Page 16

E mily

I wake with a gasp, my heart racing as the vivid remnants of my dream cling to me like a second skin. It was so real. Too real. Beneath my dress, my body is flushed and overheated, and my thighs are pressed together in a futile attempt to settle the pulsing ache between them.

Vrok’s mouth had been on my neck in the dream, hot and insistent, as his tongue traced over my skin before he sucked hard enough to make me whimper.

His hands had gripped my hips, holding me completely still while he ground the thick, rigid length of his cock against my core.

Even through the frustrating barrier of my clothing, I could feel the sheer size of him, and in the dream, it only made me writhe harder underneath him, desperate for more friction, more pressure, more of him.

But it wasn’t just the way he touched me, it was the way he commanded me. His voice was low and rough, and every word he uttered was a demand that left me gasping.

And I had listened to every word that fell from his lips without hesitation. I’d obeyed every command, every order until I was trembling with need.

Even now, awake and drenched in sweat, my body reacts like he’s still touching me, still demanding more of me. I can feel how slick I am and how tight and aching my nipples are beneath the fabric of my dress.

I turn my head, glancing to see if Vrok is awake, and I freeze.

I’m not lying a few feet away on my own sleeping mat like I was when we fell asleep. At some point in the night, I must have drifted over to Vrok’s side of our little camp, and now, we’re just a couple of inches apart.

His big body is a furnace beside me, all heat and ridged muscles, and his hand is so close to me, it’s almost touching my waist. His spicy scent wraps around me like a blanket, and all I can think about is the feeling of his hands on me.

His mouth on my chest. And his cock grinding against me in slow, torturous circles.

Before I can scramble away and pretend none of this ever happened, his deep voice breaks through the silence.

“You said my name in your sleep.”

I go still. “I… what?”

“You said it more than once.” His tone is quiet with curiosity.

Embarrassment slams into me like a punch to the throat. My cheeks blaze with heat. Fuck. “I had a dream,” I mumble, grasping for the easiest lie. “Probably a nightmare.”

There’s a beat of silence. Then, he says, “You don’t smell like you had a nightmare.”

I blink my eyes in confusion. “I don’t… what ?”

Vrok shifts just a little closer, and suddenly all I can see is his bare chest and his silver eyes watching me. Studying me. His nostrils flare wide as he takes in a deliberate breath before he releases it in a deep exhale.

“Fear smells bitter and sharp,” he says. “That’s not what I scent on you.” He meets my eyes, and his voice lowers to a rough growl that sends a shiver through me that ends at my clit. “Your scent is thicker. Muskier.”

I make a noise in my throat—something between a squeak and a choke—and my entire body locks up. My face feels so hot with embarrassment, I start to worry I might actually combust. Spontaneous human combustion. That’s a thing, right?

Because of course this giant alien warrior has the nose of a bloodhound. Of course, he can tell I was aroused in my sleep, and of course he can smell it on me.

And now he’s analyzing it like he’s a biologist who’s cataloging a new species.

I want the ground to open up and swallow me whole. Something, anything, to escape this awkward, mortifying moment.

“Oh,” I manage. My voice comes out thin and breathy, and I cringe the moment it leaves my lips.

He cocks his head and his eyes narrow as he studies my face as if I’ve just done something fascinating. “Humans are odd creatures,” he murmurs with a shake of his head.

I roll away from him and lurch to my feet, doing my best to look casual, like I didn’t just wake up wet and needy from a dream about him.

What the hell is wrong with me?

This isn’t normal. I mean, okay, he’s attractive. In that broody, hypermasculine way. And I don’t mind admitting that. Yeah, his body is ridiculously ripped, and there’s something about his deep, growly voice that sends an involuntary shiver through me every time he speaks.

But come on. This is not the time. I don’t know if it would ever be a good time, but especially not now. I need to focus. On surviving. On finding Lily. Not on lusting after the guy I broke out of jail. I need to keep it together. For her, if not for myself.

I drag in a deep breath, trying to clear my head, and that’s when I notice the air feels heavier. Then I hear it—a low, distant rumble that is more vibration than a sound at first.

The jungle around us is still half-shrouded in shadow, but even in the dimness, the sky beyond the trees looks wrong. Like it’s off somehow.

