Chapter 4

Constance awoke with a start, her heart pounding and her skin flushed. The vivid dream still clung to her mind—Kalpar leaning over her, his silver eyes blazing as he watched her with an intensity that made her shiver. And he hadn't just been watching her—his hands had been caressing her, playing her breasts and sliding down between her legs.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will the inappropriate images away, but excitement still hummed through her veins. Her breasts ached and heat pulsed low in her stomach. She pressed her hands against her breasts in a vain attempt to suppress the ache but the pressure only increased her arousal. She peeped over at Kalpar, but his eyes were closed, his big body completely still.

Giving it to a reckless impulse, she tugged lightly at her nipples, almost gasping at the resulting rush of desire. She had touched herself before but it had never felt this intense. Still keeping an eye on Kalpar, she slid one hand down under the sheet, pressing her thighs together against the demanding throb that greeted her touch.

Taking a deep breath, she tugged her nightgown up above her waist, then stoked her hand down across her quivering stomach to her bare mound. She shuddered as her middle finger slid further down and came into contact with the slickness her dream had caused.

She tried to keep her movements quiet and controlled as she circled her opening, but her breath caught anyway as she grazed over her swollen clit. As she circled it, her other hand tightened on her nipple, harder than she'd ever touched herself before but the pressure only added to her excitement. Her arousal grew until it was almost painful and she knew she was close, so close…

Kalpar's eyes flew open, blazing white in the dark room, just as her climax crashed down over her.

"Fuck," he growled.

She was still shuddering from her release as he dropped his feet to the floor and rose. He stalked towards the bed, his eyes focused on the hand that was still beneath the covers and felt her clit pulse with excitement.

"I wasn't… I just needed…"

The words stuck in her throat. She couldn't lie and say she hadn't been touching herself, not when the evidence was so damning.

He reached the bed, towering over her, his chest rising and falling with his heavy breathing, but she didn't flinch away from him. Instead her heartbeat accelerated in anticipation. He hesitated for a moment, his nostrils flaring, and then he yanked the sheet away.

That burning white gaze swept down over her exposed lower body, to her hand still buried between her legs.

"Look at you," he rasped. "So ripe for breeding. By now you would have been mated, safe in a house of your own."

"It was never an option," she whispered, remembering her father's cold determination to control her and keep her unsullied.

"I suppose not."

He bent down and she thought he was going to touch her, her heart hammering with excitement. Instead he pulled the sheet back up over her body.

"I cannot give you what you so clearly need, so for both our sakes, I would appreciate it if you restrained yourself."

Anger vied with embarrassment and won out. She glared up at him.

"If you insist on remaining at my side, then you should be prepared for the consequences."

"You don't lack courage do you, little human?" To her surprise, he actually sounded amused. "I find that I admire your defiance, but I still expect you to acquiesce to my request. There are several hours until dawn. Go back to sleep, Constance."

Ignoring her shock, he turned and walked back to his chair. She was half-tempted to touch herself again, just to show him that he couldn't control her, but despite her defiance, she couldn't imagine actually following through now that she knew he would be aware of what she was doing. Instead she huffed defiantly and rolled over, turning her back on him. She expected that mortification and annoyance would keep her awake but her body felt limp and heavy after her climax and she was asleep within minutes.

The next time she woke,sunlight poured through the uncovered windows. Kalpar was still in his chair but although his eyes were closed, she didn't think he was asleep. When she sat up, his eyes immediately snapped open. Nothing in his expression revealed any emotions about their encounter during the night and for some reason that annoyed her. Her annoyance grew when she climbed out of bed and he immediately rose.

"This really isn't necessary. I just need to attend to my, umm, bodily functions."

He didn't respond and when she stomped into the bathroom, he followed her. Fortunately, the toilet compartment was concealed behind a wall and after inspecting it, he left her alone to attend to her business. Her face was still pink with embarrassment when she emerged and found him waiting in front of the door to the bedroom, his arms crossed.

"Do you wish to bathe again?"

"No, thank you."

"Fine. I am going to take a shower. Do not attempt to leave this room."

