Rhea kept it together until they reached Erudan’s dwelling. She couldn’t believe the difference between the hewo tree and Ikkim station. The previous night she’d enjoyed a spacious home. His Ikkim dwelling was like an Earth studio apartment. His central living area doubled as his sleeping chamber and opened into the small kitchen. There was only one door and that led to the cleansing room.

Faced with the comfort of the worn out old couch and the tatty throw blanket tossed over the back of it, she felt herself unravel—emotions overriding all else.

How had her father reached Vialea so quickly? Why had he brought Calvin? And then there was the Rargar. Had he hired the alien to hunt her? Capture her and put her into a life of slavery? If not for Erudan…

She could think of only one reason for her father and Calvin to come tromping through the docks of Ikkim—they were looking for her. They wanted her back. With Earth law and the Rargar on their side, she worried they actually could.

Rhea trembled and crawled onto the couch. She clutched her stomach, fighting to keep the nausea at bay.

Erudan moved around the dwelling with swift, efficient strides. He checked the locks on the door and secured the windows. Unlike his hewo tree dwelling, this had several windows. Several other ways for another to break in.

She watched him closely, memorizing every line and plane of him. She mentally recorded the way his clothing tightened across his body and the smooth, efficient way he moved.

She had used her savings to pay for a Celestial Mates match and passage to Vialea. If she was dragged back to Earth, the chance of ever getting back to the planet was dismal at best. The chance of seeing Erudan again…

Erudan froze in place and then spun to face her, yanking a gasp past her lips. She dragged her gaze to his face and widened her eyes at his ferocious expression.

A snarl lifted his upper lip, exposing wicked teeth. “Never. Ever. Will I allow anyone to take you from me.”

His vow pierced her heart like an arrow, pinning her to the couch. She couldn’t move—didn’t move—until he crossed the room and lifted her from the couch. He lowered himself into her seat and pulled her onto his lap, sitting her across his hard thighs.

And another part of him that was very, very hard.

“You are mine, Rhea Lux. My female. My mate. Mine…”

His voice lost the harsh edge at the end of his declaration. He cupped her head and slanted his firm lips across her mouth, and she discovered where that edge had gone. He poured his rough emotions into their kiss.

It was impossible to think she’d known Erudan less than a full night and day. But when he claimed her with his kiss, she felt like she’d spent her entire life yearning for him. And now, she was rewarded for her patience and she didn’t know what to do with her prize.

Her left arm remained pinned between their bodies, but her right was free. Free to explore and touch and discover every spot that brought him pleasure.

Erudan groaned against her lips. “Yes. Touch me.”

Rhea trembled with his urgent command. He didn’t have to tell her twice. She clutched his shoulder, exploring and learning the thick muscles that made up his hard body. His hands weren’t idle either. He caressed her back, squeezed her hips and cupped her ass. He adjusted her position until her ass wiggled against the hard evidence of his desire.

A desire her own body echoed. Her nipples became hard nubs and heat pooled between her thighs. Her clit ached and throbbed, begging to be stroked and teased by his rough fingers. His hand slid up from her hip, tracing the curve of her waist and continuing until he cupped the plump weight of her breast.

Erudan circled his thumb around one firm nipple and a whimper escaped her lips. A whimper he swallowed with a deep groan of his own. Rhea pressed her thighs together, battling to alleviate the needy ache between her legs, but the movements made her crave him even more.

If only they had as many arms and hands as Zav. Then she could touch him everywhere she desired and all at once.

Desperate to feel more of him, to be touched everywhere by his talented fingers, she wiggled and shifted until she sat astride his hard thighs. He followed her through her squirming, not relinquishing her mouth even after she had her pussy settled firmly over his cock. And what a hard, thick cock it was. She knew he’d stretch and fill her like no other. He was so strong, so powerful… She wondered if she’d be able to walk when all was said and done.

Rhea rocked her hips and grinded her wet, cloth-covered pussy against his length. Yesss…

Erudan ripped his mouth from hers and threw his head back as he released a tortured groan. “You will destroy me.”

