I tip my head to the side. “Why are you so averse to my nudity?”
“My people only get naked when…” Her voice trails off.
“When what?” I ask, genuinely curious.
Her eyes snap up to meet mine and her cheeks turn dark red yet again. “When we’re going to mate.”
“Ah. Now I understand.” I arch a teasing brow. “So, when you are ready to mate, will you bare yourself to me as the signal of your acceptance?”
She hesitates a moment before answering. “When I’m ready, I’ll let you know.”
I note that she did not tell me, as she has before, that she might never wish to mate with me. Instead, she told me that she will let me know when she is ready to mate. This is progress, at least. She is starting to consider becoming mine.
My stav presses insistently against the inside seam of my mating pouch and I struggle to calm down. She does not want me—yet. But I am a patient male. I will prove to her that I will be a good mate. And when she is convinced, she will open her heart, her mind, and her body to me, allowing me to fully claim her.
“Why are you shifting forms again?” she asks, pulling me from my errant thoughts.
“To check our perimeter defense.”
“Oh. Can I come with you?”
Normally, I would deny her, but I doubt anyone is searching for me here, so there is very little danger of discovery. And even so, she is safer with me than in the house by herself.
While together, if we are discovered, I’d at least have the chance to escape with her again. Whereas if she was found here without me and taken, I would have difficulty rescuing her from my father’s guards.
Unless they are still loyal to me. There is only a handful whom I know would still obey my command. The rest… I am uncertain.
“Yes, you may accompany me,” I tell her. An idea occurs to me. “But first, let us pack some food for our trip.”
“Trip?” she asks. “How far are we going?”
“Not far. But there is a waterfall on this island that I think you might enjoy.”
I am rewarded with one of her brilliant smiles. “All right.”
We pack a light meal and then she climbs onto my back. I am glad I chose to travel in my draka form during this day since I am stronger and more capable of defending her against enemies.
She releases a joyful cry as I spread my wings and we take to the air.
I also prefer this form because it allows me to sense her thoughts. She loves flying with me.
As I dip to the left to catch another current, the muscles of my back flex beneath her legs. She clenches her thighs to hold tighter to me and her thoughts turn without warning towards desire. Images of my nude form, my stav fully extended and erect, fill her mind.
My mouth drifts open as she imagines touching me and allowing me to touch her in return. My heart hammers as she visualizes me grabbing her waist and hauling her against my form. She wraps her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist as I thrust my hips repeatedly against hers, driving my stav deep into her channel.
The scent of her need fills my nostrils and a low growl of arousal rumbles in my chest. She wants me. She imagines us mating in several different ways. On the bed, in the bath, in the gardens, on the balcony, in a pool beneath the waterfall.
I hold onto that image in my mind, beating my powerful wings to circle the perimeter and check that no trespassers have crossed the invisible barrier I’ve set up in defense. I cannot wait to reach the falls and find out if she will ask me to mate with her there.
Surely that is why such erotic thoughts of me claiming her fill her mind.
I will oblige her gladly.
Satisfied that our perimeter defense is still intact, I fly as fast as my wings can carry me to the waterfall on the island. It is near the house, but far enough to afford us privacy if Dyren and Mauryn return for an unexpected visit.
If my mate wants me to claim her, I do not want to be interrupted.
As I touch down on the ground, I shift instantly so that I can gently lower her down my body with my hands around her slim waist.
She smiles up at me and I take her hand to lead her to the expansive pool at the base of the falls. Crystal-clear, sparkling water tumbles over the rocky ledge above, spilling into the basin below. I ask her if she’d like to get in after we eat, remembering how she fantasized that I’d take her in the water beneath the falls.
If she agrees to our first mating, I want to make sure she is well-fed before we begin. I plan on taking her several times once she decides to be mine and allows me to fully claim her.
“That sounds good.” She smiles again.
My heart hammers in my chest as I unpack our small satchel of food and sit beside her. She is so close, the warmth of her body radiates against mine as we eat our meal.
“It’s so beautiful here,” she comments. “You are so lucky to have grown up in paradise.”
I turn to her. “There are many beautiful places on Drakaria, and I would like to show you many more if you will let me.”
“I would like that,” she murmurs as she lies back in the thick blanket of grass.
Her long, silken hair spreads out beneath her like a beautiful golden halo and my fingers ache with the urge to comb through the soft strands.
Feeling bold, I lie beside her and gently place my hand atop hers. She surprises me by turning her palm up toward mine and entwining our fingers. “It’s nice spending time
