Chapter 9

Dakkan

Her face glowed with the luster of gold in the firelight. Her eyes were big and soft and open. Beautiful. The word was there on my lips, but that wasn't what she wanted to hear from me. She wanted to know about me.

This was new. Of all the females I'd encountered so far in my life, none had looked at me like she did. Certainly, none had asked who I was or how I had come to be the male I was today. The thing was, I wanted to know everything about her, too. What made her want to be a doctor? What was her family like? What made her smile?

I adjusted the coals and added some fresh wood to the fire, which flickered happily. I kept my senses attuned to the forest around us. So far, I heard nothing moving in the jungle close enough to make me worry. Small rustlings here, birdsong there. Nothing to indicate we were being stalked. I allowed myself to relax just a little bit. We wouldn't be out here much longer anyway. Soon we would be inside that shuttle. Together. Alone.

"I was born in Thrail Sakra," I said. "I had a wonderful childhood." It was true, I had. I proceeded to tell her about my father the warrior, whose true love was tending the tanji gourds in the Sesgrev forest. He was a farmer at heart. And my mother was a scout. She did shifts at the top branches, monitoring ships coming and going. I was just a wild young male, running amok with my friends." I realized I had been grinning. "We got into plenty of trouble."

She laughed. It was a light airy sound. "I'm sure you did. I bet you made them worry on plenty of occasions."

"Oh, I did. But I grew strong and I began to be seen as a leader, for better or worse." I smirked. "The elders were not fond of me. I was troublesome as a young lad—flouted rules, got into trouble, and questioned everything I was told. When it was time for a new warlord to be chosen, I entered myself, as did most males who were at prime age." I shrugged. "I won, much to everyone's surprise and my own. I still come in conflict with the elders on occasion, but the Thrail has thrived during my rule."

"I read about how becoming the warlord of a Thrail is a test of endurance, strength and wits," she said. "It must've been a big transition to go from having so much freedom to a role of structure and responsibility."

I shrugged again, unsure what to make of her accurate insights. "Could not have been that different for you. You hold lives in your hands, just as I do."

"Yes, but my transition to the life was gradual. I had many years of training and a slow progression to responsibility." She looked down, directing her gaze on the fire. "Why didn't you take a mate when all of those women came to your planet? Surely you have some charm to turn on. Like I said, I'm sure they're not really terrified of you."

I shifted uncomfortably. "Honestly, none of the females drew my attention sufficiently. I was more focused on getting them settled and comfortable and making sure the males in the Thrail had ways to interact with them that made them feel safe." I gestured to myself. "We are a large species, compared to your own, and your human males do not have horns or spikes that rise from their arms when they are threatened or in a state of lust."

"Your spikes rise when you're aroused?" she asked. "That's fascinating."

"They do." I smiled at her. "Are you saying that detail wasn't in your documentation about us?"

"No, it wasn't. It must've been surprising for some women to see."

"By the time relationships get to intimacy, our males have discussed that with their mates. Sex is not a casual activity among my people."

"Like it is with ours?" She raised a brow. "Is that what you're saying?"

"You are not the only ones who have done research. Every species regards copulation and reproduction differently. Mitrans either feel a very strong mate connection or they don't. Makes it easier and more efficient to find a mate that way. And we mate for life."

"I did hear that," she murmured. "From what I've heard about Thrail Sakra, you've done a great job of settling everyone. Your Thrail has a very high birth rate. Everyone's getting along well."

I chuckled. "I have some very, very happy males. Human females have proven to be a very compatible match for us."

"Do you hope for a match yourself one day?"

I wondered what these questions meant. What was she asking me, really? It was too much to think that she saw herself as my mate. Although I could not deny I felt a very strong connection to her. My spikes itched against my skin. Sitting here, in the dark, talking about sex was not helping to keep my own arousal leashed. My cock pressed against the seam of my pants in a state of semi-erectness. The discomfort was distracting. But then again, Sabine was distracting.

The hungry, animalistic part of me was frustrated that we were on opposite sides of the fire and not sprawled out together, with less clothing on. I desired her. I now understood what some of my males described as a sudden force, almost magnetic, drawing them towards their females.

