When Oshali woke, she was in Tyomar’s arms, curled against his chest as he walked among the dead trees.
“Where are we?” she groaned.
“We are nearing the edge of the barren forest,” Tyomar said. Something was different about his tone.
Oshali thought back to what she could last remember, and a searing heat rushed to her face. Tyomar had pleasured her again, except this time it had been much more intense. She had climaxed, but it had been stormy and fierce and molten—nothing like the kind of pleasure she’d ever brought herself. She couldn’t believe the way that she had gripped his head, humped into his face and cried out so wildly. But she didn’t recall it going further or returning the pleasure. Had she passed out? It was so embarrassing.
“I need some water,” she muttered as the heat of embarrassment began to overwhelm her.
Tyomar slowed to a stop and carefully placed her down. She fumbled with her pouch to find her flask and drank deeply before noticing that Tyomar was watching her carefully.
“We need to talk,” he said firmly.
Oshali nodded, though dread gripped her stomach a little.
“Not here,” Tyomar said. “At the edge of this forest there is a small field, and then another one starts. The one I’m taking us to is a proper forest with proper vegetation,” he said. “Which means we’ll have more cover and shade.”
Oshali nodded, although she could barely focus on anything but the memory of his tongue between her legs, harassing her sensitive bundle, and making her melt into a shivering puddle of ecstasy. She’d loved it. It was the most incredible experience she’d had. But all it did was increase her feelings for him, especially since he was her first sexual experience.
Tyomar began walking again, and Oshali followed. She couldn’t allow it to happen again. She also had to find a way to address the fact that he was not in charge of the assignment or the journey. He was much too powerful to run from, but she shouldn’t even have to go through such effort. Why had he come along with her in the first place? What was in it for him? He didn’t even know what they were going to get from the southern province.
It was only a few more yards before they reached the end of the barren forest, and they crossed an enormous desolate area where clouds of ember drifted on one side. Oshali watched it from afar as they passed. She had read a lot about ember and its effects, but had never seen it. And that was a good thing because it was fatal to get close to it. One touch of the dark, thick smoke would tear limbs from your body while keeping you alive within it’s cloud—floating forever while you remained conscious. She’d had nightmares about it when she first learned what it was—it had to be one of the most horrific things that existed in the realm
Tyomar led her into a narrower road with a bridge at the end, and on the other side was a lush green forest, seeming out of place among the dead landscape.
This forest was very different. Things moved; leaves, branches, animals, and shrills and shrieks from unseen animals burst into the air. Oshali wandered forward, distracted by everything, but Tyomar led the way, forging a straight path in the center.
Oshali followed him, aware that he was once again taking the lead, but at this point, she wasn’t sure where she even was.
A strange vibration entered her awareness. She slowed down. “What is that,” Oshali asked. “That hum around me?”
“It is so that I know where you are,” Tyomar said gravely.
“You put a tracker on me?” Oshali said sharply.
“I didn’t want to,” Tyomar growled. “But you left me no choice.”
Oshali stopped. “You have a choice,” she said hotly. “You can walk away and let me do my assignment as I please. Why is that so hard for you to do?”
Tyomar approached her, stepping so close he towered over her. Grabbing the back of her neck, he pushed her until she was against another tree. He leaned in close, his eyes capturing hers. “Why is it so hard for you to accept that I am here to protect you? You have known me for seven years, little cloak.”
A flash of heat shot through Oshali at his proximity and her nipples tingled, but there was nowhere to go. “I never asked you to protect me,” she said evenly. “I’m supposed to be able to do this with minimal help.”
“Even if that is so, you don’t want my help,” Tyomar said, a growl of displeasure in his voice. “Why?”
A pang of guilt resounded against Oshali’s reserve, but she pushed it away. He didn’t know how she felt about him, so he would see it as her simply rejecting his help. “Why is it so important for you to protect me during this,” she asked. “Why did you place me with the Mheyu and encourage my guardian training if you didn’t want me to go out into the lands on assignments—to be independent and capable out in the lands? Isn’t this what you wanted?”
Tyomar was silent as he gazed down at her, but his jaw clenched.
