Khyron's Claim Read online

  I had already determined it was best to have the male as an ally rather than an enemy.

  “Is what happened with your sire the reason you travel with the vryndarr now?” she asked.

  “Yes. Other than Thrayn, who recently passed his training, I have fought side by side with the males and would trust them with my life.” And had on many occasions.

  “Is that how you got this?” She ran her fingertip along the scar on my tail. The caress made my scales tingle, spreading warmth through my entire body. It was all I could do not to pull her into my arms and show her the extent of my caring.

  We were sitting too close for her not to notice the effect she was having on my shaft. I opened my vest in an effort to draw her attention elsewhere. “As well as this.” I pulled the material farther apart to reveal my chest and the scar along my side, the one that had almost taken my life.

  She did not glance away or appear repulsed by the jagged line running through my scales. I tipped her chin and held her gaze. “Celeste, I am so sorry I was not there for you, that I did not protect your family.”

  “Many awful things happened during the war, things that weren’t your fault or mine.” When she pulled away and got to her feet, I assumed she was going to leave, that this was the way things were always going to be between us, that I would never earn her forgiveness. Instead, she held out her hand. “I think it’s time for both of us to heal, don’t you?”

  Chapter Twelve

  Celeste

  Khyron didn’t abandon me. The thought continually played through my mind as the heavy weight surrounding my heart lifted. It didn’t erase the guilt I felt for doubting him. That would come with time.

  He showed no reluctance when I suggested the best way to heal was to continue our conversation in his room. He pushed to his feet, not bothering to take my hand, then scooped me off the floor and carried me toward the door.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Are you afraid I’ll change my mind?”

  “I refuse to take any chances.” He tightened his grip to emphasize his response.

  Ketaurran males were generally taller and more muscular than human males. With me in his arms, he had to turn sideways to fit through the training room doorway. He wasted no time heading for the opposite end of Burke’s dwelling. We had to pass through the kitchen to reach the hallway leading to the sleeping quarters.

  Thrayn was sitting at the table and immediately jumped to his feet when we entered. After their arrival at the settlement, I’d noticed that at least one of the vryndarr stayed close to Khyron at all times. It must have been Thrayn’s turn to act as bodyguard, since he was the only one I’d seen since we left the training room.

  “Khyron, do you require assistance?” he asked, his pale green eyes narrowing with concern.

  Thrayn’s confusion was understandable. After I’d thrown my blade at the tree behind Khyron, the vryndarr had no reason to trust me.

  “Not now, Thrayn. I must attend to the needs of my ketiorra.”

  Thrayn’s eyes widened further, and I pressed my mouth against Khyron’s shoulder to keep from giggling.

  “Are you sure?” Thrayn scratched his head. “How is that possible?”

  Khyron released an exasperated groan and stopped. “You are a grown male, but if you are unsure about the process, I am sure Jardun or Zaedon would be happy to provide you with the information. No more questions. I am busy and do not wish to be disturbed until tomorrow.” He turned and started walking again.

  “Tomorrow, huh?” I asked.

  “I would have stated a longer time, but at some point, we will require food.”

  His wry smile and the darkened blue of his gaze hinted at the things he planned to do to occupy our time. My body responded with renewed warmth and anticipation.

  As soon as we reached Khyron’s room, he closed the door with his tail, then lowered me to my feet. He kept an arm wrapped around my waist and gently cupped my cheek. “I have missed you greatly, zadierra.”

  No matter how many times I heard it, the term of endearment warmed me to my core. “I missed you too.” The words I spoke were true. My misconceived views about being abandoned had left me angry and hurt, but thinking I’d never see him again had caused me the most pain.

  I pressed my palms against the scales on his chest. They weren’t as smooth as I remembered, but over the past couple of days, I’d noticed some color returning to their dull blue hue. “I’m glad to see you’re healing.”

