Page 11 of Kranow (Brides of the Mylos #4)
Kranow ’ s emotions up until now had been in a state of flux. He ’ d experienced everything from angry resignation to his fate to a numb ambivalence. Having met her, her countenance impressed upon his awareness along with the knowledge that she was his mate, had even triggered the start of his mating display. It was only as they sat in the Commander ’ s office that he became aware of a new sensation. Observing the two women interact, both reaching out tentatively with such raw emotion, seekers by closure and absolution together, a fierce sense of protectiveness seeped into his bones. Moreover, he understood it to be the same feeling that both Commander Gundar and Junrig felt, a need to protect and nurture both females, albeit each male ’ s focus primarily centered upon their own mates.
As the door to their new quarters closed behind them, he felt this need well up. Marley stood before the door, her gaze upon the floor, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. She had walked head down the entire way from the conference room, as if afraid to meet the eyes of anyone else or to take in her surroundings. Unsure how she would react if he gave into his instincts and enveloped her within his arms and carried her to the sofa, he instead placed a forefinger under her chin. He lifted her face and regarded her silently, gentling his expression, and waited for her to meet his gaze. A heartbeat later, uncertain eyes gazed back at him.
“ There you are, ” he said softly. “ Now I can see you properly. ” He was rewarded with a wobbly smile.
“ What you see us what you get. And, ” her voice threatened to break, “ I meant every word I said back there and that I wrote in my apology. I know it can never be a bough but maybe someday we can find a way to forward past it. ” She looked at him with eyes full of desperate hope.
He dropped his hand from under her chin and reached for her, pulling her against his chest. Relief coursed through him as he felt her first stiffen, then melt into his embrace. She sighed, she breathed in his pheromones, took a deeper breath, and sagged against him completely. “ Oh my God, I needed a hug so bad, ” she whispered. “ Is this a mate thing? Because you feel like home, and it ’ s as if I ’ ve been on a journey away and have just gotten back. Only it ’ s kinda weird, because we only just met. ”
Kranow ’ s chest rumbled against her as he gave a low chuckle. “ Yes, it is a ‘ mate thing ’ . We are, after all, each other ’ s perfect match. ”
“ Soul mates, ” she whispered. “ Not just compatibility, you guys have found a way to actually locate one ’ s soul mate. ” Her tone had become reverent. “ The world needs to know this. It ’ s the stuff dreams are made of. ”
Kranow rested his chin on the top of her head. He ’ d heard that humans often chose mates for as little as a few moments. Junrig ’ s own mate and offspring had been abandoned by not just one runaway mate, but two. Was it true that humans sought each other out looking for their one true mate to in all the universe, but were hampered by an inherent lack of how to identify them? “ The matching system was developed for those of us who were not lucky enough to find our mates on our own. Among the Mylos, just the sight and smell of our mate will trigger our desire to bond. Likewise, the sight and knowledge of our matehood triggers the response as our emotions kick start our hormonal drive. ”
She peered up at him. “ We get urges too, a feeling of lust that some say is triggered by the innate need to procreate. This is not that, though. This is more like the much rarer thing we rarely see but which is in so many of our stories, right from childhood. That of finding the one true love which brings us a happily ever after together ending. We just sort of bumble along and hope our crush turns out to be that person. With you, here like this, and knowing this is how my sister feels, and all of the Mylos brides too, I realize it ’ s not some super rare thing only found in fairytales. It ’ s real and somehow, the Universe gifted me with it. ”
He pulled back, angling his head to lean in and ghost his lips across hers. “ It is a gift to be cherished. ” He knew the minute he spoke that he ’ d said the wrong thing. Her expression froze, and grief blazed through her eyes as once more, the full import of what she ’ d attempted to do hammered her conscience. He spun her around. “ I hope the decor doesn ’ t shatter your sense of having come home, ” he said hurriedly.
Marley blinked. View screens displayed a view from somewhere in Honolulu, as seen from an upper floor condo. Cars and buses made their way down the streets while pedestrians strolled in the bright sunshine. Palm trees swayed gently and light glinted off the water in the nearby canal while the sea shimmered from behind buildings mere blocks away. Her jaw dropped as she took in the furnishings. “ This is incredible! Melissa helped you do this? ”
“ And her friend Steven who is something called an interior decorator. He lives next door to us as well. ” He stood unsure of what to do as tears began to stream down her face. Was it that bad?
