Page 21

I led Korvan into the bedroom, my fingers laced through his. My heart pounded against my ribs, but I refused to second-guess myself. For once in my life, I wasn’t running away. I was running toward something I wanted. Something I’d chosen.

The bedroom matched the rest of his quarters – utilitarian, sparse, and lacking personal touches. A low bed dominated one wall, the sheets pulled military-tight. No decorations, no mementos. Nothing to mark the space as truly his, beyond its functional purpose.

The dim lights cast harsh angles across his features, across the planes of his gray skin and the orange markings that traced down one side of his face.

“You don’t spend much time here, do you?” I asked.

“Only for sleeping.”

“Shame.” I pulled him closer, sliding my hands up his chest. “We’ll have to change that.”

I kissed him, and he responded with a hunger that stole my breath. His lips captured mine, urgent yet restrained – that control I’d noticed in him from the beginning. His hands hovered at my waist, barely touching me, as if afraid I might break.

“You’ve been holding back,” I murmured against his mouth.

He drew back slightly. “Because I had to.”

With steady fingers, I undid the clasps of his shirt, revealing more of his muscular body, more of those fascinating orange markings that spiraled across his chest in intricate patterns.

“You’re always so careful,” I said, tracing one of the markings with my fingertip. “Why?”

His chest rose and fell under my touch. “Because you’re not something to be taken lightly.”

I smiled, my hands traveling down his sides. “Good. Because I’m not done with you yet.”

Taking charge, I pulled my own shirt off and tossed it aside. His eyes darkened as he took in the sight of me. For a moment, he stood frozen, and I wondered if I’d misread everything.

Then his hands found me, trailing across my shoulders, down my arms. His touch was firm but deliberate, as if mapping every inch of me.

“You’re beautiful,” he said, his voice rough.

I smirked, tugging at his waistband. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

He claimed my mouth again, and this time his restraint slipped. Strong arms lifted me onto the bed, and he followed, bracing himself above me. Each movement was slow, deliberate – savoring the moment.

His lips trailed from mine, down my neck, across my collarbone. I arched up into him, my fingers digging into the muscles of his back.

“Never thought we’d end up here,” I breathed as his mouth moved lower. “When you cornered me at the Dock.”

“I should have killed you then,” he admitted, his breath hot against my skin.

“And now?”

“Now I never want to let you go.” His hands slid lower, helping me out of my pants, his movements careful despite the obvious hunger in his eyes.

I returned the favor, pushing his remaining clothes away until there was nothing between us but skin and heat and want.

His body was different from a human’s – stronger, harder, the temperature running hotter.

The orange markings I’d traced on his face and chest continued in swirling patterns down one hip and leg.

“Touch me,” I whispered, letting my legs fall open, inviting him in.

His hands explored me with devastating precision, as if he knew exactly where and how to make me burn. Every touch from his calloused fingers drew sounds from me I barely recognized.

“Do you like this?” he asked, his fingers finding a particularly sensitive spot.

“What do you think?” I gasped, my hips lifting off the bed.

His lips curved into a rare smile. “I think I want to hear you say it.”

“Yes,” I admitted. “Yes, I like it. I like your hands on me. Your mouth?—”

He cut me off with a kiss, deep and consuming, before his lips traveled down my body. When his mouth replaced his fingers, I buried my hands in his hair, holding him to me.

Time blurred, my world narrowing to the heat of his mouth, the pressure of his hands, the relentless rhythm he built. I felt myself climbing higher, teetering on the edge of something overwhelming.

“Korvan,” I moaned, my back arching off the bed. “Please?—”

He increased his pace, and I shattered, pleasure washing over me in waves. I clung to him, my nails digging into his shoulders as his name fell from my lips.

Before I’d even caught my breath, he moved over me, his eyes locked with mine as he positioned himself at my entrance. He paused there, giving me one last moment to change my mind.

I wrapped my legs around his waist in answer, drawing him toward me.

He entered me slowly, the sensation of fullness bordering on too much – the flanges down his cock hitting me deep inside. When he began to move, I moved with him, our bodies finding a rhythm together.

His control began to slip as our pace increased. His breaths came faster, his grip on my hips tightened. I ran my hands over his chest, his shoulders, his back, wanting to touch every part of him.

“Let go,” I urged, watching his face tighten with the effort of holding back. “I won’t break.”

Something in him snapped at my words. His thrusts grew more powerful, more urgent.

The bed creaked beneath us as he drove us both toward release.

When it came, it washed over me like a solar flare – intense and all-consuming.

He followed moments later, his body tensing above mine before he collapsed beside me.

We lay together catching our breath, our skin cooling in the recycled air of the room. His arm wrapped around me, pulling me close against him. I traced the orange markings on his chest with my finger, following their pattern where they disappeared down his side.

“Why didn’t you claim me?” The question left my lips before I could stop it.

He stiffened slightly beside me. “You know about the claiming bite?”

“I know more than you think.” I smiled up at him. “I’ve heard the stories.”

“From who?”

“You pick things up.” I traced a pattern on his skin. “Some drunk Vinduthi trader once told me how their bites changed their mates. Heightened senses, increased strength, faster healing.” I paused. “Marking that matches their partner’s.”

Korvan’s fingers brushed my neck, right where the bite would go. “Those stories are true.”

“Then why didn’t you? Don’t you want that?” A flicker of insecurity shot through me. Maybe he hadn’t meant this to be permanent.

“It’s not about what I want.” His voice dropped lower, more serious. “The bite changes you. Forever. It binds us together in ways that can never be undone. I wouldn’t do that without your consent.”

I pushed myself up on one elbow, meeting his gaze directly. “If we’re going to be partners, I want to be your partner in everything. No holding back. No hesitation.”

He stared at me, searching my face for any doubt. His thumb brushed my cheek. “You’re sure about this?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.”

I pulled him into another kiss, fiercer and hungrier than before. I climbed onto his lap, straddling him as I deepened the kiss. I wanted him to feel how much I wanted this – how much I wanted him.

His hands gripped my hips, his control slipping as our movements grew more frenzied. Every touch between us held more urgency now, more need. I guided him inside me again, taking him deep as I moved above him.

This time, there was no slow exploration, no careful restraint. This was raw and primal need. His hands traveled my body, claiming every inch. When he flipped us over, pinning me beneath him, I welcomed his weight, his heat.

Our bodies moved together, finding a rhythm that built toward something I’d never felt before. His thrusts grew deeper; my legs wrapped around his waist urging him on.

As I felt myself approaching the edge again, his lips brushed my neck, the prick of his fangs making me shiver with anticipation.

He paused, giving me one last chance to stop him. “Iria...” His voice was hoarse with restraint.

“Do it,” I urged.

As pleasure crashed over me, his teeth sank into the curve where my neck met my shoulder. The bite wasn’t painful—it was electric. A current ran through my body, setting every nerve on fire. Heat spread from the point of contact, flooding my system with something alien and intoxicating.

I cried out, clutching him closer as the sensation overwhelmed me. I felt him everywhere, like we were two parts of the same whole. His release followed mine, his body shuddering above me.

As he withdrew his fangs, he licked the wound closed, the gesture somehow tender despite its strangeness. Exhaustion washed over me suddenly, my limbs heavy. Something was changing inside me, a warm tingling spreading through my veins.

“What’s happening?” I asked, my voice thick with drowsiness.

“The transformation.” He brushed my hair back from my face. “Sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

My eyelids grew too heavy to keep open. The last thing I felt before drifting off was Korvan’s arms around me, holding me close, and I knew I was exactly where I belonged.