Well, then, they’d destroy each other. With every squirm and rub of her pussy over him, she chased a building climax. She experienced every detail of his thick length. Every ridge and—

“No.” His growl jerked her out of her mental ode to his cock.

Gripping her ass, he lifted and forced her to put an inch between his cock and her desperate center.

She whimpered and slid her arms around his neck. His eyes glittered, sparks of need flickering as their stare continued. Did hers look the same?

He answered her question. “I can see your desire, mate.” He pitched his voice to a toe-curling rumble and breathed deeply. “I can smell it. Salty. Sweet. But I will not make you mine, make you scream my name while we remain clothed.”

“Oh.” All her brain processed was his intent. The whole “will not make you mine” part of his statement. This was too close to Calvin’s refusal that…

Erudan snarled. “You will not think of another while I claim you.”

Okay, comparing him to someone else wasn’t a good idea.

One of them had to maintain some semblance of calm and it looked like it’d be her. She took a deep breath and pushed her craving for him to the back of her mind. She feathered her fingertips over his brow, silently stroking his skin and urging him to calm.

That was when she noticed…

“Erudan? You’ve changed color again.”

He squeezed his eyes shut. “It cannot be stopped at this point.”

Stopped? She frowned at him in confusion. “Why would you want it to be stopped? It’s part of you. But will you tell me what it is? Does it hurt? You look like you’re in pain.”

He drew a ragged breath and a myriad of expressions flitted over his features, a testament to his internal struggle. Just as she was about to reassure him that…well, she didn’t know what kind of reassurance he needed. Regardless, if he needed soothing words, she would give them. With very little shock at all, she realized she would give him anything to banish the tormented air that surrounded him.

He vibrated, and then a strong tremor overtook his body. Opening his eyes seemed like a fierce battle and he eventually brought his gaze to her.

“It is the firez.”

“Oh.” Rhea swallowed hard. “Zav said… Is it true, then?”

He huffed and groaned. “I do not know. Did she tell you that it is my time of needing?”

“Um… yeah. Something like that. She also said…” Just spit it out. But it was too hard. What if Zav had been wrong about the definition of firez? Then she’d be embarrassed as hell and hunted by Calvin and her father.

“Mate, tell me what troubles you.”

Despite everything—meaning her squirming desire to get back to the business of grinding on him—she smiled. “Ugh, fine. I really hope she wasn’t spouting nonsense.”

“Rhea.” It was a warning, but there was a little growl in there that…

She shivered with the raw, primal quality of his voice, and then gathered her courage. “Honestly, I don’t even remember. But…” Dang it, her voice went all small and mousey. She wanted to be a sex goddess, not this needy thing. “Erudan, are you this way for everyone? Or just…”

“You,” he answered without a hint of hesitation. “It is biological, but this is only for you. Firez has never felt this way before.”

Rhea smoothed her hands down his face and then his chest, stopping when she reached his racing heart. “What’s different?”

Erudan shuddered. His hips arched between them, his cock making contact with her core again. He gasped. “Like I am dying. Like I will die if I cannot have you. Claim you. You are my mate, no matter this mistake with Celestial Mates. Though it was not a mistake at all. I did not finish my application. I do not know how it is possible that you came to me from across worlds. But if I do not claim you I feel as if I will die.”

Warmth and pleasure rippled through her and it had nothing to do with her achy, intimate flesh. No, it had everything to do with her heart.

Dammit. She’d come to Vialea with every intention of protecting that damaged organ from any new pain, not to open herself up again. But as she gazed down into Erudan’s fevered eyes, she knew. This was a male who could not hurt her spirit, but one who would nurture and protect her. The truth in his words couldn’t be denied, not even by the ghost of past heartache.

Resting her forehead against his, she brushed her lips over his. Erudan wrapped his arms around her, crushing her breasts to his chest as if he could meld their bodies.

Emotions not her own stretched across their physical connection. They penetrated her mind and filled her thoughts. Were they his? Was she suddenly able to read him? Even more, could he read her?

