of dark blue blood painted the tunic he wore. His pants were in a similar state. He even had some on his cheeks and arms. Blood dripped off the sword dangling in one hand at his side. In his other, dragging behind him, was one of them. The kekevir. Or at least she thought it was. Then she realized Jaxor had already butchered it. Were they eating it? Was this what he meant when he said the kekevir were a good resource to have?
Erin stood hesitantly, favoring her right foot, eyeing the creature.
“Are you hurt, Jaxor?” she asked, furrowing her brow, inspecting him.
“Nix,” he grunted, depositing the kekevir close to the fire. Its shiny meat gleamed in the firelight. His eyes were on her when she looked up at him. There was something different in the way he looked at her and Erin’s arms prickled with goosebumps, her pulse throbbing.
She swallowed thickly. It reminded her of…
The first time he’d looked at her. Possession. Want. Those things were in his gaze.
The sight of him should make her afraid. Deeply afraid. He was covered in blood. He had a dead creature at his feet. His lethal blade was covered in blood and other things she didn’t want to identify. He looked unhinged. Insane.
So why did her body respond to that look? Why did her breath quicken, knowing that she had his attention so fully?
Erin licked her lips, remembering that Luxirians could scent when their mates were aroused. She squeezed her thighs together and asked, though her voice came out huskier than intended, “Are there more?”
“Nix,” he grunted. “We only need this one tonight. The rest I disposed of. Off the facev, to keep predators away.”
How many had he killed? she wondered, looking at him.
Many, she decided, a moment later.
“Predators?” she repeated.
His brows lowered. “There are worse things than the kekevir, rixella.”
She wondered what rixella meant and why he called her that.
Erin nodded and took a step around the fire towards him. Only when his nostrils flared dramatically did she realize that she’d forgotten his heightened senses and her inconvenient arousal. As small as it was, it was there. Some primal part of her reacting to him, something that couldn’t be helped.
His eyes flooded with blackness, his pupils dilated dramatically. Erin froze when his growl started and then he made a deep sound in his throat and it was gone.
With a rough curse, he walked around the fire, past her, towards the waterfall. Erin stood staring at the place he’d occupied, feeling her face flame slightly before she pushed her embarrassment away.
It can’t be helped, she reminded herself again. Despite everything, Jaxor was a physically attractive male. He was strong, obviously in his prime. There were bound to be slip-ups on her end, every now and again. There was no reason to be embarrassed about it.
She heard rustling. When she looked over her shoulder, her breath hitched. Jaxor was tugging his blood-covered pants down his legs. He’d already disposed of his tunic. The firelight was unobstructed in that part of the base and she saw everything.
Briefly, she’d seen his cock before. In a loincloth, which he’d worn up until that day, it was difficult not to have wardrobe malfunctions, after all. But she’d never seen it in its full glory until now.
The tip of his cock bobbed against his abdomen as he straightened. The thick shaft was curved and on the underside were hardened knobs running the length of it. Thick and long and hard.
Sweet mother of…
Erin licked her dry lips and looked away, trying to calm her breathing. It had obviously been way too long since she’d last had sex. Jaxor might be attractive and he might have been blessed with a cock straight from the Luxirian gods themselves, but his personality kind of sucked. He’d stolen her and her friend away from the Golden City, had been intent on trading them away to who knew who, for who knew what. She needed to remember that the next time she lusted over him.
He couldn’t be trusted. He was dangerous. The fact that he was apparently her mate only highlighted that, only served to remind her to tread carefully.
Erin’s treacherous eyes rose, despite her thoughts, when she heard a splash. The pool was deep, deep enough for him to dive into, and when he resurfaced, his dark hair was inky and his blue eyes were on hers.
Magnets, she thought, her gut sinking. Their eyes were like magnets, despite their obvious mistrust for one