slightly with his deep, feverish breaths, showing off very sharp white teeth, and his nostrils flared as he continued to breathe in her scent.
Despite how feral he looked, he’d stopped as soon as she turned. He was shaking with the effort, but he held himself still, waiting to see what she did.
Slowly, cautiously, she raised her hand and laid her palm on his chest. He jerked back and growled. Even expecting it, his reaction sent a pang through her.
“It’s okay. I wouldn’t hurt you.”
He stayed stiff but didn’t pull back again when she slid her hand up his chest to his shoulder. Keeping her movements slow, she brushed her fingertips over his jawline, up to his lips.
His breathing picked up speed and his cock throbbed against her stomach, but she could feel his muscles twitching. She could feel how much he wanted her, how badly he craved her touch, and, yet, he was preparing to retreat, to defend himself, thinking she was going to hurt him. Sex he obviously understood, but affection was foreign.
He wanted her, but he didn’t trust her, and that hurt.
“It’s okay,” she breathed.
As badly as she wanted his hands back on her, and despite knowing it would’ve meant more to both of them than just a quick, animalistic fuck in a cave, she couldn’t do it. She needed something… more from him. More than just his body.
She needed him. All of him.
As much as she ached for his touch, she couldn’t let anything happen between them until she knew his mind was leading his body instead of instinct, until she knew he trusted her and, at that moment, he didn’t.
He tensed and started to lunge at her when she lifted her hand away from his lips, only to freeze when she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his upper stomach.
Like a switch had been flipped, he went completely rigid, not breathing or moving so much as a fingertip. All the passion she’d felt from him moments ago was gone. He was as still and unyielding as stone. If she couldn’t still feel the ghost of his hardness between her legs she would almost think she’d imagined the fervor of his desire.
The only part he couldn’t stop was his heart, and it was thundering under her ear.
How long? How long had it been since anyone had touched him with kindness? Her heart felt like it was shattering in her chest at his reaction to a simple hug.
“It’s okay, baby. I won’t hurt you,” she rasped.
It took a long while, but with jerky movements, he hesitantly coiled his arms around her. When she didn’t pull away, he tightened them, pulling her closer. Excruciatingly slowly, his muscles relaxed, one by one, until he was bowed over her, enfolding her small body in his much bigger one. The breath rushed out of him on a gravelly moan, and his pounding heart finally slowed.
“Mate. Mine. A roínseah,” he breathed, his voice achingly tender.
Before his translator could reveal the meaning of the beautifully lyrical word, a scuff sounded from the entrance of the cave, shattering the fragile moment like a gunshot.
Between one heartbeat and the next, every shred of gentleness disappeared, and he was once again the snarling beast.
Chapter 28
Aria barely had time to brace before he once again spun her around and shoved her against the wall, but that time he had his back to her. He was using his body to shield her.
The rough rock felt like daggers against her unreasonably sensitive skin. She bit back her gasp of pain, knowing he hadn’t meant to hurt her, and knowing it would only encourage her men to attack, but if he pushed her against the wall any harder, her skin was going to tear.
All she could see was the wide, muscular, scarred expanse of his back as he stood in front of her, but she didn’t have to look to know it was her men coming back in that set him off.
Gently laying her hands on his sides, she held onto him lightly, but she was ready to restrain him if he lept at them.
She kept her voice calm as she said, “Easy. They’re not here to hurt you or me. They’re my mates.” He went taut under her hands, but she kept going, hoping that if he could identify them he’d relax. “The one that smells like electricity is Kix, and the one with the smokey scent is Tirox.”
“Aria, tell me you are well. Now,” came Kix’s voice, tight with worry and aggression.
“I’m fine, babe. He’s just being protective.”
A dark chuckle preceded Tirox’s voice as he called out, “I smell your cunt, my heart. Did he eat you after all?”
The bald statement had her eyes widening and her cheeks feeling hot.
Suddenly thankful she was hidden from view behind the dragon man so they couldn’t see her blush, she snorted a short laugh and answered, “Don’t worry, Red. Nothing serious happened, which is what you were asking.”
The dragon man had been very still up to that point, but he turned to look over his shoulder, his eyes blindly searching for her face.
His expression was very, very blank, and that worried her.
“Mates?” he growled.
“Aessa, do not—”
She heard the warning in Kix’s tone, but she was already speaking.
“Yes, they’re my mates. Just like yo—”
He snarled viciously, cutting her off mid-word, and reached back to grab her thigh.
“Mine!”
Her eyes widened at the unexpected show of aggression before her stomach sank. All the progress she’d made was gone in an instant. He was retreating from her. Not physically. He was still poised to protect her from the non-existent threat of her men. No—he was retreating mentally. She could see the feral haze sliding back over his sightless eyes.
Trying to decide how best to handle his possessiveness without starting a fight or pushing him further away, she hesitated before answering.
Unfortunately, she must have hesitated too long, because he stiffened further, and his hand flexed, causing his sharp claws to bite into her skin.
It wasn’t intentional. She knew that. But, it fucking hurt. That time, she couldn’t stop her hiss of pain.
The sound seemed to shoot through her dragon like an electric prod. He jerked his hand away and reeled around, utter shock replacing his aggression.
“No,” he breathed, curling his hand into a fist.
He took a stumbling step away from her, horror spreading across his features when he felt the slickness on his claws.
Aria cursed under her breath and started to take a step toward him, but just then, the scent of her blood reached her barbarian.
A low, furious growl had her whipping her head around in time to see Tirox draw his gun and aim it at the dragon.
Darting forward, she moved to stand in front of him and pointed a warning finger. “Don’t even fucking think about it, Red!”
He narrowed his eyes at her and bared his teeth, but his tone was deceptively sweet when he spoke. “Aria, my beautiful little mate, I need you to move away from the moons-damned bastard so I can shoot him.”
“You can’t shoot him.”
“Not with you standing in my way. That is correct.” he agreed, nodding like she made a good point. “But, if you would take only a small step to the side, I could shoot him with ease,” he explained, as if she was blocking his shot by accident.
“For f
uck’s sake,” she grumbled.
Shaking her head, she gave him her back and turned to face the dragon.
A snarl and two sets of approaching footsteps told her her mates were done waiting for her to go to them. The fact that they weren’t running told her they knew as well as she did that he’d hurt her on accident.
But, accident or not, her men weren’t the forgiving type, not when it came to her anyway.
Tirox’s angry mutter to Kix had her rolling her eyes as she cautiously approached the dragon. He was still standing frozen, but at the scuff of her feet he slowly turned his head to face her.
“Unreasonable female! I was only going to shoot him a little! I was not even going to kill him… completely.”
A commiserating-sounding pat and Kix’s consoling voice answered, “You know how protective she gets. I would have let you shoot him. Further, I believe he would have let you shoot him.”
At that, her brow furrowed. “Is he right? Were you going to let him shoot you?”
He didn’t answer, but he didn’t have to. She could see it on his face. Kix was right.
Sighing deeply, she rubbed her forehead and pursed her lips. She couldn’t decide if she was more angry, exasperated, or sad at the knowledge that he was willing to die for something as inconsequential as scratching her. And to think, she’d thought her barbarian’s honor code was harsh.
Dating aliens is hard fucking work. Worth it, but damned if they don’t find creative ways to make me want to shake some sense into them.
“I’m alright, you know,” she assured quietly.
Still nothing. He held himself rigid, as though worried if he so much as twitched he’d accidentally hurt her again.
Fuck.
The last thing she wanted was to leave him, especially like that, but with two angry mates closing in behind her, and his self-castigation bordering on suicidal, she didn’t see that she had any other choice, not if she wanted the option of trying again later.