Page 22

Horek

I wish for nothing more than to revel in my mating with Quinn, but to see her so uncertain about her beauty makes me wish to travel to her Earth and destroy any male who ever made her feel unworthy.

“You don’t really want to hear about the men I’ve been with, do you?” She cocks her head in clear disbelief.

“Gods, no.”

Quinn snorts. “Didn’t think so.”

“But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to know how it’s possible that I am the first to make you feel beautiful. What is wrong with the males of your planet?”

She laughs. “I don’t think we have enough time for that.”

“Whatever it is, they are the ones who have lost out. I will be sure to tell you for the rest of our days how beautiful I find you.” I will worship my heart’s fire so that she will never doubt my feelings.

Quinn glances away and nibbles on her bottom lip before returning her gaze to me. “We should probably talk.”

The tone of her words give me pause. “Are you regretting what happened between us?”

“What?” She draws her head back. “No, but there are still a lot of things we need to discuss.”

“Such as?”

“Such as this whole heart’s fire thing and what it means. Also—and maybe most importantly—what’s next?”

“It means you are my bride. My mate.” I thought she knew this. “It means that we will have a mating ceremony and bring forth the next generation.”

Quinn once again bites her lip. “We don’t really know each other. Or…love each other. Not yet anyway. It’s too soon.”

I have to remind myself that she isn’t Bohnari and doesn’t understand our beliefs and customs. “Being my heart’s fire is far more than being in love. It transcends any emotion. It is the very essence of who we are. Who I am. You are now a part of me, just as I am a part of you.”

Quinn lays her hand on my cheek. “I understand that is how it works for your people, but there’s more to becoming a mate for humans. For us, it is about love. About emotion. It’s about being with the person we can’t live without, nor do we want to. It’s about feeling safe. Secure. Protected. It’s wanting that person’s happiness more than our own.”

“I feel all of those things for you.” I still don’t understand. “It is the way of the heart’s fire.”

“Except I’m human. We don’t have a heart’s fire.” Quinn moves her touch from my face to my chest. “Not the way Bohnari do.”

“What about what we just did?”

“It was incredible. The most wonderful thing I’ve ever done and have no regrets about. But I still want to get to know you. To spend time with you before we decide to commit to the rest of our lives to each other.”

Her request—while not unreasonable—doesn’t make sense to me, but for Quinn, I will be patient. I will learn the ways of the humans. She is my heart’s fire, and no length of time will change that.

“Ask me anything, and I will answer in truth.”

I appear to have startled her, because she opens and closes her mouth multiple times. “Maybe we should continue this conversation with me wearing pants.”

“Except I like you bare. I can feel the heat of your cunt and know it’s because my seed is stored inside it. Even now, a child could be forming. Our child.” The thought pleases more than I ever thought it would. I didn’t want a bride, but I will kill anyone who tries to take her or our youngling away from me.

Quinn’s cheeks brighten in color. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. People don’t always get pregnant the first time they have sex.”

“Then we will do it again and again until I have bred you and your belly is round and swollen with our young.” I approve highly of this plan. Even now, my cock hasn’t lost its hardness and twitches in agreement. I want to fill Quinn with my seed until it drips down her thighs. I want every Bohnari to smell it in her and know that this stunning creature is mine in ways she will never be theirs.

A tremor ripples through her, and the fragrant scent of her arousal grows intensely stronger. Her chest rises and falls in a rapid pace that tells me she is wholly affected by my words. I slip my hand between her legs. She parts them, and I strum the swollen nub that I discovered is the source of immense pleasure for her.

“You desire that too, don’t you, my heart’s fire?” I swirl my finger around that kernel of flesh and Quinn makes a ragged, breathy sound that shoots straight to my sac. “Tell me that is what you wish as well. For me to coat the inside of your cunt with so much of my essence that it will take root. You will nourish our youngling both before and after her birth, and she will grow to be as beautiful and as strong as her mother.”

I slip two fingers inside Quinn’s still-tight passage and coax more pleasure from her. She rides my hand, taking from me what she desires most until her body spasms and she clenches down on my digits, squeezing them with her inner muscles. Her cries of ecstasy ring out. They are the most exquisite sound, especially because I did that for her. Several more small tremors quake through her cunt until at, last, she stills.

Quinn breathes hard, and she lays her head on my shoulder. “It’s really unfair of you to use my pleasure against me.”There is no heat in her accusation.

“Do not think I’ll play fair when it comes to you, Quinn. Neither of us may have known it at the time, but I am who you came to Bohna for.”

“You and Olivia better not gloat about the fact.”

