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KHORLAR

The harness sat tight on her body. Leather and steel. A claim. I'd spent hours measuring, cutting, stitching it just for her. It was my mark on her skin. Her fingers traced the buckles, eyes wide. Was it gratitude? Maybe. Uncertainty? Sure. But something else pulsed under it all.

"It's good work," she murmured, her voice almost lost to the wind whistling outside. Those dark eyes met mine. They were questioning, but defiant too. "I've never had anything made just for me. Not like this."

Pride surged hot. It was primal. Fierce. "The first," I said, my voice rough. My tail swept the stone floor behind me, restless. I couldn't keep it still.

The harness showed off the hard lines of her body—a warrior's body, built for killing. It was different from our females, but just as dangerous. Just as fucking magnificent. Thinking about flying with her, feeling her strapped against me while we cut through Volcaryth's winds … heat pooled low in my gut.

She glanced at the darkening sky, then back at me. Her chin lifted a fraction. She took a deep breath. A decision made, clear as a shout.

"Not tonight," she said. Her voice was soft, but final. "The flight, I mean." Her fingers tested a strap. "But I want to keep wearing this. For now."

Right. Not the sky. Something else. The air between us grew thick, heavy.

I held out my hand, scaled palm up. "Come."

For a second, I thought she'd back off. She would remember the Council, the Temple priests bitching about us, the fucking gap between our kinds. Instead, her smaller hand slid into mine. Her fingers curled tight against my scales. Solid.

"Lead the way, Stone Fist."

I led her through the stone corridors. I felt every stare from the warriors we passed, heard every hissed whisper. Let them look. Let them fucking see. My wings shifted, half-opening behind her. A warning.

Try me.

The siege quarters felt smaller with her inside. Closer. The heat crystals pulsed low, throwing her shadow long on the floor. I slammed the door shut, the clicks echoing my hammering pulse. Locked us in.

When I turned, she stood near the sleeping platform, fingers trailing over the silks. The harness emphasized her shoulders, the curve of her hip. Shadows clung to her collarbones, her throat. Her scent—human sweat and something else, something just her —filled the small space. It wrapped around me, tightened my throat, made my cock stir.

"Hawk," I rasped. My voice sounded like rocks grinding together. I kept my distance. Gave her space. Prayed she wouldn't take it.

She met my eyes, steady. In the low light, they looked black. Watching me. Thinking. Her tongue darted out, wetting her lips. Was it nerves? Or was she doing it on purpose? Didn't matter. It broke something inside me.

"I'm not good at this," she breathed. "This thing between us."

"Neither am I," I admitted, stepping closer. Couldn't help it. I was drawn like metal to a lodestone. "But I know what I feel."

Her breath hitched. "What's that?"

I closed the gap. Slow. Deliberate. My hand lifted, cupped her cheek. Careful. Gentle. Her skin felt too smooth against my rough scales. Warm. Alive.

"Mine," I growled. The word ripped out, raw possession. Nothing else mattered.

My tail snaked around her waist. A living strap holding her to me. Even through the clothes, the contact burned. She sucked in a sharp breath. Her pulse jumped under my fingers. Every reaction was a victory.

Her hands came up to my chest. I tensed, waiting for her to push me away. Instead, her palms pressed flat against my scales. Exploring. Heat flared where she touched.

"This should scare me," she whispered, fingers tracing the edge of a scale.

"Does it?" My voice dropped lower until it was rumbling.

"Yes." There was a pause. Her eyes lifted. Defiant. Vulnerable. "No."

I traced her jaw with my thumb. Felt her pulse leap. "I wouldn't cage you, vrakasha . Just … let me keep you safe."

Something in her eyes softened. Gave way. That broke the last of my control.

I bent my head, closing the final inch, and claimed her mouth. There was no hesitation this time. Hunger. Need. She tasted of water, of human heat, of something that made my tongue tingle and my fangs ache.

Her mouth answered mine, turning the kiss rougher. Her hands slid up my neck, fingers digging into the sensitive spot where scales met hide. Fire shot through me. A low growl vibrated from my throat into her mouth.

