“I tried to pull out,” he spoke softly against her neck, his voice sounding a little shaky and sad. “I filled you up but I could not stop myself. I knew it would be like this.

I knew it.” He shivered. “What have we done? What have I done?”

“Rever—”

“Don’t try to take my burden of guilt. I am a warrior and yet I could not fight how much I want you.” He growled, resting his face against her neck. “We must go to the medical center now. There is a shot you must take that will make sure I did not get you with offspring.”

Shock hit her. “But—”

“No,” he snarled against her neck. “I brought Tina here and I am stuck with her.

Accidents happen and if you get a shot within an hour they can prevent my seed from taking root. We must go there to confess what I did so they give you the medicine.” Shutting her eyes, Brenda nodded but pain hit her hard. She wanted Rever, wanted more than she could ever have with him, and it hurt. She was falling in love with him and he wouldn’t consider being with her.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly withdrew from her body, pulling away from her, and carefully eased her onto her feet. She felt wetness sliding down both of her thighs but she didn’t have anything to clean up with. Rever moved back, pulling his pants closed and then reached for the forgotten backpack to yank out one of her new shirts, handing it to her, yet refusing to meet her eyes.

Her hands shook as she used the shirt to clean away the evidence of what they’d shared. Rever still refused to look at her as she righted her dress and he disposed of the shirt in a trashcan. He softly growled, bending to grip the backpack. He finally looked at her and the regret shining in his beautiful eyes about broke her heart.

“We need to do this, Brenda. They’ll give you a shot and if there is a Lord of the Moons my family won’t hear what I have done because it would cause shame that I lost my control. We need to go quickly. They will let us shower there so no one will know what happened between us when we get home. This can’t ever happen again.” Blinking back tears, Brenda nodded. “Right.”

Rever looked away, nodding. “I wish it could be otherwise.” He paused, his gaze going anywhere but to her as the man stood there silently for long seconds. When he finally spoke again, it was so soft that she had to strain to hear his words.

“I am Argis and my place in Zorn society comes with a lot of responsibility but sometimes I wish it were not so. My father is the leader of Zorn and everything that I do reflects on my family. If it were just my honor I would lay it down to be with you always but it is not that way. I wish that it were because I have very strong emotions for you, Brenda. Always know that even if I can’t be with you, I will always carry you in my thoughts.”

Her heart twisted painfully. Her mouth opened but then she pressed her lips shut.

What was there to say? They couldn’t be together and it was tearing both of them up.

Rever cleared his throat. “We must go.”

Silently, she followed the large man down the alley and back onto the street.

Chapter Four

“Where the hell have you been?” Tina was in the living room and looked really pissed off when they returned. “You were gone for five damn hours. When you took me shopping you didn’t take me out that long. What did you do? Buy her everything on the damn street?”

“There was an accident,” Rever said softly. “We were attacked by killis.”

“Who the hell is that?” Tina frowned, studying Rever from head to foot and then Brenda. “She caused you to get into a damn fight? Did she flash her pussy too?” Rever snarled. “No. Enough. It has been a rough day and I am hungry.” He held out the backpack to Brenda. “Here are your clothes.” He still refused to look at her.

Brenda took the strap of the bag. “Thank you.”

He nodded, releasing his hold on the bag. “It was an honor.” Brenda fled before she broke down in tears, knowing he wasn’t talking about taking her shopping, instead he was telling her that what happened between them really meant something to him as well. Before she reached the hallway she heard Tina.

“I was bored. I hope you had a good damn time getting into a damn fistfight. That bitch Ali wouldn’t fix my meal until you returned. She—” The rest of it Brenda didn’t hear as she fled into her room and dropped the backpack, collapsing on her bed. A flinch hit her as her ass hit the bed reminding her that she was tender. Rever hadn’t been gentle when he’d fucked her and the shot the medical staff had put her ass still hurt.

Ali walked into the bedroom and studied Brenda silently. Brenda met curious dark brown eyes. Ali sniffed, her expression paled in her naturally tan face instantly, and then she reached over to shut the door, closing them both in the room.

“You’ve showered and you smell of soap but not the kind we have in the house.” Brenda stared at the woman saying nothing but feeling dread.

Ali sighed. “Something happened with Argis, did it not? I see the way he looks at you and I see the way you look at him. I saw it this morning at breakfast and I saw it last night in the hallway outside this room but I thought I imagined it.” The woman’s voice lowered. “He mounted you.”

“Please,” Brenda said softly. “Don’t. Drop it.”

Nodding, the Zorn silently watched Brenda. “Are you well? Is there anything I can do? I will never speak of this to anyone but it is my job to care for you as well while you are under Argis Rever’s protection. What you say to me stays with me so if you wish to speak you may without fear I will share your words. I don’t like his bound but I would never betray my Argis. To hurt his bound by letting her know he took your body with his would hurt him as well.”

“How…” Brenda shut her mouth, frowning.

“How do I know?” Ali arched a white eyebrow. “I smell his release. I tasted it last night so I know the scent. You showered yet I still smell it so it means it is inside your body. He seeded you. Did they give you a shot to prevent it from taking root?”

“Yes. I won’t get pregnant.”

Nodding, the woman gave Brenda a sympathetic look. “He is a good warrior who has refused to mount me and I have tried hard to get him to. He must have strong feelings for you to fill you with his seed. Our men are trained to not release into the body of a woman unless they are so drawn to them that they can’t resist. That means he wanted to bound with you but he is already taken so he can’t keep you. I don’t like the other human and I think you would make him happy. She does not. I could rid her of this house.”