“Am I dreaming?” A low, husky voice tore her out of sleep.

Calexa sat bolt upright and stared into eyes of pure obsidian. “Am I dreaming?” She reached out and touched his face, tracing the striking black markings that ran down his cheeks.

He was sheer perfection. Sitting beside her in her cramped sleeping pod, he looked like some sort of wild, animalistic star-god; a purple-and-black fantasy constructed from her deepest desires.

His bare, muscular torso glistened in the dim light. Tousled midnight hair cascaded over his shoulders. His tail weaved back-and-forth in a way that was strangely sensual.

“Are you… Ares?”

“I am.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Long enough to watch you sleep and be satisfied that you have truly rested. You needed it.” He reached out and traced the scars across her cheekbones with velvet-padded thumbs. “You are truly beautiful, Calexa.” Impossibly, his black-as-infinity eyes widened. His lips moved, but he wasn’t talking. His gaze became distant. A look of disquiet crossed his face.

Something wasn’t right; something was off. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head and focused on her. “Nothing,” he whispered. “As long as I am here with you, nothing is wrong at all.”

A pleasant ripple ran down her spine. Her skin tingled all over. She couldn’t believe she was sitting in bed with the alien of her dreams.

Conflicted, overprotective, and dangerous.

Yep, that was her man.

Something warm and strong and supple slid across her bare back.

His tail. He caressed her with slow intensity, the warm, velvety surface of his tail sliding over the metal protrusions of her enhanced spine. “These are marks of suffering,” he murmured. “This, and this, and this.” His fingers grazed the scars on her cheeks. “Why did you mark yourself so? I have been wanting to ask. Now that we are alone and safe, I have so many questions.”

“Me too.” She placed her hand over his and gently pulled his fingers away from her face. She was no longer cold. Just as he’d taken her vir, she’d drawn on his energy as she lay with him, like a battery in a charging pod. “Nobody else dares to ask me about these, but if it’s you, it’s okay.”

“If you do not wish to—”

“No, it’s okay. For some reason, when I’m with you, I feel like I can tell you anything.” And you won’t judge me. He knew nothing about their world. He didn’t know about the social classes and the generation-debts and the way the Primeans had fucked over the human race. Every advanced species in the galaxy had fucked over the human race.

Being with Ares was liberating. She squeezed his hand. “I had a master once.” When the words finally came out, it wasn’t as painful as she’d thought it would be.

“You were owned?” A dark growl rose from deep within his throat. “What kind of world are you from, Calexa?”

“Have you heard of the Virgo Supercluster, aka the Fiveways?”

Ares shook his head blankly.

“In the Fiveways, slavery is part of life. That’s what happens when you throw together a bunch of alien races, some of whom are bigger, stronger, more intelligent, more technologically advanced, richer… Someone’s always going to be at the bottom of the food chain.” A bitter smile curved her lips. “That used to be me. One of my owners wanted to sell me to another. I was young and unmarked, and apparently that made me valuable, so I cut my face just to spite him. The punishment was horrendous, but it was worth it, because I ended up costing him a lot of credits, and nobody at the auction house wanted me after that. They always shun the crazy ones. Damaged goods don’t sell.”

“If I knew where to find him, I would inject him with my poison, using a little bit at a time so that he dies a slow and painful death.”

“That’s very sweet of you, but I took care of him myself. He’s already dead.” After years in captivity, she’d been a wild, savage beast. She wouldn’t have wanted Ares to know the old her.

A deep sound of satisfaction escaped Ares’s throat. “On Khira, you will never be owned.” He said it with brutal finality, as if her new existence on Khira was inevitable.

“Slavery exists here too, though, doesn’t it? The Naaga were bonded once, weren’t they?” She leaned into him, curling up against his warm body, allowing herself to be engulfed by his muscular arms.

Allowing. She never thought she’d allow anyone to get this close, but with Ares, it felt so natural; so right.

His earthy, masculine scent surrounded her, and she was content to drown in it. She removed her comm earpiece and flicked it to silent mode, setting it on her bedside storage tray. Raphael and the others could wait. The world outside could wait.

