Verkiir had never heard a sound so sweet as that of his mate finally surrendering to him.

He knew she would eventually. She was his, and he was hers. It was only a matter of time before she knew that, too. But he'd never expected it to strike him so deeply. All it took was that "yes," and he felt like the pieces of his life were finally rearranging into perfect harmony. Pride swelled in him at having earned her trust; having earned the right to mate a worthy female. This was why Karuvar did everything they did. For this moment.

But he was not done proving himself to her. He intended to do that now, with every caress. As much as his body ached for her, he needed to show her what being his truly meant. He needed to show her that her happiness, her pleasure would always come first.

That didn't mean he wasn't impatient to do just that, though. The moment he felt her give in, her body melting against his, he took action. His hands came around her, cradling her body as he lay her down on the ground. She was exquisite, and she was all his now, but she was wearing far too much clothing.

Verkiir kissed her deeply, his tongue plunging into her mouth as he worked on the ties of her pants. Deft fingers tugged, but met only resistance, the fabric strings knotting tight. He growled against her lips and with another hard tug, he heard them snap.

Mei'gahn gasped but hardly protested. He could feel her arousal almost as keenly as he could feel his own, his cock throbbing in anticipation and pure need.

He reached for the waistband of her bands, lifting her easily with one hand as he yanked on the fabric with the other. A rip sliced through the sounds of their breathing, followed by his mate's breathy laugh. Verkiir shuddered, that sound sending the rest of his blood southward.

"Could you try to leave some of my clothing intact? I still have to wear it."

A wicked smirk tugged at Verkiir's lips even as that primal part of him snarled. He compromised between the two and said, "If it gets in my way, it will be destroyed."

Her eyes darkened, her tongue snaking out to trace her bottom lip. Verkiir took that as a request to continue, and he pulled her pants from her ample hips, easily tugging them off the rest of the way with no further tearing.

A low growl rumbled in his throat when he saw that he had not reached his goal. Another barrier of fabric stood in his way. She watched him, her chest heaving as she looked up at him from under her lashes, and Verkiir decided to simply indulge in another goal.

The covering she wore over her chest was thin and easy to pull from her. One tug upward, his hands skimming the soft, warm planes of her skin, and it was already halfway gone. She had only to lift her arms, and Verkiir was able to discard the article of clothing and feast upon his mate's beauty.

Except...

He let out a snarl, his long fingers curling under the strap of some awful harness. "Why do humans insist on wearing so much clothing?" he lamented.

His mate did not shy away from him. She recognized his frustration for what it was--a strong desire to make her his. And from the way she looked at him now, these obstacles were as infuriating to her as they were to him.

"That one you can ruin," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

He needed no further encouragement. Grasping the sides of the garment, he gave both an outward tug until the front of the harness snapped. Her breasts lay as they were meant to, soft and supple and inviting his touch. A low sound of approval thrummed in his throat and he cupped each, kneading and massaging.

He ducked his head, his hot breath playing across the tight peaks. She moaned softly, arching up against him, and Verkiir reached down to put a hand on her thigh, holding her in place. He would give her everything she needed. In time.

But for now, he was in charge, and instead of drawing one of her nipples into his mouth, he moved upward to her collarbone, tracing the prominent line of it with his teeth. She was soft and smooth, no scale plating protecting her. Verkiir had to remind himself to take care lest he mark her beyond the ways he already wished to.

The hand he'd placed firmly on her thigh moved up, finding the heat at her core. Even through the fabric he could feel how wet she was for him, his own body shuddering with need.

She tried to touch him, tried to reach for his hair or his face, but Verkiir pinned both of her hands above her head. Her eyes were like the molten core of the hottest planet, and she lifted up against him in challenge, but Verkiir was stronger.

He would give her what she wanted, but he would do it on his own terms.

Just as his hand moved inward, his fingers finding her sex, his mouth descended on hers. He kissed her hungrily, forcefully, drawing every ounce of that fire from her. She needed him. He could feel that in the way her teeth bruised his lips, the way she opened for him so easily and begged him to take her.

He drew back from the sweet heat of her mouth and took her flesh between his lips, tasting her skin as his teeth closed lightly around her nipple. Just the slightest tweak made her gasp, her back arching once more, her hips pressing against him. He flicked at the tightened peak with his tongue, coaxing it into an even harder bud, and gave the same attention to her other nipple until her chest was heaving and she was struggling for breath beneath him.

But a warrior did not relent in his conquest.