  “If not for your friends and you, I would not be alive.” He clasped a hand over mine. “I have many things to be thankful for, but the only one that truly matters right now is you.” His lips covered mine, a gentle caress, almost a plea for acceptance.

  The tenderness behind his kiss, coupled with my response, was quickly replaced by our overwhelming need to connect, to make up for what we’d lost. He slid his tongue along my lower lip, and with a moan, I granted him access. With each of his teasing and taunting movements, all painful hurts from the past dissolved until they were nothing but unpleasant memories. Memories I quickly shoved aside and replaced with the new ones we were currently making.

  A growl rumbled from his chest, and his tail possessively skimmed the back of my thighs. When he finally pulled away to nuzzle my neck, we were both panting. “Celeste.” He grazed the skin near my earlobe.

  “Yes.”

  “You are my ketiorra, and there will never be another female for me, correct?”

  “Uh-huh.” My body responded to his touch the way it always had, my ability to think clearly—gone. I would be whatever he wanted as long as he didn’t stop doing those wonderful things with his lips and tongue.

  “Good.” He slowly backed me toward the bed, then gave me a gentle push when we’d reached the edge.

  I smiled at his show of dominance, his need to take control. Coming to his room might have been my idea, but he was still the drezdarr, an honorable yet powerful leader. Not someone other males trifled with when he was determined to have his way. It was a good thing I wasn’t a male and would trifle with him all I wanted. “And what exactly does being your ketiorra entail?” I scooted to the middle of the bed.

  “I plan to spend quite a bit of time showing you.” He caught my ankle and pulled me toward him, my legs bent, knees hugging his hips.

  I braced my upper body on my elbows and watched him start with my calves, skimming his hands appreciatively along my outer thighs until he reached my waist.

  “It is too bad you were heavily influenced by ale the last time I placed you on a bed; otherwise…” He leaned forward and pressed several kisses along the strip of exposed skin along my abdomen.

  His insinuation was clear. He’d already have taken care of the longing ache I’d been experiencing since his arrival. He slipped his fingers below the waistband of my pants, undid the fastening, then peeled back the fabric by slowly inching his way to my hips. With very little assistance from me, he removed my pants completely and tossed them on the floor.

  For the moment, I was happy to let him lead, let him set the pace and finish undressing me.

  Once he had removed all my clothes, he took a step back, his gaze taking in every inch of me. “You are more beautiful than anything I imagined.”

  I wasn’t shy, and not many things embarrassed me, but his intense perusal made me shiver. A shiver that quickly turned to heat and the need to have him naked. I rose up on my knees and pushed his vest aside, slowly running my hands over scales and firm muscle before slipping the material over his broad shoulders.

  When I slid my fingers beneath the edge of his pants, my fingertip grazing the tip of his hardened shaft, he groaned and clasped my hands, then took over by toeing off his boots and removing his pants.

  “In a hurry?” My attempt at teasing ended with a gasp when I got my first glimpse of his naked body. Naturally curious, my gaze hovered below his midsection, appreciating the state and size of his erection.

  He noticed the direction of my gaze a
nd grinned. “It appears I am not the only one who longs to have our skin pressed together.” He grabbed me around the waist, the words “arrogant male” never leaving my lips. With a quick spin, he turned and sat on the edge of the bed with me straddling his lap, his shaft pressed firmly against the place I wanted it most.

  He studied me with a cherished gleam, as if having me close was fulfilling a longstanding fantasy, then shifted his attention to my braid. “Your hair…please.”

  I understood exactly what he wanted without him having to explain, and undid my braid, sifting my fingers through the tight twists. For added effect, I shook my head and watched the blue in his eyes darken when the loosened strands cascaded over my shoulders. “Better?”

  “Much.” He entwined his fingers in the hair at my nape, grabbing a handful and angling me backward so he could capture one of my breasts with his mouth. Using his tongue, he sucked and teased the nipple until it was a hardened nub and I was squirming. I moaned and gripped his shoulders when he gave my other breast the same tantalizing treatment.