Oshali shook her head. “There is no point in me continuing if you are going to interfere with decisions I make and force me to do what you want.”
“So you’re going back to the sanctum?” he asked.
He almost sounded hopeful, but Oshali wanted to cry. If she went back to the sanctum without having completed her assignment, she would be forced to stay there and give up any idea of having true freedom at all. “You want to keep me trapped in the sanctum?” she asked evenly. “Is that what this is about? Are you trying to ruin my chances to be a Mheyu? I don’t understand.”
“No. I’m not trying to do any of that.” He exhaled heavily, releasing her from his grip. “Show me the route you planned.”
Oshali shrugged off her pouch and took out the details of her assignment, including the map.
Lowering to sit at the bottom of a tree, Tyomar examined them and asked questions until he was clear what the assignment was. “So you have to collect this scroll from this province? Is that it?”
Oshali nodded, watching him carefully. She’d sat a little away from him so she wouldn’t be overwhelmed by his scent. That seemed to be when things got complicated.
“Do you know what the scroll is about? Why it’s important?”
“No, but the Mheyu said that it’s important to them for their future after the war.” She hesitated. “They are worried that the king or queen may destroy the information at the sanctum to rewrite history depending on who wins.”
Tyomar frowned. “That wouldn’t be a small feat. There are Mheyu sanctums all over the realm.”
“Yes,” Oshali agreed. “But each one has a specialty. The one in your territory solely focuses on the Thrakonds and the Goddesses and the dragorai.”
Tyomar looked down at her assignment notes. “So this scroll could have something to do with any of those topics?”
Oshali nodded. “It is likely.”
Tyomar was quiet for a long moment as he continued to examine the parchment. “I know where this province is,” he said. “But your route to get there is dangerous, more dangerous than it needs to be.” He looked up. “If I take you on a different route, and make sure you can get there safely, will you stop fighting me?”
Oshali bit her lip in thought. “When I get back, I have to report everything about the decisions I made and the places I’ve been. I can’t do that if you have decided the route for me.”
“I’m not sure why it’s such a problem,” Tyomar growled. “I am a dragorai, an expert in these realms. What would be the reason that any Mheyu would not want my advice or take my guidance?”
Oshali was quiet for a long moment and she realized he might be right. The guardians might be fine with her following the guidance of a dragorai who knew the area. But there was no way to know for sure. However, if this was the only option she had, other than returning to the sanctum having failed, then she would have to take it and hope it was enough.
“When was the last time you went to the south?” she asked.
“I frequent the south now and then, but to go to the heart of the provinces like this,” Tyomar said pointing to the map, “I don’t do that very often. The last time was when I found you.”
Oshali jerked in surprise, snapping her eyes up to his. “You found me in the South?”
“Yes. In one of the provinces.”
Oshali breathed shallowly as her heart pounded. “The Mheyu said you hadn’t told them where you found me.”
Tyomar tilted his head. “It’s possible that I didn’t. Everything happened so quickly back then.” He refocused his gaze on her. “But I do know the area and I can take you there. So do we have an agreement?”
Oshali breathed in deeply, relief trickling through her for the first time since she started this journey. This seemed like a good compromise, but she still didn’t understand his insistence to be here with her. “Are you….”
“What?”
Oshali couldn’t find the words to ask him why, for some reason, he had decided to concern himself with her safety, and it seemed like he always had from the time she was a baby. Did he see her as some kind of exciting experiment? Did he see her as his responsibility? Did he want something to look after and take care of because he couldn’t breed? The only thing that didn’t align with that theory was his behavior on the ledge and against the tree. He’d acted as though he was out of control with lust, and in truth, she had wanted him just as badly. But she had a reason for that—she’d desired him since she was eighteen. What was his motivation? Was it simply that she was a female and he was a dragorai? For some dragorai-alphas that was all the reason they needed.
He was still waiting for an answer so she pointed to the map. “My old route had places for me to stop and rest, wash, and find food. I know you think people are dangerous, but many still support the Mheyu and will provide us with basic things so we can continue our work.”
“They may not if a dragorai is with you.”
