by Alison Aimes
“I mean it.” Wise female that she was, her expression remained wary despite his assurance.
He sealed her fate. “I’m the one tied up. It will be you who has to resist me. You’re the one in charge, right?”
“Right.” Resolve flared in her gaze. With a sharp jab, she used her rock to drag the roasted bulbs from the fire. A few delicate pulls on the outside blackened skin and the plump red meat inside was revealed. His mouth watered.
Batting the food from finger to finger as it cooled, she came to him, head held high, hips swaying, those gorgeous eyes full of so much she was still afraid to tell him. Fire danced across her skin—making it shimmer and glow—and his fingers twitched with the urge to reach out and touch her.
She’d said she needed change. She said she needed more. He was going to give that to her even if it killed him.
Still, he could tell she was remembering the rotation he’d fed her. Only this time, she was free. Coming over of her own accord. Her choice.
His cock thickened. They would get past her hesitations, just like they had before.
She sank down by his side, folding gracefully. Her knee almost touched his thigh, her face a hand’s distance from his.
“Smells good.” He meant her, but she didn’t have to know that. Yet.
Pride danced in her gaze. “Khashe. Underground plant find in dirt, but very delicious.”
“Amazing.” He opened his mouth.
Her fingers trembled, but she brought her hand toward his mouth and held up the food.
A more recent memory—of the spray and her hand on his cock—crackled between them.
Stare locked with hers, he tore off a bite with his teeth.
A sweet savory burst of flavor hit his tongue. But nothing was quite as satisfying as the way her gaze remained locked on his mouth and the pinkish golden glow that spread across her cheeks and chest while her pupils dilated.
He swallowed. “You take the next bite.” His voice was a low growl. He hadn’t meant to sound as if he was still giving orders, but some things could not be changed. Tied up, free, he was who he was. He’d always be dominant.
So, when she raised the cooked food and took the next bite without hesitation and then passed it back to him, he knew they were a fit. Whether she was ready to admit it yet or not.
The next time he took a bite, his teeth brushed the tips of her fingers and she let out a rush of breath.
His sweet girl. She had no defenses yet. It was all so new to her. He hoped she never grew less vulnerable to the magic of what was between them. He knew he never would.
“It’s getting too small for me to rip off any more pieces.” He gestured with his chin. “You take the rest.”
She shook her head. Her gaze locked on his mouth. Fear and courage stirring in her depths and he understood what she was considering, what she wanted, before she even fully knew herself.
“Or you can feed me for real.”
Her brow wrinkled.
He opened his mouth in invitation.
Pupils flaring, there was only a slight hesitation and then she laid the last bit on his tongue. Swallowing, his mouth closed around her finger.
Her gaze widened and she trembled. Her breath rushed out in a shaky sigh, the carnal heat between them flaring bright once more.
He let her go with a pop. “You said I hadn’t given you a good enough reason to stick around and trust me. I’m trying now. Stuffs not always easy for me to talk about, but I’ll give it a try. For you.”
Her chest rose and fell as if she’d run the length of the planet. He suspected his lungs weren’t too far behind in pace. The crackle of the fire and the stillness of the night only heightened the tension arcing between them.
“Ask me, Nayla.”
“I don’t…” her voice trailed off. Now it was she who looked scared. He felt oddly calm.
“The scar on my chin is from a bottle. My father hit me with it the first time I caught him hurting my sister and tried to take her and run away. I came to with my chin split open and my sister weeping beside me. She was older than me by four planetary rotations, but neither of us were big enough to stop him. He raped her and beat me. For a long time.”
She sucked down a breath.
“I know you know exactly what that’s like, Nayla.” He kept his gaze locked with hers, refusing to let her retreat. “We’re not so different, after all.”
Her ears twitched.
He kept going. “The one on my throat is raised. That’s because it’s a rope burn. The lash was my dad’s favorite tool. It’s why I got so good with it. You’d be surprised all you can learn being on the end of such lessons.”
“Grif.” She shook her head. “I sorry.”
“I’m not telling you to get pity, Nayla. I’m telling you because I’m a ruthless son of a bitch, and I know you need to hear it before you’ll trust me at all.”
She scowled. “Th-that is sneaky.”
“Yes, but it’s also honest. I’ve never been anything but what I really am with you. You can offer up as many excuses as you want about what happened in that cave, but you and I both know it was real and raw. Don’t pretend there’s nothing between us or that it can be easily dismissed. You think I stole your secrets while giving you nothing in return. I’m evening it up.”
Her gaze shifted away.
“I don’t know if we can ever escape our monsters fully,” he told her, “but I do believe you can refuse to let them win.”
He waited. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done. He was used to conquering and mowing down whatever was in his path. But not this time. This time, all he could do was wait on a tiny pixie who had so much more power than she knew.
It was worth it, though, when she turned back to him, all her fears and doubts shimmering in her gaze, hidden no longer. “The pain you felt, the shame, it went away?”
“The wounds stopped hurting me long ago. The pain’s still with me every rotation. My sister’s empty eyes the last I see before I go to sleep.” He wished he could tell her otherwise, but it was the truth. “I still hate that I failed her, but I turned that pain into rage and action. It’s why I want so badly to be a leader among my people and bring those missing females home and make sure you’re safe.”