She closed her eyes and opened her mind to him. She poured out every last detail of the fantasy that’d kept her up last night, wallowing in his scent. “Then make me yours. Claim me.”

With a vibrating growl, Erudan braced his arms beneath her ass and rose from the couch. Startled by the sudden movement, she threw her arms around his neck and hid her face against his throat.

He shuddered again and her body responded, thighs clenching as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He adjusted her position, making sure her pussy was settled over his hardness once more. He tightened his grip and reveled in the friction between their bodies.

“Oh God,” she whispered while locking her ankles. “You feel so good. Please don’t make me wait. I want you inside me…”

Her raw plea sent heat up her cheeks. She’d never been with a man before, and the thought of receiving someone as big as Erudan… Would it be as delicious as she imagined from books she’d read?

“It will be even better.” Erudan growled the words against her neck.

She groaned from embarrassment. “I forgot you’re inside my head. I’ll try to keep my thoughts to myself.”

“Do not dare. I want to know your fantasies. Show me everything you crave and I will give it to you.”

Everything? Oh, my…

Her imagination went haywire, fantasy after fantasy flickering through her mind. Lost in the deliciousness of “what if,” he carried her across the living area and into the cleansing room. Oooh, she had shower fantasies, too.

But he bypassed the shower and… kept going? Wait, there was another door in the cleansing room that she hadn’t seen earlier. He pushed through that door and she took a moment to glance around this hidden area. Which—bless Vi and Alea both—had a bed. It dominated the space and didn’t leave room for much else, but it was a glorious, glorious bed.

She imagined Erudan laying her on the soft surface. He’d force her legs wide and then bury his mouth between her legs. He’d trail his tongue up her inner thigh to her core while she clawed at his back.

Lost in her imaginings, Erudan eased her onto the bed and followed her down, looming above her. She stretched her arms wide and fanned her fingers to pluck the bed coverings. Except, the only thing she really wanted to touch was him.

“Yes,” he rumbled.

Rhea gave him a soft smile, staring into his eyes. “Yes?”

His longer strands of hair fell around them with his nod, creating a curtain that blocked the world and hid their troubles. “Yes, hold on to me. Do not let go. Ever.”

Rhea melted for him. A slow smile tugged at her lips and she released the blanket so she could slide her arms around his neck. She anchored herself to him while he slowly tugged on her clothing.

For once, being short was a plus. Erudan’s long arms easily reached along the length of her legs as he peeled off her pants. He whisked them away to the floor, leaving her pussy covered by the thinnest swatch of lacy fabric.

---

He braced his weight on one arm and lowered his gaze. His scan was like a physical thing. His eyes traveled over her trembling breasts to her core, bared legs splayed in a V wide enough for his broad shoulders.

“Beautiful,” he murmured. He teased her with his free hand, fingers dancing over the roundness of her lower belly and then down to the apex of her slit. He paused there, the very tip of his thumb taunting her hidden flesh. He paused and exhaled in a rough whoosh of air. “You are wet. For me.”

“Am I?” Rhea teased and wiggled her hips, encouraging him to explore. “You don’t know that for sure.” She still wore her panties after all.

He smirked, eyes glittering. “Your garment is soaked with your juices.”

Erudan skimmed his fingertips over her sex. Rhea moaned and rocked her hips, craving his touch. “Please. Touch me. Taste me.”

Giving her a look that could only be described as wicked, he straightened and brought her upright with him. He broke her hold around his neck and drew her top away. Zav hadn’t provided a bra and had refused to let her keep her other. Allegedly, none of the clothing needed support.

Now, as her breasts bounced free, causing Erudan’s eyes to blaze and breath to hitch, she decided Zav was totally right. Because the way Erudan looked at her, as if he wanted to make a meal of her curves… Worth every single minute of racing through alleys and holding on to her chesticles to minimize bouncing.

“Yes.” Erudan’s voice cut into her scattered thoughts, but that wasn’t what jolted her back to the present. No, he snared her focus by cupping her breasts—engulfing, really—and rolling her nipples between his fingers.

