Spray misted my shoulders as Kaede slowly rubbed each part of my body with his hands, slathering my skin with soap. He placed featherlight kisses along my body as he worked, purposely skipping over where I yearned for his touch most. He made a game of testing how much he could make me moan and writhe in his hands.
Gently, he placed his lips to my spine and slowly kissed his way up to my neck. I rolled my head to the side to give him better access. Flipping me around, he scooped me up, grabbing my ass as he pinned my body to the cool metal wall with his chiseled body.
His hardness was standing at full mast between us, but he ignored it, instead maneuvering my hands above my head once more as he gave me a branding kiss. Our tongues danced, his long forked one tickling mine as moans erupted from our mouths.
Suddenly, he pulled away, placing his forehead against mine as his curtain of hair blocked my view. Gasping for breath, we stared into each other’s eyes. His back protected me from the jetting water.
I was hyperaware of his hard cock sandwiched between us. I began rocking against him and he hissed, gripping my thigh to prevent me from rubbing my folds against him.
“We can’t go any further, Selena.”
“Why not?” I asked, searching his eyes. “I’m here and willing.”
He closed his eyes and growled as he shook his head.
“I don’t feel safe losing myself to you while we are beyond our galaxy’s borders.”
“Kaede, this is probably the safest vessel in the universe.”
“That may be so.” His grin didn’t reach his eyes. “But I just can’t. If I begin, we may never leave this cabin again, and I can’t afford a distraction right now.”
Sighing, I closed my eyes and nodded. “I understand.”
“There is nothing I want more right now, Selena, than to bury myself in you, but I am not lying when I say that we may never leave the cabin once I do,” he hissed, his voice strained. He rubbed his cock between us. “I’ve been hovering on the edge of my mating heat for months, and I’ve been trying to delay it. If we go any further, I’m afraid we will trigger what I’ve been holding back and there will be nothing to stop me from taking you.”
“And why do we need to wait until we cross our galaxy’s borders?”
“My sisters will be there to escort us home.” He grinned. “Between them and our Oetsae, we will be safe to do as we please.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven Kaede
Kaede was at the razor-sharp edge of his control. Every instinct he had screamed for him to take her and make her his. All it would take was just one brush of his cock between her folds for him to lose control. The mere memory tempted him to cross that line once more—though this time, he would claim her as his.
After spending many years searching for her and protecting her, holding her in his arms was a dream from which he feared waking. Her very presence tempted him. The call to mate was like fire in his veins, demanding that he take her in a frenzy of lust. He couldn’t allow himself to give in to his mating cycle and risk ruining his chance to be with her.
No matter how easy it would be to give in to his fantasies and desires, Kaede refused to allow them to override his logic. Selena was too vulnerable and required comfort. He didn’t want to take advantage of her in her time of need. No, he needed to be strong and shelter her from all the shadows that lurked in his mind.
While his sisters had always supported him, Selena had had no one until the Stars led the Destiny to her. Since then, she’d had the support and guidance of her mates.
He was horrified of the monster he could become once he lapsed into his mating heat. His constantly swollen Bahzyl venom sacs that dripped from the roof of his mouth were clear evidence of how mad he could become.
His monstrous body could produce three different venoms. One could deliver an instant and painful death. Another could immobilize and numb the body, leaving his victim aware of their surroundings but unable to act. The third was the one he feared most, a highly potent aphrodisiac.
What if he lost control of his body and gave her Luzatu, making her a slave to his needs? All he needed would be to inject her with his Bahzyl and use her body until his burning desires were no more. Only, he would never forgive himself for behaving so selfishly. She needed his help to pull herself together and protect her, not use her and take advantage of her to sate his mating heat.
Returning her to their clan should be his topmost priority, not trying to ease the fire that burned in his veins.
Selena had been on her own for the first time since she had escaped. She had to depend on only herself to survive.
He knew if he told her the fine details of her mates’ condition, she would crumble. This moment demonstrated how fragile she was. She needed him to be her support—and he would be just that.
Selena was his obsession.
His addiction.
His gift from the Fates to cherish, love, and hold.
The Stars had led him to her multiple times so he could be her shield against the evils in the universe. Only now, the fire of his mating lust threatened to turn him into the very evil that he sought to protect her against.
Kaede was willing to make sacrifices to be a rock for her to lean on. He would gladly take on her burdens to make sure she could thrive and become the queen hidden beneath all her unfounded doubts and insecurities.
Staring deeply into her eyes, he hoped she would forgive him for failing to protect her from all danger.
“Kaede,” Selena