He swallowed hard. “Remember that kill I told you about? The one I said was my first and that I never forgot? That was father. I wasn’t able to save my sister. She refused to run away with me. She refused to leave him even after all he did to us both.” He shook his head. “I kept hoping I’d reach her and it would be enough. It never was. She took her own life when I was thirteen. I killed him that very night. Too damn late to save her, but at least I stopped him from hurting anyone else. I made it my business from there on out to do for others what I could never do for her.”
Another frown crept across her pretty face. “That is why you come for me? Because you see me like sister?”
Now it was his turn to frown. “There are parallels, for sure. But you’re nothing like my sister. And don’t make the mistake of thinking what I feel for you is in anyway brotherly.”
Lust flickered in her gaze. “Good. I don’t want pity. I want…I want respect.”
“Then, don’t ask, Nayla. Take. Forget all the times Talg forced you to be silent, and go for what you want,” he growled. “You asked for my honesty. I gave it. Now it’s your turn. You want my respect? Be truthful about what you need from me right now. That fire between your legs is not going to go away on its own. I put it out for you once. I can do it again.”
Her chest rose and fell as if she battled herself even now.
“Refuse to let Talg and all his lies get in the way. Take what you need, wild thing. For both our sakes.”
She straddled him.
He thanked every goddess in the universe as she sank onto him, her heat nestled sweetly against his cock, her thighs tight around his hips as her fingers dug into his shoulders.
Eyes bright with a mix of excitement and nerves me
t his. “This. This is what I want.”
“Then we’re a perfect match.” He nuzzled her nose with his. “Because there is nowhere else I want you to be.” And nothing he wanted more than that look of open vulnerability and need in her gaze. It lightened the darkness in him as nothing else could.
At his words, some of the worry in her gaze cleared and he wanted to pound his chest with pride.
He loved seeing the confidence creeping into her stare. It turned him on like nothing else, his cock hardening even more beneath her sweet ass and turning his voice to a deep rasp. “What else do you want?”
The lines at the bridge of her nose deepened. “I…I don’t know.”
Lucky for them both, he did. “Rock against me, beautiful. Use my cock to make you feel good. Let’s learn together what you like.”
The slow drag of her hips as she followed his command almost sent him over the edge. “Yes, that’s so good, wild thing.”
Her eyes sank shut. Her head lolled back. “V-very good.”
Hands still behind his back, he dragged his teeth across the sensitive tendon at her neck, her low moan all the reward he needed.
Was it wrong to use their desire to hammer down the last of her walls once more? He had no clue. All he knew was that he needed this and so did Nayla, and ruthless did as ruthless was.
The slow grinding circle of her hips sent the cloth rubbing against his dick and her clit.
They moved in unison, together, their breath coming faster and faster.
Her fingers tangled in his hair.
He let out a groan.
“Grif,” his name was a plea, a sigh. “I-I don’t know how to put the fire out alone.”
“You’re not alone, baby.” He pressed kisses to her neck, her collarbone, her gorgeous breasts. “You won’t be ever again. Stand up.”
She stilled.
He knew instantly where her mind had gone. “We’re nowhere near done, Nayla. This is just the beginning—and it’s all your choice. You decide if you want to follow my commands or not. I can only guarantee you’ll like it if you do.”
The tiny lines at the bridge of her nose deepened.
“Trust me. Stand up.”
She swallowed hard, then stood.
“Take off the shirt.”
Another brief hesitation.
He waited.
Her hands might have been shaking, but she did as he said. The shirt floated to the ground, leaving him staring up at her in all her golden pixie beauty.
He’d been so scared he’d never get to see her again. All his bullshit about keeping his emotions in check and not sharing his own messed up shit with her seemed so idiotic now.
“You are so gorgeous.”
She didn’t believe it. He saw the flicker of doubt in her gaze.
“Come here and I’ll prove it,” he commanded. “Put your pussy against my mouth, wild thing. I want to taste all the golden honey on my tongue.”
She started. “No one ever—”
“Don’t think. Do.” He tipped his chin up. “You want that fire between your legs out? It’s what we savages know how to do.”
Another long hesitation and then, she glided forward.
With a growl, he met her halfway.
He kissed the inside of her thigh. Inhaled deep. Fucking ambrosia.
She quivered against him.
He pressed slow kisses into the V of her legs. Dragged his teeth across her mons. Sild his shoulder between her legs so that one thigh straddled him and she was bared to him completely.
Her fingers tangled in his hair, the slight tug making him even harder.
He loved when she let her defenses down. When she stopped hiding her need. It left him wild. Savage. Hungry for more.
“You ready, baby? You think I showed you pleasure before? Just wait.” He trailed the flat of his tongue along her slit.
She shuddered. Moaned.
Knowing she was too lost to passion to notice much else, he caught her as her legs went weak. It was a risk, but one worth taking.
He grabbed her ass, half holding, half cradling her in place, controlling her hips while he flicked his tongue against the swollen, sweet nub that needed him.
They’d worked each other up so bad before, this wasn’t going to take long.