My tail tightened, then slid lower. It went over the curve of her hip, down the strength of her thigh. She gasped against my lips, arching into the touch. Each reaction pushed me further. My hands roamed her back, learning the shape of her through cloth and leather.

"Khorlar," she murmured, the sound husky. It was liquid fire in my veins.

I shuffled backward, pulling her toward the sleeping platform. Didn't want to break contact, not even for a second. Her hands got bolder. They traced the ridges on my chest, found the sensitive edges of my scales. Her nails scraped lightly over my stomach. Pleasure ripped through me, sharp and sudden.

"Show me," she demanded, eyes burning in the dim light. "How to touch you."

The order, so fucking bold, cracked something deep inside. My control—years of discipline, battle—frayed. Gone.

"Everything," I admitted, my voice thick. I cupped the back of her neck, felt the short silk of her hair. "But here …" I guided her hand to the base of my wing, where the scales were thin. "And here …" Under my jaw, where hide was softer.

Her touch grew bolder. Each stroke sent jolts through me. The heat between us wasn't just mine anymore. It poured off her. Her scent thickened. Rich with a desire I knew even without being human.

We hit the sleeping platform. I let her guide our fall onto the silks, wings flaring to soften the landing. She landed on top of me. Her weight, solid and real, drew a satisfied rumble from my chest. Her surprised laugh—sharp, precious—rumbled against my scales.

"Sorry," she said, but she was grinning. "Still getting used to … all this." She waved a hand vaguely at my wings, my tail. Me.

I traced her smile with my thumb. Watched the firelight on her face. "Me too, vrakasha . You break every rule."

My honesty seemed to catch her off guard. Her face shifted—unguarded, open—just for a second. Then she lowered her mouth to mine again, stealing my breath.

Her fingers found the buckles on my battle harness. Fumbled a little. I helped her, shedding the armor fast. Each piece hitting the floor made me more aware of her. Her scent. Her heat. The way her breath hitched when my bare scales met the air.

"Can I?" I asked. My fingers hovered near her shirt.

She nodded. Sharp. Quick.

I moved carefully. My claws could rip this flimsy stuff easily, and I did, cutting her shirt away around my gift. The harness I'd made was still there. Leather on bare skin. Possessive heat flared in me. Mine.

"Leave it," she ordered, seeing me reach for the buckles. "I like how it feels."

Fuck. That almost broke me. My free hand clenched the silk bedding, claws sinking deep. I was fighting for control.

Her pants came next. Gone. Leaving her in just the harness and some light wraps underneath. Leather against skin. Firelight on her curves, in the hollows. An image burned into my brain.

Forever.

"Your turn," she challenged. Her fingers went to the ties on my own pants.

I helped her. Lifted my hips. Let her strip the last barrier away. She sucked in a sharp breath when my cock sprang free, hard and flushed. She stared. There was no shame. Her eyes tracked the thick length, the obsidian scales giving way to pulsing flesh, the slick bead of need at the tip.

"Yes," she murmured. Curiosity mixed with something else. Hunger. "Please."

Her fingers touched me. Feather-light. Exploring. A growl tore from my throat. My hips bucked. Her eyes widened, not with fear, but satisfaction. Fierce. Matching mine.

"Show me," she repeated.

I guided her hand. Showed her the pressure, the rhythm. Her fingers—smaller, smoother than any Drakarn female's—on my sensitive flesh. It was almost too much. She bent her head. Her tongue flicked out, tasted the head of my cock. My control shattered. Gone.

With a snarl, I flipped her. Rolled her underneath me. Careful, but fast. Her startled gasp turned into a moan when my mouth found the pulse beating fast in her throat. I tasted my way down her body. Learned her sounds. Where she sighed. Where she gasped. Where a light scrape of my fang made her curse and arch her spine.

My tail slid between her thighs. Found her heat. Teased the sensitive flesh there. She was wet. Ready. Her body was honest. Her scent—human musk, mixed with pure Hawk —drove me wild.