Ares gently stroked her cheek. “They are a made race. They were created to serve the Drakhin.”

“Made? That sounds awful.” A race that could just… create an entire species to serve their needs—it was beyond her comprehension. How monstrous, and to think Ares had momentarily become one of them. “And these Drakhin. What are they? How does a species get changed from one thing to another, and why do they have such a massive ship, and what is it doing there, and the ilverium, and…” She was babbling. Calexa closed her eyes and sighed, overwhelmed by a flood of thoughts.

Ares ran his magical tail along her back, kneading out knots she didn’t even know existed. The tension melted from her body and she molded herself to him, lapping up his warmth.

Stars, the things he could do with that talented tail of his. An afterthought struck her. “You’re poisonous?”

“All Hunters have a venom-barb. Our poison takes just moments to kill, but the barb itself takes days to regenerate.”

“And where do you hide this terrible thing?”

“The tip of my tail,” he shrugged. “Do not worry. It is retracted. There is no way I could ever hurt you, and over time, you will become immune. Immunity is a natural part of the mating cycle.”

Mating cycle?

The very thing that was making her feel so damn good could kill her in the blink of an eye. Vradhu biology was strange and interesting and dangerous. Why did there always have to be a catch to these things?

But when Ares said he wouldn’t hurt her, she believed him.

And… what? A mating cycle! He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“You presume a lot, Hunter.”

“Do I?” He raised an eyebrow archly as his sinful tail moved lower and lower, curling around her bare buttocks. “Then why are you naked with me?”

“B-because you’re warm?” Dumbfounded, she could only close her eyes and let the hypnotic rhythm of his caress lull her into a state of heady arousal.

His warm hands moved, walking slowly up her biometal spine, caressing the tender point at the base of her skull where the translator… thing had been inserted. His hands gently curved over her newly shorn scalp.

“Are you ready for this?” He paused, cupping her face in his hands, demanding her absolute attention.

Calexa stared into twin pools of endless darkness, her thoughts navigating a thorny path over old horrors and barely healed scars.

She looked deep within herself and searched amongst the ashes for a spark.

For what seemed like an eternity, neither of them spoke. There was only the soft rasp of their breathing and the distant hum of the ship and the steady, painful trickle of her thoughts.

And amongst the pain, she found the solace she needed, for the spark had already turned into an inferno.

I trust you.

“Yes,” she answered simply.

The last shreds of her hesitation melted away. Although Ares’s new face was young and free from the ravages of life, his eyes were windows to an old soul. He saw past her scars and toughness—all her attempts to hide the damaged heart inside—and appreciated her for what she was.

A human.

A survivor.

A woman.

She blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears before they even started.

She wasn’t having much success.

“Shh.” Her Vradhu pressed his lips against her cheek, gently kissing her tears. “I am here. There is no need to rush. I will never rush you… never force you.”

“I know,” she whispered, tilting his face back so she could get another good look at him. That’s what makes it so incredible.

He was an alien, a Hunter, a creature that had become so powerful he’d almost destroyed them all, and yet he hadn’t forced himself upon her.

He’d desperately needed her vir, and yet he’d held back, knowing how badly he could hurt her.

And now he was being so incredibly patient with her. It was the only approach that would work with someone like her. She acted tough, but deep, deep down inside, where she never let anybody reach, she was like a fucking scared little kitten.

Ares uncoiled his tail from around her body. He licked her tears with his warm, deft tongue. “We have all the time in the Universe. This Hunter isn’t going anywhere.”

Ares’s proud Vradhu face was completely open. His earnest black eyes shone with concern and affection. He radiated a strange combination of innocence and understanding that made her heart melt all over again.

Desire shot through her like a bullet.

Wordlessly, Calexa pressed her palms against his smooth, muscular chest, applying the slightest amount of pressure. Ares raised his eyebrows and leaned back.

Slowly, he lay down and allowed her to straddle him. With her thighs curving over his waist, she leaned forward, her hands still on his chest.

She felt the steady rhythm of his breathing, and lost herself in the slow, reassuring thud of his heartbeat.

