She wasn’t afraid of him. Not anymore.

He took a step to the side, intending to move around her. Oh, no. She flattened her hands on his shoulders, keeping him in place.

“I want to know what’s wrong with you,” she said. “Tell me.”

He snapped his teeth at her in a show of dominance. “You think you want to know my problem. You’re wrong.”

Her tone dry, she said, “I’m so glad you know my mind better than I do.”

“Very well. I need sex.” He threw the words at her as if they were weapons. “Badly.”

Whoa. Blindside!

Heart pounding, she jerked her hands away from him. “Sex...from me?”

“Yesss.” A hiss. “Only from you.”

Only. Amazing how one little word could send pleasure soaring through her, warming her. “You told me never to touch you.” Which she’d just done, she realized. My bad.

“I’ve changed my mind.” His gaze dropped, lingered on her lips.

Burning her... “But you and I...we’re a different species.”

As if that mattered to her body. Gimme!

He took a step closer, invading her personal space. “We’ll fit, I promise you.”

Tristo hrmenych! The raspy quality of his voice, all smoke and gravel...she shivered with longing. Must resist his allure.

But...but...why? Before she’d committed to Peter, she’d dated around, had made out in movie theaters, cars and on couches. She’d liked kissing and touching and “riding the belt buckle,” as her friends had called it. Then, after committing to Peter, she’d gifted him with her virginity. At first, he hadn’t known what to do with her—he’d been just as inexperienced—and she’d left each encounter disappointed. When finally she’d gathered the courage to tell him what she wanted, he’d satisfied her well.

She missed sex. But connection...intimacy...she thought she missed those more.

Biscuit barked at Gravy, jolting her from her thoughts. They’d cleaned their bowls, and now wanted to play. She clasped Baden’s hand to lead him out of the kennel. He jerked away, severing contact.

One action. Tons of hurt.

“I’m allowed to touch you and you want to have sex with me, but you’re still disgusted by me.” She stomped outside the kennel, done with him. “Well, I’m leaving. Good riddance! Your do-what-I-say-or-else attitude was annoying, anyway.”

He darted in front of her, stopping her. Breath caught in her throat as sunlight streamed over him, paying his chiseled features absolute tribute, making his bronzed skin glimmer.

So beautiful. Too beautiful.

“I’m not disgusted by you. You need me. I’ve come to accept it,” he admitted, looking away from her. “But being skin-to-skin with another is painful for me. We’ll have to proceed with cloth between us. And you’ll get over your annoyance.”

Another order. Of course! “First, I don’t need you. Second, painful for you? How can you proceed without some type of contact?”

“The why could be psychological or physical. Or both. I went thousands of years without contact with another.” His gaze returned to her lips, and his tongue swiped over his own, as if he could already taste her. “The how...I can imagine it. My clothing will be on but yours will be off. I’ll wear gloves and sheathe my length with a condom. I’ll bend you over my bed, get you wet, soaked, and kick your legs apart. I’ll—”

“Enough. I—I get the picture.” A little too vividly. And the image he painted wasn’t exactly...unpleasant.

Perhaps he took her silence as rejection. He scrubbed a hand down his face and said, “I should just choose someone else.”

The jealousy returned full force. “Do you desire only me or not?” she snapped.

“Only you.” His pupils expanded, black spilling over copper. “Very much. You’re all I think about, all I crave.”

The pleasure soared again and heated, becoming a languid pulse inside her. “Then I’ll allow you to take me on a date.” He wasn’t the best choice for her, or for any sane person, really. Also, he was part of a world she knew little about. A world where every myth and legend she’d ever heard had grown from a seed of truth. A world she wasn’t sure she would ever like. But he was gloriously hot, and he made her feel something other than sad and doomed.

Once upon a time...

Their story didn’t have to last long. She could train him and enjoy him for what he was—sexy, naughty and exciting.

“You will allow me?” He placed his hands—his big, strong hands—on her waist.

“Well.” The heat of him burned through her clothing, delighting her. “Not if you’re complaining, kretén.”

His lips quirked up at the corners. “No complaining from me, then. Only appreciation.”

He drew her closer, so close her chest pressed against his, and she thought she might be reconnecting with the rambunctious girl she’d once been. The girl who loved to laugh.

Giddiness made her dizzy. “Such a good boy.”

“A naughty one. When you smile you make me—” He stiffened, his eyes flickering with sparks of red.

Was the beast acting up?

Keep the interactions short and sweet. Always leave him wanting more.

“All right,” she said, as if she hadn’t noticed his negative reaction. “Give me an hour to prepare myself...for our mutual pleasure.” She pulled from his grip—swallowed a whimper as the heat he’d imparted quickly cooled—and walked away, giving her hips an extra sway. “I’ll make sure I’m worth the wait.”

The sound of his ragged groan followed her into the fortress, and for the first time in forever, she did laugh.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

Baden flashed to Aleksander, who was still locked in the eight-by-eight cell made of concrete and steel. There was no door. The only way in and out was to flash.

The male was huddled in the corner, caked in mud and dried blood. His hair stuck out in dark spikes, his eyes bloodshot and narrowed on Baden, his injured arm clutched to his chest.

Baden frowned. The bones in his wrist looked as if they’d grown a full inch since yesterday, which was impossible. Humans couldn’t regenerate like immortals.

“I’ll never tell you where I’ve hidden the coin,” the man spat. At least he’d stopped lying about being unable to find it.