19. Donna

19

DONNA

T he world explodes.

That’s the only way I can describe the moment Tovan’s lips meet mine. It’s not just a kiss, it’s a supernova of sensation, a collision of need so powerful that it shatters the last of my control, my sanity.

His scent fills my senses, an intoxicating sweetness that makes me dig my fingers into his scales, urging him closer. They press against my skin, a delicious friction that makes me arch into him, craving more even as his claws roam my body, mapping my curves, claiming me as his.

He growls against my throat, a low rumbling sound that vibrates through me, stirring something deep within my core. It’s a wild, untamed response that’s never happened to me before. As if my body is waking up because of this intensity, this need radiating off him.

And his mouth is everywhere, devouring, tasting, branding me with his possession. He sucks on my earlobe, nipping at the sensitive skin, making me cry out, pleading for more. But he doesn’t linger. Not for long. His tongue traces a path down my neck, leaving a trail of fire in its wake, and then he finds my breast, his mouth closing over it, sucking, teasing, driving me mad with pleasure, my whole body lights up, electricity like sparks going through my veins.

I writhe beneath him, my hands clutching at his scales, pulling him close, wanting to climb inside his skin, to become one with this creature who’s both alien and familiar, dangerous and comforting.

“Lira’an,” he growls against my skin, his voice thick with desire, with a possessiveness that both terrifies and excites me. “You are mine. Mine .”

With a swiftness that makes me gasp, Tovan flips me onto my stomach, his weight pressing me into the soft mattress, his heat enveloping me. He pulls my tunic up, baring my backside to him, and I shiver, a mix of anticipation and apprehension rippling through me.

With a growl, he snaps my panties, flinging them away with a careless flick of his wrist before his claws whisper down my thighs. He’s staring at me and I’m completely open. Completely vulnerable. But never have I felt so safe.

As his growl deepens, he parts my legs with a slow, deliberate motion that has me trembling. The moment he leans down, I get a single second of warning before his tongue traces a molten path up my inner thigh. I gasp, the sensation overwhelming, but it’s nothing compared to the shock that rips through me when his mouth finds my core. He devours me, his tongue darting and probing, rolling over and through my folds as he groans in pleasure, grabs my hips and holds me still as he presses his face into my core.

I cling to the sheets, my fingers tangled in the fabric, as waves of pleasure crash over me. Tovan growls again, and I’m not sure whether it’s in pleasure or possession. His mouth is relentless, every stroke of his tongue heated and wet.

“Tovan,” I whimper. He responds with a feral sound, his claws digging into my flesh enough that I cry out. The pain melds with pleasure, a heady mix that prolongs the fever building within me.

His tongue thrusts deeper, finding a rhythm that matches the pounding of my heart and my body arches out of my control. Every lick, every nip, every growl pulls me deeper and I feel the bond between us strengthening, an unbreakable tether that ties our souls together. It’s intense, raw, and beautiful in a way that defies words.

The world narrows down to his mouth on me, his claws on my skin, his growl in my ears. I feel myself unraveling, the pleasure building to an unbearable peak. And then, with one final, deep thrust of his tongue, I shatter.

The orgasm rips through me, a storm of sensation that leaves me crying out, gasping for breath. My body convulses, each wave of pleasure cresting higher than the last. Tovan’s grip tightens, his claws anchoring me to him as if he’s afraid I will just up and float away.

His growl is one of satisfaction now, as his tongue slows, drawing out the last shudders of pleasure until I’m left panting and boneless beneath him.

But he doesn’t stop there. With one fluid motion, he’s up, turning me onto my back once more. When my heavy-lidded eyes meet his, I can hardly see his pupils. So narrow, I know he’s at the edge of his own control but that he’s still somewhere in there, holding back, trying to make this good for me.

As I look at this male who saw me and immediately knew I was his, my eyes tear up. This…this is exactly what I’ve always wanted. To be seen. To be wanted. To be claimed. This isn’t just passion or desire—it’s a recognition, a claiming of souls that goes beyond the physical.

This isn’t just another relationship. This isn’t just another attempt at love that will fizzle out or end in heartbreak. This is different. This is real. This is forever.

