Page 30 of Survivor
“Another legend that a shifted Zarpazian’s blood can be used to heal his mate. Thankfully, a true legend.” The teal eyes focused on mine, deep and mesmerizing, and he sighed,an almost regretful sound that caressed my skin like a gentle breeze. “I’m sorry, Lucy.”
“Sorry?” I barked, almost laughing, the sound bubbling up from somewhere deep inside me. “What for? You saved my life.”
“Yes,” he agreed, his voice a deep rumble that vibrated through me. “But in using my blood to heal you, I bound us—an unbreakable bond as far as Zarpazians are concerned.”
His expression held regret, almost sadness, and it made my heart stutter painfully against my ribs. What if I was just a smitten fool and Vraxxan didn’t feel the same way? “You—you don’t want to be bound to me?”
A harsh sound left his lips as he fell on his knees beside the bed, his hands going to cup my cheeks, his touch reverent and tender. “Not want to be bound to you? There is no one more perfect for me in all the universe than you. I have desired you from the first moment I saw you and will continue to want only you until the end of my days.” A shadow passed over his face, dark, like a storm cloud gathering on the horizon. “But you are human and not bound by the mating bond. If you do not want this, I will accept your wishes.”
It wasn’t a declaration of love, but it was close, and my heart soared at his words. Yet, I had to ask, “What happens to you if I don’t want the bond?”
Vraxxan dropped his hands, shoulders slumping, his powerful frame suddenly appearing utterly vulnerable. “I will survive.”
A curious thought niggled at my brain, demanding attention. “Is that why you wouldn’t fuck me? Because you didn’t want to bond us.”
His head moved in a slow nod, accompanied by a heavy sigh that seemed to come from the depths of his soul. “Isuspected you were my mate before my scales shifted. To claim you fully would make it harder if I had to let you go.”
So, he hadn’t fucked me for self-preservation. Maybe that should have bothered me, but it didn’t.
“And what if I want the bond?”
Vraxxan’s head jerked up, his teal eyes shimmering like jewels as they found mine, hope blazing in their depths. “If you accept the bond, you will be mine, and I will be yours until the stars burn from the sky.”
Apocalyptic and romantic. I couldn’t suppress a grin, my heart swelling with emotion.
“I was very sheltered on Earth because of the cancer," I began slowly, needing him to know everything, to bare my soul as he had bared his. “The only thing I knew about love was what I read in romance novels—until you. After I got abducted and healed, I made up my mind not to be afraid anymore. I was determined to experience life in a way I never could on Earth. I wanted toreallylive. I’ve been in space a few years now, and no one, has ever made me feel like you did the moment you walked into Space Pearls. I think I fell in love with you at first sight.”
Vraxxan blew out a deep breath, the tension he felt draining away like water. His hand trembled slightly as he raised it, stroking my cheek, his touch like fire against my skin.
“Zeihava.” He said the word like a prayer, a sacred whisper between lovers.
“What does that mean?” I asked, pressing my cheek into his palm and savoring his touch.
“It means my heart, my soul, the reason I exist... my everything.”
Still notI love you, but a damn good facsimile. I wrapped my arms around his neck, drawing him closer, breathing in his intoxicating scent.
For someone who had just learned to kiss a week or so ago, Vraxxan made it to expert level quickly, his lips moving against mine with perfect precision.
His taste was a heady mix of spice and tang, reminiscent of the punch Nurse Jolie would bring to the cancer ward every Christmas. His tongue entwined with mine, our mouths moving in perfect harmony, like dancers flawlessly executing a well-rehearsed routine. I moaned softly against his lips, a sound that echoed the fire igniting within me, sending waves of arousal coursing through my entire being. Vraxxan drew me closer, effortlessly lifting me from the bed. My breasts pressed firmly against his solid chest, sending a thrill through me. Though I wasn’t completely undressed, I wore only a silky tunic, so short it barely concealed my unmentionables, likely to prevent irritation of my wound. I moaned, loving the way he felt pressed against me. I reveled in the sensation, the warmth of his powerful frame enveloping me and spreading a delicious heat to my very core.
His large hand moved lower, fingers splaying as he cupped my breast, kneading it with a firm yet tender touch that sent sparks of pleasure shooting through me. His lips, leaving mine, began a slow, tantalizing trail across my cheek and down to the curve of my neck. I tilted my head to one side, granting him greater access, and a satisfied sigh slipped from my lips as Vraxxan’s kisses became a series of gentle nips along my sensitive skin, each one sending shivers down my spine.
I attempted to shift closer, the desire to be nearer to him overwhelming, but as I moved my leg, a sharp reminder of my wound shot through me. I couldn’t suppress a small grunt of discomfort.
He flinched at the sound, and the arms wrapped around me transformed instantly. What had been an embrace fueled by passion softened, shifting into a tender cradle for healing, his touch now gentle as a summer breeze.
I moaned when he pulled away, desperately trying to hold him against me, but the injury had sapped my strength more than I realized.
“You need rest, my mate. You are still healing,” Vraxxan insisted, pulling my hands from his shoulders. Concern and barely restrained desire filled his eyes.
“I need you,” I pouted and suggested, my voice husky and wanting. “I’ll lay very still, and you can do all the work.”
Vraxxan barked a laugh, his face a mask of happiness that transformed his already handsome features into something breathtaking. “While that is certainly appealing, I want the first time I claim you not to be hampered.”
I squirmed, intending to insist that I had rested enough and would not be hindered in the least, but the ache shooting up my shin indicated he might be right, though it didn’t lessen my desire.
I huffed in aggravation, my heart sinking as I realized I'd have to postpone the longing that had been building between us. Yet despite my frustration, I found myself unable to pull away from his warmth, instead melting against the solid comfort of his chest, my fingers curling against the onyx scales. "Stay with me?" I whispered against his skin, my voice barely audible but heavy with need.
