Instead of taking Inez through the vast halls of his home where she’d be gawked at, Varyk led her toward the platform balcony off of the bedroom. As soon as he opened the glass doors, the fresh breeze whipped inside, taking the rich scent of her arousal with it. Varyk’s steps slowed but Inez walked through.

Ahead of him, her round ass perfect for grabbing teased with each stride. Long, black waves swayed about her shoulders, the curled ends taunting him with every bounce. Unfamiliar regret nagged at his conscious. Once they resolved the problem of Larz and returned Rylin’s unborn, Inez would be gone. Varyk wished he’d had the forethought to warn his household staff not to change the bedding in the guest room then he could have swapped it with his own and at least slept tangled about her fragrance.

His cock throbbed, the minor twinge of pain demanding he satisfy himself with her once more. They didn’t have time though. No time for him to lead her back into the room where he’d join her instead of returning to his own. No time for him to slide into her warm sheath and show her his true appetite without the influence of drugs.

Varyk could let go with Inez. Free his true dominant nature without worry she’d flee or cringe. Inez didn’t fear him. She didn’t bow to him or give him the automatic obedience he’d grown used to.

Was that the attraction? If he kept telling himself it was that simple, Varyk could move beyond the inconsolable hunger. His gaze settled on her retreating figure.

Maybe a kiss. One small kiss to ease this growing obsession for a female with challenge in her eyes and knowledge in her smile.

His essence rose and combined with the power of the mantle to fill him. He felt completely revitalized, no trace of the poison left.

The ends of her hair lifted then settled about her shoulders. Dressed completely in black, the colors of a male he didn’t like and desire still compelled him to reach out and touch. To take what he wanted to command.

Inez glanced over her shoulder and her lips parted in surprise. Snagging his arm about her waist, Varyk jerked her toward him. Her body flowed with the movement and her hands fluttered before landing on his shoulders.

“A kiss. One kiss,” he said to the silent question in her eyes.

Varyk expected protest, but she softened against him, sliding her hands up into his hair and rocked her hips on the obvious hardness between his thighs. It was all the agreement he needed. Varyk took her mouth with pent up frustration and the longing which had built through the night.

Sweet, slightly damp, but giving, her lips pillowed his. His mouth moved over hers, tasting, teasing. His hands eased beneath her shirt and up the sweet curve of her spine. Her skin was like the softest of cloth. Inez returned the caress, except her fingers paused on the visible sign of the mantle. Light brushes grazed the row of defined scales trailing up the center of his back and ending at his nape.

Varyk moaned, unable to leash the sound. The section of skin also acted as an erogenous zone. He palmed the back of her head with one hand and flattened the other at the middle of her back. It allowed him to deepen the contact.

Hunger exploded, taking the simple kiss to another level. As she smoothed her hand up and down, Varyk nipped at her bottom lip then buried his face in her neck, taking in her enticing aroma.

She eased away as her lashes lifted to reveal glazed eyes. “Varyk, what are we doing?”

He had no idea. All he knew was that his essence stirred in her presence, his need for her blatant and without reason.

Because he didn’t know what to say, Varyk took her lips again. His tongue glided into her moist opening in welcome, fingers tangling in the strands of her hair. Inez cried out and arched more, the bite of her nails on the mantle driving him higher.

“Oh, Varyk.” The murmur feathered across his mouth as he bit down on her bottom lip.

He swallowed the next sounds she made, reveling in how hot she got him. He pumped his hips, wanting to tear the clothes from her body and splay her before him. He’d feast on her, starting with the juicy folds between her thighs as he worked his way up and sucked her pouty nipples. Not once would he relieve the ache until she reached the point of begging, then he’d satisfied them both.

Inez moved her hands and gripped the ends of his hair. “Varyk, yes. Varyk.”

Varyk’s connection to the mantle heaved violently. Instinct had him reaching out to check even as he spread reassurance to those who took notice of the disturbance on the mental plane.

Larz. Hazy images and muddled thoughts dipped about but all of it pointed to danger. A red overlay of rage twisted about and Varyk worked harder to calm his sect.

“What is it?” Inez lost her slumberous look, attuned to his slightest change.

She would make a worthy lira, an admirable mate at his side. If he sought one. Which he didn’t. “Larz has done something, but I can’t see it clearly.”

More violent emotions poured into Varyk through the mantle. He tried to contain it, but as fast as he blocked pathways more poured in and members of the Green startled before funneling their strength into him.

Varyk lost his hold on Inez as he stumbled back under the deluge of mixed input. He dropped to one knee under the onslaught.

“Varyk? Tell me how to help you.” Inez’s hand touched his shoulder. Varyk reached up and gripped her wrist tight, needing some tangible to cling to.

The physical link to another grounded him. The knot building in his chest loosened. Inez’s other hand stroked through his hair. Once. Twice. “Take whatever time you need, Varyk.”

She had to realize he battled for stability under the strain of the mantle. Perhaps she’d witnessed something similar with her cousin. It didn’t matter. She alleviated the bulging pressure in his head and chest with her touch alone. He clung hard to the small mercy.

Slowly, Varyk breathed through the torment, eyes closed. Amidst the confusion, he pinged on Larz’s location and straightened. His next words were spoken through gritted teeth as he relaxed his hold on Inez. “We have to go.”

The words of thanks stuck in his throat unspoken. Inez studied him with a bemused look. Once she satisfied herself with whatever she searched for in his gaze, she nodded.

Growling because his own feelings were in a muck, Varyk summoned his Dracol half and shifted. When he reached to pick up Inez, she shook her head and grasped at his elbow joints. He tensed as she placed her feet on his front forearm and climbed until she was seated, legs about his neck and hands on his neck nodules to secure her place.