I’m looking at my future.

But he’s holding back. Fighting the intensity of his need because he doesn’t want to hurt me. I see it in the way his jaw clenches, the way his claws tremble against my thighs, the way he keeps whispering my name under his breath like it’s a plea, a prayer.

I don’t want gentle.

I want him .

With a confidence I’ve never felt quite like this before, I reach up and grab my breasts, teasing the nipples as my lashes dip, a soft moan escaping my lips. I shift my hips, tightening my thighs to urge him closer as I knead my breasts before sliding one hand down my belly toward my center. I’m so wet down there, my fingers come back glistening.

Tovan’s response is immediate, a groan escaping his lips as he cages me in with his arms. As I lift my hand, he catches it with his lips, tongue swiping out across my glistening fingers.

“Tovan…” I pant. I shift my hips again, grinding against him, feeling the hard length of his arousal pressing against my core. I need him.

“Donna,” he rasps. His voice is barely understandable, merely a rumbling growl. “I…don’t want to hurt you—”

“You won’t,” I whisper, reaching down to release his trousers. The moment his cock bobs out and my fingers close around it, my eyes roll back in my head just imagining how good he will feel. “I want you, Tovan. You can lose control. I want all of you.”

I give him a stroke and feel him shudder, his control shattering, his growl a primal echo of my own desire, and I know I’ve won.

He’s mine now.

His claws slide underneath me, cupping my shoulders, lifting me slightly as he positions himself at my entrance. His length presses against me, hot and hard, as his body jerks with his last restraint.

“Lira’an,” he rasps. “I will claim you now. Completely. Irreversibly.”

“I’m all yours.”

With one powerful thrust, he sheathes himself deep inside me. I cry out, not from pain, but from the sheer intensity of it. He fills me completely, stretching me, branding me from the inside.

Pulling back, he sheathes himself deep inside me again. This isn’t gentle. Tovan’s hips pull back to snap forward again as he buries himself in me over and over, and I become lost to the rhythm.

The room spins, the walls blurring as wave after wave of pleasure crashes over me. And as I shatter, falling apart, coming undone beneath the force of his lovemaking, I know, with a certainty that transcends language, that I am his.

We become lost to the wave of insanity. Time passes. Days? I’m not sure. I wake with Tovan’s cock buried deep inside me and I’m pretty sure I fall asleep on his knot, too.

In moments where there’s clarity, I feel food and drink being offered to me. Tovan places a piece of sweet fruit to my lips, pressing it gently against my mouth. I part my lips, taking the fruit into my mouth, savoring the burst of sweetness. He feeds me slowly, patiently even as his entire body trembles, those eyes never leaving mine as a soft growl of contentment rumbles in his chest. I reach up, my hand brushing against his scales, feeling their warmth, their life, as he allows me a moment of respite.

Water follows, cool and refreshing, poured gently into my mouth. Some of it sloshes with his fevered tremors. But he fights back anyway, granting me a moment of calm within the storm.

But that calm is fleeting. As soon as the basic needs are met, the urge takes over once more. Tovan’s eyes darken, the gold turning to molten fire, and I can feel the heat between us building again. His scent envelops me, becoming a drug that I can’t resist, can’t deny.

He takes me again and again, each time with a ferocity that leaves me breathless, my body a canvas for his passion, my soul imprinted with his mark. His knot becomes a familiar ache, a constant reminder of his possession, of our destinies entwined and when he sinks his fangs into my neck, sheathing himself completely in my slit as streams of spend fill me, I know I am lost.

Tovan touches me, explores me, and worships me with an intensity that brings actual tears to my eyes. And I respond with an abandon I never thought possible.

As the days blur, the world outside fades away, and this little room becomes our universe, a sanctuary filled with the scent of him, the taste of him, the sound of his grunts, his groans, his whispered words of love in a language I’m slowly beginning to understand.

And within that universe, within the safe haven of his arms, I find a peace I’ve never known before. A belonging that transcends language, culture, even species.

I find the one thing I’ve always truly been searching for.

I find my home.