Series: Charmaine Pauls
Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
She’s so close, within my reach.
Yet I don’t raise my hand to caress the delicate lines of her face or to test the texture of her spiky hair because I sense her confusion and resistance. Instead, I inhale deeply, contenting myself for now with her scent, one that reminds me of the rare dragon shrub blossoms that flower only once a century under the full moon. Their aroma is subtle and delicate but the most powerful aphrodisiac.
She stares at me with round, unblinking eyes, a vein fluttering like the wings of a water dragon in her neck.
This scrap of a woman is mine.
She’s destined for me.
She feels it too. Her body temperature increases marginally as her pulse kicks up. With my enhanced hearing, I can hear her heart beating in her chest. It speeds up at my nearness, pumping blood through her veins with more urgency.
“I want to inspect your body to make sure that my brother healed you properly,” I say, infusing calmness into my voice to soothe her.
“I’m fine, thank you very much,” she says with a defiant tilt of her chin. “I’m totally capable of checking my own body. Just because you saw me naked once doesn’t mean you have the right to look at me on demand.”
An uncharacteristic smile plucks at my lips. Again.
Vitai is never negligent, and I’d sense it if his work was incomplete. All I pick up now is her need to be nourished.
“You’re hungry,” I say, devouring her features with my gaze even though they’re already imprinted in my mind. “I’ll order you food and something to drink.”
I’m looking forward to serving her the best Zerran dishes so I can learn her tastes and how to please her.
“Wait,” she says when I tear myself away and head for the exit.
“We’ll talk after you’ve eaten.” With concern, I take in her slim frame beneath the sheet. “You need to recover your strength.”
She shoots forward, grabbing hold of my arm. Heat dances over my skin where she touches me. I look at where her fingers are locked around my bicep, not even covering half of the muscle. The urge to take her in my arms is so powerful that I almost give up the fight. But then she pulls her hand away as if my clothes are on fire and draws back a few paces.
Facing her, I give her the full attention she deserves. “Is there anything else you need?”
She clears her throat. “Clothes, to start.”
“That will be arranged.”
“And answers,” she adds swiftly. “For instance, you still haven’t told me why you brought me here.”
I love the sound of my mother tongue on her lips. She has an accent. It’s so slight one could easily miss it, but I’m attuned to every nuance of her voice and expression. I could listen to her talk all day, but she needs to eat.
“Am I your slave?” she continues with apprehension.
“No,” I say, amused. “You’re not my slave, Laliss.”
Her brows pull together. “Who the hell is Laliss?”
I frown too. “Don’t you know your own name?”
“I do, and I assure you, it’s not Laliss.” I’m still considering that when she asks, “If I’m not your slave, why am I here?” The questions tumble from her lips so fast that her tongue trips over the words. “Why didn’t you take me back to Earth? What are you going to do with me? Why did you save me from those lizar—Phaelix?”
She has no idea. Yes, she may feel the pull, and her body may answer to the call of mine, but she clearly doesn’t know she’s my future and fated destiny.
There’s a right way of doing things, a correct order, but nothing about this miraculous day is orderly or normal.
Holding her turquoise gaze, I give her the truth that will change our world even before I’ve asked for her Earth name. “You’re here, my sweet, because you’re my mate.”
Chapter 8
Elsie
His what?
“Excuse me?” I say, my jaw almost unhinging as I stare at the savagely attractive man facing me.
“My mate,” he repeats while crossing his massive arms over the bulging muscles of his broad chest.
I search for a hint of humor in his steely gray eyes or a quirk of his annoyingly sensual lips, but nope. He continues to study me with unwavering seriousness and perfect calm.
Yet behind that serene facade churns a ravenous restlessness. I sense the dangerous desire that lurks beneath the surface. He keeps a tight leash on it. Instinctively, I know this takes immense willpower, and the magnitude of his strength, be that physical or mental, only makes me more nervous. I may not know him from Adam, but anyone with a few brain cells can see that he’s a man of unequalled power and force.
That force both terrifies and pulls at me like a dark magic spell. I should back away. Instead, I find myself stepping closer. He smells so good. Once again, I have an urge to nestle against his chest and kiss the strong column of his neck. The skin of my nape prickles with an unsettling awareness, the fine hairs standing on end.