“Are you well, Emilia?” the deep, purring voice asked.
Looking down, she saw Rarev staring up at her with some concern—but what was she doing naked in bed with the Monstrum Commander? What…?
And then everything came rushing back—all the adventures they’d shared together…and most especially, the things they’d done the night before.
“Oh, er…” Em grabbed for a sheet to cover herself and Rarev frowned.
“Why are you hiding your lovely body from me now, after I explored you so thoroughly last night?” he asked, his voice still holding the hint of a purr.
“I…I think we both know that last night shouldn’t have happened,” Em said, trying to make her voice cool and stiff. “And I think we both know it can’t happen again.”
“I know it cannot.” Rarev sat up beside her, his muscles rippling under his dense, velvety fur. Em couldn’t help admiring his broad chest and thinking about how she had slept against him all night. When was the last time she’d slept in a man’s arms?
It had been years—decades, actually—not since the very first years of her marriage to Nigel, back when she’d still thought she loved him. And before the first time she’d caught him cheating, after which the two of them had agreed to have separate bedrooms, though they stayed together for the sake of their daughters and both of their careers.
“Good,” she said, giving a short, sharp nod. “Then we understand each other.”
“No, we don’t. Because I don’t understand why you’re pushing me away,” Rarev rumbled, frowning.
“I…” Em ran a hand through her hair distractedly. “I’m not pushing you away.”
“Yes, you are,” he insisted, his frown deepening. “Last night you cried in my arms as I cradled you, Emilia. Then you submitted to me so beautifully—spreading your thighs for my tongue and opening yourself to let me taste you until you came for me.”
His words sent a shiver of pure lust down her spine—lust mixed with embarrassment. God, she bloody well had done all that, hadn’t she? How could she have let herself get so carried away?
“I…I wasn’t myself,” she protested weakly. “We’d had an extremely stressful day. Also, I’m going through menopause right now—it’s got my hormones all messed up and it affects my moods, though I try not to let it.”
Rarev frowned. “Menopause?”
“Oh, it’s what we humans sometimes call the ‘change of life’ for women,” Em explained. She cleared her throat, feeling embarrassed to have to explain this. “I mean, it’s when our bodies stop being fertile. You have mood swings and hot flashes and night sweats, which I’ve been having for weeks—I’m surprised I didn’t have one last night.”
She was glad she hadn’t though—it would have been humiliating to wake up and find she had drenched not only herself but the big Monstrum in sweat.
“Ah, I see.” He nodded, his face clearing. “All those are simply symptoms of your Second Mating Period.”
“My what?” Em asked, frowning. She knew he had mentioned this phrase before—several times—but she still didn’t understand it.
“When a Mature female begins to have the symptoms you describe, it means she’s close to her Second Mating Period,” Rarev explained. “And when she is exposed to a Monstrum Kindred’s Bonding Scent—as you have been exposed to mine—she becomes fertile again and even rejuvenates to a certain extent.”
“Excuse me?” Em asked blankly. “Please tell me you’re not saying you think I could get pregnant at this point in my life. Because I honestly think I might shoot myself if that happened!” Not that she was going to do anything to get pregnant, she promised herself. But she’d thought that going through menopause meant she had at least that worry behind her.
“Entering the Second Mating Period isn’t always about bearing children,” Rarev told her. “Though it sometimes happens. It’s more about a female finding the right male for her and receiving sexual and emotional satisfaction from him.”
“Oh, really?” Em arched an eyebrow at him. “What does the male get out of it, then?”
“The male gets the benefit of her wisdom and the pleasure of her beautiful, mature body,” Rarev said gravely. “As I did last night, when I tasted your sweet pussy.”
His golden eyes went half-lidded and Em felt another shiver run through her. Damn it! Why couldn’t she control her body’s responses to him, even when she knew being with the big Monstrum was a bad idea?
“Well, I’m glad last night was, er, good for you,” she said, trying to be cool and calm—though she could feel herself blushing. “But we both know it can’t happen again.”
“I know. No matter how I might wish to Claim you and bond you to me, my vow and your role as a public servant on Earth stand in our way.” This time the heat was gone from his voice, replaced by a longing so deep it made Em look up at him, startled.