Josie had plenty of time to contemplate where her life was headed as she made the solo trek back to the encampment after leaving the first group of children with their joyous parents. Where would she be as the sun was setting if she had never left Earth? Depending on the day she might be attending a fundraiser for her research, having drinks with a colleague, or curling up in her apartment to binge watch her favorite show. It astonished her to realize she had no clue as to what day of the week it was. Here, days didn't matter. You did whatever was necessary on any given day without a preset agenda. Who was she kidding, anyway? If she was on Earth, she would probably be ignoring invitations as usual and working in the lab. Her parents were dead. She didn't have siblings, and her friends would be working in the same lab, entranced by the next possible breakthrough.

Then, there was her relationship with Maxxus. According to him, it was more than a relationship. They were mated for life, due to the words he had demanded she repeat as they made love. Was it love or just lust? That was easy to answer. It was definitely love. She wouldn't do the things she had if it wasn't love. Had she counted on becoming his mate, the equivalent of marriage back home? Not really, especially not so soon or under sexual circumstances. Yet, she hadn't ever felt such an emotional and physical connection with anyone, not that she had been with a lot of men. Her dating life was pitiful and seldom went further than dinner. Was she ready for this lifetime commitment? She’d better be. Not only would Maxxus hold her to it, but she was most likely carrying his child. Once he discovered that, all bets were off. He would become the high handed, stubborn man she had met over the COM link. Would he force her to stop her work and be a mother and a queen? Let him try. She would fight him for her freedom, baby or not. For now, she wasn't ready to tell him that it was a possibility. Some things were meant to be held close until it became impossible to hide, so you avoided arguments.

Her ruminations fled upon spying the revelations in the light of the campfire. Maxxus, her noble, standoffish mate, nestled an infant on his chest. A little girl rested her head on his knee, and the rest were enraptured by whatever tale he was spinning. Her heart bumped against her chest, repeating with its beats, "Forever mine." Their eyes met, and she saw her own feelings of need reflected back.

What was intended to be their first night together in the palace was spent mostly apart, with brief meetings in between shuffling the children into the city. It was midmorning of the following day before they were done. Maxxus sent for all of Josie's personal belongings and had them placed in his quarters while he attended to other business. It was afternoon when he finally stepped into his bedroom in search of Josie. She was there, spread across his huge bed, wearing only her undergarments and sleeping. His body hardened at seeing his dreams come to fruition. He ached to christen their commitment in this bed, but his heart would not allow it. The dark circles under her eyes and the fact that she had not dressed in sleepwear spoke of how tired she was. He chose to set aside his desire. Instead, he removed his clothes, climbed in next to her, and pulled her against him, letting sleep overcome him as well.

It was hot, Josie decided as she awoke. Unlike her rooms in the spaceship where she stayed bundled in blankets to keep the chill at bay, Maxxus's quarters were stifling. A shower under the cold waters from the falls would fix it. It would have to be a short one, her first in three days, due to the need to conserve water. She'd been washing off with a basin half-filled with bottled water to prevent smelling bad. A sixty-second shower would be heaven. Good grief, these covers were heavy. It was no wonder she was so hot. Shoving at them, she finally cleared her head of its numbness and realized there were no covers or heat. Maxxus was wrapped around her, and it was his bare skin that emitted the warmth. His arm and leg weighed her down. She couldn't lift either of them. She felt trapped, and for an instant, she panicked. The heat was too much, and she was nauseous. She had to get up, right now! Ordering herself to calm down, this was Maxxus, not some kidnapper, she slowed her breathing and wiggled out from under his embrace. He continued sleeping as she ran to the bathroom. Bile rose from her empty stomach, and she threw up, heaving painfully. She rinsed her mouth and spoke softly as she rubbed her abdomen, "You're real, aren't you? Once, just once, and we made you. This is ridiculous. Things like this don't happen to me. One minute I'm working in my lab on Earth and the next I'm mated, pregnant, and trying to save an alien planet. Is this a nightmare or a dream come true? Be good, little one. Don't make me sick in front of your father yet. I need time to come to terms with this alone and fix your home world: our home world."

"Who are you talking to?" Maxxus called out.

"Just muttering to myself," Josie lied.

He came to the doorway, in all his naked glory. Nudity didn't seem to phase him. Why should it? He was astonishingly gorgeous: all hard muscles and angles. "I wanted to wake you up myself," he declared. "We missed out on our honeymoon night; that is what you humans call it, right? I was going to make it up to you."

Josie smiled, her nausea abated by his charming way of trying to use words that were foreign to him. He was making an effort to show her he could be adaptable. It was cute and made her love him even more. "You can still make it up to me," she replied. "Then, we can shower together, saving more water. Do we have time, or must we hurry back to work?"

"We need to nurture us, or we will fail at our task. As mates, or as king and queen, we need to act as one. To do that, we should learn all there is to know about each other. No secrets, lies, or conflict can come between us. Making love is the fun part," he seemed to tease."

Guilt stabbed Josie in the heart. No secrets or lies? She'd tell him everything, eventually. There was time. She wasn't going anywhere.

She didn't protest when he lifted her up and took her back to bed, where he promptly divested her of what little she was wearing. His chamber wasn't dark like the cave had been. As his eyes roamed her body, she wondered if he saw the flaws she always did. There were scars, from having her appendix removed and a burn on her thigh from spilling a science concoction as a child. Did he notice that her hips were an inch too wide and her breasts a size smaller than she would've liked? Could he somehow see through her skin, and see the child she was carrying?