A rare smile creeps onto my lips. “I can’t speak for your friend, but I wouldn’t dare.”

Quinn nudges me with her elbow. “Yeah, right.”

“Now that we have that settled, you still have not asked me a question about myself.” I will never tell her an untruth.

“Fine. Are your parents still living? Any siblings? Did you always want to be a commander?”

The first is not an easy one. While my mother still physically lives, any emotions she might have once felt for anyone other than herself are no longer. I would consider her dead inside. “My father died many moon cycles ago. I was still a youngling and only have a few memories of him. I was an only child, although my cousin is as close as any brother could ever be.”

Quinn tilts her head. “Have I met your cousin?”

I nod. “It is Alik.”

Her eyes widen. “Your cousin is the prince of Bohna?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my god. What does that make you, then? Should I have been bowing or curtsying or falling to my knees before you all this time ?” She makes to slide off me for a second instance, but I’m not having it.

“Cease your movement or I will tie you to my bed so you can’t escape me.”

Quinn freezes and her musky scent grows strong again. Interesting. Perhaps the idea isn’t so abhorrent to her.

“That is better. For now.” I pause to let that sink in. “And Alik being my cousin makes me nothing more than cousin to the prince and his heir. If he were to die before me. Which will not happen. The only time you will be on your knees before me is when my cock is in your mouth.”

Quinn shifts just slightly and I mimic my cousin’s imperious brow raise. She instantly stops, but I can tell how much she fights against it. “You’re a bully.”

I kiss the tip of her nose. “Do you want to hear the rest of my answers or not?”

“Fine.” Her little huff after is adorable.

“I always wanted to be in the guards, but never had hopes of achieving the rank of commander. My father had been a lower ranking guard, which meant I would be as well.” I pause to remember when Garek pushed me to become more. A fact I will forever be grateful for.

“You still haven’t mentioned your mother. You don’t have to talk about her, if it’s too painful?” Quinn strokes my chest in the spot right over my heart.

“My mother is…difficult.”

“So, she’s still alive.”

“Yes. Queen Veroneek and she are sisters, but the two are nothing alike. In fact, I often wonder how they could possibly be related. We aren’t on speaking terms. At least, not until she wants to remind me of all my flaws. Then she makes it a priority to travel from her home in Haveeka to list them all so I don’t ever forget.” My gaze loses focus and I stare out at nothing. “I should warn you, she’ll be extremely unhappy to find out about us. Or at least to have her suspicions confirmed that I’ve met my heart’s fire.”

Quinn’s forehead wrinkles. “Why would she be suspicious of anything? It’s not as though I’ve ever met her.”

“Because she showed up here announced and recognized the signs that mating fever had hit me.”

“Oh,” she breathes out. “I see.”

“She will just have to deal with the fact.” I’ll make sure of it. “No more talk of my mother. We have much better things we can discuss if you’d like. You have not told me about yourself.”

“Like you, my father is deceased. He died in a horrible accident right in front of me when I was sixteen.”

I pull Quinn tighter against my chest and brush my lips over her temple. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

She raises and lowers her shoulder. “It was a long time ago, but thank you.”

“And your mother?”

For a long moment, she doesn’t reply. Then I hear a sniffle and a single droplet of water splashes onto my arm that rests over her thighs. Quinn swipes across her eyes with her palms.

“Sorry, I just really miss her. She’s the one who entered my name in the lottery and pushed me to come here when I told her I was refusing. In addition to Olivia, my mother is my best friend. Leaving her behind was the most painful thing I’ve ever done.” She sobs softly.

“Did you not want a mate?” Have I been so concerned with myself that I have disregarded Quinn’s wishes?

She shakes her head. “It wasn’t that. At least not entirely. I just didn’t want to have to leave my mom to get one, you know?”

My heart hurts for my mate. No one—not even my own father—cared for me the way she cares about her mother. “I am not sorry you came to Bohna, but I am sorry you and your mother have been separated.”

Quinn sniffs again. “Thank you. At least I’m able to talk with her over the comm. She and I actually spoke yesterday.” She pauses. “I told her about you. About the mating fever and the kiss.”

I draw my head back slightly. “You did?”

“Yeah.”

A strange nervousness settles within me. “What did she say?” What did you say?

“She told me there were worse reasons to choose a guy than him being a passionate kisser who sets my blood on fire.”

An unfamiliar smile tugs at my lips. “I think I like your mother.”

Quinn chuckles. “I think she’d like you, too.”

“I am glad. Of course, I hope that means it’s because her daughter also likes me.”

She stares up at me and cradles my jaw in her palm. “She does.”