“Verdict?”
“Seems much better. How is that possible?”
“You don’t remember?”
“Don’t remember what?”
“The ring you’re wearing.”
I looked at my hands. I touched my left middle finger gently where Jase’s family ring gleamed. I swallowed deeply and took a deep breath.
“So, wait… then, I wasn’t just dreaming…”
“No, ma’am, you’ve made love with a true Alpha Warlord. The best, some might say, on Farian.”
“Wait! What?! We did not—I don’t remember—we kissed, and you helped me, and I remember crying, and I, but—we didn’t—” My cheeks were flushed so red I could feel the heat radiating. My heartbeat leaped into a high pace. I took two steps backward as Jase stood up, but then made myself stop. I checked through my memories. I really couldn’t remember… I couldn’t remember having sex with him. I couldn’t remember that… I would, wouldn’t I? I had lost a lot of blood… but, surely… and he wouldn’t have taken advantage of me in that state… right…? My fists clenched instinctively…
He walked up to me, the light geode finally revealing his face… and he was grinning. He moved in close to me, bending in so that his face was just inches from mine, his deep brown eyes laughing into my greens.
“No, Earthling, we haven’t done anything more than kiss…” I breathed out a huge sigh of relief. Jase tilted my chin up to him and my breath caught as he pressed his cheek into mine so that he could whisper into my ear. “Yet…”
For a few moments, I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. My mind was racing, but it was blank, just snowstorm, the fuzz of a disaster headed my way I couldn’t avoid, because it was freezing cold water I was ready to jump into in order to feel the jolt.
“Aren’t we at war? Aren’t we being searched for? By friends and enemies? I don’t think now is—”
“Let me see your hand,” Jase commanded, and his voice had that authoritative ring that I immediately rebelled against. He must have seen the immediate denial on my face because he softened and stepped back, holding out his hand, and touched me on the shoulder gently. “I’m sorry… habit… please, can I see your hand.”
He kept one hand on my shoulder as I offered him my hand that had the ring on it. He gently held my palm and brought my hand to his face. He placed my hand on his cheek so that the ring laid against his skin.
Lights unleashed through the cavern like lightning bolts had slipped through the tunnel into the inside, and the ring sizzled and sang again. Silver and blue ripples of light permeated through my hand and through Jase's skin, through his cheek, into his face, echoing through his eyes, making them glow and glitter different colors. They grew wide, in awe, staring at me in amazement. The tingles were stronger this time than the other two times, and shot through my entire body, as if every molecule was desiring to mold with his, wanting to enter into his, wanting to mold and bond and become one with him, like water droplets becoming one volume in a glass.
Slowly, Jase moved my hand toward his mouth, and he bit down on the nail of my middle finger. An electric shock of desire exploded, animalistic desire driving through me, and I pulled my hand away from his mouth so I could crush his lips with mine, pushing him back against the cave wall, nearly stumbling over the dead Bordash spy.
Jase picked me up and swung me up to his hips, holding me by my ass as my hands roamed over his jawline, his head, pulled at his hair, clawed at his back, held tight to his head, gripped at his shoulders, and pulled at his shirt. He swung me around to hold me tight against the cave wall and I thudded back against it. I felt my quad stretching tight where the gash was just barely healed as my legs wrapped around his waist, but I didn’t care; and neither did he. His ring would just heal me again.
I managed to lift his shirt up over his shoulders, and my sharp intake of breath elicited a smile as a reward from him for my admiration. His body was just as fine as I imagined it would be; pecs and chest and shoulders divine and sculpted to perfection. I had wondered how far his tattoos went and they were asymmetrical, going across one half of his body, stretching around one side and across one of his pecs and down, the story of the moon and the sun chasing each other, demons and angels in the Farian Curan mythos. It was beautiful artistry, and I wanted to kiss every delicate ink curl.
I also wanted to tear the delicate designs apart with my nails and dig into him as he made me scream.
Jase seemed to have the same idea, and he grabbed my hair, jerking it back so he could devour my neck with kisses as he gripped my ribs with his other hand and pressed into my body. Then he began to choke me and make thrusting motions against my body as he held me pinned to the wall, raking his nails down my other arm, hand coming to a stop at my belt, starting to unbuckle it…
“Shit, you’re bleeding again,” Jase said, hand stopping its movements. He held me tight, carrying me instead over to where his cloak had been my bedroll and lay me down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."
“You didn’t hurt me. You’re healing me, Jase… You’re healing me.”
“It’s just my family’s magic…”
“That’s not… that’s not what I…” I
