Warlord's Mercy - Cynthia Sax Page 0,19

a sign of weakness?”

“It’s prudence. And my clone brothers are looking for me, not a female.” Water splashed. “Clones don’t…shouldn’t have unique gerels. We are genetic copies of our source, should share a bond with that source’s female.”

“She’s a lucky female.” Lea muttered that to the water before her. The female had numerous males and she had no one.

“She’s a dead female.” The Warlord drew nearer to her.

She felt that on her skin, could sense his approach.

Lea swam farther away from the male. Her sexual rival was dead. One of the knots in the pit of her stomach loosened. She hadn’t inadvertently hurt someone. “You betrayed only her memory by fucking me.”

“I never met her.” Tolui trailed her, his pace leisurely. He must have realized he had her trapped, was amusing himself with her as a great beast might play with his prey. “There is no memory to betray.”

He didn’t say they hadn’t fucked.

She touched the bite mark at the base of her neck. He must have seen the proof on her form. The male had branded her all over.

And he regretted that. Not due to any rival for his affections.

Due to her.

“Fuck.” Wishing to disappear, Lea ducked under the water once more. She pushed off from the rock wall, shot under the surface.

Emerging only to take a breath, she swam until her muscles loosened, her control returned, and her fingers wrinkled. The exertion burned away some of her agony, her anger.

The Warlord didn’t attempt to catch her. He must have sensed she needed space.

She pulled herself out of the water and perched on the edge of the stream.

He watched her. She felt his gaze on her face. But he said nothing.

Ignoring him, she reached for the detangling tool she’d crafted from rock vulture bone and attempted to work it through her hair.

The process was slow and painful. The tendrils were badly matted.

Tolui exited the stream and sat beside her. Heat radiated from his fit physique.

“I hurt you.” His voice was soft.

“Yes, you hurt me.” She tugged on her hair. “I knew you were out of your mind with fever, and I didn’t stop you from fucking me.” Numerous times. In all different ways. “That was my error, but I also saved your life, opened my home to you. You didn’t have to be nasty about not wanting me.”

“Give me that.” He took the detangling tool from her. “You’re too far away from me.”

The male clasped her waist and lifted her, positioned her ass between his spread thighs.

As soon as their skin touched, the tension inside of her eased. She needed that connection.

And he needed her physically. The tip of his cock rested against her spine. For a being who didn’t consider her fuckable, he had an impressive hard-on.

He clasped a handful of her hair and carefully separated the matted tendrils, his touch surprisingly gentle. “I hurt you physically.”

“I liked that.” Her face heated.

Her need for pain wasn’t normal. She realized that.

But neither was his need to deliver that pain.

“And you liked it too.” She lifted her chin. “So don’t get all judgy on me, Warlord. We’re both freaks.”

“I’m a much larger freak, as you call it.” He worked on her gnarled locks. “You’re tiny. I could have broken you. Permanently.”

“Hmmm…” Her eyelids partially lowered. There was definitely something wrong with her. The possibility of him breaking her turned her on. “I’m stronger than I appear.”

His grunt communicated he didn’t believe her.

Was that the only reason he viewed her to be unfuckable—because she was small? He was a huge male. And he enjoyed rough sex…as she did.

It was a possibility.

If she didn’t have a mind of her own and a mouth to express it. “If I told you to stop, would you?”

“I have honor.” Her Warlord sounded offended.

She assumed that was a ‘yes.’ “I’m not an idiot. If you hurt me more than I wanted to be hurt, I would tell you to stop.”

That earned her another grunt.

“You didn’t break me during your feverish fucking.” She pointed that fact out to him. “And you used me hard, biting my breasts.” She cupped them, displaying the teeth marks around her nipples. “And my ass.” She wiggled against him, teasing his cock. “You took me from the front, from behind, from the side, pulled my hair, pounded me into submission.” Her pussy dripped as she remembered how harshly he'd fucked her. “And I demanded more, more, more. I couldn’t get enough of your big cock, coarse hands, sharp claws.” Her voice lowered