13. Darrokar

THIRTEEN

DARROKAR

"Ouch, ouch, ouch." My mate limped into our quarters, careful to put her training sword on the hook where it belonged before she collapsed down onto the chaise, dust from the training field blanketing the silk pillows.

She carried herself well on the battlefield. Shalyn was one of the toughest warriors in her training group, and Terra had held her own.

Her red hair, bound in a braid for training, had long ago started unraveling, and now her curls fanned out behind her head like blood upon the rock of our world.

She looked magnificent.

"I'm going to be sore tomorrow," she groaned, rubbing her legs.

"You look sore now." I leaned back in the tub, the warm water steaming around me. "Come soak. Soothe your muscles."

"I think you have ulterior motives." She grinned, stripping off her chest protector. Her silken undershirt clung to her sweat-slicked body.

"Maybe." I grinned, my fangs flashing. "Or maybe I want to take care of you after such a brutal beating."

She laughed, dropping her pants and kicking them aside. "Brutal? I held my own."

"That you did. Don't sully the water with your filthy clothes." I watched her undress, admiring her curves, her strength, her determination. She was unlike any other female I had ever met.

"You deserved that." She gave me a pointed look.

Perhaps I did. I wouldn't admit it.

She slid into the tub, settling between my legs and leaning back against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her close. "Better?"

"Much." She sighed, relaxing against me. "I haven't trained like that in ages. Not since before we left Earth."

"We'll make a warrior of you yet." I nuzzled her neck, inhaling her scent. It was stronger than usual, making my tongue tingle. "Why did you leave? Where were you going?" She'd told me of her home, this Earth, but it still sounded unreal to my ears.

"To make a new life. Ours wasn't the only ship to leave. There's been so much discovery, so many planets just waiting for us. The settlement company said we'd all have plenty of space, ample opportunities … Saying it now, it sounds like a con. I don't know if it was just the te—," she cleared her throat, "the team with me that crashed or if the whole ship came down. There were thousands of people. Do you think we're the only survivors?"

I hadn't lured my mate into the pool to make her morose. I pulled her close. "I'll send out scouts. If there's news of other ships, we'll find them."

She twisted, looking up at me. "You would do that? Why?"

"Because you are my mate." It was simple, instinctual.

"But we barely know each other." She frowned, her brows furrowing.

"I know enough. You are strong and determined. Loyal. Brave. You fight with honor and skill, and you have a fire inside you that burns bright." I let my claws trail over her stomach until she shivered under my touch. "Let me show you."

She turned in my arms, straddling me. Her breasts pressed against my chest, her nipples hardening against my scales. "I tell you how sore I am from training, and you want to fuck?"

I might have thought she was serious if not for the glint in her eye. "Yes. I want to fuck you." I growled, nipping her bottom lip. "I want to taste you, to fill you, to mark you as mine."

"Then what are you waiting for?" She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. Her lips were soft, her mouth warm, and her tongue eager. She tasted of sweet spices and something else that made my cock throb.

I groaned, pulling her close and deepening the kiss. She arched into me, grinding against my hard length.

I broke away, trailing my mouth down her neck and sucking on her pulse point. "Tell me you're mine."

She shuddered, her fingers digging into my shoulders. "Yours."

I pinned her to the side of the tub. Water splashed around us, hot and steamy. She gazed up at me, her green eyes shining with desire.

My mouth claimed hers again, drinking in her sweet essence as my hands roamed her body, relearning every curve and dip. Her skin was warm and slick from the water, waiting for my exploration. I deepened the kiss, my tongue diving in to dance with hers.

She moaned, arching against me, her nails raking down my back.

I trailed kisses along her jawline, her neck, her collarbone, tasting the salt of her sweat and the unique flavor that was Terra. Her heartbeat pulsed against my tongue as I licked her skin, each beat an echo of her life force. I growled low in my throat.

My fangs throbbed with the need to mark her, to claim her fully as my mate.

"Darrokar," she gasped, her voice husky with desire. "Please, I need you."

Her words were my undoing. I hefted her up onto the edge of the pool and spread her legs.

She trembled as I settled between them, my broad shoulders and wings pushing her thighs wider. She was exposed, open, and utterly vulnerable to me. I felt a surge of possession, my mate bared for my pleasure. Her scent filled my nostrils, musky and sweet, driving me wild.

I traced the sensitive flesh of her inner thigh with the sharp tips of my fangs, a low rumble building in my chest. She shuddered, her fingers spearing through my hair, urging me closer. I chuckled, and the vibrations sent gooseflesh rippling across her skin.

"I need your mouth." Her voice was ragged with desire.

I trailed my tongue along her seam, a line of fire in its wake. She gasped, her hips lifting to meet me. Her folds were slick with arousal; her taste made my cock ache. I delved deeper, my tongue exploring every fold, every sensitive inch of her.

She was swollen, a hard little pearl begging for attention. I lavished it with my tongue, circling the sensitive bud, sucking gently until she was writhing beneath me. The heat of her pressed against my tongue, her hips grinding against my face as I devoured her.

"Darrokar," she moaned, her voice echoing through the chamber, a symphony of pleasure and need.

My name on her lips fanned the flames of my desire, each syllable pushing me closer to the edge.