"The water is boiling," she said.

It wasn't the only thing boiling. I moved it off the coals with a stick and proceeded to use some of it to sanitize the inside of my water pouch. Something crashed in the woods, causing Sabine to gasp and me to slosh some of the boiled water onto my hand.

"Oh!" She scrambled over to me. "Your hand was burned. Let me see it."

"It's fine." It truly was. My species had a high tolerance for temperature differences—heat and cold. Either had to be very extreme, and sustained, in order to affect us. But I let her take my hand.

Soft, capable fingers moved over my skin, gently turning my hand so she could see in the firelight. "You don't appear injured."

"I'm not. It takes more than a splash of hot water to burn a Mitran's skin."

"This would be a bad burn on a human." She flashed me a quick look. "And don't you dare say that's because we're fragile."

"Your bodies are maybe more fragile than Mitrans', but your minds are not." My hand, with a mind of its own, shifted and took hers, grasping it. My thumb slid over the delicate bones of her hand, the silken skin there.

She went still. Slowly, her gaze rose to mine and locked. I saw the conflict, the uncertainty, and riding over it all, the same attraction that drew me to her. Slowly, knowing this was unwise, I leaned in. The closer I got, the more powerful the draw. The more impossible it became to pull away. My nose brushed hers. My lips touched hers and it felt like sparks singeing my mouth.

A powerful current flowed beneath the surface of things. She drew in a sharp intake of air, but did not move away. Her eyes closed. She shifted just a slight amount, and then her mouth was on mine. Tentative lips kissed my own. I had never kissed a female, but I had seen plenty of Mitran males do so with their mates. Before this moment, I could only imagine what the sensation felt like. Now that I knew, I wanted more. So much more.

My cock was fully hard and pressing painfully against the constraints of my pants. My spikes rose from the indents on my arms, shoulders, and spine. My body crackled to life in ways I had not known possible.

So, this was desire. This was what it felt like when the body and mind had chosen a mate.

My tongue slid between her lips, touching hers. The sensations rolling through me were unreal. Powerful. How did one think clearly in the presence of a female that turned a warrior into this? Anything could come out of the woods at that moment and tear us to pieces. I wouldn't even know. That was how enthralled I was by Sabine.

I didn't know what I wanted, but stopping this wasn't on the list. I put my hand on the back of her head and dove in, kissing her hard, forcing her mouth open with mine and dragging in a deep, shaky breath. I wanted. No, I hungered.

A hand on my chest, pushing insistently, broke me from my state. I drew in a ragged breath and gazed down at her. Her lips were fuller, her eyes luminous. "No," she said. "This is a bad idea."

Was it? Everything in my body was screaming that it was perfect. I could see that she returned my attraction. Her breath came fast and hard. Her pulse throbbed in her throat. "Why? You desire me and I desire you."

"Maybe." She held up a finger before I could move in again. "But this is too much, too fast. We just met and… I'm not… It's going no further tonight."

That was that. I nodded, forcing my body under control. There was nothing I could do about the spikes or my cock, but I eased away from her. "I understand. Why don't you go to bed? I will finish up out here."

"Okay." She rose, hands twisted together in a knot. "I'm sorry. I just—"

"Never apologize for telling me what you want from me," I said in a harsh voice. "You've done nothing wrong. We've awoken something in both of us. It will not go back to sleep. You know that."

She nodded. "I don't know that I would've stopped it if it had gone on any longer," she said. "This is too much right now. Too weird. I don't even know what this is."

I smiled at her. "Perhaps we will find out over the coming days and weeks." I gazed up at her with a growing certainty in my chest. "I want more of you, but I will wait until you are ready. When we come together, I want you to want it as badly as I do. And I do not want you to regret it afterwards."

She bit her bottom lip. "Good night, Dakkan."

"Good night, Sabine."

She slipped into the vessel and closed the door behind her, although she did not latch it. Later, I would join her and I would not touch her. I meant every word I said. But I left out some of it. I left out the part where I felt sure that she was my mate.

My chest ached with the knowledge, and my jaw hardened with a deep determination to get us both out of here alive. Sabine would survive. And one day, she would be mine.