“ This is probably the nicest way thing anyone has ever done for me, ” she blubbered. “ You think this means that maybe one day they ’ ll really become my friends? ” His posture relaxed. All was well, his mate was merely overwhelmed.
“ I am certain things will work out. ” He cupped her chin and kissed her again, this time more insistently. His skin itched as more of his scales appeared. He teased the seam of her lips, requesting entrance. She whimpered, her eyes fluttered shut as she opened to him. Her arms wound about his neck as their tongues tangled. They kissed until they were both breathless, breaking apart only to gaze at one another as they caught their breath. He took in her flushed gaze and the sound of her gentle pants now filled with need and scooped her up easily. He strode to their bedroom and laid her upon the soft coverlet on their bed, clambering over her. Bracketed by his body, her eyes hazed with even deeper want. He began to kiss her once more, first her lips, then her jaw, the pulse point by her ear, down her neck. She gasped, writhing beneath him. “ Yes! ” she cried out, her hands frantically rubbing up and down his arms. “ More! ”
Spurred on by her begging, he knelt up, giving himself room to get rid of their shirts. He grimaced at the sight of her bra, making quick work of getting rid of that too. Her breasts bounced free and he darted forward, lips latching around a nipple before gently biting down and then tonguing away the sting before lavishing her other breast with the same attention. Marley cried out, arching her back to lift her chest towards him. He gave a dark chuckle before moving his mouth lower, kissing his way down her belly.
She squealed as his tongue lightly teased her belly button. He responded by standing up, toeing off his boots and socks before hurriedly stripping off his pants and underwear. Pupils blown, Marley struggled to make her fingers obey her. She managed to wriggle free from her trousers only after Kranow helped her by removing her footwear.
His hot gaze raked his way down her body, appreciation writ large upon his face. She spread her legs and bent them towards her chest in blatant invitation, one he had no intention of refusing. He crouched down between her legs and grasped her ankles, resting them upon his strong shoulders before letting them go to place his hands at the apex of her thighs, her knees up to the sides of her chest.
Her eyes widened as he used his thumbs to part her folds. He blew gently upon her clit, then bent his head forward. She fisted the sheets as he swirled his hot tongue and sucked before moving down to plunge into her heated, wet depths. “ Ahhh! ” She writhed in ecstasy under his ministrations, mindlessly list to the onslaught of sensations overwhelming her senses. He moaned as he tasted her, the vibration ratcheting her to the tipping point. She babbled then gave a wordless scream as her back arched and her vision whited out.
He ’ d felt her body tense, her inner walls tightening about his tongue as she came, her juices flooding his mouth and wetting his chin. He sat up, carefully so as to not dislodge her legs from his shoulders. She blinked slowly as awareness came back to her, her lips parting as she took in the change to his eyes. His pupils had developed a vertical slit, the bony areas about his eyes and brows now sported purple scales with a pearlescent luster. The hint of scales along the sides of his neck matched, now fully visible and extended to his shoulders where they ran down the outside of his arms. She caught sight of his back in the mirror hanging over the dresser next to the bedroom door and gasped softly. The scales also ran down from his hairline and along his spine.
Kranow shifted, his left hand now gripping his cock. He aimed it at her center, only pausing to meet her gaze, asking for permission. “ Yes, please, ” she breathed. She felt the blunt tip press against her before sliding in. He moved slowly but steadily, seating himself in one smooth glide. She gasped at the feeling of being so full. He gave her a moment to adjust. Feeling her relax about him, he began to move. He began moving slowly, alternating between shallow and light thrusts, speeding up incrementally until he pounded her with wild abandon.
Marley lowered her legs, wrapping them about his waist. She moved in time to him, using her leverage to meet him as he thrust forward, spurred on by the low groans he made as he moved. She unclenched her hands from the sheets, reaching down with one hand to tease a nipple while toying with her clit with the other. It soon became too much and for the first time in her life, Marley orgasmed a second time. As she fell over the precipice, she heard him bellow in response as he too reached his peak.
Afterwards, he fell forward to one side of her. Once their breathing calmed, they smiled at each other and maneuvered themselves under the covers. “ Xeranos, lights out, ” he called out hoarsely. The lights dimmed until the room was shrouded in darkness. He pulled her to him, spooning her from behind and placing a kiss on the back of her neck. Neither said anything else, lying quietly together until their breaths matched and slowed as sleep swept them both away.