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Vahn didn’t see any sign of the human when he came back to the room. Good. Perhaps he could feign sleep when she returned. Though Vannla knew how uncomfortable the damned couch was.

At least he wouldn’t have to put up with this torture for much longer. The treaty ratification date had been set. In a short while he would have both his peace accords and his divorce. And he would no longer suffer the ignominy of being married to a human.

Yet you do not find her as objectionable as you did several days ago.

That was only to be expected. He’d had time to get used to her, that was all. Familiarity bred tolerance.

He ignored the voice that reminded him he’d been about to get a little too familiar last night. Or the fact that he’d been ready to beat Baelon to death when she’d offhandedly mentioned he’d attacked her.

He’d spent a lot of time trying to understand why his response had been so primal, and he’d finally come up with an answer he could live with.

It was her scent.

For some reason, her damned Terran scent was confusing his biological reactions, making his body think she was his kalehsha. Maybe it was because they’d spent so much time alone on Minerva-6. Maybe it was a freak occurrence caused by some genetic anomaly in one or both of them. But the sooner she was out of his life, the better.

He pulled his shirt over his head, wondering if he had time for a wash before she got back to the room. But as he approached the bathroom door, he stopped. He could hear music playing.

Kara was in there.

Drek’aa beresh. Was she always to be an annoyance? He was about to turn away irritably when he heard the unmistakable sound of a moan. Instantly his senses were on alert.

Was she hurt? Was she all right?

Without thinking he pulled open the door. Whatever words he’d been about to say died on his lips as he focused on the blistering scene before him.

Kara was splayed in a massage unit, her skin slick and gleaming. Her eyes were closed and little moans escaped her half-parted lips as she stroked and petted her dripping cleft.

He froze, knowing he should leave but unable to tear his gaze away as she drilled her fingers into her wet channel and teased her engorged nub. Her vieris, he realized. Her pleasure center.

She was also playing with her breasts, her nipples stiff as she rolled and tweaked them. It seemed to him he could almost feel their roughened texture as she pinched firmly, teetering on the delicious edge between pleasure and pain.

The bathroom was heady with the scent of her arousal and his zarnad hardened almost immediately. Unable to help himself, obeying his most basic instinct, he undid his waistband and took hold of himself.

A growl escaped his lips as he feasted on the erotic image before him. And when she opened her eyes, he didn’t look away.

She stilled, pinned beneath his magnetic stare. For one breathless moment she wanted to curl up in embarrassment but the naked lust in his eyes held her motionless.

“Do not stop,”

he commanded hoarsely. He stroked his shaft, letting her see his tumescence, willing her to continue. And she did.

She locked eyes with him as she massaged her clitoris, slathering it in oil, making it swell and throb. Her hips began to grind in and out as she brought herself closer to the brink. The fact that he was watching excited her beyond imagination.

Vannla’s Sword. Vahn stared at her glistening core and imagined sinking his length into her. Plunging deep until her beautiful feresh was stretched wide and he was saturated in her cream. Rubbing his ridges against her clitoris and using his serpetri to suck on her deliciously taut nipples.

Pleasuring her. Making her moan. Making her shudder and scream until she…

They both came at the same time. Vahn felt it start in the base of his spine, body arching as he ejaculated blue fluid in a powerful arc. Temple of Ayanlesh, he couldn’t remember ever coming this hard.

But the sensation was nothing compared to watching the little human reach jarna. Her hips lifted from the massage unit, her juices spilling from her as she cried out at the peak of her pleasure.

And then there was silence.

I know her body. The knowledge hit him with unwavering certainty. Her human curves, the warmth of her strangely smooth skin, the way she tasted, even the texture of her vieris – which in Vraxian females was hidden high within the abdomen – all were familiar to him.

An image flashed through his head. A memory of a time they’d lain together in a tent. Warm. Entwined. A storm outside. The image was so clear he could almost hear the patter of raindrops.

Kara watched him warily, unsure of what he’d do next. She knew what she wanted. To keep this unexpected moment of sexual intimacy going. But she couldn’t read his expression.

“Vahn?”

She spoke softly, trying not to break the spell.

“We were together.”

He spoke haltingly. “Sheltering from the rain. You showed me your body. I… I tasted you.”

Kara sat up, the gel sliding from her with a sucking noise.

“Yes. That was Minerva-6. We were learning about each other. For scientific reasons, though it got a little out of hand. Do you remember?”

I remember you tasted like nectar.

Wordlessly, Vahn grabbed a towel and left the room. Kara hugged her knees to her in shame and humiliation.

He didn’t want her.

He’d found her naked and writhing, and all he’d done was watch. He hadn’t tried to touch her, hadn’t wanted anything from her. It was almost more than she could bear.

By the time she’d gathered herself and got cleaned up, he was lying on the sofa with his eyes closed.

“Vahn?”

she said hesitantly. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”

“I wish to sleep.”

“But you had another flashback. It’s important.”

“Please, Kara. I am exhausted. We’ll discuss it in the morning.”

But in the morning he was gone again.