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And if there was one thing Lily knew for certain, it was that she could survive in a forest. She’d spent a large portion of her life doing just that, after all. Albeit not of her own volition.
For the past few minutes, Verakko had been trapping them as quietly as he could. Most had been easy to lock up as they sat in their facility’s control room and didn’t notice the sound of their door locking. But others had been wandering the halls. He’d lured them into vacant cells by broadcasting the sound of static. When the guards had investigated the faulty equipment, he’d sealed the door behind them.
When Luka still made no move to leave, Verakko debated whether to sway the male. Normally, swaying was frowned upon, but he imagined that in this situation, a small nudge wouldn’t be too bad. Whether Luka’s mind would accept the sway was another matter. The ability of his people, the Swadaeth, to use their minds to influence the thoughts of others was unique and, like most unique things, often feared by those who didn’t understand the practice.
Verakko spun and bolted to the cabin door, wrenched it open, and bared his teeth. He felt the sting through the roof of his mouth as his fangs filled with deadly venom.
His secondary eyelid slid into place and disguised his glowing eyes. A Strigi male was soaring underneath the dense canopy, readying to shoot using an incredibly illegal Yulo glove.
Kadion crouched, and rivulets of blood ran down his upturned face from a nasty headwound. “We’re aiming to incapacitate, not kill, so keep those bites to yourself unless we’re about to die.” “Understood.”
His skin was a deep navy blue but flickered to a lighter green in some areas where small cuts and scratches appeared. His ears were long and pointed, with faint punctures as though he usually wore earrings. Lily tilted her head and took in his defined square jaw, straight regal nose and high cheekbones. Had she ever seen such a perfectly sculpted face? His dark brows were furrowed upward in worry, and his full lips twitched. Her hands ached to smooth his brow.
She could survive in the wild as well as she could survive in a city. She knew how to defend herself, but this situation wasn’t fair. She’d studied both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and aikido, yet something told her if Verakko wanted to hurt her, she’d have no way of stopping him.
Fury flared in his eyes, and she had to stop herself from scrambling away on instinct. He shot his hand out and gripped her crossed forearms, binding them together. Lily pulled at her arms, attempting to wrench them down to break his hold, but it was no use. His one massive palm was an immovable iron band.
“Just stay away from me. And keep that weird smell-lure thing to yourself.”
The sudden luscious scent of her arousal had surprised him and sent an answering rush of blood to his shaft.
If he didn’t know better, he’d assume she was his mate. But the fact that his eyes hadn’t changed and his hands were still mark-free invalidated that thought.
He was already intended for marriage in less than three weeks. His betrothed, whom his mother had selected only a month ago, was a sensible choice. Still, if the human was his mate, he’d have a valid reason to deny the betrothal.
It appeared to Lily as if he couldn’t decide whether to wring her neck or tear her clothes off. More disturbing still, she couldn’t decide which fate she’d prefer.
A loud crack sounded behind her, and she turned to find Verakko breaking a sturdy downed limb in two over his thick thigh. He eyed her as though knowing the display of unreasonable strength would force the primitive part of her lady brain into overdrive.
Her grin fell; Verakko would probably like Alex more than her. He could take care of her, and she’d allow it. That had always been a problem in Lily’s relationships. Too independent to make men feel comfortable. Why did they always want her to need them? Wasn’t it better if she didn’t?
He knew of Ziritha, of course, but he’d never so much as spoken to her. From what he gathered, she preferred not to interact with her husbands outside of her ovulation cycles. The rumor was she had a favored male of her own who wasn’t eligible for marriage, but Verakko had no way of knowing whether the rumor was true.
Losing a night of sleep was one thing. Being left for dead, beaten and bloodied in the jungle, was another. But Verakko had learned something insidious last night. Lily made noises in her sleep.
Some were breathy sounds of fear that made him want to rush over and pull her close. Others were small gasps and pants that caused her breasts to quiver and his fangs to ache. Worst of all, a few times during the dead of night, she’d moaned, and the faintest trace of arousal had lingered in her scent.
“Look, little female. I can’t control it, so stop complaining about it.” His hand shot up to grip the back of her neck, dragging it forward until his mouth was a breath away from her ear. “You don’t hear me complaining every time the scent of arousal floods your cunt.”
When you’ve been dragged around the world practicing primitive bushcraft survival techniques and hunting for all your food and water, even a bag of trail mix seems luxurious.
A low, rattling vibration, more melodic than the growl he’d directed at her before, sounded from his chest, and she jumped away.
Hes a rattlesnake
His fangs gave a throb in time with his cock. He’d never felt the urge to mark so profoundly before. To bite a female was as intimate an act as any and was traditionally reserved for mates—and now for wives.
Verakko felt himself growing hard, his instincts screaming to make her feel things other than just cold.
