Page 23 of Stolen By The Beast
A garbled groan stuck in my throat at the sensation of her blunt, strangely colored nails exploring me before I relaxed, willing my saroque to come forth. It burst free in a flash of white that startled a squeak from Juniper.
“Holy guacamole!” Her words baffled me, but I didn’t bother asking for a translation, not when she was staring so intently at me. “Can… Can I touch it?”
Ancestors save me. “Yes.”
Juniper traced two fingers down the length of my saroque, and I tipped my head back with a growl, my hips flexing upward at the pleasure she elicited from me with just that small touch.
“Am I hurting you?”
“The opposite.”
“What is your saroque made of? It’s so hard.”
“Bone.”
The all-white appendage jutted toward the sky, glinting off the sunlight while Juniper explored every angle. It was thicker than both her delicate wrists put together and as long as her arm.
“Bone? Like you literally have a boner?!” She snickered, while I failed to see what amused her so. Then she leaned forward, her hot breath fanning over me. “Are these carvings?!”
“Yes. The males of my kind carve their saroque in preparation for their mate.”
This stopped Juniper. “You… have a mate?”
“A long, long time ago, a female chose me, but we were never bonded. She was killed… by humans.”
Juniper gasped. “Oh, Karvik, I’m so sorry!”
I ran a claw through her silky blond hair. “Me too. My Chosen never saw my saroque.”
“For what it’s worth, it is the most beautiful male part I’ve ever seen.” Her murmured announcement sent a snarl erupting past my clamped teeth, and Juniper’s big, green gaze jumped to mine. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t like the thought of you looking at human—what did you call them? Cocks?”
Juniper laughed. “Yes, they’re called that, and what you’re feeling is called jealousy.”
“And what does jealousy mean?”
“It means you only want me to be yours.”
The darkness inside of me roared—it loved the idea while I rebelled. Juniper wasn’t meant for me, but with every passing moment, our lives became more entwined, tethered together as if beyond our control. I reached out to cup her cheek, staring down at the beautiful creature who’d pushed her way into my life.
“What do you want, Juniper?”
“You, Karvik. I want you.”
Once more, I commanded her to show me, and Juniper was eager to press her nose against my saroque, staring intently at the design engraved into the bone. Later, I would dispose of this one and grow another—a blank one for me to carve upon.
A saroque is a gift to one’s mate, and I want Juniper to have her own.
Chapter Seven
Juniper
Karvikwantedmetoshow him I wanted him.
He’d told me he was a monster, and I’d witnessed how dangerous he was. Still, I felt safe with him.
My heart was telling me I’d found my soulmate, but I couldn’t even remember if humans having a soulmate was a thing.
