“This room will do,” Raidyn assures him.
Tai bows again and takes off from the balcony, landing in the large courtyard with the rest of the guards below. As one, they all look up and bow. Raidyn dips his chin in a subtle acknowledgment and then turns back to me with a heated look in his eyes.
I release a surprised laugh as he scoops me up in his arms without warning and carries me into the room. I smile as I recognize my surroundings immediately. “This is your room, isn’t it? We stayed here before.”
“Yes.”
“I’m glad,” I tell him as I wrap my arms around his neck.
He looks curious. “Why is that?”
I smile. “Because we never got to use the bed last time.”
His jaw drops before his eyes light with joy. He crushes his lips to mine in a searing kiss and I return it with equal fervor.
He pulls back and his nostrils flare. “I scent your need, my mate, and I long to claim you as mine. Do you desire me to be yours?”
“Yes.” I reach out to caress his face. “But there’s something I need to tell you first.”
His smile fades, replaced by a look of concern. “What is it?”
“I talked with Lilliana. Healer Ranas told her that she’s with child already.” His lips part as he stares down at me. Though he said his people are desperate for children, we’ve never talked about whether the two of us want kids. I need to know. “So if we make love, there’s a chance we might—”
He cuts off my words with a passionate kiss as he purrs, “I desire nothing more than to have a fledgling with you. To fill you with my seed and let it take root deep in your womb.” He presses his forehead to mine. “I swear I will guard our egg with my life. I will be a good mate to you and—”
“Egg?” I sputter. “What are you talking about?”
He tips his head to the side. “Humans do not lay eggs?”
I shake my head as I gape. “No. We carry our babies to term.”
He swallows thickly. “It is safe for you, my mate?”
Just hearing him call me his mate with concern lacing his voice melts my heart. I nod. “Lots of women have babies, Raidyn. But what if I get pregnant sooner rather than later? I mean, I don’t know what kind of precautions we could take if you want to wait. Healer Ranas wasn’t sure either, though he offered to try to develop some birth control if we need it.”
He shakes his head, tenderly stroking my cheek. “I want to make a life with you and create a family together. It would be…” His eyes brighten with tears. “It is a dream I never imagined could be mine until I found you.” He pauses, lowering his gaze. “You truly do not care about my scar?”
“I love you, Raidyn. Your scar is a part of you, and I love every part. Do you care that I don’t have wings, scales, claws, or fangs?” I tease.
He beams. “Your lack of natural defenses does rouse my protective instincts, but it does not make me love you any less.” He takes my hand and places it on his chest, directly over the swirling fate bond pattern. “You are my hearts, Skye. I love you.”
Hugging me tightly to his chest, he walks us into the cleansing room. He sets my feet on the floor then carefully pulls off my robe, allowing the fabric to drop to the floor. He leads me into the bathing pool, pressing a hidden glowing panel nearby. Tiles rise from the floor of one edge and water streams down into the main pool like a tiny waterfall.
I smile. “What is this?”
“Remember, when I am in draka form, I can sense your thoughts.” Gently, he pulls me into the water with him. “I caught your fantasy of us making love beneath the waterfall; it was one of my favorites.” A slow smile curves his mouth. “I want to take you just as you imagined I would for our first mating, my linaya.”
My jaw drops. “You caught all of that?” My entire body flushes with warmth, both in embarrassment and arousal.
His nostrils flare and his blue, vertically slit pupils contract and expand as he rasps, “You are not as upset as you pretend. I can scent your desire.”
“That’s not fair,” I try but fail to suppress a grin. “I have every right to be mad at you for keeping that from me. I thought you could only sense the words in my mind, not images.”
He gathers me in his arms, pulling me against the hard muscles of his chest as his tail snakes up my thigh. A soft moan escapes me as the tip glides through my already slick folds. “Your body is telling me that you are not mad. In fact,” he grabs my backside and hauls me up against him, “it is telling me something else.”
His stav is a hard bar between us, so dangerously close to where I need him most. I wrap my legs around him then reach between us to stroke his length. His mouth falls open as a low groan escapes him.
Gently, he pulls away.
I open my mouth to protest but he captures my lips with his. His tongue curls around mine to deepen our kiss, stealing the breath from my lungs. He cups my left breast and I push into his hand, wanting more. He kisses a heated trail from my jaw to the curve of my neck and shoulder, then closes his mouth over my breast, laving at the peak until it hardens to a bead.
He uses his tongue to drive my desire even higher.
I run my fingers through his hair, holding him in place. He turns his attention to my other breast as his tail teases the sensitive flesh of my folds.
I moan. “Please, Raidyn, I want more. I need you.”
He groans as I
