The female's struggle to not answer was an unbelievably enticing sight.

Most importantly because it said "Yes" louder than she ever could, not that Ragnar wasn't looking forward to the opportunity to prove that expectation wrong.

The harbinger's cock stirred, growing harder faster than he'd expected. It pressed painfully against his pants as Ragnar looked at his fated.

Selena looked hot enough to burn, in more ways than one. The look in her eyes was a pure firestorm, for one. She was breathing heavily, making the short shirt she was wearing rise and fall, exposing her bare legs to him an inch more every time. Ragnar wouldn't have been surprised if the female simply exploded from the anger that clearly raged in her.

She was hot to look at, too. With the shirt being little more than a very short dress, the harbinger had a generous view of her long legs, as much as Selena tried to hide from his sight. Ragnar had already seen her much more exposed than at that moment, but there was something about the way she hid that made him want her all the more.

"Ugh –" Selena began, so mad she could only hiss.

"Is that some Terran word I'm not familiar with?" Ragnar asked, wondering why he was taking such trouble to upset his fated.

It probably had something to do with the fact she looked absolutely gorgeous when mad.

"It's not," Selena snapped, anger giving her courage she hadn't had the day before. "I can't believe you. Did you set me up? Did you really just lure me into the bathroom to spy on me!?"

She was positively fuming. Ragnar briefly considered lying to her, loving the way her cheeks were flushed red with embarrassment, but decided against it. The female was his fated. Lying was not part of that deal.

"No," he said. "I didn't spy on you. I wasn't even aware you'd moved the wall before I heard you. The glass is a mirror on my side. It's solid, but not soundproof."

Selena stared at him.

"I don't believe you," she finally said.

"It's the truth," Ragnar replied, shrugging.

"No, I don't believe you wouldn't say something when you heard me –" Selena didn't finish that sentence.

The blush on her cheeks deepened and Ragnar's smirk spread a little wider.

"It's just as bad as spying," she finished, rushing behind the table and sitting before Ragnar could say anything else.

"You haven't answered my question," Ragnar went on, watching on as Selena hastily assembled a platter for herself and began to eat like it was her last meal ever.

"I don't think I will be answering anything, no," Selena said, still terse. "I don't even know which question you mean."

"The first one," Ragnar said, not taking his eyes off his fated. "Did you think of me when you touched yourself? Did you imagine my cock in your tight pussy, fucking you until you begged me for more?"

Selena choked on her food. She had to put the platter down with shaking hands and slap herself on the chest several times before she could speak again.

"No," the female said firmly, but the lie was obvious in her shaking voice. "Absolutely not! You are so unbelievably arrogant –"

"That's interesting," Ragnar continued. "Because I'm certain I heard my name. It didn't sound like you were saying it with reluctance, either. Quite the opposite."

Selena was speechless. Her beautiful blue eyes were glaring daggers at him, though. It did not quench the desire flaring to life within him. It only added more fuel to it.

"It's not fair that you heard me," Selena finally said. "I thought I was in private."

"I didn't ask if it was fair," Ragnar said, setting his cup on the table. "I asked if you were imagining me there with you. I could have come over there. The door doesn't lock, after all. Would you have told me no, if I had?"

Selena's silence spoke volumes. The pause lasted too long before she said:

"Of course. I don't want you. Not really. It was a.... a mistake. Mistake that it happened and a mistake that you heard it. It sure as hell won't happen again, I can promise that. I don't want anything to do with –"

The words got stuck in the female's throat as Ragnar moved over to her, rounding the corner to her side. Selena tried to move away, but he caught her hand, pulling her into his arms.

His fated tried to push him away. Her hands pressed against his chest, but the harbinger didn't budge, holding Selena in his embrace at last.

"Hearing you sound like that," he growled, "it was the sexiest thing I've ever heard. It took me every ounce of self-control not to come and claim you like you wanted."

"I did not want that," Selena stated firmly, but the lie was more for her own benefit than his.

"And this?" Ragnar asked.

He didn't give Selena time to reply before he pressed his lips to hers. A whimper escaped Selena's mouth and her first reaction was to tense up like she'd been paralyzed. Only her lips were soft and warm and sweet. Ragnar didn't think he could ever tire of kissing her, tasting his fated, feeling her squirm against him.

There was no doubt about it. She was writhing to get closer to him, not away.

When she parted her lips, Ragnar pushed his tongue into her mouth, exploring every inch of her. Selena moaned quietly, her hands tugging at his shoulders now. The harbinger deepened the kiss until there was no him anymore. There was only the bond between them, crackling and throwing sparks.

He had never kissed anyone like Selena. Every little thing she did was perfect. Every movement was natural, like they were made for kissing each other.

In the end, they didn't part before they had to break for air. The look on Selena's face was shocked and wary, but Ragnar saw the glint of desire in her blue eyes.

He pushed his hand up her soft thigh, under her shirt. His fingers brushed against the hem of her panties, tugging at them.

"No," Selena cried, finally waking from the daze she seemed to be in.

Ragnar frowned. The desire was there, he could sense it. Selena wanted him and the bond between them was so real he could almost see it.

"I told you," he said, holding Selena when she began to struggle. "You are my fated."

"Let go of me," Selena shouted, pushing harder this time.

That wasn't right.

Nayanors didn't have nigh supernatural senses like Brions – the most powerful warrior species in the Galactic Union – boasted. It was said that Brions could hear feathers drop and the pulses of their enemies. They also smelled desire and fear and treachery.

Ragnar didn't possess powers like that, but all Nayanor warriors had exceptional senses and situational awareness. He wasn't mistaken. Selena wanted him, but something was changing in the room so fast he couldn't keep track of it.

"If you want play rough, so be it," he said, wondering why he hadn't gotten the same feeling from Selena before.

His hand moved to grope Selena's ass. Her hand flew through the air, slapping him as hard as she could.

"LET GO OF ME!"

Time itself seemed to stand still for a moment.

The look in Selena's eyes was pure, chaotic terror now. The fire that had burned in her blue eyes was dead. She was shaking from head to toe, her tiny fists beating at his chest. The harbinger barely registered.

He felt numb.

Selena slipped out of his embrace the moment he let go. She dashed to her feet, bolting for the door. Her shirt was caught, exposing her ass to him, delicious in the dark red panties she wore, but neither one of them seemed to care much at that point.

The female halted at the door like she'd been trapped by an invisible cord. For a long second, she stood there, panting, her back turned to him.

Then she turned. A shot of pain pierced Ragnar's heart as he saw big, hopeless tears running down her cheeks.

"I'm not trying to be playful!" she yelled at him, her voice so broken she could barely say the words. "I don't want to play rough! I don't want to play at all! I've suffered through one man who thought he could do anything to me because he was stronger! It took me so long to break free and I'm not doing it again!

“Do you hear me? I won't let you hurt me like he did!"

Selena's gaze was wild as she stared at him, still sitting on the floor where he'd sat before, looking at her wordlessly. It felt like every word she spoke was a blow to his chest.

"You say you saved me from him," Selena whispered angrily. "Saved me. Do you understand how insane that sounds? You're just as bad as he was! You're worse because you think you have some gods-given claim to me!"

She couldn't say anything else. Harsh, deep sobs took her and Selena stumbled away from his sight. Ragnar could still hear her, though.

He never wanted to see his fated like that again, hear her sound like she'd been broken for good.

Most importantly, the harbinger never wanted to be the cause of that.

He sat alone for a long time, thinking. In the other room, Ragnar could hear Selena hurting as badly as he was.