Agatha

My heart raced as Norsuk"s strong arms cradled me against his solid chest. This had to be some bizarre, hyper-realistic sex dream. Why else would I find myself held by this massive, scaly alien warrior in a dark cave on an unknown planet?

But unlike my usual steamy fantasies, Norsuk made no move to ravish me with passionate kisses trailing down my neck to my collarbone until I melted in helpless arousal. No, he simply carried me stoically through the echoing tunnels, dust tickling my nose and inky shadows pressing in all around us.

It wasn"t until his hands gripped my feet that I realized this might actually be happening. His firm touch sent electric tingles shooting up my legs, my most secret erogenous zone expertly stimulated. I bit my lip to stifle a moan. How did he know what playing with my feet did to me?

I tentatively placed a hand on his chest, then snatched it back, pulse pounding. His scaled skin radiated feverish heat, stretched over rock-hard slabs of muscle. Not cold and unyielding like marble, but living, thrumming with restrained power.

I dared a glance up at his chiseled features—the jaw you could break stones against, corded neck muscles, flared nostrils, glinting predator"s eyes. He was beautiful and terrifying.

The bunny slipper flopped off my foot, making me gasp. "Oh no!"

Norsuk fixed me with a stern look, then in a display of inhuman strength, shifted to hold me up with one arm while effortlessly snatching the slipper off the ground. I gaped in awe. He carried me like I weighed nothing.

His unique spicy musk filled my senses, evoking images of exotic bazaars and ancient spice chests. I struggled not to nestle deeper into his iron embrace.

"What are your brothers" names?" I asked, trying to keep things light in case this wasn"t actually a sex dream.

Norsuk only grunted in reply as he ducked into a large side chamber. The lantern he lit revealed remnants of furniture and rusting equipment. He set me on a rickety counter that creaked under my weight. Was this finally it? The prelude to a scorching alien seduction?

But no, he only knelt before me with a scowl, grabbing my foot again to examine it. I shivered and tried not to squirm as his fingers explored my ankle and heel. Did he have any idea what he was doing to me?

"You should have said something when your footwear failed," he reprimanded gruffly. "This is no place for injuries. Who knows what lies in these old shafts."

I sucked in a shuddery breath, muscles quivering under his touch. "S-sorry, I keep hoping this is a dream."

"It"s not a dream. You"ve been kidnapped. If you"re injured, you won"t be worth..." He trailed off, turning his attention to my other foot. I barely suppressed a whimper. What had he been about to say?

Norsuk noted the bruises blooming on my skin. "No cuts at least. Here." He shrugged out of his jacket, brawny shoulders stretching his shirt. Those lethal claws made quick work of the seams as he tore strips of fabric.

The sight of him wrapping the makeshift bandages tightly around my feet in an odd sort of bondage almost undid me. I white-knuckled the counter edge, heart galloping in my chest. His ministrations complete, Norsuk scooped up my remaining slipper.

"Aw," I sighed mournfully. I really did love those silly slippers.

Something flickered across his stony expression. With a huff, he stuffed the slipper into his jacket pocket before setting off to rummage through some crates. I admired the sensual play of muscles beneath his gleaming skin as he effortlessly wrenched the containers apart.

He certainly looked real, sounded real, felt real, smelled real. But how could this not be a wild hallucination brought on by bad cheese or something?

Seriously, a sexy dinosaur kidnapping me? Maybe I"d finally cracked.

A sudden skittering from the shadows made me jump. In a blink, Norsuk hurled a knife into the darkness. It struck with a squeal.

"Hah! Dinner." He retrieved his blade, along with the corpse of a raccoon-sized albino creature, its lamp-like eyes dimming.

Norsuk smashed a table to kindling with one blow and, within moments, had a fire crackling merrily. As he set about cleaning his kill, I hugged my knees to my chest and shivered.

Dream or delusion, I was completely at his mercy. And heaven help me, a part of me found that exciting. What would this fearsome alien warrior do with me next?