He rocked slowly from side to side, not much at first, just enough to make her eyes flick back and forth. He didn’t always have the time for it, but the added motion often boosted the effect of his sway.
Like a sneaky snek cobra
“My whole body is cold,” she repeated, shivering again. His hands itched to touch her. He needed to stop this. He was engaged, and she was under his full sway. He wanted her, Goddess knew, but not like this.
“You’re really warm, you know.” Lily leaned into his touch a little more, and her eyes strayed to his mouth. And then he smelled it, her arousal. Lust flared, making his already rigid shaft swollen. She wanted him.
He’d signed a marriage contract. If he backed out, he’d be punished. Sent away to work on a Clecanian space barge, transporting goods to and fro. The length of his off-world assignment would be dictated by the spurned female and local authorities.
Aside from his off-world service, the real issue arose from city laws surrounding a breached marriage contract. If he broke his agreement without cause, he would never be eligible for marriage again.
There was one other possibility, but it was out of his control. If he recognized her as his mate, everything else would work out. Even a change of his eyes indicating a recognition of a potential mate was enough to be released from a marriage contract with no consequences.
Resting her hands on his shoulders, she stretched toward his other cheek and planted a soft, lingering kiss there. Verakko’s lids slid closed and his rattling purr, so foreign to his ears, vibrated through him. He felt the whisper of a smile against her lips. Then, she moved away again, leaving him cold. “We should keep going,” she said softly.
I’ll find a way for us, mivassi. I promise.
She’d had a while to think through their predicament on the long walk and had decided two things. One, she wanted to get to know the real Verakko.
This led to thought two—a far more involved and difficult thought, to say the least. Despite his claims that morning, Lily wanted to work things out with Verakko. If she needed to become an established member of his society to qualify for consideration by his mother, then she’d do just that.
“Are you worried about me climbing the tree? It looks sturdy.” His gaze shifted away, and he strode forward. “I just don’t think we should be taking any unnecessary risks. You could fall.” Lily thought for a moment before following him. “Are…are you afraid of heights?”
“I’m not afraid of heights,” he hissed. “I just prefer to stay on the ground.”
Lily laughed out loud. “You built a flying machine from scratch when you were a kid to sneak candy?” “I was told I couldn’t have them.” He shrugged. “And I love sweets.”
“I’ll have you know the Super Bandit version two was my preferred candy-smuggling device during my formative years. That is, until my father caught on and cleansed the house of treats.”
Verakko let out a thunderous sound, overpowering the high pitch of the sefa. The volume and depth of the throaty rattling was almost as terrifying as the sefa’s shriek. She’d never heard anything quite like it before. The closest sound she could think of was the unsettling bellow territorial alligators made, except this was much louder and harsher.
Verakko ignored her comment and began to work on the fire. “Emancipate is translating as set free. You set yourself free?”
“Did your parents treat you poorly?” “Not at all! I just didn’t want to live the type of life they lived anymore.” Lily hiked her shoulders. “They wanted to live in the forests. Making their own tools and connecting with nature. I wanted to be around people and technology and processed foods. I wanted to wear impractical clothing and sleep in a real bed I didn’t have to carry on my back during the day.”
“Trust me. As soon as we find Alex and I have some money to burn, I’m going to need you to take me to a spa, then to a bed.” Her cheeks flushed pink, and she worried her bottom lip. “I mean, show me where I can find a bed.” He knew exactly which bed he’d like to direct her toward.
Whether he actually wanted a child had never entered the equation. Verakko pondered this for a moment. When the image of Lily cradling a small girl with brown eyes popped into his mind and longing spread through his chest like warm liquid, he cursed.
He couldn’t sleep with her. It’d be a breach of contract and result in him being drafted off-world, but he couldn’t push her away either.
To know she was causing this reaction in a man like Verakko made her feel powerful. Lily wanted him to see all of her. She lowered her arms, exposing her breasts.
His large, warm palm hovered above her chest but didn’t touch, making her want to arch her back into his hands.
His hand raised to her cheek, and he stared down at her. “If I touched you, I wouldn’t ever be able to stop. I won’t risk giving you up later for a few minutes of pleasure now.” He licked a fang and stared at her neck. “No matter how much I may want to.”
“Can…can I touch you?” Verakko froze, his breathing becoming labored. She took his silence as an opening and slid her hand between them and around his shaft.
was large and hot in her palm. The silky skin felt delicate, yet the hardness and sheer size of him was anything but. She began to slide her palm farther down, but he caught her hand, circling it with his own. His gaze was furious, the muscles in his neck corded in anger, but she didn’t sense it was directed at her. After a few breaths passed, he removed her palm from his cock and silently shook his head.
“Show me what you like.” Lily slipped two fingers inside her sheath, then removed them and ran the wet tips over her clit. Her hips twitched at the contact.