Verkiir finally released her hands to move down her body. He gripped the band of that last barrier of clothing and tore clean through it, eliciting a surprised little yelp followed by another breathy chuckle. The article was discarded, and Verkiir lowered himself to the ground, his arms wrapped around her thighs as he drew in the scent of her.

She was so incredibly intoxicating; a subtle, unique scent that made his cock harder than the finest Karuvar steel. He nuzzled against the soft, supple flesh of her inner thighs, feelings her muscles jump beneath him, wanting to carry that scent with him the next day and every day after that, so that every other Karuvar would know he belonged to this female and she belonged to him.

"My sweet mate," he rumbled.

"Verkiir..." It was a whimpered plea, and one he finally gave into, his mouth finding the folds of her sex.

She moaned loudly, that sounds filling his ears like the most beautiful music. He kissed her there as he had kissed her lips, his tongue tracing her slick folds before he thrust inside of her inviting cunt to taste the sweetest nectar.

She tried to buck against him, but he held her fast, reveling in every gasp and moan. He licked along her slit, intending to simply build the anticipation, but a curious thing happened when his tongue reached the apex of her sex.

Mei'gahn cried out, a sharp, keening sound, and when she tried to lift her hips toward him this time, she very nearly succeeded. He took in the beautiful sight before him, of her all-too-responsive flesh, and considered the jewel that was nestled above her cunt. He touched his tongue to it, his gaze flicking upward to observe his mate. Her mouth opened, her eyes were squeezed shut, and she moaned again.

"Please," she whimpered.

So Verkiir teased the little nub, feeling it grow firmer beneath his ministrations. He licked and suckled and gave her the attention she seemed to crave, knowing she was growing so close to her own peak.

But she did something that caught him off guard. She reached up and gripped his horns, her thumbs finding the sensitive base. Pure, hot need coursed through Verkiir's veins and he groaned, his own hips bucking in response.

His mischievous little mate seemed to understand this, and she stroked the velvety skin that married his horns to his skullplates, sending sharp tingles of pleasure through his body. Verkiir redoubled his own assault and won himself some respite when her climax hit her, her grip on his horns tight, but far less intentional than it had been as she gave into the rolling tide of pleasure that overtook her.

She had done enough, though. Just that one, simple touch had made him delirious with lust, and now all he could think about was claiming her.

Before she'd come down from her orgasm, Verkiir removed her hands from his horns, tore off his own pants, positioned the blunt head of his cock against her core, and buried himself inside of her with one hard thrust.

Mei'gahn cried out, her hands grasping at his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin. He thought she might need time to adjust to his girth, but it was Verkiir who needed that moment to collect himself, for she just felt so... right.

Her cunt squeezed around his cock as tight as a perfect sheath. He filled her completely and her body melded to his in a way he had never experienced before.

But lust and need caught up with him, making him a wild thing. Mei'gahn wrapped her legs around him, and that was all the signal he needed. He drew back and thrust into her hard, their bodies making the most delicious sound as his thighs met hers.

"God, yes," she moaned, undaunted as he quickly rose to a frantic pace, pounding into her.

He rose onto his knees, his hands gripping her thighs as he fucked her from a new angle, thrusting deep within her time and again, his cock sliding in and out of her tight, wet cunt. There was no better feeling than her body responding so completely to his, her nails biting into his skin, the whimpering sounds she made in between her moans as she tried to meet his thrusts.

"Fuck me," she begged. "Harder."

Verkiir's thighs burned as he fulfilled his mate's request and then some, her whole body jolting every time he buried himself inside of her. Pleasure and pride coursed through him when he saw her toss her head back, a near-scream of a moan tearing from her throat as her cunt clenched around him, squeezing him in time with the sweet rhythm of her climax.

He would have gladly kept this up forever, but the moment of claiming was drawing near. His balls felt heavy and tight, the ache in his body so close to being fulfilled.

Instinct took over as he withdrew from her, tolerating the separation just long enough to flip her onto her hands and knees, his hands gripping her thighs and drawing her to him.

"Mine," he snarled, his voice dripping with possession as he thrust deep inside of her one final time.

His cock jerked and Verkiir pressed his hips forward, keeping her locked to him as he filled her with his seed. A deep groan was pulled through him, along with every ounce of strength and energy that was left in his body.

When his climax finally ended, he climbed over top of her and nuzzled her neck, pulling her down to the ground with him. His mate--and she truly was his mate now, mind, body, and soul--snuggled against him, her body practically glowing with her contentment.

She was his. Fully and truly his.

And as soon as they found her sister, Verkiir could devote the rest of his life to his mate.