  Khyron didn’t stop taunting my skin with his lips and tongue until he’d worked his way along my throat and stopped to sniff me. “I will never tire of your scent. It is unique and smells better than a chirayka blossom.”

  When I’d met Khyron for the first time, I’d noticed him doing the sniffing thing around me often. Back then, I hadn’t known it was how the ketaurran males discovered the identity of their mates. I’d recently learned the information from Laria not long after Jardun claimed she was his ketiorra and had explained to her how he knew.

  “It’s nice to know I smell better than a flower, but I really need you to do more than sniff my neck.” I wiggled my hips and rubbed against him.

  “Your impatience and determination to have your way have not changed.” He gathered me into his arms, then turned and placed me on the bed.

  “You can’t blame me for knowing what I want.” I grabbed his wrist and tugged him on top of me.

  “No, I cannot.” He laughed, then lowered himself between my spread legs, the tip of his erection pressed against my opening. “If I had found you when I searched for you during the war, I would have claimed you and never let you go.”

  “Then claim me now.” I pressed my heel into the back of his leg, urging him to thrust inside me. The stubborn male grinned, and even though I could see him straining not to comply, he refused to budge.

  “Are you certain this is what you want, zadierra?”

  Besides the vryndarr, Khyron was the most self-assured male I knew. He rarely expressed self-doubt, and I hated seeing a hint of it lingering on his handsome face. “Are you certain you wouldn’t like me to give you another demonstration with my blade?”

  “I suppose it is a good thing you are unable to reach my weapons.” He chuckled, surged forward until he filled me completely, then had the audacity to continue taunting me by stopping.

  “Khyron,” I warned when no amount of bucking would make him move.

  “Celeste,” he replied with a nip to my chin. He curled his tail around my ankle, then slowly pulled out and plunged deep again. This time, he continued moving, slowly at first, then gradually increasing the speed of each thrust. It wasn’t long before he pushed me over the edge, and every nerve in my body reacted by shuddering with pleasure.

  He continued driving into me, drawing out my orgasm, then, with one final push, he called out my name and found his own release. Panting heavily, he collapsed on top of me, shifting his weight so I could breathe. We stayed like that for the longest time, enjoying the closeness and our reconnection. Khyron’s tail absently caressing my leg was the only way I knew that he was still awake. I was exhausted, but now that I had him back in my life, I didn’t want to sleep. “Khyron.” I ran my fingertips along the scales on his back.

  “Yes?” He lifted his head and smiled, his expression the most relaxed I’d seen since his arrival at the settlement.

  “Do you suppose you could show me again what it means to be your ketiorra?”

  ***

  Khyron

  “Do you think if I check the hall, I’ll find Thrayn standing guard outside?” Celeste snuggled against me with her chin braced near my shoulder.

  It was still early and anyone who had a sleeping chamber connected with the outside corridor would have heard the male pacing for the last twenty minutes. With a sigh, I pulled her closer. “It is his job to protect me. And you are a dangerous female.” I pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “Though I will admit he takes his job a little too seriously. It is why I asked him to accompany the group. I am hoping if he spends more time here, he will learn how to interact better with your people.”

  Celeste grinned. “I assume you’re talking about the females?”

  “Most assuredly the females, specifically the ones with fighting skills. I am hoping he will learn to appreciate their abilities rather than be intimidated by them.”

  “And what about you?” She traced a line across the scales on my chest, sending heat to my groin. “Are you intimidated by my skills?”

  We had not discussed the topic much before now, and I knew there was a deeper meaning behind the simple question she asked. The future of our relationship depended on whether or not I could accept the way she lived and the person she had become. “I recognized your strengths long before you became a warrior. It was one of many things that made you so appealing.” I slipped my hand under the blanket. “The firmness of your backside was another. It has always fascinated me.” The squeeze I gave a cheek elicited a squeal and a playful slap.