“Exactly,” Oshali pointed out. “You being with me changes everything. “
Tyomar examined the map and then put it back down. “I can make sure that you have places to do all those things.” He looked at her, curiosity in his dark eyes. “So do you agree?”
“Will you remove this tracker?”
“No,” he said firmly, offering no explanation.
Oshali scowled but this was the best option she was going to get. Once she completed the assignment she wouldn’t have to worry about any of this. She would have her freedom, and she would be able to go where she pleased and find where she belonged. And this time she wouldn’t tell him she was going. “Agreed.”
Tyomar’s shoulders relaxed, and Oshali suddenly realized how tense he had been. “Good,” he said, putting her documents back in her bag. “Let’s go.”
* * *
When they set off for a second time, Oshali felt more positive about the journey. As they walked among the vibrant forest, she allowed herself the joy to get lost in the things she had only read about—furry little animals, pretty, fluttery insects and gorgeous flowers she’d never seen before.
Tyomar was watchful, but as she continued to explore and point things out to him, he responded. Soon, they were chatting like they were back on the ledge having one of their debates or discussions, only this time the scenery was different. She got to ask him what he liked based on what was around them, and she discovered green and red were two of his favorite colors, and much of his knowledge of the lands came from his hunting activities.
It was fascinating hearing things from his point of view. To him, the look of the realms had changed, but there were memories everywhere of times gone by, a past that she would never know if not for him and the Mheyu.
As they traveled, Oshali noticed more barren land in the distance far to the left beyond the edge of the forest. Abandoned buildings, ruins, and empty farms were clustered together like a village. She wondered what had become of those people, and that made Oshali think of Silette and Joren. She glanced at Tyomar walking next to her. “If lesser-mortals wanted to travel to the other realm, across the Karyllean Ocean, how would they go?”
Tyomar was silent for a moment. “Why do you ask?”
“A couple of my friends were aiming to go there.”
“It’s very difficult without a dragon.”
Oshali pursed her lips. “So the dragorai are the only ones who can go?”
“No, but anyone else is unlikely to survive. The conditions they’d have to endure to get there are too harsh for lesser-mortals.”
Oshali was quiet for a moment.
“Are these the friends that helped you steal zmul from the guardian’s liquor cupboard?”
Oshali laughed, surprised that he’d even remembered that. zmul was an extremely potent liquor, and she’d told him about it when she’d been suffering from the results of the previous night. “Yes.”
“They’ve left the sanctum?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you go with them?”
“The sanctum works in a very rigid way,” Oshali explained. “I couldn’t have gone with them when they left, but even if I could…. they belong together. I don’t belong with them.”
“Who do you belong with, then?” There was something strange in his tone again.
Oshali shrugged. “I don’t know yet.”
They kept walking, Oshali having the chance to explore the forest to her heart’s content. By the time they got to where they were going to exit, her mood had improved, and she was almost as joyful as when she’d started this mission.
“Where are we going next?” she asked Tyomar.
“There is a lake farther ahead,” Tyomar said. “We can stop there if you need to.”
She definitely needed to. She was still slippery between the legs because of him, and each time he smiled or laughed it didn’t get any better. “How far is it?”
“Not far.”
“Are there any people around?”
“No.”
“All right.” She grinned at Tyomar and lifted a brow. “Then I’ll race you.”
Tyomar frowned. “We don’t need to race there. It’s just there, you can see it.”
“You’re just afraid because you are going to lose,” Oshali teased. She pursed her lips as she looked him over, assessing him. “I’d wager that dragorai don’t walk on foot much, so I think I have a chance. It’s the dragons that do all the hard work.” With that, she lifted the skirt of her Mheyu Gowns, scrunched the fabric into her fists, and began to run. “You are not allowed to use magic,” she called over her shoulder.
She listened for Tyomar’s footsteps behind her, but none appeared. Maybe because he could still see her and his tracker was alive and well. However, once she’d gotten a few feet away, she heard his chuckling laugh and thumping footsteps charging behind her. Maybe her mood was infectious. She shrieked, trying to run faster, but he caught up in a few moments, sweeping her off her feet and into his arms.
“You’re supposed to race me, not catch me!” Oshali laughed.