I growled against her, the vibrations sending shockwaves through her core. My tongue plunged into her, mimicking the thrusts I longed to give her with my cock. She was close, her inner walls clenching around me, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps .

I pulled back, leaving her panting and desperate. She whimpered, her fingers tangling in my hair, trying to pull me back. But I had other plans. I wanted to savor this moment, to draw out her pleasure and my own.

I looked up at her. Her lids were heavy, her pupils dilated, cheeks flushed with desire and exertion. She was a breathtaking sight—my mate, laid bare and eager before me. The air was thick with the scent of her arousal and the steam from the tub, creating an intoxicating atmosphere that only amplified my hunger for her.

"Darrokar, please," she begged, her voice shattered from her need.

A slow, sensual smile curved my lips. "Patience, luvae ," I murmured, my thumbs tracing idle patterns on her inner thighs.

With deliberate slowness, I reached for the flask of oil resting on the tub's edge. The dark glass glowed with the heat of our world. I poured the oil into my palms, watching as it shimmered in the dim light, reflecting the dance of flames from the heat crystals around us.

The warmth radiated from my hands as I massaged the oil into her skin, starting at her ankles and working my way up her calves, her knees, her thighs. With my claws, I had to be careful, and for the first time in my life, I envied the servants who filed theirs down to nothing but nubs.

Each touch elicited a shiver, a gasp, a soft moan from her lips. Her muscles tensed beneath my fingers, her legs quivering with anticipation as I neared her core.

Once I reached her inner thighs, I paused, the pads of my thumbs dancing along the sensitive flesh just inches from her sex. She writhed, her hips lifting in a silent plea. But I held back, maintaining a steady rhythm that kept her teetering on the edge but never pushing her over.

"You're torturing me," she panted, her hands fisting beneath her.

A dark chuckle rumbled in my chest. "Do you want me to stop, luvae ?"

Her eyes flashed with defiance, but her body betrayed her, arching into my hands, seeking more contact. "Don't you dare."

A bolt of desire shot through me.

With my claws in the way, I couldn't dip my fingers inside, couldn't spread her open. But I was a Drakarn and would not be so easily cowed. My tail flicked up and teased her entrance, the thick, muscled limb pressing against her slick heat. Her body reacted, clenching around the mere suggestion of penetration.

I smoothed my tail along her folds, coating it with her arousal before pressing forward. The first push of my tail inside was a delicious stretch, her inner walls unyielding but creamy with need. I withdrew, a low growl rumbling in my chest at the sight of her pink, core flesh glistening.

"Darrokar, please," she begged, her hips jerking in a futile attempt to impale herself on my tail.

I captured her mouth in a searing kiss, claiming her moans and whimpers as our tongues tangled. My tail delved deeper, filling her to the hilt, and she screamed into my mouth. Her muscles rippled and clenched around me, milking the sensitive scales.

My cock throbbed. My tail was normally a weapon of war, not pleasure, but the things her body was doing to me sent pulses of desire straight through me.

I withdrew, then plunged back in, a rhythm as relentless as the twin suns. Each thrust dragged a guttural moan from her throat, each withdrawal leaving her crying for me to return. I varied my pace, stoking the flames of her desire, teasing her to the brink then backing off, determined to prolong this delicious torture. Her internal stimulations were adding an extra layer of connection and enjoyment—the pulsing of her heart, the subtle rhythms of her breathing, the heady taste of her pleasure all added to the sensory delight.

"You're so deep," she gasped, her hips bucking wildly, trying to take me as deep as possible. "I need more."

I grinned against her mouth. "Patience, little warrior. I have only just begun."

I adjusted my grip, using my claws to fondle and tease her breasts alongside the relentless thrusts of my tail. I loved the way her nipples hardened into points, begging for attention as she writhed beneath me. My own cock throbbed in time with my pulse, aching to be buried inside her, to fill her completely. But this, this was about her pleasure, about claiming her as mine, body and soul.

"Don't tease me anymore," she pleaded, her voice breaking on a sob. "Please, I need to come."

My response was a deep, rumbling growl and a flex of my tail inside her. That growl turned into a snarl as I finally relented, my tail moving in a wild, frantic rhythm, slamming into her with abandon. Her scream ripped through the chamber as her orgasm crashed over her, her inner walls clamping down on me like a vise. I could feel every pulse, every spasm, her body milking my length for all it was worth.

The sound of her release and the sight of her face contorted in ecstasy pushed me over the edge. I yanked my tail out of her and replaced it with my cock, thrusting like a Drakarn possessed.

I buried myself as deep as possible inside her, my cock throbbing and pulsing as I emptied myself into her waiting body.

We stayed locked together, chest to chest, her legs wrapped around my waist, her breath coming in ragged gasps as we rode out the aftershocks of our passion. My claws held her hips carefully, holding her in place, our hearts thundering against each other.

After what felt like an eternity, I gradually pulled out, my cock glistening with our combined fluids. Terra made an unhappy sound at the loss, her legs falling limp around my waist.

I pulled her back down into the warm water, cradling her against my chest.

I could never have imagined that someone like her would be my mate. But now that I had her, I would fight every force on Volcaryth and anyone from her Earth before I let her go.