ache. The longing to be near me. Desire.”
The Leopard Lord stepped closer. The warmth from his body hit mine and his scent lifted from his skin to tease me. Fuck, he smelled good. Like rich coffee with lots of sugar. And cream. My lips parted, my stare locked on his mesmerizing green eyes, and I stepped forward. My hands went to the hard curves of his chest and with that first contact, we both sighed in relief.
My warlord's arms closed around me and pulled me against him. His mouth covered mine, and I whimpered as our tongues met. He tasted like wine and something else I couldn't place—something exotic and rare. I slid my hands up to bracket his face and stroked his high cheekbones on my way back into his silky hair. The Leopard Lord growled low in his throat, the vibration rolling up to my lips. I fed at his mouth, urging his tongue into me as I grabbed handfuls of his hair and pulled him closer.
Wide, warm hands roamed my back, kneading my knotted muscles before sliding down to cup my ass. The Leopard Lord pulled me closer and something hard pressed against my belly. Hard and huge. I realized what it was with sudden comprehension, and it was like cold water thrown in my face.
I jerked away, falling on my cot, and stared up at him, panting and scared out of my fucking mind. “Get out.”
“No,” the Leopard Lord said gently.
I glanced down his body and saw the bulge of his massive cock pressing against his pants. I shuddered, and I wasn't sure if it was in revulsion or desire.
“Goddamn you, get out!”
“No, Tristan.” He knelt beside my cot and reached for me.
I scrambled backward, nearly falling over the other side of the cot. “Don't touch me!”
“Tristan, stop this. I'm not going to hurt you.”
“I don't know what the fuck you did to me, but it won't work,” I snarled as I sat up. “I'm not going to be one of your little playthings.”
“No, you're not,” the Leopard Lord said firmly. “Never that.”
“Don't fucking patronize me,” I huffed.
The Leopard Lord roared in frustration and stood. “You insufferable lout! You ungrateful fool! I've given you immortality! A piece of my soul! And you think I've tricked you? That I want to what? Play with you and toss you aside? You're my valorian! Even humans know what that means now. You know who you are—who you are to me and who I am to you. You will not be able to deny us, Tristan. I'm trying to be patient with you, but I'm too fucking tired to deal with your straight, machismo bullshit. So, stay here if that's what you want. Pout and be an idiot about this. Use a tent that someone else needs. Go ahead. I'm going to bed.”
The Leopard Lord turned and walked out.
Chapter Four
I stared after the Leopard Lord, feeling like a dick.
“But he . . .” I waved a hand after him. “He grabbed my ass. And he was all like . . .” I moved my hands nervously around my face. “He was all kissin' me and stuff. And he was . . .” I held my arm out as if I were defending myself in a courtroom. “Who the fuck am I talking to?” I grimaced at my cot. “He's right, I'm an insufferable lout. Damn it, I don't want to be a lout!” Then I whined, “Fuck. I don't wanna sleep in his tent. He's gonna try to do stuff to me.” I made a pathetic, wordless, childish sob. “Ugh! He's just so fucking freaky. And so fucking pretty.” I sighed and buckled my belt; it had been half buckled through that entire conversation. I was lucky it hadn't fallen; being naked while the Leopard Lord pawed me would have been infinitely worse. “Okay, man-up, Tristan. Stop whining like a little bitch.”
I started packing my trunk. It was my only piece of luggage and also served as storage, so a lot of my belongings were already packed, including my armor, but there were a few things lying around. I sheathed my sword first; it would be easier to carry it on my hip. Then I started carelessly tossing shit into the trunk—a book I'd been reading, some clothes I had lying around, and a mug I'd forgotten to put away after my last drinking binge. I didn't have anything else sitting out, just the bed linens, and I didn't need