Page 35 of Caldar
Poison. Right.
With her left hand, she slashed away at the last of the vines.
He lunged for her, catching her with his massive hands, and they slammed to the ground.
CALDAR
His mate.
They rolled onto the ground. He positioned himself to take the fall, letting her supple body rest on his. She squeaked in surprise, then struggled to move away. He wouldn’t let her.
Caldar wrapped his arms around her.Protect. Keep.The sour smell of fear and sweat clung to her. It was wrong. She needed to smell of summer fruits, lotion, and sometimes the chemical odor of drying paint.
He rubbed his cheek against the top of her head.
“Stop it,” she squeaked.
Better. Now she smelled of sweat andhim.
Oh, but she had another aroma on her hand.
He needed to taste her. With more force than strictly necessary, he grabbed her hand, the one she used to pleasure herself. The aroma was strongest here, clinging to her fingers.
He licked them clean, savoring the sweet and musky taste of her. Something inside him wound tighter. Watching her touch herself had not worked. Chasing his own release had not worked. The fire, a desperate burning need, roared inside him. Some part of his mind, a small part still capable of coherent thoughts, remembered that the doctor wanted to see how his body reacted to the compound.
Everything in him screamed to claim Sonia as his mate. He couldn’t. It was against protocol. He was a dishonorable male with no clan. He had nothing to offer her. He had asked, and she did not give consent. Whatever she said under the influence of the compound was not good enough. He would not take this choice away from her.
And yet, the fire wouldn’t release him until he did.
“Tell me no,” he begged.
“I won’t.”
“Female—” He could barely speak. His throat was dry and his voice hoarse.
“Do what you have to do,” she insisted. “Please.”
It wasn’t a choice at all.
He pressed his face to the curve of her neck. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t the way, but he was unable to stop. His mouth watered. His fangs itched. They were heavy and needed to bite. To mark. To claim.
His mate. His.
He licked the skin, tasting salt. His teeth grazed her skin. She shivered, but she did not fight him. It wasn’t permission. She would hate him, and he already hated himself, but it was in motion.
His fangs found the spot and sank into her.
CHAPTER12
CALDAR
When rescue came,as he knew it would, he allowed himself to be separated from his mate. The Mahdfel warriors were unknown to him, but Caldar knew their type: upright and righteous. They placed cuffs on his wrists behind his back. Every part of his body screamed in agony, but he did not resist.
“Wait, where are you taking him?” his mate asked.
“Female, do not struggle,” a male said, holding Sonia back.
“Do not touch her. Do not harm her,” Caldar warned. Despite having his hands bound and hardly enough strength to stand, he would break every bone in the impertinent male’s body.
