Page 16 of Xara and the Xenobeast

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on now?” she asked.

He pointed, his arm raised, and she followed the gesture to an area where lights flickered beneath the trees. Then he indicatedanother, and another. They were clustered in regular groups, the area the lights covered varying only slightly.

“Are those... settlements? Villages?”

He nodded and her heart started to pound.

“Is there someone there who could help me get back home?”

His eyes darkened and his lip curled in a snarl as he shook his head violently.

“No, they can’t help me? Or no, you don’t want me to try?” she asked suspiciously.

He hesitated for a moment, then sliced a claw deliberately across his arm. She gasped as silvery blue blood welled in the cut, but he ignored it. He pointed at one patch of lights, then flicked blood across the ground. He pointed to the second patch and repeated the gesture. She paled, reaching out to grab his hand before he could do it a third time.

“You’re telling me they’re dangerous?”

He nodded decisively and her shoulders slumped in defeat. So much for the idea of escape.

“I guess everything on this planet really does want to kill me.”

He frowned at her and shook his head.

“Not everything?” she guessed. “Well, I suppose the pups don’t.”

His eyes darkened and one of his tendrils slipped around her waist again, drawing her closer. The heat of his body radiated into her skin, and her heart skipped a beat. By accident or intent, it had reached through one of the rips in her shirt and she couldfeel the smooth heavy warmth against the sensitive skin of her back.

“Or you,” she whispered.

His gaze locked on hers, the strange, silver depths mesmerizing. Then his tendril tightened around her, drawing her fully against his body.

His lips claimed hers in a kiss that was more than just a kiss—it was a declaration of ownership, of possession. His teeth grazed her lower lip, demanding entry. She parted her lips with a moan and his tongue swept into her mouth, the taste of him intoxicating.

A rush of desire flooded her core. She had never been kissed like this before, never felt so completely and utterly consumed. His scent surrounded her, musky and masculine, and his strength overwhelmed her. Her hands slid up over his chest and his muscles rippled under her touch. He growled softly, deepening the kiss, and she arched against him, unable to resist the temptation of his hard body pressed against hers.

As quickly as it began, the kiss ended, his lips leaving hers. He drew back, his breathing ragged, and she could see the raw hunger in his silver eyes.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered.

A soft sound emerged from his throat. Then, with obvious reluctance, he gently set her down and backed away. She immediately stumbled and he lunged forward to catch her.

She opened her mouth to demand answers, but then their eyes met and the pain in those silver depths tore at her.

“Let’s go home,” she said instead.

His eyes blazed so fiercely she thought he was going to kiss her again. Instead he only picked her up and settled her on his back once more. He paused long enough to settle the pup back on her shoulder then headed back down over the cliff, leaving her confused, shaken, and more than a little aroused.

CHAPTER TEN

The Xenobeast headed back to his lair, his body thrumming with arousal and his mind swirling with confusion. Females were off-limits—that lesson had been painfully drilled into him since the first time his body exhibited signs of arousal. He was too dangerous to trust with a female, and his training had been focused on directing lust into violence.

But none of that training had prepared him for her.

Even now, her soft, curvy body pressed against his, and the scent of her arousal filled his nostrils. She had been warm and... willing in his arms, but he could never take the chance of hurting her.

He didn’t let her down once they reached the bottom of the cliff but marched directly back to his cave and deposited her firmly but gently on the bed. The two pups who’d been left behind squeaked excitedly, tumbling all over her, but their bodies flickered with distress when they realized her leg was bleeding again.

Fuck. How had he forgotten her injury? It only proved his instincts were correct—he was too dangerous to be trusted with a delicate female.

---