"Please," she breathed. Raw. Needy.

I lifted my head from her breast. Met her eyes. "Tell me what you want."

"You," she answered. There was no hesitation. She was reaching for me. "Inside me. Now."

The demand. It was straightforward. Fierce. Just like her. No games. Just need. Matching mine.

I positioned myself between her thighs. My cock ached. Needed to claim her. Possess her. But deeper than that … I wanted to please her. Worship her. Make this mean something.

"Look at me," I commanded. Needed to see her eyes when I took her.

Dark eyes met mine. Gold fire reflected in them. A connection deeper than skin. I pushed forward. Slow. Breaching her entrance. Fuck, she was tight. Slick heat gripped my cock. Inch by slow inch, I filled her. Her breath came in short, sharp pants. Her fingers dug into my shoulders, right where scales met softer skin.

When I was buried deep inside, I stopped. Fought the urge to slam into her. Claim her hard. Her inner muscles fluttered around me. Tightening. Adjusting. I dropped my forehead to hers. Breathed her in. Let her scent fill me, calm the fire threatening to burn me up.

"Move," she finally whispered. It was barely audible. "Please, Khorlar. Move."

I obeyed. Pulled back almost all the way, then sank deep again. The drag. The glide. The friction. A groan ripped from my chest. Her answering moan, her legs locking around my waist, pulling me deeper—nothing had ever felt like this.

We found a rhythm. Old as time, but new. Her hands explored my back, my sides. Found places that sent shocks straight to my cock. My tail coiled around her thigh, pulsing with my thrusts. Another connection. Another claim.

"Yes," she gasped, head thrown back. Throat exposed. "Right there."

I changed my angle. Pushed deeper. Hit a spot that made her eyes fly wide, her breath catch. Seeing her like that—flushed, desperate, the harness framing her panting chest—broke the last of my restraint. My pace quickened. Each thrust pounding into her. A claim.

Mine. Mine. Mine.

Her climax hit her hard. Her body arched off the silks, muscles clamping down on my cock in tight pulses. Trying to pull me over the edge with her. She cried out, raw and wild. Her nails dug into my scales.

"Khorlar," she gasped, eyes wide, unfocused. "God, Khorlar …"

My name on her lips. Broken. Fucking reverent. It shattered everything. My release tore through me like lava. Burning hot. I buried my face in her neck, breathing her in as I pumped my seed deep inside her. Marking her. Filling her.

We collapsed. Tangled in damp sheets. Sweat. Sex. My tail draped over her leg. Protective. I didn't want to let go. Our breathing slowed. Hearts stopped hammering.

In the quiet, I pulled her closer. One wing half-covered her. She didn't fight it. Her smaller body fit against mine. It was like she was made for it. The thought sent a fresh wave of possession through me. And something else. Tender. An ache under my ribs.

"I never expected this," I admitted. My voice was rough. Thick with feeling. "You. What you are to me."

She tilted her head. Looked at me with those eyes that saw too damn much. "And what's that?"

I traced her cheek. Her soft skin. The strength underneath. "Everything," I answered. It was simple. True. "Honor. Purpose. Home."

Something flickered in her eyes—fear, maybe wonder—gone too fast. Then her face softened. Just a little. She leaned up, pressed her lips to the scales over my heart.

"Whatever this is … it scares me how much I need it."

Her honesty hit me harder than any blade. I tightened my hold. Her heartbeat, steady against my chest. No battle won ever felt like this. This wasn't surrender. It was … a meeting. Equals.

"Sleep, vrakasha ," I rumbled, stroking her short hair.

She made a soft sound. Was it protest? Agreement? But her body relaxed against mine. In the dim glow of the heat crystals, her safe in my arms, I finally admitted the truth. The one burning me up since I first smelled her.

She was mine. I was hers. And I'd tear apart anyone—Council, Temple, Ignarath himself—who tried to touch what we were building.

As she drifted off, her breathing evening out, one last truth settled deep in my bones. It was as hard as stone.

I would burn the world to ash before I let her go.