  Unfortunately, being the drezdarr came with great responsibility, things I could not ignore. No matter how badly I wanted to stay in bed with Celeste, Thrayn’s presence outside my room reminded me it would not be possible.

  I brushed the hair off her cheek with the back of my hand. “There are some matters I need to address, and I am afraid I must leave you soon.”

  She stuck out her lower lip, her pout playful. “Are you sure? Because…” She traced a line down my chest, stopping at the blanket’s edge and my already hardening shaft.

  No. “Yes. Garyck found a luzardee shedding yesterday near the wooded area that runs along the perimeter.” Maintaining the safety of others was not an easy responsibility, but I was committed to the task. This was Celeste’s home, and I would do everything possible to keep her and the other inhabitants safe.

  “Why would one of those slimy lizards be here? They’ve never bothered us before.” Anger flared in her widened eyes. “Do you think it has anything to do with what happened with Laria and Jardun?”

  “We are uncertain, which is why I want to investigate and have the area thoroughly searched.”

  “Oh no, the children… Someone needs to warn Harper.” I held her in place with my tail when she tried to leave.

  I remembered the close relationship Celeste had with her younger sister. When it came to the human younglings, she possessed the fierce protectiveness of a ketaurran female. During the time I spent with Melissa, I learned how much the children looked forward to her visits. She would make a wonderful dam, and I longed for the day when we could have a young one of our own.

  It was too soon to consider the possibility of creating a family, the rekindled bond between us still fragile. Healing wounds and building trust could only be strengthened with time. “Jardun has already spoken to her. The area is being watched, and we are going to do another search this morning.”

  “Then I’m going with you.” She reached back and caressed the end of my tail, a ploy to get me to release her. As soon as she was free, she rolled out of bed, ending my plans for any further lovemaking. “And don’t even think about trying to stop me.”

  It was too hard to concentrate, or refuse her anything, when I was distracted by her naked body. All thoughts of what my argument would have been disappeared the minute she bent to snatch her clothes from the floor and presented me with a breathtaking view of her backside.

  Af
ter tugging on her pants, she reached for her shirt. Keeping her from covering her lovely skin with clothing was incentive enough for me to get out of bed. “I would prefer to have you return with me to bed.” I pulled her back against my chest and nuzzled the base of her neck.

  She turned in my arms and slipped her hands along my shoulders. “I would prefer that too, but you know we can’t. Not with a certain male hanging around and possibly listening.”

  I had forgotten all about Thrayn until she mentioned him. It would have been easy to blame him for missing out on more time spent with Celeste writhing beneath me, but I could not.

  She kissed my cheek and gave me a shove so I landed on the bed. No doubt repayment for what I had done to her the night before. After slipping her shirt over her head, and disappointing me by covering her breasts, she started to leave the room.

  “Zadierra, where are you going?”

  She stopped with her hand on the partially opened door. “I need to shower and change.”

  Any thoughts I had about inviting her to bathe with me vanished when she said, “I’m also going to see if Laria and Sloane want to go along. We’ll meet you back here.”

  It was obvious the years had not changed the stubborn side of the female, not that I would complain. I enjoyed and admired the independent side of her personality. I was exhilarated by the prospect of losing my heart all over again to the female she had become. “I look forward to your return.” Agreeing was my only option since I knew there was nothing I could do to change my beautiful ketiorra’s mind, or deter her lust for danger.

  She hurried into the corridor. “Good morning, Thrayn.” The overly sweet tone of her voice was a precursor to something devious and made me cringe. “Don’t worry, I didn’t hurt him too much.”

  Though I could not see him, I assumed when I heard him grumble something about troublesome females that he must be standing nearby. I was also prepared to intervene, more for Thrayn’s protection than hers, until the sound of her giggles faded.

  Thrayn’s loyalty and dedication to his role as one of my protectors was beyond question. I also knew he would not leave unless ordered to do so. I grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around my waist. “Stop hovering in the hallway.”