She arched her back with a soft whimper, begging for more. “Yes?”

He nodded and the ends of his hair tickled her breasts, drawing out a whine.

“Yes, that is what I will do.” His tongue flicked out to wet his lower lip. “I will taste you.”

Her eyes widened as his meaning sank into her. She nodded and yanked on his clothes, anxious to get to the good stuff. “I am totally down with you going down. Right now.”

Erudan’s deep laughter tempered the urgency she knew he must experience beneath the rush of his firez. Despite her own need, she kept her soft smile in place as she undressed him, exposing highly carved muscle after muscle.

Unable to stop herself, she stroked his chest, palms sliding down to his stomach. She was fascinated by the way his ridged abdomen rippled in response to her touch. His skin grew darker the farther south she explored. It deepened to an earthy, forest green as it stretched around his hard cock. Moisture glistened at the tip and she wondered about his flavor. She reached for his dick, anxious to gather the clear droplet on her fingertip and then slip it into her mouth. Except Erudan snatched both of her wrists and pressed them to the bed on either side of her hips.

“Mate,” he growled. “You must not touch me or let those thoughts continue. If you do not cease, I will not last long once inside you. I very badly want to spend hours in your body.”

Rhea relaxed into the mattress and pouted. “That’s not fair. I should be able to taste you, too.”

A tremor overtook Erudan and he paused with his hands gripping her thighs. “After I have had my fill of you, you may have a turn.”

“How generous,” she drawled.

Erudan pushed her thighs wide, making room for his shoulders between her legs. He rested on his stomach, settled, and then glanced up at her. “I can be very generous. Allow me to demonstrate.”

He stroked his thumbs between her folds and gently separated them. A kiss of cool air touched her wet, heated flesh for the briefest of moments and then Erudan was there. He delved his tongue between her lower lips, licking and tasting her desperate flesh.

She gasped and groaned, tangling her hands in his hair while she dug her heels into the bed. He explored her pussy, stroking her and setting her nerves alight. Pure pleasure sang in her blood and she embraced the sensations. She feasted on every hint of bliss his talented mouth gifted her and then begged for more.

Somehow, he knew exactly where—how—to touch her and when his attentions grew to be too much. He lapped at her, exploring and swirling his tongue. He teased and taunted her, his sucking and swirling tightening in her belly more and more with each new snippet of joy.

She panted and whimpered, even hissed a time or two when it seemed like he’d stop. Her sounds were matched by his own, animalistic growls against her pussy and merely added to her impending release. And God, it was so close. The need to let go, to leap off the precipice and let ecstasy catch her, nearly drowning her in desperation.

“Gonna come,” she panted. “Want you inside me when I…” Rhea tugged on his hair, aching to be filled by him as she came.

Erudan suckled her clit once again, flicking the small bundle of nerves with his tongue before lifting his head from her pussy. His lips and chin glistened with her juices and she shuddered. So hot. So carnal.

“Let go. I will catch you.”

Rhea whined. “Not without you. I need you. I know you need…”

“I need your pleasure. Show it to me. Share it with me.”

She sighed and melted into the bed. How could she argue with him now? She relaxed her grip on his hair and gently prodded him to put that talented tongue back to work.

He returned to his caresses, his tongue teasing her sensitive flesh with long strokes and careful flicks. Her hips rolled and flexed, following his touch and searching for more of the pleasure he promised. He tapped her clit and settled in a blissful rhythm.

She stopped resisting everything he gave, soaring high and flying toward the edge of release. Her thighs clenched and pussy tightened while a cry tore from her chest. He pressed his tongue deep and then withdrew, replacing it with one of his long, broad fingers. He pumped the digit in and out of her core, stroking her g-spot with each thrust and retreat.

Rhea rose higher and higher, dancing along the edge of bliss. Her muscles tightened, toes curling and body shuddering with the hints of what was to come. Erudan slipped another finger inside her, the burning stretch and bits of pain adding to the impending ecstasy that hovered on the horizon.

