My cock throbs with need. I want to be inside her. To fill her, to claim her completely.
Patience, Theron. You’ve waited this long. You can wait a little longer.
Lowering myself between her thighs, I press my tongue against her clit. Her body jerks with every stroke. Her cries grow louder, and when her release comes, it spills over my mouth, nose, and paw.
She’s breathtaking. Completely undone. My sweet dove, so beautiful.
I rise to my knees, gripping her legs, pressing them together. “May I?” I ask, my voice strained, the pressure in my sac near its limit.
She nods, her gaze hazy, her chest rising and falling with every breath.
I shift onto my back paws, position myself between her hard thighs. A growl escapes me as I slide my cock between them. The pressure is almost too much. I move my hips forward, and the friction builds until my swollen knot presses against her thighs.
Goddesses above.
I close my eyes and force myself to take a deep breath. Not yet. I can’t let go yet—I want to feel her skin.
“You’re going to spill on me,” she murmurs, her voice breathy.
“Yes.” I meet her gaze as I thrust between her thighs. “This is”—I grunt, thrusting again—“how I’ll do it”—thrust—“in two days.” My sac hits her sensitive flesh with every push.
One more thrust, my knees weaken, and I roar. I’m overwhelmed by my release, spilling hot and thick across her torso.
My beautiful mate is covered in my semen, and I want to do it again.
40
THE WARRIORS’ FIRST TEST
“You speak of courage like it’s enough, Zárya. But these are not gods, they’re pups born in a cage. They’ve never tasted blood in their teeth or ash in their lungs. When war finds them, it won’t ask if they’re ready. It will burn first. Then ask nothing at all.”
—Láda Veléša, to Zárya on the eve of the first trial
Theron
Lying on my side in our bed-nest, I watch my mate as she sleeps.
The sky will soon begin to change. The first streaks of orange and pink signal the arrival of dawn. In just a few moments, my dove will wake.
Yesterday, I stretched her for the first time. With my fully erect shaft resting against her thigh, it’s hard to focus on anything else.
But I must.
The trials begin today. With each passing day, we draw closer to war.
Bolstering our forces as humans do will be critical, even if it means adopting some of their methods. We must understand how they fight if we are to stand against them.
I signal the nýmphí and grant approval for them to enter our home with a double pulse from my crystals. As they step inside, I raise a finger to my mouth, instructing them to be quiet.
All . . . one, two . . . thirteen nýmphí nod and sit in a semicircle around our nest.
My gaze lowers back to my mate. Small droplets of sweat bead on her forehead where they glisten against her otherwise calm features. It’s the season when the snow melted, and the days grow warmer, which will give way to harsher weather in the coming moons. The air is neither cold nor hot—why is she sweating?
My ears twitch as an unwelcome feeling settles in my stomach. The nýmphí’s expressions are tight with worry as they lean closer to my mate. What do they sense that I do not?
Outside, the birds sing their songs of early morning, the forest is quiet... but something is not right.
Before I can act, my mate gasps for air and sits up suddenly. “I’m alright. Everything is alright. It’s home. Home.”