A wall of storm clouds looms on the horizon, and every breath is laced with the kind of electric tension that makes the hairs on my arms stand up. The jungle feels unnaturally still, like even the animals are holding their breath.

Another deep rumble rolls through the trees.

Vrok is already on his feet, crouched near the stream, and his sharp eyes are fixed on the horizon like he’s reading some invisible message written in the sky.

“A storm’s coming,” he says without looking at me.

“Do you think it’ll hit us?”

He nods once. “It will. Sooner than I’d like.”

I glance at the sky again, unease curling in my stomach. The gray storm clouds seem to grow darker with each passing second.

“What do we do?” I ask.

He rises to his full height, his expression grim. “We need to move quickly. Dania will carry us.”

At her name, the massive creature lifts her head from where she was grazing, and her ears flick forward in acknowledgment. Vrok grabs the saddle from a nearby boulder and secures it with smooth, practiced ease, murmuring something low and soothing as he works.

I focus on his hands and try to ignore the way my body still hums from that dream.

“What about the anurois’ nesting grounds?” I ask as I gather my satchel. “Will we still reach it today?”

“Not if the storm slows us down,” he replies, tightening a strap with a sharp pull. “But we won’t reach anything if we’re struck by lightning or swept away by rising waters.”

He’s right, of course, but the thought of not getting there today grates at me. Every second we’re not searching for Lily feels like failure.

Vrok glances over his shoulder, as if he can feel the frustration radiating off me. His gaze meets mine, and for a split second, there’s something gentler in his eyes. “I know you’re eager to find her, and we will.”

I nod once and shove a pouch of trail mix into my satchel and sling it over my shoulder. By the time I cross the clearing, he’s finished adjusting the saddle and is giving Dania a final once-over.

Then he turns toward me and gestures to Dania. “Come.”

That single word, spoken in that commanding, gravelly voice, sends a shiver down my spine. My legs move before my brain catches up, like my body has decided we obey him now.

Vrok steps in close enough his scent surrounds me.

His hands settle firmly at my hips, and my breath catches.

Then, he lifts me up with infuriating ease, like I weigh nothing at all, and places me on top of Dania.

My heart thunders as I settle into the saddle, trying to ignore the rush of heat that shot straight to my center as soon as he touched me.

Vrok climbs up behind me in one fluid motion. His powerful thighs slide into place on either side of mine, caging me in. The heat of his bare chest presses into my back, searing straight through the fabric of my dress. I freeze.

And the only thing I can think of is… I am in so much trouble.

I sit up a little straighter, pretending like I'm not acutely aware of every inch of his body pressing into mine. His arms brush against my sides as he adjusts the reins, and a shiver bolts down my spine before I can stop it.

This is fine. Totally fine. I can deal with it.

I can deal with storms. I can even deal with strange planets. And I can definitely deal with being wrapped in the arms of a big, brooding male whose mouth and hands just starred in the hottest dream I’ve ever had.

Totally fine.

Vrok shifts behind me, and then that rough, gravelly voice of his cuts through the air. “Hold on.”

I react before I even think about it, and grab onto the saddle, bracing myself.

With a soft nudge to Dania’s sides, we’re off, and the jungle becomes a blur as she picks her way swiftly through the underbrush.

The ride is surprisingly smooth, and for a while, I let myself hope.

We’re moving fast. That has to count for something.

Maybe, just maybe, we’ll still be able to outrun the storm and make it to the anurois’ nest grounds today.

But after a while it becomes apparent that no matter how fast Dania moves, we aren’t going to be able to leave the storm behind. The first raindrops fall, light and sporadic at first, but they grow heavier until the rain comes down in a steady downpour. Then worse.

The sky above us turns to a deep, menacing gray with clouds so thick and bloated, they churn with a sickly greenish tint around the edges.

They hang low over the canopy, pressing down and smothering the light.

The jungle is cast into an eerie twilight that feels unnatural for the hour.

The sun has disappeared behind them, leaving the world dim and tense.

The usual sounds, the chirps of liseks and the buzz of insects, have vanished, like someone flipped a switch.

All I can hear now is the steady thud of Dania’s hooves against the sodden ground and the relentless drum of rain as it crashes down through the trees.

The trees above don’t offer any real protection.

The rain is simply falling too hard, too fast, pelting through the leaves overhead and soaking straight through my clothes.