Page 66 of Einar

Mybody is locked to hers until my ovipositor relinquishes its hold on her andIresign myself to having a mate that hates the very sight of me for whatIhave just done to her.Hereyes are closed, andIcount that a small blessing asIwatch her mating collar form.

Delicateblack lines encircle her throat and curl up both sides of her jaw before extending down between her breasts in looping, swirling designs to frame her navel.Thepretty lines drop lower where we are still locked together and thus, out of my sight.Liftingmy head,Imeet her multi-colored eyes, and to my surprise, their depths hold nothing but concern.

“Yourmark is black again.”

Herquiet statement makes my head twitch.Thatis not whatIwas expecting her to say.Whyis she so calm?

“Rowan, what did you do?”

Shesmirks and shimmies her hips, making both of us groan at the sensation.

“Ithink at the moment, that is rather self-explanatory.So,I’mnot really up to date on sex with aliens, but are you stuck inside of me?”

Forthe first time in many orbital rotations, my face flushes with embarrassment.

“Erm… yes.Ihave what is called an ovipositor.Itextends from my pivy into your womb to implant my eggs for breeding purposes, but you do not have to worry about pregnancy!Ihave an implant that is 99.9% accurate in preventing me from being fertile.Youare the first femaleIhave ever lain with, soIwill need to check your hormonal levels periodically to ensure my implant is fully functional.”

Therapid-fire explanation makes her alarmed face relax back into one of sublime satisfaction before morphing into disbelief.AtleastIknow that she experienced pleasure and not pain from our mating.

“Youwere a virgin?!”

“Ido not know this word.”

“Itmeans you hadn’t ever had sex before me.”

“Ah, then yes.Iwas avirgin.Iwas too scared to potentially leave a youngling behind in the event my implant failed.Itis only 99.9% accurate after all, not 100%.”

Amusedcomprehension fills her face.

“Thatis totally understandable.Well, whatever those evil fairies taught you, they did a damn good job.”

Weboth fall silent untilIcan no longer hold the words inside me.

“Why?Youhave no care or love for me.Whywould you do this?”

Myserious words sober her instantly.Oneof her little hands reaches up to cup my scaled jaw, her thumb feathering back and forth across my hide as she regards me.

“Becauseyou are a wonderful male, and didn’t deserve to die just because the universe paired you with a traumatized, human woman.I’mworking through my issues and refuse to be a victim any longer.You’veshown me more care, consideration, and kindness in the last few days thanI’veexperienced from a man in my entire life.Aguy like that deserves to live a full, happy life, soImade sure our bond was sealed to ensure you live to have that opportunity.It’strue.Idon’t love you … yet.WhatI’veseen so far tells me that there is a reason you were picked for me, and for the first time in my life,Ihave the opportunity to fall in love with a good man, not the illusion of one.Einar, you are that good man, and you’re all mine.”

Abroken sound escapes my throat as tears well and spill, running down my face unchecked as sobs wrack my body, making my shoulders shudder with every hitch of breath.Myemotional distress is enough to soften my pivy to the point it relinquishes its hold on her tight sheath.Pushingup from her,Istart to roll away but she stops me, her wee speckled hand a stark contrast to my mossy green hide.

“Einar, come here.Youdidn’t do anything wrong.Iseduced you, and if anyone is in the wrong, it’s me.Iinitiated sex with you when you weren’t in the right state of mind to agree to what we were doing.”

Allowingher to pull me back to her, she pushes and prods at me untilIam reclined on the sleeping platform, my back against the pillows as she crawls up my chest, continuing to soothe my upset.

“Takesome deep breaths for me.Inthrough your nose, out through your mouth.There, that’s better.Ipromise,Einar, you didn’t hurt me or use me in any manner.Thatwas the best sex of my entire life, and you, more than most, will understand howIknow the difference between what is given versus what is taken.”

Shewipes the tears from my face while she continues to speak.

“Now, we are going to go take a shower, get dressed, and go to breakfast.SlavictoldRubyyesterday that we’ve arrived atDeapra, and thatSlavicwanted everyone to gather in the dining chamber for a meeting this morning.Inaddition to that,I’msureRuarcandKallenhave told everyone about my visit earlier, and they’re going to want to know you’re okay.”

“Youwent toRuarcandKallenearlier?”

“Yes,Iwas freaking out becauseIcouldn’t wake you up andIrealized your mating mark had faded too almost nothing.Iwent to askKallensome questions, butRuarcended up explaining some hard truths, amongst other things, before shutting the door in my face.”

Rowanshushes me when her words elicit and murderous snarl.

“Whatdid my brother say, and do not lie to me,Rowan!”

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