Chapter Six

Ragnar

His wolf’s snarl woke him. He sat up in bed, baring his teeth as he sought out the danger. Lights from a sensor cast a dim glow over the inside of the cabin. Nothing was amiss. The door he’d wrenched into position earlier and jammed with a metal bar still stood closed against the Dorannan nighttime threats.

He heard movement outside, animals, no doubt, circling the ship, sniffing and scuffling. They smelled him and the girl. They’d love nothing better than to find a way inside to attack and devour them. Ragnar gave a low growl. The rumble started deep in his chest, growing in volume.

Outside, an animal whimpered and fled, crashing through the underbrush. When the sound faded, Ragnar waited for something else to alert him to whatever danger had aroused his wolf.

His wolf stirred restlessly. The girl is in danger…

He rose from his bed, crossed the cabin and stopped at the side of the cell. She lay on the bench, shivering in her sleep. Maybe it was the light in the cabin, but it seemed she had a bluish hue to her skin.

Help her…

He scrubbed a hand over his face, groaning. “She’s a lot of trouble. Disrespectful. Argumentative. She can’t be my mate. It’s impossible.”

His wolf didn’t reply, but Ragnar knew if he wanted to sleep any more, he’d have to do as his wolf demanded. He unlocked the cell door, letting it swing open. The clang of the door hitting the bars woke her instantly.

She sat up, her eyes wide with terror. “Please…”

He growled, closed the distance between them and lifted her in his arms. She made no sound, but flailed her arms and kicked, trying to free herself. Restraining her was no more difficult than restraining a small, outraged kitten. Still, as with a kitten, he was aware of her teeth and nails. To her credit, she didn’t try to hurt him. She only tried to escape.

“You’re cold,” he said gruffly, carrying her back to the bed.

He set her down, but the moment she hit the bedding, she shot to the other side, scrambling away from him. She regained her feet and retreated. Backing away, she shook her head.

“I’m not c-cold.”

A low, rumble came from his chest.

The light, stronger on this side of the cabin, showed a deeper shade of blue than when she’d been in the cell. Tiny bumps covered her skin. Her breasts jutted against her shirt. In the shadows, he thought he glimpsed the tight peak of her nipple. His wolf snarled. The hell…

She jerked her arms up to cover herself. “I promise you, Ragnar. I’m not what you’re looking for.”

He winced. “Gods. I know that.”

Despite her bravado, her trembling had become more pronounced. Her whole body shook with cold.

He stood across the bed from her, unsure if her glare angered him or amused him. This was a girl unused to taking commands, or maybe just unused to taking commands from men. Her teeth began to chatter. The noise bothered him more than he would have imagined.

“Get in the bed,” he snapped.

“With you?” Her voice brimmed with outrage.

“With me.”

“I sleep alone.”

“I’ll bet.”

She smirked. “I’m sure you wouldn’t know what I mean by that. I’ve heard about the appetites of Jaegarians.”

She might think she knew about the appetites of Jaegarian men, but a little wisp of a female like Natasha couldn’t begin to imagine. Men on his planet were insatiable, until they found their mate. But for men of the ruling family, shifters like Ragnar and his brothers, the drive to find their mate superseded all other drives.

Other women were a distraction, drawing them from their primal task of finding The One. Not only had he never had sex, he’d never held a woman in his arms. For some reason he wanted, no needed, to hold this little troublesome female. He craved her in a way that was unlike anything he’d ever known.

“I sleep alone, too,” he said. “You think I want something from you? I don’t. If I did, Natasha, it would already be mine.”

Her arrogant smile faded. The clicking of her teeth grew louder with either fear or cold or a combination of the two.

“Get in the bed.”

She darted away, heading toward the ship’s door. What she thought she would do there, he couldn’t imagine, but the idea that she might venture out of the ship in the deep of night filled him with a fury so deep, his mind clouded with a red mist. In two strides he was upon her, grabbing her and carrying her back to the bed. This time, he set her down roughly. Quickly, he locked her in his embrace.

His fury spilled over to his wolf and his incisors lengthened. Fortunately, Natasha faced away from him. She didn’t see the effect of his anger. He pinned her to his chest, his forearm pressing against the swell of her breasts. His blood seethed in his veins. His cock hardened to steel.

She felt his arousal and whimpered. “Okay, Ragnar,” she said, her voice shaking with fear. “You win. I’ll stay right here. I won’t move. I promise. Okay?”

Her fear irritated him, but he didn’t say a word. He just held her. In his tight grip, she couldn’t do much more than squirm. Slowly she grew still. The feeling struck him as pleasant, not at all like what he’d anticipated. He marveled at her scent, the small feminine sounds that fell from her lips and the way she fit, tucked against his body.

“Maiden bodies aren’t meant for… for what you’re thinking of,” she whispered. “Nymphs receive foods and minerals necessary for procreation. Maidens don’t.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re turning into a Nymph.”

“Impossible. That doesn’t happen. Ever.”

He closed his eyes and inhaled the perfume that clung to her skin. “I’m not going to waste my attention on you, Natasha. Even though you smell very nice. I am holding you so I can keep you warm and so you can survive the night.”

With that he pulled the blankets over them. With his other arm, he held her captive. She let out a soft sound of distress as he tucked the blanket around her. She still shook like a leaf, but at least her teeth had stopped their irritating chatter.

“If you leave the ship tonight, Natasha, I’ll hunt you down. If I’m angry enough, my wolf will hunt you down. You won’t like to meet him. Assuming you’re still alive.”

She stiffened in his arms, but her silent protest didn’t last. A short while later, she sighed and sank against him, allowing herself to receive his warmth. He rubbed his thumb across her forearm. The strange bumps were gone. Beneath his touch, her skin was silk. When her breathing deepened, he was tempted to touch her more. Maybe even skim his palms over her breasts to find out if they’d gotten bigger. His curiosity kept him awake a good while. It would be wrong to paw her while she slept. He’d promised not to harm her.

As the night wore on, he heard animals snuffling around the ship. Normally, he’d growl to warn off a potential foe, but he didn’t want to wake the girl. She lay sweetly beside him. He was aware of her every move, every sleepy grumble that fell from her lips. When she turned in his arms, draping her arm and leg across him, he was more than aware of how soft and fragile she felt.

In the morning, his soldiers would arrive. The men would take him back to Jaegar. The girl wouldn’t be happy about going, but there was little he could do about that. The alternative, leaving her on Doranna, meant certain death, either from the animals or her own people.

She stirred next to him, nestling closer. “Ragnar,” she whispered. “You smell good.”

“You smell like cake.”

She laughed softly. Her breathing returned to the deep cadence of sleep. Cake. He’d just told the unpleasant little female she smelled like cake. He frowned and waited for his wolf to object, but there was nothing.

His wolf had grown tired of waiting for his mate, that was why it was willing to show the small female mercy. Otherwise, there was no doubt, his inner wolf would howl with a combination of derision and laughter that Ragnar would say something so ridiculous. She smelled like cake. Cake! What he meant by that, he couldn’t guess. She didn’t really smell like cake. More like honey. Maybe a honey cake. He groaned and pushed the notion away. Instead, he forced his thoughts to something mundane or unpleasant.

His time in the Jaegarian military was a good memory to bring up. Well, not a good memory like his childhood. It had been nothing but brutal hardship, especially the intense training, but recalling the way the commanding officers tried to break the new recruits, especially those that came from privileged class, helped get his mind off the sweet perfume that clung to her skin.