Page 56 of Alien Prince's Fated Mate
“Then we’ll face it together.” I brushed my thumb across her cheek. “But not tonight. Tonight is just for us.”
She studied my face for a long moment before nodding. “Just for us.”
I pulled her down for a kiss that started gentle but quickly blazed into heat. Her body melted against mine as I rolled her beneath me, skin still damp from our bath.
“Speak aloud what you want.” I nipped at her throat. “Say it.”
This time she didn’t hesitate. “You. Inside me.”
My control frayed at her words. The beast urged me to take, to claim, to mark. But I made myself go slow, to savor every gasp and whimper as I prepared her.
When I finally slid home, her legs wrapped around my waist, we both groaned at the sensation. Perfect. Right.
“My queen,” I nipped lightly at her throat, then licked at the red marks. “My goddess.”
“Then you must belong to me.” She met my thrusts, nails scoring my shoulders. “Only me.”
The joining of our bodies felt like completion, like coming home. Each roll of my hips drew us closer, deeper, until I couldn’t tell where I ended and she began.
Her second peak took her by surprise, inner walls clenching around me as she cried out. Seeing her pleasure triggered my own release, vision whiting out as I spilled inside her.
We lay tangled together afterward, sweat cooling on our skin. She traced my jaw with gentle fingers.
“I never thought I’d have this,” she whispered. “Never thought I’d be free to choose.”
Taking her hand, I kissed the center of her palm. “You'll always have choices with me.”
“Even if I choose wrong?”
“Even then.” I gathered her closer. “Though I reserve the right to argue if those choices put you in danger.”
She huffed a laugh. “Of course you do.”
Outside, night settled over the mountains. The sounds from the courtyard had faded to occasional murmurs and the stamp of restless mounts.
I should have risen to check our supplies, to plan our next move. But with Niam’s warmth pressed against me, her breathing growing slow and even, I couldn’t bring myself to move.
NIAM
The zvoyna in the inn’s stables nudged my hand with its scaled snout, warm breath huffing against my palm. I held out another handful of dried grasses, letting the creature’s forked tongue dart out to snatch them.
“They like you,” Velina said from where she perched on the stable wall, her blue-black braids swinging as she kicked her feet. “Usually, they only let Grandfather feed them.”
“Animals can tell when someone means them no harm.” I stroked the zvoyna’s ridged neck. Two days of helping with the morning feeding had taught me their habits - how they stamped their clawed feet when impatient, how their scales shifted from deep bronze to warm copper in the sun.
“Will you tell me another story about the wandering tribes?” Velina asked. “The one about the star-dancers?”
I smiled, reaching for more feed. “Maybe later. Right now, these hungry ones need breakfast.”
The stable yard had become my refuge these past days. Here, among the stamping mounts and bustling workers, I could almost forget the weight of the Temple’s shadow. The innkeeper’s granddaughter had attached herself to me from thatfirst morning, peppering me with questions about everything from my hair to my accent.
“Lady Niam!” One of the merchant women - Sela - called from the courtyard. “Thank you again for yesterday. The tea you suggested worked perfectly for my aching joints.”
“The Temple-” I caught myself. “My mother taught me about herbs. I’m glad it helped.”
Sela beamed, adjusting her heavy pack. “You must share more of your knowledge before you leave. Though I hope that won’t be too soon?”
“That depends on-” I spotted Tharon leaning against a pillar across the yard, watching. He gave me a slight nod but stayed where he was, letting me navigate these interactions on my own. My heart squeezed at his quiet support.