Mhal makes a sound of protest as his hand slides out of my pussy with an embarrassingly wet sound—god, how wet am I? He sits up, his skin flushed and damp as he gazes at me, his eyes pure, rich gold.
And the look he gives me makes me blush.
He didn't come. That much is obvious as he prowls toward me again, then nuzzles at my neck. His cock is standing at attention, and when he pushes me onto my back again, I get an up-close view of him, and the beads of wetness that slick his length. Curious, I reach out and touch one—and it's like touching hot grease. It burns my fingers and I hiss, immediately wiping them on the blanket.
Mhal growls low in his throat, settling his weight over me.
Oh no. We are not doing that if his dick is going to burn me alive. With a worried little squeak, I slither out from under him and then roll away. I immediately get to my feet, flustered. My knees are weak and it's hard to look composed when you just had a dragon-man in a headlock because he licked the living hell out of you. I brush my frizzy hair back from my face, but static is making it cling to everything. Annoying. "So we need to ah, talk, before we move forward."
Mhal gets to his feet, unfurling his body to his full size as he stands straight and proud, and good gravy, the man is tall. I stare up at him, a little alarmed. What is he, seven feet? I compare him to Rachel's friend, but he's got at least a good six inches on him. His shoulders are wide, but his body's lean and beautiful despite the scars that decorate his skin. His hair's a crazy mop, though, and when he wipes his wet mouth, I shiver at the hunger on his face.
Well…I guess I got what I wanted. Mhal is very, very awake now.
15
MHAL
My female's taste burns through my mind. Jen-nee's scent is in my nose, her taste on my tongue, and I must have more. She skitters away from me, shy and uncertain, but I do not stop. I know what she needs.
She needs my bite and my fires. Then she will be mine in all ways. Our minds will bond and she will no longer smell of only herself. She will smell like me, too. She will smell like my mate.
And if I thought her scent was pleasant before, I can hardly wait to smell ours combined. My mouth waters at the thought.
She shrinks back, but there is no fear-scent on her, only uncertainty. Good. I do not want her to be afraid. I have shorn my claws for her. I have shifted into a weaker form for her. Do I not stay in the human hive right now? For her? I could fly us both away from here and take her someplace that does not stink, but this place is her home. Until our minds are joined, I will give in to whatever she needs from me.
"Mhal," she says again, her voice soft. She says my name aloud, and it sounds…strange. I recognize it as mine now, though. She speaks to me when she opens her mouth and the noises come out. I do not know why she chooses not to touch with her mind, but it is another reason why we need the mating bond. We can get past this primitive need for making noises at one another and I can feel her thoughts.
And she will feel mine.
I need that desperately. When I am around her I feel…focused. I did not realize how much I lacked this focus until I tasted her on my lips. Around her, there is clarity. Without her…
Without her, there is the Salorian.
I push thoughts of him aside. I will mate her, and she will take my fires. We will form a mental bond and then I will take her far away from this place—and from him. We will make a nest together and I will hunt for us both. She will be safe and protected once she is mine.
Until I claim her as my mate, she is vulnerable.
I hold my hand out, waiting.
She does not hesitate and immediately puts her hand in mine. This pleases me. Jen-nee knows that she belongs to me. I pull her close, and her sweet scent envelops us. I breathe deep, feeling anchored and strong. To think I have been lost in the darkness when my mate was right here, waiting.
She will wait no longer.
My fangs elongate, heating as they fill with my mating venom. My fires. My mate gazes up at me, uncertainty in her eyes even as I hold her against me.
"Arwee dointhisnow?" she asks, a question in her voice.