another surge of desire hit. “Yes!”
The word tumbled out of her mouth.
“Good girl. Now, come for me.” His mouth crashed down on hers the moment he’d uttered his command. This time, she responded to him fully, mouth open, her soft cry muffled against his lips as she bucked in his lap.
He growled as he crushed her to him, letting her ride out her climax. His lips plundered hers hungrily and, in the midst of her pleasure, she yielded to him so sweetly. When she went limp, he eased off, kissing her gently as he gathered her into his arms.
Then, gently, he began to wash her...
There were words Savannah had heard in her life but never understood until now. Languid. Relaxed. Sensual. Rath had taught her the meaning of them all in a single encounter. She still couldn’t believe she’d done what she had—at the orders of an alpha, no less.
She’d let him see her naked. Let him watch... and she’d liked it. So had he. But even afterward, when she resigned herself to what she was certain would happen next... he hadn’t forced her.
He’d cleaned her, helped her out of the tub, and toweled her off gently but embarrassingly thoroughly. She’d liked that, too.
She had to be out of her mind.
Now she watched him from the comfort of the big couch, wrapped in a nest of soft blankets he’d given her. She flushed as she remembered how she’d snatched them out of his hands, arranging them to her liking.
Now he was cooking for her. At least, that’s what she thought he was doing. It smelled good anyway.
“What is that?” she asked, too sleepy to care that her voice was a little slurry.
“Food. Not the best, but passable fare considering we’re not at the citadel. You’ll like it there.”
She curled deeper into her blankets and then stopped to rearrange them again so the silkiest one was against her skin. “I don’t want to go there.”
He glanced over at her, surprised. “You’ll be safe there. Well fed. Protected. With every luxury yours for the asking.”
“No.” The citadel was a terrible place—blood-stained and full of alphas that weren’t like Rath. They’d hurt her… or worse. “Please?”
He muttered something in a sharp, guttural language she didn’t understand. “We can stay here for now.”
Relief filled her, along with a growing appreciation for Rath’s kindness. “Thank you.”
She snuggled down a little further, trying to quiet the rumbling of her stomach. It sounded like she was hiding a small animal under the blankets she was so hungry. Rath kept glancing her way and she was fairly sure he was trying not to chuckle.
“What kind of food?” she asked when the silence stretched out again. Why she was pushing him, she didn’t know. No woman, certainly no omega, engaged an alpha in conversation. Ever. But, he... she was... she didn’t know. He didn’t act like she expected. Like all the stories of alphas she’d ever heard. “It smells good.”
Instead of answering, he filled a tray and brought it over to her, kicking a small table into place so he could set everything down within easy reach. “Soup. Bread. Juice. Light things your stomach will not reject.”
Fruit was even on the tray, neatly cut into bite-sized squares. She had no idea what it was exactly, but it smelled sweet and tempting and she grabbed that one first.
Flavors exploded on her tongue. It was tart but sweet, and so good it made her want to cry. She grabbed several more and ate them quickly before sucking the juice from her fingers.
“Easy, little one. Go slowly. The food isn’t going anywhere.”
“But it’s so good! What is that?”
“You humans call it melon. We call it cantar. There’s more in the pantry. It’s tinned. It’s better fresh, but there’s nothing like that here.”
“Why not?” She picked a bit of bread up and ate it next. It was fluffy and delicious, without a trace of grit or anything that might crack a tooth.
“This is just a way-station of sorts. No one lives here.”
“All this and no one resides here full time? It’s a palace!”
He arched an eyebrow and she caught the hint of amusement in his eyes. Without a beast deforming his features, he was the most handsome man she’d ever met. She shivered, not wanting to think about him in the... other state and ruin the fantasy she had going on here. Nothing was handsome or appealing about an alpha in beast form.
“This is no palace. Wait until you see the citadel.”
“Not yet,