A single heartbeat. Not two, like the Naaga.

One heartbeat. Hers and his.

His handsome face was perfectly serious. Large hands caressed her hips. Gentle thumbs traced small circles across her bare skin. Obsidian eyes drew her into his mysterious world, luring her in with the patience of a seasoned hunter.

He offered himself to her, laying himself bare. Calexa took in his violet and black splendor, hardly believing she had this fierce, powerful creature beneath her.

All to herself.

Her arousal grew naturally, wonderfully, unfurling like a blossoming flower. “I can’t believe you’re here.” Her voice turned husky with need.

“I am here,” Ares confirmed. “Tell me what you want, my human.”

Tell me what you want. Those simple words sent butterflies through her chest. Nobody had ever said anything like that to her before.

She’d never thought about it in great detail. She’d never been allowed. In the Fiveways, there was no room for such patience and grace.

“I-I want you.” She ran her fingers over the ridges of his chest, tracing them down rock-hard abs. All of a sudden, she felt shy and hesitant, like a teenage virgin about to get laid for the very first time.

“Will you let me take over?”

Mutely, she nodded. Arousal wound its way into her tender sex, making her ache with need.

“I know what you want,” Ares whispered. “Come with me now.” He took her hands into his and pulled her down. Pale human skin rubbed against warm Vradhu violet. A faint slick of sweat coated her bare torso. Her pert breasts molded to his chest. Ares ran strong hands down her back, curving them over her butt.

Powerful legs curled around her, and his lips met hers.

Her mind exploded into a million shimmering stars as his hungry, demanding mouth sought to know her. Lips of pure carnal sin sucked gently on hers. His tongue was insistent and relentless. She fell into mindless surrender.

Stars, what those lips could do…

She quivered. Warmth seeped between her legs. She began to move, slowly at first, moving her body up-and-down, rubbing her bare skin against his.

She liked the way it felt.

Something velvety-warm grazed her pussy. She gasped. Ares was holding her hands, so…

He didn’t give her much time to think about it. With his other hand—which was actually the clever, dextrous tip of his tail—he parted the velvet folds of her sex and gently stroked her. “Is this okay?”

“Mhmmm.” Held in thrall to his mesmerizing kisses, all she could do was moan.

She hadn’t realized the simple act of kissing could feel so good. With her eyes closed, Calexa gave up the last vestiges of her control. In the space of a few minutes, Ares had managed to unwind years of damage.

Desire.

Trust.

Surrender.

Impossible man.

He could do these things to her because he was Ares; fierce, intense, and utterly guileless.

He went deeper, caressing her slick, sensitive entrance. She was on fire. He angled his tail so part of it touched her clit.

“Mmmm.” Calexa moaned and ran her fingers through his wild, silken hair. She reluctantly escaped his kiss, gasping for air. “How is it that you’re so…” fucking good at this. “How is it that you just seem to know exactly what I want?”

“Hunters are natural observers,” he rumbled. “We see, hear, smell, feel, sense. You let me in. I’m just doing what your body tells me. You’re the one who’s in charge here, human.”

“Oh?” Somehow, she doubted that, and whatever witty repartee she’d been considering fell apart completely as Ares rubbed his soft and deadly tail against her throbbing clit, sending her to a place she’d never known before.

Holy hell, is this what it’s really like?

She’d heard the stories and thought they were exaggerations. Surely nothing in the Universe could feel that good.

But now she was here in his arms, moving closer and closer to a place that went beyond her wildest imaginings.

No male had ever cared about her pleasure before.

A wonderful tension was building in her core. Hunger. Deep, desperate need. Yearning.

Who knew these things could feel so damn sweet?

Her hips rocked back and forth in response to Ares’s sublime caress. “Don’t hold back anymore,” she groaned. For the first time in her life, she felt truly free.

“Are you sure?” His question was soft, tentative, hopeful.

“Beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

He growled. She opened her eyes. His expression stole her breath away, even as he held her on the edge of climax.

Fierce. He would never let her go.

The black markings on his face deepened, turning him into something truly mythical and otherworldly. The look in his eyes was pure possessiveness, laced with a hint of ecstasy.

