“I believe the humans would claim the same need for protection,” he said dryly, and Seren sighed.
“I am afraid you are correct, although most of their stories were exaggerated. We do not respond well to threats, but most of our people do not go looking for trouble. However when they do, the results can be… unfortunate.”
Even discounting the human distrust of other species and their tendency for exaggeration, he’d heard enough tales to know that the other male was understating the incidents that had occurred. As usual, the truth probably lay somewhere in between.
He also noticed that Seren kept referring to humans in a way that made him suspect that Seren did not consider him human.
But how could he know? His mating lines were concealed beneath his clothing, and now that he was away from Etta, his eyes should have returned to their normal human appearance. Or was he simply being paranoid? Before he could decide whether or not to ask, Seren smiled at him.
“If you are about to try and assure me that you are fully human, don’t bother.”
“Why would you assume that I am not?”
Seren tapped his nose.
“The Vultori have an excellent sense of smell, as I suspect you do. Very few would have noticed me here otherwise.”
He dipped his head, reluctantly conceding the point, then rose to his feet. He had gained the information he was after. The Vultori village was not close by, and they did not consider his female’s residence to be part of their territory.
“It is time for me to return.”
Seren nodded, rising to his feet as well. They were of a similar height and he instinctively found himself assessing the other male as a potential opponent. Seren was a few years older than him, but he wasn’t foolish enough to believe that made him less dangerous. He suspected they might be well matched.
Although perhaps not if he unleashed his Krythian side.
“There is one thing,” Seren said slowly. “The research your female is doing has aroused interest amongst some of my people. We also have stories.”
And then Seren was gone, fading into the woods with a stealth worthy of his own skills. He could track him, but there seemed little reason to follow the other male and besides - he had already been away from his female for too long.
CHAPTER 12
Aweek later, Etta looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. In many ways it had been a wonderful week. She’d been a little worried that she might grow tired of having another person in her house, but it was the opposite. She was beginning to wonder if she could be content on her own again.
Tomlin fit almost seamlessly into her life, easing it in a hundred subtle ways. There were always fresh flowers on the table and by her bed, and a hot bath waiting for her at the end of the day. She never had to worry about preparing food or washing clothes or keeping up with even her minimal housekeeping standards, leaving her free to concentrate on her work.
Admittedly her dedication to her work had suffered a little. She found herself taking more breaks, seeking him out for no other reason than because she enjoyed his company. He had traveled widely throughout Cresca and told her fascinating stories about the places he’d been, his tales spiked with dry humor. Although he’d continued to be extremely reticent about his own past, he had discovered a lot more about hers.
He knows a lot more about me than I know about him, she thought wryly.
But she didn’t just seek him out for companionship or because of his conversational skills. Her physical attraction to him had intensified to the point where she seemed to exist in a continuous state of frustrated arousal. The results of her exposure therapy suggestion had been… mixed. He could put his arm around her, or even hold her hand, but a kiss almost always escalated rapidly and she couldn’t seem to convince him that she enjoyed those hungry, possessive touches.
There always came a point where he would pull away, despite his obvious arousal - and hers. He spent a lot of time running and she’d spent a lot of time trying - unsuccessfully - to deal with her own frustration. Her breasts still ached from their latest encounter. They’d been in the lab and she’d boldly placed his hands on her breasts, placing her own hands over his to encourage him to touch her.
His hands had tightened delightfully before he pulled back.
“You don’t need to do that. Look.” Despite the heat rising to her cheeks, she unbuttoned her blouse and revealed her breasts. “I’m perfectly fine, see?”
He didn’t seem to hear her, the familiar blue glow heating his eyes as he stared at her naked upper half. Then she was on her back on the worktop, his body forcing her legs apart as he bent down over her, his mouth working hungrily at her breasts, scraping sharp teeth gently against the taut peaks. She’d done her best to encourage him as he pulled her throbbing core tightly against the massive bar of his erection.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and he growled, his mouth growing even more demanding, clamping down on her nipple, and she’d been right on the edge of climax when he pulled away, the equally familiar look of horror on his face.
“What’s wrong this time?” she demanded, her voice sharp with frustration.
“I bit you.”
She followed his gaze to her breast. Her nipple was taut and distended, and she could see the reddened circle from his mouth surrounding it.
“It felt good. Do it again.”
