Chapter 12

Min-Ji

Corin didn't have more of that powder that worked on the welds, but that didn't seem to matter as much when you had this much brute strength and access at your disposal. After carrying off all the huge chunks of stone that had been piled against the door, the warriors worked steadily to chip away at the welded seams. It was honestly impressive how quickly they could do all that.

One moment I had been watching the weird bubbling tanks that populated this huge lab; the next, cheers were going up and a clean breeze blew in. Then it all became a bit of a blur as we left the dark, hidden warren of tunnels and rooms beneath Ahoshaga and entered the pretty part, the town. Here, the crystals glowed like daylight, and the dark rock had been carved to fit over a hundred apartments in a downward spiral toward a pretty fountain.

As we climbed into the inhabited world, Haven's members came streaming in from the outside to greet us. It soon became a chaotic mass of bodies and happy reunions. I saw Naomi and Krashe collide in a fierce embrace, the pretty, freckled woman crying, her Warlord growling. They disappeared into their home, and I knew that Naomi would be giving her mate her joyful news.

Ekkire snuck outside as soon as he could, clearly eager to be back under the open sky, while everyone else was just happy to be back. Vera and Kalani hugged, our blonde-haired leader crying as she cradled her heavily pregnant belly. I was pulled into a huddle of arms and smiles, but I didn't miss how Corin hurried Reid into the med bay. His head was already bent close together with that of the white-scaled Shaman, Artek.

That night, a feast was prepared to celebrate the safe return of everyone and to officially welcome Zeidon and Farah to Haven. Naomi would normally be our designated chef, but for obvious reasons, she was absent that night along with her mate. I sat around the fire, enjoying the festivities and the fresh food, but I noticed Corin and Artek's absence. They were still working on Reid, and it didn't seem like good news that they were taking that long.

I was tempted to go find him; I mean them. It would be the right thing to do: check on the injured Reid. Bolstered by some of that potent Abseal that Iave brewed, I was almost at the door when I lost my courage. Corin told me to stay away for my own good. I still didn't know why he thought that was best, but now was not the time to push him on the subject.

When I heard a very dejected beep from my right, I discovered Triff peeking out at me from the small opening of a cleaning-bot tunnel. "Hey, did they kick you out of the med bay, buddy?" I asked the little bot. All the cleaning bots looked virtually identical, but I still recognized Triff. There was no other bot that could make their sounds have so much meaning.

He hummed as he rushed toward me, circling my ankles and reminding me a little of an excited puppy. I ducked down and stuck out my hand, and he pushed his round dome against my fingers. I wondered if he could feel that. It didn't seem possible, but he seemed to take comfort from the touch. It made me feel a little better too.

"Come on, you can bunk with me tonight," I told him, and he squealed, a joyful noise this time. That saved me from embarrassing myself in front of Corin as I drunkenly asked him again why we couldn't be together. Who needed a man anyway, or a male? I was fine on my own! I was going to crawl into bed for some well-earned rest and forget all about him.

My apartment was empty and cold when I stepped inside. The lights were warm and bright, but they didn't feel welcoming when everything was so bare and devoid of personal touches. I had a shelf, a desk, a chair, and piles and piles of soft furs, courtesy of all the hunters. Nothing that made this place mine. They were all things given to me by guys who hoped I might be their mate, or they were charity from the mated males.

It was probably the alcohol talking, but I felt extra gloomy as I kicked off my boots and crawled under my furs. The bed was cold, and it wasn't even a proper bed. The Naga called them nests—round areas made up of hay, fragrant herbs, sticks for the raised edge, and furs to make them comfy. I still hadn't gotten used to how much space there was inside one, and it made me feel extra lonely.

Triff settled right next to the nest, beeping once before going into hibernation mode. Unlike a flesh-and-blood pet, he didn't make for good cuddling. At least I knew that he was lonely too, missing Corin like I was.

It felt like I'd only blinked a few times after dimming the lights when a sound jerked me back to full wakefulness. I couldn't see a thing in this darkness, but I recognized the sound of scales sliding against stone. There was someone in my bedroom. Adrenaline surged, and any sleepiness vanished like snow before the sun. This had never happened before. The aspirants all slept outside the palisade at night. Only the fully trusted males were allowed a home inside the mountain, like Aks and Xorare, but they were a couple, and then there was Corin...

The sound came again, and I jerked upright, my hand slipping beneath the furs to locate my knife. I hadn't felt the need for that protection in a long while, and I realized it wasn't there. "Who's in my room?" I demanded. There was no response, but I saw something glitter, something silver. "Corin? Is that you?"

The answering hiss was the only reply I got. He didn't say anything, but I knew it was him. My earlier fear forgotten—Corin would never harm me—I leaned over the edge of my nest so I could flick on the little lantern I kept there. The light was just a soft orange glow, but I had to blink a few times before my eyes adjusted.

He was inside my room, but barely, hanging back by the door and raised high on his tail. I'd never seen the expression on his face that he wore now, and I struggled to put words to it. A darkness clung to his eyes that I wasn't used to seeing. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he looked desperate and horribly sad at the same time. "Did he die?" I asked, my mind leaping to the most obvious reason for that kind of expression.