Tyomar grinned, and his gorgeous dimple made Oshali melt. “I don’t appreciate your insults, little cloak.”
“I think you should give credit where it is due,” Oshali jested. “You and your brothers take all the credit for your dragons.”
“Our dan askhas don’t care about credit.” Tyomar laughed, twisting her in his arms so she was upright and against his torso. “They care about a good hunt.” He leaned forward toward her, his eyes twinkling. “And I think I just proved I am good at it.”
Oshali snorted, threading her arms around his neck. “I wasn’t even trying that hard.” She leaned forward, angling her lips to his, and then froze. What was she doing? Pulling back, she drew her hands back to herself, suddenly sobering, and turned to look at the lake. But she knew Tyomar noticed.
The lake was beautiful. Sparkling blue surrounded by a rocky shore with smatterings of foliage. But it was enormous. Tyomar placed her down and went to scout the area. Oshali immediately began to undress, preparing to wash but when she dipped her hand in, the lake was so warm she decided to wade in. In the garden at the Mheyu sanctum, there was a small pond that they sometimes paddled in, but nothing where they could learn to swim in. Submerging her whole body into water was a strange experience; it almost felt as though the pressure on her lungs threatened her capability to breathe. But as she moved around in the water, she got used to it.
By the time Tyomar came back, she was thoroughly enjoying the lake and didn’t want to leave.
He called to her from the bank and she raised her hand and waved at him, but then she saw him raise himself into the air and head over to her, stopping to hover above her head. She frowned up at him, wondering what his concern was now.
“What is it?” she called.
Magic yanked her out of the water, lifting her until she had risen in line with him.
As usual, he was annoyed about something. “I said that we could use this lake for grooming purposes,” Tyomar growled. “Not to swim in.”
“I’m wearing my undergarments,” she said bewildered. “My Mheyu ones. You said that there were no people around.”
His eyes dropped to her breasts and much too late she realized that her clothes had become see-through and stuck to her body. Her nipples hardened under his gaze.
“It is too late in the day to swim,” he said, dragging his eyes back up to her face. “The water might feel warm now, but it will get dark and cold within the next few hours and you won’t be able to warm back up.”
Oshali sighed. “There are so many rules to remember out here.”
Tyomar’s brow arched. “They are not rules, Oshali. They are things to remember that make life more comfortable and less hazardous.”
Oshali rolled her eyes as she nodded. “All right, put me back in the water and I’ll make my way back.”
Tyomar shot her a disapproving look, turned and drifted back over to the shore, carrying her with him.
Later that evening, she learned how right he was. A harsh wind whipped around the entire area, sending goosebumps all over her skin and making everything cooler. The forest didn’t have an area near the lake to camp, so they found a spot behind an abandoned mill where she’d be able to set up the tent.
Tyomar lit a fire and created a dome of magic around it to protect it from the wind, but Oshali was still cold.
“We can’t keep the fire going during the night,” Tyomar said, passing her something wrapped in waxed fabric.
When Oshali opened it, she gasped. Inside was a fat, rectangular, flaky pie. “Where did you get this?”
“There is a functioning town not too far from here,” Tyomar said.
The pie was lukewarm but delicious, and surprisingly a complete meal. Half was filled with sage pork and potatoes, the other half with a chunky apple and cinnamon sauce.
“This is amazing,” Oshali moaned around a mouthful.
“It will help warm you,” Tyomar said, picking up her cloak. “Put your tent up. I need to put this fire out.”
“Did you get one for yourself?” She suddenly wasn’t sure she’d seen him eat.
“Tent, Oshali.”
Oshali held out her half eaten pie. “Eat this.”
“Oshali, it’s getting dark,” Tyomar said, exasperated. “I want you out of sight. The town is too close.”
Oshali wriggled her hand, insisting. “You can’t protect me if you haven’t eaten, Tyomar.”
He stilled, his eyes flicking up to hers, pools of dark in the fading light. “I will always protect you, Oshali. No matter what.”
A tingly swoop warmed her stomach and she couldn’t help but smile, even though she shouldn’t encourage him. It wasn’t her he would always protect, it was his mate.
