“I give. You use.”
Dried grass rustles as he scoops a mound of material closer to me, almost pushing it into my lap. I can’t look away from his gigantic form, his graceful and thoughtful motions at odds with the lethal spikes trailing down his spine and the blood dripping from his midnight scales.
The void of unconsciousness slinks closer. I cannot mate this beast. He’ll rip me to shreds.
His angry snarl follows him as he whips around so fast the wind from his long, tapered tail blows my hair back from my face.
Disbelief and relief score through me as he stalks quietly away into the night. The tension eases from my diaphragm. I suck in a breath and blink away the encroaching void, looking around for the first time.
Sitting in the center of what must be his den, I tremble as my mind replays his words and actions. A log makes up one wall, the fallen tree wider than I am tall, but the rest of the perimeter boasts the same sharp grass I encountered when I first landed on this planet. Mounds of different organic materials sit around me, each one higher than my shoulders.
“More.”
The growled word sends another wave of fire through me, a puddle forming on the bare stone under my butt.
Leaves tumble to the rock in front of my toes, the scent of freshly cut greenery a delicious addition to his potent pheromones. I cringe at the unexpected movement and clutch my abdomen, gasping through the pain of unrequited lust.
“W-what? Why?”
His talons click along the rocks as he steps back to the edge of the clearing.
“You want. I give. Nest. Now.”
I should run. I should have run the second he turned away. Anger flashes through his face as I glance at the horizon.
Pushing away the ludicrous thought as flames wrap around my core and heat pulses through my breasts, I swallow the moan building in my throat and reach forward, sinking my hand into the pile he just dropped in front of me, hoping to quell his anger.
My fingers slide through the leaves, the damp edges soft, and the urge to rumble in pleasure builds within my chest. I hold back, wrapping my fingers around a firm stalk and lifting it from the pile. Shrieking as something flies off the bottom of the leaf and slaps me in the face, I choke in fear as the world shifts.
Hard muscles covered in scorching scales scoop me up from my perch and fling me over a wide shoulder, the spikes running down his spine perilously close to my face.
He whips around, his tail knocking several mounds askew. Centrifuge lifts me from his scales. I grab the base of the nearest spike, desperate to avoid impaling myself on it, and hiss as pain slices through my arm. A squeak escapes me when I find myself held to his chest by ruthless arms, his hug too tight. Struggling to breathe as need pounds through my squished breasts and pain streaks up my forearm, I meet slitted eyes.
My stomach hollows out, dropping to the ground with an inaudible thud.
“Where threat?”
“It was j-just a bug. I’m s-sorry.”
He squints, narrowing his focus on my lips. A quiet moment passes while intelligence works behind his speckled eyes.
“No sorry. Mine.”
His mouth opens, revealing teeth sharper than any knife I’ve ever seen, and I flinch as he leans down. The movement loosens his hold on me, allowing me to inhale, filling my lungs with the raw power of his pheromones. A long, tapered tongue emerges from his mouth and strokes from my jaw to my hairline, leaving a trail of tingling wetness behind.
Cool relief seeps into my cuts, the tiny stings forgotten amongst my more severe pains. My chest stutters on my exhale before I suck in another delicious, dizzying breath.
Keeping me tucked to his chest with one arm, he lifts my forearm with his other palm, his terrifying talons bracketing my slim wrist.
The visual of his gnarled, gory claw cupping my delicate flesh sends tremors through my lust, the realization of our stark differences profound amidst my confusion.
His tongue grates over the gash created by his spike, licking from the tips of my fingers, down my palm, over my wrist, and all the way to the inside of my elbow. The same cooling effect sizzles into my nerves, and I gasp as the bleeding stops and the healing process begins before my very eyes. Not instantaneous, but exponentially faster than my natural capabilities, his saliva quickens my healing.
“No wait. Nest. Now.”
He settles me on my feet with an ominous growl, his warning in stark contrast to his unexpected gentleness. Gravity pulls on my breasts, the subtle bouncing too much in my frenzied state. A cramp almost sends me to my knees as wetness soaks my pants.
He keeps his stare pointed at me while he turns his thick body around, sweeping chunks of moss onto my sneakers with his tail before he stalks back to the edge of the clearing.