His head shake was firm, and I blew out a relieved breath. Okay, that was good. Then why the expression? Corin often wasn't very talkative, but this took the cake. And why was he here? I thought he'd made it clear that we couldn't see each other, but he was already breaking his own rule. He just hovered there inside my room, mercury eyes watching me and darkness clinging to him like a second skin.

At my wits' end on what to do, I lifted the fur that covered me and held it open in invitation. I didn't think he'd come closer, that he'd crawl into the nest with me, but he'd come here for a reason, and maybe that was company. Goosebumps broke out all over my flesh when he jerked forward and started to approach. He was doing it! I liked that, liked that he'd come to me for comfort, but I was confused too.

The edge of the nest made him stop, and his bleak expression flickered. He was fighting with himself to back away. Determined to give him what he needed, I scooted back and fluttered the fur. "Come on, honey. You need this. It won't change things tomorrow, I understand. Take what you need." I was an idiot for making that kind of offer. Of course, it was going to change things, but I suddenly, very desperately, wanted him to stay.

I wanted to be there for him, and I didn't want to feel lonely; we'd both get something out of this. His fangs glinted in the soft glow of the lantern with an orange hue, as did the sharp horn that jutted from his chin. He looked feral, dark, and a little lost, but my words did what I'd intended. He slithered over the edge of the nest.

Maybe he didn't intend to touch me once there, but he was a fully grown Naga male. Suddenly, the size of the nest made a lot of sense; he took up so much space in it. My bare toes touched a coil of his tail by accident, and the light of his silver mating marks flared to life between us. As though the floodgates had opened, he surged forward and pulled me into his arms.

He radiated warmth as he curled around me, his arms tight around my middle, his tail coiling around my legs. A deep groan rumbled from his chest when I eagerly buried my nose against his pecs. He always smelled good, but it was extra nice knowing his scent would now cling to the furs on my bed. I pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the firm scales on his chest, and he shuddered against me.

His hand slid up my spine to dig into my hair, his grasp firm as he pulled my head back. Darkness engulfed us with a click. He'd turned the light off, but I knew that didn't mean he couldn't see me. He just didn't want me to see him, but that was okay. I didn't need to see his face to offer him comfort. His mouth found mine, his lips rough as he pressed us together. Then, his tongue slipped out, and all I could feel and taste was him.

He surrounded me, covered me, and this was no longer about comfort or being together. This was an explosion of passion, like when we'd collided in the tunnels before. I moaned as his tongue claimed, invaded. I shuddered when his cock pressed against my thigh, unrestrained and unashamed of the desire he felt for me. I'd learned from Vera that showing their desire was taboo for the Thunder Rock Naga males, but Corin didn't seem to have a problem with it.

I arched against him, urging him on with my hands against his heated flesh, my fingers roaming down his muscled chest in search of that erection. I'd make him feel good; I'd make him crave me so badly he could never escape. We belonged together. Whatever obstacle he saw, we'd conquer that too. I didn't want to believe that it was too big, too final.

I located his cock and was met with a hiss and wild bucking into my hand. The girls whispered about what it was like—some more frankly than others—so I knew what to expect. It was still a surprise when the tip split and curled, bifurcated like they said, but so very mobile—two thick fingers that twined against my hand, slick with a silky wetness all his. My core clenched, aching as I could suddenly, vividly, picture what having sex with him would be like.

He groaned, his open mouth locking on my neck, his fangs pushing against my skin without piercing my flesh. A possessive, not-quite bite, a claim that wasn't a claim. I had set out with the plan to make him feel good, to give to him when he seemed so dark and sad. That plan went out the window when he growled about needing me now! And that translated into him locking his tail around my wrists and yanking my legs apart.

I'd crawled into bed wearing only panties and a thin, hastily sewn nightshirt from fabric hunters had donated. They proved no barrier for Corin on a mission. He yanked the shirt over my head, the crude seams groaning from the strain, and my panties were shoved down my hips. He claimed my core with a hand, finding me shamelessly soaked for him. Then he was pushing my legs wide with his shoulders, and his mouth closed over the heart of me, his tongue expertly finding my aching clit and lapping at it like a madman when he discovered it made me moan.

This wasn't what I'd set out to do, but damn if it wasn't far better than anything I could have imagined. His tongue was too long to be human, extremely agile, and the press of his scale-covered shoulders against my thighs was a constant reminder of his alienness. I fought against the tight clasp of his tail around my wrists, and he let me go in favor of curling the tip of his tail over my breasts and flicking it against my nipples.

My hands arrowed for his hair, clutching him to me as I raced toward a wildfire, an orgasm that rushed through me from the tips of my toes, toes that I curled into his ribs as it gripped me tight. His name echoed into the darkness of my room. "Ah, Corin! Please," I moaned as he kept lapping at me, licking every last drop of pleasure from my folds.