By the time night fell, she was inside her tent shivering uncontrollably. She curled onto one side trying to trap her body heat, but despite the food, her cloak, and the fire, the cold had sunk bone-deep.
Tyomar was patrolling the area, so he wasn’t in her line of sight this time and she didn’t have him for comfort. Oshali turned to the other side, squeezing her eyes shut trying to sleep, thinking of him.
Just when she thought she couldn’t cope anymore, a shuffling noise made her eyes snap open. Glancing over shoulder, she saw Tyomar behind her.
“I can hear your teeth chattering from the other side of the grounds,” he said.
“Well, yes,” she said through gritted teeth. “You were right about the lake.”
The corner of his mouth curled. “I am frequently right.”
She frowned. “How did you get in?”
Tyomar shot her a look. “I examined the magic of the text. It is complex but not that hard to understand.”
Oshali exhaled a shaky breath as he wrapped an arm around her and turned her to face him. She tensed in shock, her eyes wide. “Why are you naked?”
“You need my body heat. This is the quickest way for you to get it.” His low and raspy voice indicated that wasn’t the only reason, but with his scent smothering her, Oshali couldn’t think properly.
“Umm… I don’t think….”
Tyomar pulled off her cloak and then pulled her close to him.
No… this was dangerous. And yet, she couldn’t resist. She entangled her legs with Tyomar’s, and sighed as he pulled her against his hot chest. His body heat warmed her skin and penetrated deeper into her limbs, finally warming her up.
“You’re so warm,” she sighed, her eyes closing. He also smelled incredible, as usual, and she relished the satisfaction that flourished as she settled in his comforting body.
“And you’re so gorgeous.” Tyomar’s hand slipped down her back to her round bottom and he took his time squeezing each cheek. Oshali swallowed, her breathing deepening. A tingle in her stomach burst into arousal when his hand slipped down to the backs of her thighs.
She glanced up at him and he was already looking down at her, his desire clear.
“You are a very beautiful woman, little cloak,” he murmured. “I could look at you forever.”
Oshali shook her head, her embarrassment kindling.
“I’m furious you hid your face from me for so long.”
“It’s the rules of the Mheyu,” she whispered.
“Is it the rules of the Mheyu why you didn’t kiss me today like you wanted to?”
Oshali’s eyes snapped to his. “No. The Mheyu can marry.”
Tyomar’s eyes roamed her face. “So why didn’t you kiss me?”
Oshali hesitated. “You wanted me to?”
“I want everything, Oshali. Isn’t that obvious?”
“No. I… I’m not very experienced. I don’t even know what that means.”
Tyomar chuckled. “It means I want every part of you, inside and out. Everything you’re willing to give and everything you’re not. And I will have it, little cloak.”
Heat spread through Oshali’s chest. “You can’t have it,” she whispered.
Tyomar grabbed her bottom and pulled her forward, pressing her against the hard length jutting out from him.
Oshali gasped. “Tyomar.” Their bare skin making contact was just an addictive and vulnerable feeling.
He rubbed her up and down his length, massaging her intimate folds and immediately the squelching and scent of her arousal filled the tent.
Oshali could have died with humiliation, when she saw Tyomar lick his gorgeous lips.
“I will have it,” he repeated. The husk of his arousal ladened his voice.
“You can’t have everything,” she managed to get out. But even as she said it, she knew it was already too late. She was already in love with him. She’d been in love with him since she was eighteen, and maybe even before that when she saw him at thirteen. Their recent sexual encounters proved that she was completely unable to resist him, and if he chose to have her, she would be at his mercy until his mate came along. Maybe if he had left her alone after she left the sanctum, she may never have truly understood her feelings, but being with him outside the sanctum, with each touch, each smile, each moment of pleasure, her resolve weakened. She was exactly in the position she didn’t want to be in. Maybe she should be honest about it?
“I will,” Tyomar assured her.
Oshali shook her head. “You won’t. My first sexual experiences… my affections. I’m saving that.”
Tyomar mood changed, his body tensing as he lifted up a little to look at her. “For who?”
“Someone else.”
Tyomar’s face contorted. “I’ve already had your hard nipples and wet kon in my mouth, Oshali! It already happened and cannot be changed.”
