Page 45 of King of Serpents

He had no words. Only need. A need to claim and protect what was his.

His croon deepened, rolling and vibrating through the air. His female’s eyes widened, her pupils slowly expanding with the desire unfurling within her. He traced the side of her cheek with one claw, and a tremor of desire swept through him as his eyes slid half-shut. So exquisite. She was incredibly soft to the touch.

He hummed, captivated, as he drew closer to her, breathing the deepening fragrance of her pheromones deep into his lungs. His sant was growing heavy, desperately needing to extrude. His instinct hammered at him to fulfil the right of capture and exert his claim. The words were on his tongues before finally slipping free with an ease that was shockingly right.

“I, Therxian, claim this female by the right of capture. None shall challenge my claim or drive her from my nest,” he hissed as he dragged her closer against his torso, their heat mingling.

His sant pressed forward, parting his sheath. His claws raked over her coverings in mild frustration. They concealed her vent, hiding it away from him. He understood that much through the fog of his fevered state. Leaning forward, he brushed his nose against her cheek, and his tongues slid out of his mouth to trace twin paths down her neck, tasting her exquisite flavor. His sant slipped out heavily, making him groan with its freed weight pulling at his internal reproductive centers. The vibration of his song deepened with his desire, and his female swayed in reaction, her breath escaping her in small, needy pants. Her breaths lifted her breasts, bringing his attention to them despite the heavy fabric concealing them.

That needed to go.

He slipped his claw inside the opening of her covering, eager to part it and do away with the flimsy barrier. She did not need it any longer. He would warm her. Some small part of him recognized that it was a ridiculous thought, but he pushed it away, eager to bare her completely, eager to serve his mate, and coveting every brush of her body against his. Truthfully, his anticipation was growing by the moment, adding more fuel to the desire fogging his mind with the impulse born of primal instincts long a part of his species.

He trilled and tugged lightly at the material, his eyes meeting hers, wanting to see her acceptance and surrender. He was not prepared for the way her eyes suddenly cleared and filled with awareness, or the soft gasp she uttered when her small hand snapped to her chest, barring all access to him. She blinked rapidly and gave a rough shake of her head as she pressed the material firmly against her skin.

“I don’t know what kind of woo-shit this is, but you can just stop right there,” she rasped warily.

Therxian regarded her in surprise, his gavo inching upward curiously. “Woo?” he repeated, thrown off by the unfamiliar word. It was enough to clear a small portion of his mind, so that he was able to exert greater self-control as he stared down at her.

“Yeah... woo. Weird, spooky shit,” she clarified, wiggling the fingers of one hand. “Whatever it is you are doing.”

He peered at her, his eyes narrowed in amusement as even more of the fog inched back. “What?”

“The voice thingy,” she clarified, her tone growing annoyed. “I don’t know how you are doing it, but I don’t normally feel overcome with a need to rip with my clothes off and rub myself all over another person.”

“What is stopping you?” he hissed, suddenly enjoying the moment much more as more of his rationality seeped back into his mind, overcoming the primitive instinct that had been provoked.

She frowned at him in response. “It really isn’t normal.”

He settled back, giving her space to push away, or even run, as he regarded her, her ears flicking. “Who decided this? It is very normal among my kind. We entice each other, and the claim is made.”

“Claim,” she echoed. Her face paled. “Oh shit. You just...”

He inclined his head in agreement, amusement lighting his heart. Although claiming her hadn’t been a rational decision, now that he was returning to himself, he could not say that he regretted it. Instead, a sense of contentment swept through him that relaxed tension he had not realized he was carrying. The tension he was only aware of in retrospect as being the product of ignoring the demand to mate with a female that he had gradually become pheromone-bonded to. Although he knew it was technically possible, it was so rare that it had not even occurred to him. It was not until he was partially drugged by the pheromones of meaningless females that his control had been weakened enough to allow nature to take its course as Shangla blessed.

There was just a lingering issue that still needed to be resolved, of course. The claiming was not yet finished. The ritual was completed, however. Everything else, as far as he was concerned, was just a technicality that would bind them and strip away the last remaining barriers between them.

She searched his face, her brow puckering. “You don’t seem particularly upset about that.”

“Would you like to see how affected I am?” he hissed. “Your interruption ultimately has changed nothing when it comes to that matter.”

His sant was full and heavy and there was no hope of pressing it back into his sheath. He would demand nothing of her, even if it guaranteed him a long, painful night. Regardless, he was remaining by her side. His mother’s decision bought him a little time at least before anyone disturbed him, especially with Jathella taking care of matters. She would see to it that no one disturbed him after the display in the throne chamber. At the very least, not until morning. Until then, he would savor every moment with his delicious little female.

Especially when there was still the matter of an unknown male lingering around the elder palace. He would not think of that, however. It was too much like playing with his sense of control.

“Perhaps,” she murmured. “But I think we should be a bit more clear-headed first. Perhaps if we eat before tackling all of that.”

A pink hue rapidly climbed backing her face as she carefully averted her eyes from his desire. Therxian fought back his amusement, but it faded into guilt, and he grimaced apologetically when her gaze drifted back to the ledge and she let out a beleaguered sigh.

“You really knocked dinner off the edge, didn’t you?”

“Perhaps I can retrieve it,” he murmured doubtfully. “It might not have fallen too far.”

Alex cocked an eyebrow at him, but then she made some hideous choking sound as she abruptly turned away and pushed her way out of his relaxed tail.

“Come on,” she said around what suspiciously sounded like laughter. “I am sure we can find something else.”

Something that was most certainly not meat. Therxian grimaced again, this time feeling sorry for himself in addition to the weight of guilt. Whatever meal they managed to find was certain to be terrible.