He growled against her clit and the vibrations shot through her, setting her nerves alight with pleasure. He followed the rumble with thrust after thrust of his fingers in and out of her sheath, sending lightning bolts of ecstasy singing through her veins until she could hardly breathe for the pleasure.

It was too much and not enough and then… With a final cry, she arched off the bed, trembling as the ultimate pleasure raced through her body. It traveled from her fingertips and toes, taking over her muscles until she couldn’t move. He slowed the pumping of his fingers, giving her one final thrust before lifting his head. He gradually withdrew, his burning eyes on hers, and rose above her.

Dazed and twitching with aftershocks that sent new tendrils of bliss over her nerves, she could only stare as he knelt between her spread thighs. His thick, hard green cock jutted from his groin, as if reaching for her. And she wanted to welcome him into her wet heat.

Rhea stretched her hands toward him, anxious to feel the weight of his body over hers. Now.

Lips plump and red from his kisses, Rhea gazed up at Erudan with the reverence of a worshipper looking upon her god. Erudan was no god, but he thanked both Vi and Alea for bringing Rhea to him.

Also for dropping him to his lowest low so that he might be in the right place to find her.

He did not know what god to thank for the invention of acts such as kissing, though. He licked his lips, gathering the intoxicating remnants of her musky sweet arousal. For that treat, he sent his appreciation into the galaxy and hoped it reached the correct deity.

If devouring her seductive folds filled him with such pleasure, what would happen when she placed her mouth on him? It was a desire he had glimpsed among her open thoughts and it had him wondering…

A shudder rolled through him at the very idea of her plump lips on his shaft. He fisted his length and stroked himself from root to tip and back again.

Dragging his gaze up to meet hers, he held her stare as he folded over her. Her lips parted, tempting him to take a taste and drink of her flavors.

“You are mine.” He leaned down and nipped her bottom lip. Then her top while she stared at him. Her irises were now mere hints of color around her dark pupils. “My mate.”

Rhea swallowed hard and nodded. She lifted her arms and tried to twine them around his neck once again. Before she could capture him, he snared her wrists in his free hand. He stretched her arms up over her head until she was stretched and exposed for him.

Her breath came in soft pants, her breathlessness driving him mad and stoking his need for her. Like puffs of air on a flame, they urged his firez to a frenzy.

With a growl, he positioned himself between her thighs, the blunted tip of his cock against her slick opening.

Rhea moaned and pushed her head against the mattress, her hips rising to meet him. “Please don’t make me wait. Need you in me. Need…”

Erudan slipped the head of his shaft into her center, teasing her with the blunt head of his hardness. The barely-there penetration drew a whimper and moan from his mate, and he ached to pull even more from her.

Driven by need to hear her cry out with pleasure, he sank into her sheath, glorying in the damp, silken heat of her core. Her eyelashes fluttered down, hiding her eyes from view. He would have growled his displeasure at being denied, but as he withdrew and delved deep again, his own eyes rolled back into his head.

So delicious. So hot. So wet. How had he denied himself for so long?

“Put your legs around me,” he growled, and held himself still with every bit of willpower he still commanded.

Rhea whimpered and drew her silky thighs up and around his hips like a clinging vine. She sealed them together, heat against heat, and his length throbbed deep within her pussy. Perfection.

With a snarl, he finally surrendered to his firez and his need for this unexpected female—his perfect mate. He lost himself in her body, hips flexing and muscles straining to bring them both fulfillment. She milked his length, the perfection of her center rippling around his cock and squeezing him with every thrust. Her nails clawed at his flesh, digging into his skin and marking him with her pleasure. Each new blossoming of pain added to his unending pleasure. He truly drove his female crazy enough to do violence.

And he loved it.

Rhea whispered pleas and whined demands interspersed with wordless cries of pleasure. Her perfect body moved with him, their hips meeting in a rhythm as old as time. She was the center of his universe, the heart of his world.

His balls were high and tight, anxious to spill himself in her heavenly warmth, but he would not until his mate was close to her own release. They would find ecstasy together.