“Grif.” She panted his name, her fingers twisting in his hair, her hips rocked against his mouth.
Sexiest. Thing. Ever.
“That’s it, gorgeous.” He purposely growled the commands against her clit. “Ride my tongue. Take what you want. How you want it.”
She shuddered. Moved faster.
He gripped her tighter, using his hold to force her to slow, moving her up and down against the tip of his tongue. Deliberate. Controlled. He knew exactly how to send her higher.
“P-please.”
“That’s it, Nayla. Come for me, beautiful. Don’t hold anything back.”
“Grif!” She came apart, screaming his name, shattering beneath his tongue. The sweetest golden cream spilled into his mouth as she shook and panted.
He’d never experienced anything more exciting in his life. Or more fulfilling.
He savored every twitch of her body, every sweet gasp, until finally her body quieted and her grip on his hair loosened.
“I got you.” He drew her down.
Chest heaving, she sank into his hold, letting him guide her into his lap. Her eyes were shut as her head lolled against his chest. He wrapped her in his arms.
He could have held her like that forever, their hearts beating in unison, the tie between them stronger than ever, his throbbing dick nestled in her wet, satisfied heat.
But he knew that wasn’t possible.
Almost as soon as he thought it, she stiffened.
Her head snapped upright so fast she nearly clocked his chin. “Your hands.”
Revealing he was free of his binds was a risk on his part, but sometimes that was what was required. Words alone weren’t going to be enough to reach someone as wounded as Nayla. Action was vital. The big gesture type. The blow-up-in-your-face kind.
“Yup.” He kept his voice casual, his arms still cradling her close. “I’ve been out of the ropes for some time. But the choice was still always yours. I am not going to take that away from you ever again.”
30
Nayla willed her pleasure-dazed brain to work.
His hands. On her skin. Holding her tight.
He’d broken free of her knots.
She shoved to standing.
He let her go, following her up so that he loomed above, his hands raised, his palms outward. “Nothing has changed. You’re still in charge.”
She stared at the frayed ropes dangling from his wrists. “H-how?”
“I’ve been free since you let me put my mouth on your sweet pussy and I haven’t moved on you. I haven’t forced you to return with me. I’m trying to do better. I want you to come to me of your own free will. I want what happens between us to be your choice, Nayla. If you trust me in that, we can make anything work.”
Caught between fury and awe, her emotions were as jagged as the cliffs around her. He always won. And yet, in holding back, in letting her touch him as she wanted, hadn’t she won, too?
“Nayla, baby.” He took a small step closer, his gaze pleading. “Tied or not, can’t you see the power you have?”
That look in his eyes…she recognized it as a reflection her own. Need. Vulnerability. He could have forced her at any time. Instead, he’d tempered his strength, pushed himself past what was comfortable, and shared part of himself with her.
She knew that could not have been easy for a male like him.
He didn’t pretend he didn’t do it without purpose, or because he wasn’t ruthless, but he’d done it all the same.
It was the kind of fierce caretaking she’d never imagined, and everything she wanted.
Except, what if it unraveled like everything else? He said he was offering her a chance at a new beginning, a new life
among his kind and a safe place to land, but she would never accept it if it came at the cost of her pack.
He’d let down his walls, but he was still the same male he’d been before: forceful, demanding, in control. First and foremost, a warrior and protector. A hero intent on saving his people above all else. A soldier beholden to a commander who had already called for her death.
When it came down to it, she just wasn’t sure she could trust him to choose compromise over justice and retribution.
If she agreed to help him and her pack suffered for it, she would never forgive herself.
“I don’t know. I need time to think. I—” A familiar blur from the side halted her midstatement. “Sharluff, naja!” But it was too late.
Grif shoved her out of the way.
Feathers and human skin clashed.
She leapt up, or tried, her ankle folding in on itself. With a second try, she forced herself to standing.
A growling ton of feathers and fury loomed over Grif. Sharluff’s beaked jaws were open wide, a thousand tiny teeth bared and less than a hair’s breadth from the male’s throat, one massive, clawed paw parked on his chest, pinning him to the ground
Terror thundered through her. Her pet must have sensed her turmoil and come to her aid. Only this time, she didn’t want it.
“Sharluff!” She leapt at him, seizing his thick neck and tugging. “Naja. Naaaande ligoothe.”
“Nayla, get back.” Grif’s low warning was barely audible over her pet’s menacing growls.
“It’s okay,” she kept her voice singsongy, not wanting to upset either of them.
She could not allow Sharluff to kill Grif.
Yes, a few rotations past she would have let her beast rip the male apart without a second thought. No longer.
“No worry. I…” Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of the flash of silver pressed hard to Sharluff’s thick throat.
“Get. Back.” Grif’s low command rumbled through her.
Her breathing hitched, her emotions swinging in the other direction. It wasn’t the male in danger. Ancients help her, her animal was the one about to die.
“Don’t hurt. Please.” Where had he gotten that weapon, anyway? Then she realized, he must have grabbed it off Sharluff. She’d strapped the weapon harness to her pet’s back for easy transport—and because she’d thought her prisoner’s hands were tied, hadn’t worried too much about it.
