Page 30 of My Big Scaly Alien Naga
“This might… n-not b-be safe.”
I paused.“Are you going to hurt me?”
“N-never.”His voice cracked like ice.
I held his gaze, steady despite the shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold.
He wasn’t trying to scare me – if anything, he looked scared of himself.
“I trust you,” I said quietly.I wasn’t sure why I said that – I didn’t know him, knew barely anything about him, and yet… It was true.I trusted him.And my instincts were always right.Maybe it was the chii.I trusted them and they trusted Venom.They had formed a bond with both of us.That had to count for something.
His eyes widened.“You shouldn’t.If I g-get too close to you so soon after tasting your b-blood… I don’t know if I’ll be able t-to stop myself.”
I hesitated, my fingers tightening around the blanket.That wasn’t what I’d expected him to say.I’d thought he was worried about impropriety or physical awkwardness – not losing control because he’d tasted me.
“You mean like some kind of predator instinct?”I asked carefully.
His throat bobbed as he swallowed.“Yes.N-no.It’s m-more complicated than that.”
“That’s not very reassuring.”
He finally met my gaze, and the look in his eyes made my breath catch.It wasn’t hunger, not exactly.It was fear.Of himself.
“I’ve t-trained for years to k-keep it contained,” he said softly.“B-but training can only g-go so f-far.Especially when the scent is… overwhelming.”
I didn’t know what to say to that.My brain skittered between questions.Did I want to know what I smelled like to him?Was this just about the blood?Or something more primal, more…dangerous?
“And what if I tell you I’m not scared?”I said, but the words came out softer than I meant them to.
He didn’t smile.“Then I’d say you d-don’t know enough about me yet.”
A beat of silence passed.The air between us was thick with tension – not quite sexual, not quite hostile.Just wary.Charged.
I took a deep breath.“Okay.Then tell me.”
He blinked.“What?”
“Tell me what I don’t know.Help me understand what you are… what this is.Because if we’re stuck together, and sharing a blanket is going to turn you into a slavering beast, I think I deserve to be informed in advance.”
That got a reaction – a soft snort, almost a laugh.His fangs flashed.The tension in his shoulders eased a fraction.
“I’m not g-going t-to attack you,” he said.“But m-my instincts… they’re n-not subtle.When I’m near you, especially after b-blood has been exchanged, they want things I m-might not.”
I frowned.“Like what?”
He hesitated.“To m-mate.”
Oh.Fuck.We were back to the mating talk.Although I was pretty sure that this time, he didn’t mean being in a relationship.He was talking about sex.
I swallowed.“And doyouwant that?”
Another silence.Then, with agonising restraint: “Yes.B-but not like this.”
I found myself relaxing, just a little.That mattered.It meant he was still in control, even if something more primal was tugging at him beneath the surface.
I unwrapped the blanket from my shoulders and held it open between us.Cool air kissed my skin despite the scarves I had wrapped all around my body.The blanket had kept the chill out more than I’d realised.
“Then we do this carefully,” I said.“For warmth.Nothing else.If you feel like you can’t hold back, tell me.Communicate.I will move away if it becomes too difficult for you.”