Varyk hesitated and growled again. He didn’t let anyone ride him. The intimate position implied trust because the scales at his throat were thinner and vulnerable to the sharp edge of a blade.

As if sensing his discomfort, Inez leaned forward. “Argue next time.”

Would there be a next time? Varyk leaped over the edge of the platform and flapped his wings, taking flight.

Part of him hoped so, while the other part fervently hoped not.

 

***

 

Surprised at her boldness, Inez held tight as Varyk flew at a speed which didn’t take into consideration her precarious seat. She thought he’d protest her positioning but again Varyk showed he wasn’t always as set and stubborn as he portrayed.

She wasn’t sure what had happened to him during their kiss, but she remembered enough lessons about the mantle of leadership to see how he struggled to contain the force of energy held within his body. Being King wasn’t always as smooth a walk as many assumed.

Even if Rylin wasn’t family, Inez sensed his daily fight to contain such a large quantity of power. The enormity of it was difficult to grasp but not hard to believe. An entire sect reliant on the strength housed in one male. It was bound to have repercussions and Inez firmly believed she’d just witnessed one.

The connection of the mantle bound Varyk to his people. Surely everything with Larz was tearing at the fiber of his being. She’d reached out to touch him on instinct, her goal only to soothe his evident pain.

Inez pressed her face to his skin, loving the rasp of scales against her. As a male on two legs he swaggered, arrogance and cocky attitude surrounding him. The thin veneer of civility kept him from being truly frightening, but beneath it all one had only to stare into his eyes to see his true measure. Dangerous.

In this form, he was rough and intimidating. Dark smooth green skin overlaid with shimmering scales and muscles, which bunched as he flew. Between her thighs she sensed his power, a never ending well of strength.

Most Dracol carried themselves with the manners of a predator. Tempers flared and fights often included claws and razor sharp teeth. The displays were riveting and Inez admitted to watching a minor skirmish or two, enjoying the sight of battling males raw and gritty.

Winners of those fights went home with the female of their choice. Not that Inez blamed any of them. Fire and blood was a part of them. In their nature. Resisting was a waste.

Which begged the question why she currently felt the pull of the Green King yet dug her heels in. The kiss they’d shared moments before had been unexpected, but she’d lit up like a night time sky during a storm. On the flip side, she’d felt closer to him with her hand on his shoulder and stroking his hair. It had felt like the two of them were contained in a circle of intimacy.

Rylin reached for her along the mantle of the Black, disrupting Inez’s thoughts. He made no attempt to disguise his fear and worry. Inez hated that her cousin suffered. Shouting to be heard over the wind, she had to let Varyk know. “Varyk! Rylin grows impatient. We have to find Larz.”

The vibrations from his chest rolled up her legs and Varyk’s head tipped back in acknowledgement before he spewed a stream of thick green vapor. Inez held her breath, fear causing her to clutch him tight.

He rumbled, the sound deep in Dracol form, a lower register than she was used to. Her traitorous body responded with a lightning sharp bolt of desire.

Bending low over his neck, she prayed to the Goddess of Fate they’d find Larz and little Finley. As Varyk folded back his wings and dove toward a copse of trees, Inez locked her legs and arms as much as she could about him. One minute she prepared for impact and the next they were on land. Her body went weightless before Varyk caught her about the waist as he shifted. He set her down then waited until she was steady before releasing her with a soft stroke on the curve of her hip.

Inez couldn’t help staring. Not even Rylin could manage a transition that fast and smooth. Varyk smirked then dressed himself in a familiar green loincloth that left the rest of him bare.

“Why are we stopping?”

Frustration flashed then doused in a minute. “Larz is blocking the mantle again. I lost track of him.”

“How is that possible?” she asked, disbelief coloring her question. “What exactly is going on here?”

Too many things weren’t adding up and Inez worried they were missing some key element in this whole debacle.

Varyk shook his head. “I’m not sure. He shouldn’t be able to avoid our connection. I’m always able to sense my people along the mantle. Time after time it’s as if he shuts down the link.”

This was way to reminiscent of what happened to Rylin months ago. Inez rubbed her hands up her arms. The urge to push through and scour the jungle for the shell was hard to resist, but logically Larz could hide and avoid them easily unless they were smart about this. “What do you suggest?”

Surprise flickered and Varyk’s shoulders eased. “You may not be pleased, but I’m going to suggest I return you home until we have further information or better means of getting to Larz. This back and forth chase gives him the advantage. It doesn’t sit well with me. I also don’t want to jeopardize the unborn child of the Black.”

Inez’s initial reaction was to decline. Adamantly. But what good would it do them to search aimlessly? She nodded. “I’m going to agree with you though it goes against my wishes. You know your male better than I and anything which might prove a risk isn’t worth it.”

Varyk grinned as he extended his hand to clasp with hers. “It is not often I find myself in agreement with one of your sect. Take note.”

Inez wanted to shake her head and laugh. In a flash, he had her back home. “The moment I hear or know something, I will return for you.”

Inez eyed him boldly. The rigid lines of his body spoke to his desire to be gone. The thought crossed her mind that he’d continue the hunt without her, but watching him now, she sensed he meant what he said.

Which brought to the forefront another matter. Her breath came faster from the question hovering at the back of her mind. So much had happened in a short window of time. But she had to ask. “And the other? Are we tabling that discussion?”

Varyk returned her stare, his gold gaze darkening. “It is done. Your help in the situation was greatly appreciated.”

So they weren’t addressing the sex or the continued hum of desire. Inez swallowed but refrained from fidgeting. If he wanted to walk away from the possibility of them she wouldn’t beg. “And the search? Your promise.”

“I promise I will notify you when I have a lock on Larz.” He inclined his head and ported out.