“I know,” Oshali said. “But those were just… opportunities. It wasn’t serious.”
Tyomar sat up on his knees and yanked her down underneath him. “It was serious to me!” he thundered.
Oshali peered up at him. “How can it be? I’ve read about the dragorai appetite.”
“Those records have no bearing on me and my experiences with you, Oshali,” he said. “You are an incredible female and—”
“And maybe I belong with someone, somewhere, who will also recognize that.”
Tyomar growled. “You belong with me.”
“No,” Oshali corrected. “You belong with your mate.”
Tyomar’s face dropped and he froze, his jaw clenched.
“The Mheyu believe you and your brothers will all find your mates soon,” Oshali said. “And when you find yours, I will be abandoned. Again.”
Tyomar was silent for a long time, but he was more furious than Oshali had ever seen him. Veins bulged on his neck and his eyes were so dark, they were frightening.
Oshali lay trembling on her back before him, wondering what he was going to do or say. He couldn’t argue with the Mheyu, although he could argue that his mate might not ever appear.
But Tyomar didn’t argue about anything. Instead he moved, slipping his hands under Oshali’s legs and spreading her apart.
Oshali breathed shallowly, watching him.
Tyomar rubbed his palm on her inner thigh and then slapped it, the sharpness making Oshali jump. His eyes darkened as he looked between her legs, and she knew she was so wet that her slick was dripping onto the tent floor.
Tyomar’s fingers brushed over her slit, making her writhe, hoping he’d capture her clit, but he trailed his fingertips over her, teasing her.
“You are dripping slick for me, Oshali. Are you saying you want me to ignore this?”
Oshali kept her mouth shut. No matter what her argument might be, she already knew she would take whatever he wanted to give. But she wanted him to know that she was expecting heartbreak, because for all his efforts to protect her, if he chose to continue, he couldn’t protect her from that.
“Oshali.” His fingers caressed through her folds to her entrance where he rubbed his thick middle finger, saturating it with her slick and rubbing it on her nipples. “Answer me!”
But she couldn’t. She couldn’t undo everything she just said. The hurt of abandonment was too dangerous to her.
“Then I will tell you want I think,” he snarled.
Tyomar dropped his weight onto his hand, leaning over her as his fingers breached her entrance.
“I don’t give a fuck about some imaginary mate who may never show up. You are mine, Oshali. You have always been mine. And I am going to fuck you like you’re mine. There won’t be anything for you to give to anyone because I will have already taken it. Your heart, your mind, your love, and your fucking kiss!”
He dropped over her and grabbed her nipple with his hot mouth while pressing his finger into her. Oshali gasped, moaning and arching her back for more of his mouth, tongue, and teeth. She was so wet that his large finger slid in with a delicious friction that had her bucking her hips for more. Soon he added a second finger and sped up until they were plunging her into a jagged, delicious peak of agony.
Before she even had time to recover from her climax, Tyomar was between her legs, lapping everything he could get and rumbling his delight like a madman. Oshali twitched, her channel throbbing. But within moments, he was on top of her, the wide head of his cock rubbing against her aching, slippery slit.
Oshali inhaled in anticipation. All the years she had been meeting with him on the ledge, she never thought this would be a possibility. But now Tyomar was inching into her entrance and stretching her open.
“Grip onto me, little cloak,” he muttered. “This might hurt, if only for a moment.”
She grabbed his biceps, digging her nails in and opening her mouth in a silent scream as he smoothly pressed in. He was so deep! She panted at the tight, painful squeeze as she wriggled uncomfortably.
Tyomar played with her bundle with his thumb until she relaxed, then lay over her, cradling her head with his other arm. He watched her, his nose almost touching hers as he thrust his hips, her own succulence loud in her ears.
Oshali battled all the sensations staggering through her, each one as glorious as the last. Soon he was slamming into her, hard and deep, jolting her whole body. A sublime, violent bliss gripped her, making her whimper and shudder. And when she opened her eyes, Tyomar was looking down at her, his dark eyes full of a sinful carnality that intensified everything that made him alpha. And that made her even more frenzied. She humped her hips up to meet him, their bodies smacking together so violently she whined each time. The molten climb to her climax was so good, she was unprepared when she reached its peak. The devastation was so savage, she couldn’t breathe for a few long moments. All she could do was convulse and scream and curl her toes until her ears throbbed.