I felt spent, wrung out, when he finally lifted his head and I could see the silver glint of his eyes in the dark. He didn't sound satisfied, and for one tantalizing moment, it seemed like he might rise above me and sink his cock inside me. Take that final step, lay his claim. He seemed frozen above me, his chest heaving like bellows, the sound of his labored breathing loud in the night.

"It's okay," I murmured through a tight throat. I really meant that it was okay. As I'd promised him, this was just about giving him what he needed right now, to ease the turmoil that had caused him to seek me out. I slid my hands from his hair down the strong column of his neck, along his shoulders, and then down his front. "I'll take care of you. I know what you need."

My fingers touched his cock, a repeat of earlier, but this time he did not pull away when I started to stroke him. This time, he held still above me, raised almost perpendicular by sheer upper body strength. His biceps bulged next to my head, visible in the silver glow of his sigils. "That's it, honey," I urged when his bifurcated cock flexed in my grip and seemed to swell in size.

Then his tail curled around my fingers, gripping my hands tightly against his iron-hard flesh. He helped me stroke him, finding a faster, better rhythm, and with a wild growl, his seed erupted from the tips. I couldn't see it, but I felt each hot splatter as it landed on my chest and belly. The sweet, savory scent of caramelized popcorn filled the air, and my mouth watered. I didn't even care for popcorn back home, but I was extremely tempted to taste this. If I did, though, all bets were off. I'd lose my mind to a mating heat only Naga seed could cause, and I wasn't ready for that. Corin wasn't ready.

Eventually, he released my hand with his tail from around his cock, and he shifted away. I thought for a moment that he might leave, that this was all he'd come here for, but he'd only shifted to pick up a piece of fur. He wiped my flesh carefully, with a tenderness I knew he had in him when he wasn't feeling stressed or rushed. I returned the favor, using my shirt to wipe the last seed from his cock.

I held my breath as I discarded the dirty clothing. Was this when he'd leave? I didn't want him to go, not ever. But I didn't think this was the moment to push him, either. Something was still wrong with his mood, though he didn't seem quite so heavy with darkness now. He settled on his side next to me in the nest, pulling the furs over my bare flesh so I stayed warm. "Thank you, Min-Ji," he murmured against my hair, his arms gathering me close to his chest.

He was here to stay, at least for tonight. I fell asleep slowly, waiting for him to go first, and listening to the steady thud of his heartbeat beneath my ear. This was almost peaceful, and my nest certainly didn't seem too big now. If only I knew I'd have this every night—if only Corin would tell me what was bothering him. If it wasn't about Reid, had Vrash returned?

When I woke that morning, I was still tired and groggy, but Corin was still there, and that made everything better. He was lying next to me, his tail and arms curled around me, our naked skin touching everywhere. I even felt the blaze of his cock press against my hip, and I wondered if he wanted another round of heavy petting before we went our separate ways. His silver eyes were dark, not heated in the soft light of a lantern, a light he must have turned on.

"Hi," I said to him, offering a gentle smile. What would work to make him talk? Pushing Corin was often fun, but it rarely netted the results I was after. Maybe silence would do the trick, where pelting him with questions made him throw his shields up. So I just waited, my hands stroking along his chest and shoulders, brushing through his silky blue hair.

"Hi," he muttered back, his fangs flashing as his mouth lifted into a sad smile. "No questions?" When I shook my head in reply, he sighed, his inhale long and slow, his chest expanding beneath my fingers. "It's what I have to do. It brought back terrible memories. I don't want to go, but it's the only way we can save Reid." That made me so stinking curious, but I bit my lip and held back all the words I wanted to say. With my eyes, I hoped I conveyed my empathy.

Another sigh, his eyes darting from my face to glance around my undecorated bedroom and at the piles of spare furs in the corner. "It's her," he said, and finally, I could start to put together the puzzle pieces that made up my reluctant mate. "The Thunder Rock Queen. Once, when I was still a youngling in training to be a Shaman, she coveted me. To convince me to be hers, she forbade me from returning to my studies. It's her... If she finds out you are my mate, she will kill you. She knows she cannot have me, but she's a spiteful, vengeful Queen."

My heart started racing in my chest at this revelation. It sounded terrible, and at the same time, a distant Queen didn't seem like much of a threat at all. But it was very clear that the threat was real in Corin's mind, and that was the only thing that mattered. Maybe I couldn't see the dangers he knew were there; maybe he was right, but I didn't want to believe that.

Worse was the part where he admitted to a grown Naga female coveting him when he was young, and a friend of her own son to boot. That was twisted as hell, and even if he'd managed to stay out of her clasp, it had changed his life. He had just admitted to once training to be a Shaman, which was huge.

I opened my mouth, about to break my vow to stay silent so he'd speak, but Corin beat me to it. "I will have to face my past. I didn't know if I had the strength to do that. But I do. Thank you for showing me." He dipped his head, pressed his mouth to mine for a quick, tender kiss, and then he was slithering away, slipping from my grasp.

I let him go because, after what he'd just told me, that was definitely the right thing to do. It made my heart hurt; it made me ache for the young Naga boy he had been. I missed him as soon as the door to my apartment slid shut behind him. And I couldn't regret a single moment we'd shared. Not even a minute.