He withdrew his tail, leaving her hanging. A powerful loop coiled around her waist and they turned, becoming a graceful tangle bodies and limbs.

Now he was on top.

He smiled, baring sharp silver canines. “You’re beautiful.”

“So are you.” As she throbbed with the afterglow of his attention, Calexa ran her hands down his body, appreciating his perfect new form. So impossible. He was younger, smoother, completely untouched by the ravages of life.

A test-tube perfect specimen.

All mine.

Ares tightened the loop around her waist and brought her against him. His cock strained against her lower belly, and she reached down, curving her fingers around his smooth, hard length. Her heart soared. “Technically, you’re a virgin.” She met his grin with an exuberant smile of her own.

“In the purest sense, I am. In our clan, it is rare for Hunters to mate.”

Ohh…

Calexa moved her hand up-and-down, eliciting a sharp gasp. Ares’s smile disappeared as he closed his eyes and shuddered. “Oh, Calexa.” Her name rolled off his tongue like water. He cupped her breasts, thumbing her pert nipples. “Even in my wildest dreams, I did not ever think I would be so fortunate.”

“I’m the lucky one. I didn’t think someone like you could exist.” She pumped harder, faster, eliciting a flash of silver teeth. “You’re perfect.”

“So are you.” He moved over her, planting slow, sensual kisses in the hollow of her neck, just above her collarbone. He ran the loop of his tail all over her body, caressing everything all at once. Powerful arms closed around her and he ran his hands down her spine until he reached her hips.

“I can’t hold back any longer,” he growled, and guided her toward him.

A low, tremulous moan escaped her lips as Ares entered her.

Slowly, he went deeper and deeper, drawing pleasure from places she didn’t even know about as he stretched her sensitive flesh.

She cried out, her soft voice melding with his deep, hoarse groan as their bodies joined and they discovered the sublime.

Together.

They moved as one, fucking slowly, powerfully, each responding to the other’s innate rhythm. Her hands were all over him, and he held her close, his powerful tail locked around her waist.

Awestruck, she let him take charge. He seemed to sense the change, because his movements became a little more savage.

Bit by bit, he built the intensity of his lovemaking, thrusting into her with more and more force, until something inside him broke, and he could hold back no longer.

He slammed into her with all the power of a celestial storm, fucking her long and hard and proper, and Calexa went with him, riding his Vradhu fury with reckless abandon.

His hands were everywhere. His damn tail was everywhere, all at once. Wrapped in a passionate cocoon of warm limbs and tender Vradhu, all she could do was go with the flow, and it felt so good and innocent and pure.

It felt right.

Ares tensed, gripping her more tightly as he increased his speed.

So close.

Such blissful torture. She’d never imagined this kind of sensation—this fine line between pleasure and desperation—could exist.

Crying out, Calexa dug her nails into his broad back. Her action drove Ares into a frenzy. He rose up onto his knees, bringing her with him, his firm grip on her waist never wavering. Her legs curled around his waist. Her arms locked around his neck. They kissed again, passionately, fervently, drowning in each other’s need.

“A-aah…” Steadying herself, Calexa pressed her palms flat against the roof of her sleeping pod. Her position defied gravity, but it didn’t matter. Ares would never let her fall.

“Tenashka,” he growled, and slammed home for the last time. Calexa arched her back, pleasure cascading through her body as he encircled her with his muscular arms.

She screamed.

A low, throaty sigh escaped Ares as he came, filling her with his warm seed. He continued to thrust his hips, drawing more and more of that impossible, blissful sensation out of her quivering core.

Her orgasm rose from deep within. She lost her grip on the ceiling, lost her bearing on reality. All she knew was Ares; his scent, his warmth, his touch, his essence.

Twined with hers.

Blowing her mind.

Taking her beyond ecstasy.

How could anything feel this fucking good?

“Urrgh…” Her growl of pleasure was raw and primal. It crescendoed into a wild, heaving gasp as she ran her hands through Ares’s hair, looking for an anchor point.

Her universe shattered into a billion fragments as the climax tore her apart…

And made her whole again, at last.