It was then that Tyomar’s savage pummeling turned erratic. And when he exhaled and slammed the bulbous base of his cock into her, he wedged her open around it, knotting her the way only an alpha could.
Oshali floated in a blissful oblivion, relishing the luscious burn of the knot between her legs. The only thing better was when Tyomar gathered her into his arms and pressed her to his chest. “You are mine and mine alone, Oshali,” he muttered as she drifted to sleep.
Tyomar was between her legs all night, relentlessly working her on his cock. She was bent and twisted and spread and arched in every way possible, as Tyomar took his pleasure and gave her double back. Oshali submitted to it all, eager for every sensation he gave her. She never knew it could be this good! The rougher he was, the sweeter the pleasure and the sharper the pain, and she couldn’t get enough.
* * *
The next day, most of the morning had gone when Oshali woke. Tyomar was wrapped around her, pinning her down and she enjoyed the weight of him for a moment. Satisfaction emanated from every bone in her body—she could lie there forever with him, but as she recalled what happened last night she also recalled their conversation. She was almost certain now that she was going to be a fool for him, but she could attempt not to be.
Easing herself out from under him, she found her undergarments and put them on. As a Mheyu, she wasn’t supposed to ever take them off, but Tyomar always had her breaking rules. He might think that she was cut out to be a Mheyu, but she knew she wasn’t. Not if a single dragorai could make her break so many rules. It would be a relief to give up the Gowns after this assignment, knowing so much of what she’d done was against Mheyu guidance.
Strangely enough, having sex was not against the Mheyu guidance. Nor was having a family. Mheyu Guardians were encouraged to experience a normal life. But nothing could ever be normal for Oshali again.
She hadn’t just had sex with Tyomar, she had been opened up, destroyed, and rebuilt. Everything was so visceral, so raw, and so primal that she knew it was only because of him that she felt that way. And now, she could truly understand the many witness testimonies about the explicit encounters with the dragorai. They were not exaggerating. How was any normal alpha supposed to compete with that?
As she dressed, Tyomar woke, rolled onto his back and watched her. Nerves jittered in Oshali’s stomach. What was she supposed to say to him? But he simply reached for her, pulling her back to him and straddling her on top. He undressed her, despite her protests that they were losing daylight, then licked and sucked every part of her.
When they finally set off, Tyomar was quiet, mostly in his own thoughts for the majority of the day. Oshali tried to engage him, pointing out things, asking questions, and trying to get him to laugh. He wasn’t particularly moody, he still responded, but he certainly had other things on his mind.
They didn’t travel far that day, having woken so late, and Oshali was aching from the night before. But that didn’t stop Tyomar from pinning her down and riding her hard again that night. In fact, he seemed even more desperate to have her. The way he touched, bit, and spilled his seed on her was as though he was staking his claim, not realizing, of course, that he already had. Oshali already knew there would be no one who would ever come close to him, yet his future mate, she knew, would be far superior to her.
Her only option was to enjoy him and his attentions while she could. So the next time Tyomar leaned in close, to touch his nose to hers, she did something she thought she would never let herself do. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips against his.
Tyomar exhaled in obvious pleasure and deepened the kiss, darting his tongue into her mouth until their mouths were locked, savoring the taste of each other. A rush of something unusual burst into Oshali’s awareness, penetrating and filtering through her body as though she was air. It had to be magic, but it was more potent than anything she’d experienced before. It connected her to everything; she could feel the aching slowness of the dry barren lands, the vibrant trees nearby, the tiny energies of all the surrounding insects, and the stirring of a bigger and deeper force farther away, connected to Tyomar. The feeling faded as the kiss became wilder, and Tyomar rolled on top of her, kissing her with a brutal need that echoed her own. He kissed her throughout their next mating, working her on top of his cock as he savored her mouth and told her he would never abandon this.
And her heart broke once again that he didn’t belong with her.