When he sensed her heartbeat speed up to match her gasping breasts and the quake deep in her core, he knew the time had come. He retained his pace, giving them both what they needed to find the ultimate pleasure. Her center clenched and squeezed him, encouraging him to empty himself inside her. He grinded his hips against hers in retaliation, aching to make her cry out as she came.

“Erudan,” she gasped and held her breath, wide, desperate eyes meeting his.

“My Rhea,” he rasped in return and let himself go. He relinquished his stranglehold on his control and his release swept over him in a great tsunami of sensation.

Claiming her lips, he swallowed her cries of pleasure and drove himself deep once, twice, and then sealed their bodies together. His cock twitched and jerked within her, his cum erupting from the tip of his length and diving deep into her core.

They shuddered together, her involuntary wiggles driving his orgasm on and on. They fed each other pleasure as the last snippets of release gradually fled their bodies.

Careful not to crush her, he rolled to his back and drew her with him, draping her across his chest. She was a warm, welcome weight and her touch further soothed the raging need that’d plagued him since her arrival.

Rhea threw her arm and leg across him with a possessiveness that made him smile.

“Erudan…” She let out a happy sigh. “That was…” Another sigh. “There are no words.”

He ran his hand down her back, tracing the line of her spine until he reached her ass. He squeezed one firm, plump cheek. “Magnificent? World-shaking?”

She laughed and then groaned. “You’re so conceited.”

“It is not conceit if it is true.”

Rhea rolled over him, straddling his hips while she braced one hand on the mattress and caressed his chest with the other. A soft gasp whispered past her lips. “Your skin! It’s changing back to its normal color. I can see it happening.”

He had been focused only on her flushed face, but at her words, he lifted his arm and brought it within sight. She was correct. The green of his firez was indeed retreating.

Happiness filled him for the first time in memory. He brought his hand to her cheek and encouraged her to lower her head so he could kiss her. “It is because of you. You are so perfect for me that you have sated my firez with only one mating.”

Rhea blushed and gave him a shy smile that turned into a soft pout. “One mating? Does that mean we’re done for the year?”

“What? No.” He growled and pinched her thigh, smiling at her squeal. “It means that you have a few hours to rest before I take you again. And again. Before I am done, you will wish for a year’s reprieve.”

Rhea sighed. “Promises, promises…”

Erudan prepared a feast while Rhea slept, regaining her strength after her long travels, desperate escape from pursuit, and finally, their mating. He carefully balanced his heavy-laden tray covered in traditional Vian dishes and padded into the sleeping chamber. Just as he entered, his mate stirred. She stretched her arms overhead and arched her back, pointing her toes in a full body extension.

“Mmm… That smells so good.” She relaxed with a soft exhale. “I’m so hungry I could eat a… something big, not scary, and appropriately horse-like.”

Erudan shook his head, unsure what type of beast a horse was. He would have to do research. Later. At the moment, he was preoccupied by his own hunger. A hunger roused again by the barest glimpse of a pink nipple appearing above the edge of the blanket. His cock hardened, body more than a little interested in what the sheet covered.

But now was not the time.

He reined himself in and placed the tray on the bed. His mate had hungers that must be sated before they could look to others. “I have prepared savory meats, vegetables, and bread, which I am told humans enjoy.”

Her soft laugh was the sweetest music. “Your sources are good. I love bread. Thank you, Erudan. It smells amazing. Let me use the bathroom and get dressed—“

“No.”

“No?” She scooted up the mattress until she sat upright and then arched a single brow. “You don’t want to stand between me and a potty right now. Trust me.”

“Potty?”

She tipped her chin toward the cleansing room and then did a squirming shimmy with her legs crossed beneath the blanket.

Erudan coughed. “I did not mean to deny you the cleansing room, but I will have you naked while I feed you.”

Now both eyebrows went up. “While you feed me?”

At his smile and nod she gave a little huff that sounded more pleased than annoyed and left the bed for the cleansing room.