"What? No, you can't -"

Her protest fell on deaf ears. He was already unclasping the black belt holding his long knife sheaths and placing it on the bench next to the shower. A second belt followed before he removed his shirt. His shoulders were even wider than she had expected - a lot wider - and she was still staring open-mouthed at the muscular expanse of his bare chest when his hands dropped to his pants. She caught a brief glimpse of a line of dark purple hair before she realized what she was doing and hastily averted her gaze.

She could have sworn she heard a low chuckle before the shower came on. To hell with this. she wasn't going to stand around while he took a shower. He spoke just as her hand touched the door.

"If you attempt to leave the room, I will come after you and bring you back into the shower with me. Is that what you want, little human?"

Despite the hint of amusement, his voice was absolutely implacable and she had no doubt he would carry through on his threat. Sighing, she let her hand drop. Instead she went over to the counter to finish her morning routine. It wasn't until she raised her eyes to the mirror that she realized it was perfectly placed to give her a clear view of the glass-enclosed shower.

He was half turned away from her, his muscular body glistening as he raised his arms to his head and washed his hair. Then she caught a glimpse of the massive shaft between his legs. His cock hung heavily from his body, almost as thick as her wrist, and she swallowed hard, unable to look away. He wasn't even aroused but she was sure he was bigger than any human male.

Even worse, he chose that moment to turn and she had a clear view of that impressive cock. He had ridges running along both sides of his shaft. Ridges, for heaven's sake! There was something different about the head as well but he shifted his weight before she could quite make it out.

She should look away, she really should, but she couldn't pull her gaze from the massive organ. Even under her father's watchful eye, she'd occasionally met a man who intrigued her a little - but never one who had aroused such a direct sexual interest. Her fingers itched with the desire to wrap around that enormous shaft, to see if she could coax a supposedly impossible erection from it. The thought of him growing even larger beneath her hand was both terrifying and intriguing and she could feel her body responding to the idea.

He shifted position again as he rinsed away the soap and she gasped. The tip of his penis had changed shape, no longer round but flared at the top. Not that she was an expert on the subject, but she'd never heard of anything like that before. A chill ran down her spine and she looked up to find him looking directly at her, his eyes blazing silver again.

"I wouldn't have expected an innocent little virgin to be so interested in my anatomy."

His tone was mocking but the heat in his eyes was undeniable. She swallowed hard, then raised her chin.

"I was just curious because it's… different," she said with as much dignity as possible. "There's no harm in looking, especially since you can't… do anything with it."

"Are you really that naive, little human? My cock is not the only way I could give a female pleasure."

Her mouth fell open.

"I-I thought you weren't interested in women."

He started to say something but apparently thought better of it. Instead he shrugged and leaned forward to turn off the water.

"What are your plans for the day?"

"I'm visiting the children's hospital."

The monthly visits had been a hard-won battle. Her father donated money to various charities as part of his attempt to convince the world that he was a public-spirited businessman. He had reluctantly allowed her to be involved in some of those charities, again because it was good for his image. She had used that motive to corner him into agreeing to the visits by mentioning it to the chair of the hospital benefit during a public event, giving him the impression that her father had already approved.

Her father had been furious, although she doubted anyone else would have noticed that his usual glacial facade had turned even more icy. He had warned the chair that it might be too much for her fragile health, but in the end he'd allowed the visits and they were the highlight of her existence.

Kalpar raised an eyebrow at the announcement but didn't comment, running a towel briskly over all that gleaming purple skin. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she realized she was staring again, avidly watching the towel moving over his body, especially when he ran it casually over that enormous cock, tracing the ridges down to the flared head which had changed shape yet again to a softly pointed tip.

"Constance?"

The amused note was back in his voice. She jumped guiltily, and quickly looked away.

"I don't suppose you'd let me go and get dressed?" she asked hopefully.

"You suppose correctly." He pulled on his pants and crossed to the counter, close enough that his masculine scent wrapped around her, and she struggled to maintain a clear head. "But I won't watch you as intently as you've been watching me. Unless you want me to, of course."