His eyes darkened as they always did when his desire rose. He spoke one word that cleared away her doubts. "Perfect." That was all it took to release her from her own self-condemning thoughts. She loved the way he looked at her as if she was a match for his magnificence. It gave her courage to let out the seductress inside. Watching him carefully, she ran a finger down her own chest and circled her breasts, one at a time. His eyes followed. Daringly, she licked the finger and spread the wetness on her nipples. He moaned, his heavy member now at full attention. She arched an eyebrow and taunted him further, slowly sliding her finger down into the curls at the apex of her thighs. Maxxus growled, lunged forward, and wrangled her onto her back.

"You are driving me crazy," he said through gritted teeth. "I want all of you for myself."

"Only if you let me have all of you to do with as I please," Josie retorted.

"If it brings us pleasure, I will oblige," Maxxus swore. Their lips met in a fiery kiss, branding her as his mate. He did not linger there, moving down to her breasts and suckling. They were tender, but she liked the attention too much to complain. As he moved lower, she prepared for the hot air he had blown on her core that night in the cave. It had sent her into ecstasy. The anticipation was immense, as his hands smoothed over her thighs and his lips kissed the burn scar. He teased her, refusing to touch where her need was greatest. Hands and lips told her what words could not, that Maxxus found her beautiful and intoxicating despite her imagined flaws. He loved her like no one else could. Knowing every detail of her past wouldn't change things, although it might allow him to understand her better, perhaps lose some of his distrust, and that went both ways. She loved him, and nothing he said or did would erase it.

She widened her legs, growing restless with need. She wanted his hot breath to release the tension, but he didn't give it. His intentions were for something more exhilarating. His burning, wet tongue delved into her soaked center, tasting her juices as she bucked upward begging for more. The orgasm rocked her senses, and still, he continued, bringing her down slowly with nibbles and kisses. She was limp and pliable when he returned his mouth to hers, letting her sample the flavor of her own nectar. His full, throbbing member fell between her legs, nudging to get inside. Josie stuck her hand in the way. She was having none of that. He had sworn to oblige her, giving all of himself over to her ministrations, and now was the time for him to make good on it.

"You're going to like this," she told him. "What's good for the goose is good for the gander. You may not know what that means, but I'll show you. Turn over and let me go."

Maxxus did as she commanded. Taking orders from her was not as difficult as he had thought it would be, but he would never admit it to her. Following his example, she kissed him, then moved on. His nipples fit between her teeth perfectly, so she nibbled on them enough to summon a grunt of pain, then soothed it away with a swirl of her tongue. Next, she shimmied down licking her way across his six-pack. Her thumbs probed the soft area where his legs met his thighs, teasing and taunting, yet never touching his hardness. Involuntarily, his legs widened, seeking her warm hands. Rather than grasping his member, she chose to palm the globes beneath. Maxxus hissed, pleasure gripping him. Josie was taking liberties he had never allowed anyone else, declaring her love and ownership silently. To his delight and everlasting gratitude, her small, soft hands encircled the engorgement, sliding up and down its silky sheath. His eyes closed, and he relished the building tension until, unexpectedly, her lips covered him. He screamed, and the salty, hot liquid pumped into her mouth. She drank as he thrashed, beating the bed with clenched fists.

Suddenly, he rose up and flung her off. "You have awakened the beast, and I cannot control it completely," he growled. Indeed, his skin was rough and a hazy black, the dragon fighting to get out. His pupils had changed shape, and his hands were slightly curled. "You are mine," he said, joining their bodies. Josie was stretched to her limit with his, shockingly, still rock-hard sword. He pounded so fast the friction sent her over in an instant, and then he filled her with his seed, though how he had any left, she didn't know. It was explosive and all-consuming. That two people could survive it was amazing.

Maxxus went limp, his full weight shoving her body deep into the bed. Her lungs wouldn't inflate, and she was close to passing out when he jerked and rolled over. "How bad did I hurt you?" he asked, running his hands over her as if looking for injuries. "I tried, I really did. It was me who took you, not the beast. I would die before I let it have you, but I could not stop some of its traits from appearing. You took me by surprise. I have never been loved in such a manner or so lost in rapture. I lost consciousness for a moment. I am sorry. It will not happen again."

"I'm okay, though you are very heavy," she replied, trying to make a joke and assuage his regret. "Please, don't say it won't happen again. That was the most intense, unforgettable moment in my life. You made me feel beautiful, loved, and desirable. I don't regret it, and neither should you. What occurs in this room is for us to cherish. If we're okay with it, then that's all that matters. You wouldn't hurt me. I know that. Even in complete weredragon form you've always been gentle."

"That is the problem," Maxxus explained. "As a man, I am fully aware of what I am doing and in complete control. As a weredragon, it is the same. But, in between is different. When both are battling to be here, I lose part of myself. It is highly possible to harm others at that time. I managed to stay. I was not easy."

"I won't provoke you again. I only wanted to give you the same pleasure you extended to me and show you how much you're loved," Josie replied.

"It was wonderful, and I would like you to do it often. It will never be such a surprise again, now that I am aware you are willing to perform such a thing. I will keep the beast tamed."

"In the cave, you shot dragon fire. Wasn't that the beast trying to take over?"

"No, Josie. That was me calling forth the flames. I learned to do that as a release, tamping down the weredragon inside. It did not rear its head. I normally have far more control than I did just now. It was a strong love and desire that overwhelmed the beast. Now that I know how it feels, I can contain it. Acer must not have ever felt such love or he would have warned me and taught me how to control it. This is something I can teach my child. should we ever share one."

Josie bit her lip to hold back the secret. Now was not the time to reveal it. She was ashamed that she felt the need to keep it. The truth was that this was all too much too fast.