By the time she returned, he had arranged his selection of dishes and speared the first morsel for her. He brought it to her plush red lips and slipped it into her tempting mouth.

Then she moaned and her eyes fluttered closed. Vi save him, he had never heard anything so tempting in his life. His length hardened, body anxious to lose himself inside her once again, but he restrained himself. He was her mate and should take the utmost care with his female. Which meant he needed a distraction or he would push her to her back once again.

Erudan turned to reality and the questions that still plagued him about his female. “Who were those human males? The ones you called Dad and Calvin.”

Rhea coughed and reached for a glass of water. “Dad is a word for father or sire. So, yeah, that was my father.”

“And Calvin? I have never heard that human word.”

She winced and wrinkled her nose. “Calvin is my ex-fiancé.”

He was not certain of the meaning of fiancé but he was able to determine that this Calvin was the stupid male who had thrown his Rhea away. If he got his hands on the fool… Erudan would thank him heartily for being such an idiot. This Calvin was the reason Erudan now had his Rhea.

“I think they’re here to take me home.” She sighed and nibbled her lower lip. “I’m kind of confused right now. A few hours ago, your goal was to get rid of me and now…”

Erudan grimaced. Stomach soured by the memory, he interrupted her. “I did not want to get rid of you.”

“What would you call it then? We had a to-do list and the top items involved cancelling the Celestial Mates contract and shipping me back to Earth.”

“I did not want you trapped in a situation with an undeserving male. The contract was not—is not—real. It cannot be since I did not add myself to the Celestial Mates database.”

She snorted and rolled her eyes. “You’re still saying it’s not real?” She waved her hand at the rumpled bedding. “Then what was that?”

He hissed and cursed beneath his breath, hating the wounded look in her eyes. He had hurt her. Again. Setting the tray aside, he drew her into his arms. She struggled against him, but he would not be denied at this moment. He could not allow her thoughts to remain unchecked. They could only result in his mate’s pain.

Erudan ran his hand down her hair, petting Rhea the way he had seen Jassa pet the vermin she had adopted as household companions. Rhea did not purr for him, but some of her stiffness softened. She turned and rested her cheek over his heart.

“I’m confused,” she whispered her confession again.

Erudan squeezed her in a gentle hug, enjoying her soft warmth more than he ever thought he could. “As am I, but only about the details of your travels to Vialea and our contract. I am not confused about the way you make me feel. However you came to be here, you are mine. I see that now. I have revised my to-do list.”

“Yeah?” She snuggled closer. “So, what comes next? My dad…”

Erudan’s jaw tensed and fury threatened to ruin the relaxation and joy he’d achieved. He shook his head slowly and placed one finger beneath her chin. He encouraged her to tip her head back until he caught her gaze with his own. “Your father has no claim on you. You are my mate.”

“But— “

He narrowed his eyes and she snapped her mouth closed. Unable to resist tasting her pout, he lowered his head and kissed those plump lips. He teased her lips apart so he could slip his tongue into her and explore her delicious flavors once again. Their tongues tangled and teased each other, mimicking the glorious thrust and retreat their bodies craved. By the time he lifted his head, she wore a dazed expression that made his chest swell with pride.

And his cock swell with lust.

“Do not worry about this. While you were sleeping, I made arrangements for transportation to my—our—hewo tree. No one shall get past the security measures in place.”

“I can’t help but worry. What happens after we go back to your place?”

“Ours,” Erudan corrected her. “We are mated.”

She continued to speak. “Your security will stop him from getting his hands on me, but he has a lot of political power on Earth and a lot of money.”

He stiffened. “Your father’s money may buy him favors in Ikkim, but those connections are low and insignificant.”

Yet his words weren’t enough to banish Rhea’s continued uneasiness. It remained heavy on her shoulders, a mix between skepticism and worry. He rubbed his hand down his face and stroked his jaw, trying to decide how much to reveal. To delay his need to explain, he lifted another bite of food to her lips. He presented a bite of bread, hoping the familiar comfort food would put her at ease.

Yet the tension remained.

Damn Vi.

Erudan decided to start at the beginning. “I did not want the Celestial Mates contract in part because it did not seem legitimate.”

“In part? That implies there are—were—other reasons.”

He nodded. “I told you I am dishonored. I do not deserve a mate.”

“I told you that your ‘dishonor’ is a joke. And if I didn’t tell you, I should have. How could you think of yourself as anything but a fine, upstanding male? Look at the way you helped me even when you thought this was all a mistake. And Zav. You spoil her children silly while arguing about her prices because you thought they were too low. And don’t think for a minute I didn’t see what was going on today with Ahlan.”

Erudan sighed. “I have not always been the male you see now.”

“Oh, yeah?” She poked his chest. “Who were you then?” Her eyes widened and her lips formed a small O. “Teon?”

He jolted at the sound of his title coming from her mouth.

Shame burned within him, but meeting Rhea’s stare, he knew it would only grow deeper if he did not share his past.

“Yes,” he admitted. “I was—am—Teon.”

“Explain,” Rhea whispered.

He would truly rather not, but he did not believe she would accept that response.

“It is a title I have not deserved for some time.” His lips twitched at the corners and he realized he had not ever deserved the title. “I left my family and position in disgrace. I vowed I would not return until…”

“Until?” she pressed.

Erudan gazed at her, wonder sinking into his bones. “Until Vi and Alea felt I deserved a mate and found her.”

Rhea smiled and brushed her fingers along his lower lip. “Well, you found me and I definitely think you deserve me. So, you should return, right?”

He closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. How he wished to do as she desired. “I remain unconvinced that I am deserving.”

“Why don’t you tell me what you did that you think is so horrible, and I’ll give you my honest opinion?”

Erudan swallowed hard, bravery abandoning him. She deserved to know what he had done. He simply no longer wished to share the details.

But he would. She deserved that and more.

“I have a brother—a birth brother. I believe humans would call us twins. He obtained a mate from Celestial Mates from Earth, like you.” He took a deep breath and spit out the rest. “When Jassa arrived, my firez stirred.”

Rhea let out a small sound, one he couldn’t identify. He searched her gaze, wary of discovering censure and distaste in them. He admitted he was far too pleased when he identified jealousy instead.

“Firez is biological. The intensity is what changes when a mate is near. I believed my response to Jassa was specific to her, but it was not. It was a mere matter of timing.”

Rhea grunted and he fought his smile. “I made a significant error. Believing Jassa to be my mate and not my brother’s, I attempted to steal her. It is the highest act of dishonor. Not only to my brother and his mate, but to all the people of Vialea.” He shook his head, still hating himself. “More than dishonorable, it was wrong.”

He cupped her cheek, rubbing her cheekbone with his thumb. “My response to her is nothing like my soul’s need for you. You are my mate. You are my true one, the truest there will ever be. I did not know that then because I could not even begin to imagine the rightness I feel in my bond with you.”

“Oh…” Her sigh made his cock stir. She stretched and placed a soft kiss to his lips. “I didn’t know I could ever experience the rightness of this, either.”

He rested his forehead against hers, aching for nothing more than to shove the food off the bed and claim her again. Yet there was more to his admission. More that he had to reveal before they could enjoy pleasure again. He resisted his urges and straightened so he could meet her gaze once more.

“Teon is a title. Many use it as a name, forgetting I ever existed as Erudan.” He recalled his dam calling him Erudan even as his father fought to teach him his role as Teon. “It is a title that would affect you should we return to that life.”

Rhea’s brow furrowed. “How would it affect me?”

“My birth brother is Vroe, High Warlord of Vialea. Just as he became Vroe when he began his rule of Vialea, I assumed Teon—second in line to rule Vialea.”

Rhea’s eyes grew wider and wider as he spoke, just as her mouth dropped open more and more. “Uh… when you say High Warlord, you mean, like, a king? Your brother is the king of the world?”

He attempted to answer her, but it quickly became apparent that speaking was pointless.

His mate had fainted.