Chapter 8
EIGHT
RAIKAR
The fire crackled in the stone hearth, casting dancing shadows across Raikar's living room as he lost himself in the intoxicating warmth of Jade's mouth.
Her taste—wine and something uniquely her—flooded his mouth while her lavender and citrus scent wrapped around him like a drug.
His panther purred with savage satisfaction, finally claiming what belonged to them, finally touching their mate the way instinct demanded.
Jade's fingers fisted tighter in his shirt, pulling him closer as their tongues danced in a rhythm that felt as ancient as the stars.
Every rational thought scattered under the onslaught of sensation—her soft curves pressing against his chest, her breath mingling with his, the small sounds of pleasure she made driving him to the edge of madness.
His right hand tangled further in her silky brown hair while the other traced the elegant line of her throat, feeling her pulse race beneath his fingertips.
The mate bond sang between them, electric and demanding, urging him to claim her completely.
His panther roared with need as the seconds passed, pushing him toward the inevitable conclusion this kiss promised.
Claim her. Mark her. Make her understand what she is to us.
The green sundress she wore suddenly felt like an insurmountable barrier. His fingers found the delicate straps at her shoulders, ready to slide them down her arms, ready to bare her skin to his hungry gaze. Just a few more seconds and he would have her beneath him—
Jade pulled back abruptly, her brown eyes wide with shock and something that looked like panic. Her lips were swollen from his kisses, her hair mussed from his hand, and she looked so beautiful it physically hurt to see her retreating from him.
"We shouldn't be doing this. This is so inappropriate," she said, pressing her fingers to her lips as if she could erase what had just happened between them. "You're my superior."
His panther snarled in protest, demanding he pull her back into his arms and finish what they'd started. The mate bond stretched taut between them, an almost physical ache at the sudden distance.
"The attraction is mutual," he said roughly, his voice deeper than usual from arousal and barely leashed need. "There's nothing wrong with—"
"No." She stood abruptly, smoothing down her dress with shaking hands. "This situation is getting way too out of hand. I just need to go back to Talia and Brenn's."
Every instinct screamed at him to argue, to explain that what they'd shared was natural and right and exactly what was supposed to happen between mates.
But the fear in her eyes stopped him. She wasn't ready for that truth—not yet.
If he pushed now, if he revealed that she'd been brought here not as a warrior but as his destined mate, she would demand to return to Earth immediately.
"Alright," he forced himself to say, standing as well. "But I'll walk you there."
For a moment, he saw that fierce independence flash in her eyes, and saw her prepare to argue that she could find her way alone. But then she simply nodded, perhaps recognizing that the jungle territory at night was no place for someone unfamiliar with its dangers.
The walk to Talia and Brenn's house stretched endlessly under the twin moons' silver light.
Jade maintained careful distance between them, her arms wrapped around herself as if she were cold despite the warm night air.
She didn't speak, and he didn't push, though every step away from his home felt like torture.
The mate bond hummed stronger now after their kiss, a living thing that connected them whether she acknowledged it or not.
His panther paced, growling at being denied the chance to claim their mate when victory had been so close.
Everything had been perfect—the dinner, the wine, the firelight, her confession that she couldn't stop thinking about him.
And then her human logic had reasserted itself, reminding her of hierarchies and proprieties that meant nothing in the face of destiny.
She was so close to understanding, he thought desperately. So close to accepting what's between us.
But now she would likely pull back, would maintain professional distance that would make courting her infinitely more difficult. And with the council's growing impatience about his unmated status, time was a luxury he couldn't afford.
They reached Talia and Brenn's modest home, warm light spilling from the windows indicating the sisters had returned from their duties.
Jade paused at the door, finally turning to face him.
In the moonlight, she looked ethereal and untouchable, and his hands clenched at his sides to keep from reaching for her.
"Thank you for a lovely meal," she said formally, as if they were strangers instead of two people who had nearly combusted in each other's arms.
"Jade—"
But she was already knocking on the door, already retreating from whatever she'd felt.
The door opened to reveal Brenn, whose warm green eyes immediately picked up on the tension crackling in the air.
Her gaze flicked from Jade's carefully composed expression to Raikar's rigid posture, and he saw understanding dawn in her features.
"Good evening, General," Brenn said carefully, though her eyes remained curious.
He nodded curtly. "Brenn."
Jade disappeared inside without another word, leaving him standing alone on the doorstep like a beggar. Brenn offered him a small smile before closing the door, and then he was truly alone with his frustrated panther and the mate bond that pulled at him like a physical chain.
The walk back to his estate felt three times longer than the journey there. Without Jade's warm presence beside him, the night seemed colder, emptier. His panther whined with distress at the separation, at being denied what should have been theirs by right.
By the time he reached his front door, his skin felt too hot, too tight. Her lavender and citrus scent clung to his clothes, to his home, driving him to distraction. He could still taste her on his lips, could still feel the phantom weight of her body pressed against his.
In his dining room, the remnants of their perfect evening mocked him. Candles burned low in their holders, casting flickering shadows across the table set for two. Wine glasses sat abandoned, lipstick traces on hers a painful reminder of what he'd almost had.
He began clearing the table with methodical precision, carrying plates and glasses to the kitchen, loading them into the dishwasher.
The mundane task should have helped center him, should have provided the distraction his fractured control desperately needed.
Instead, every surface seemed to hold her scent and her presence.
This is hopeless, he realized as he wiped down the dining table. She's claimed this place as surely as she's claimed my mind.
Exhaustion finally drove him toward his bedroom, though he doubted sleep would come easily. The past twenty-four hours had upended his carefully ordered existence, introducing chaos in the form of a brown-eyed human who didn't even know she was his mate.
He stripped off his clothes, his skin still burning from the memory of her touch and climbed into bed naked.
But when he closed his eyes, all he could see was Jade's beautiful face, the way she'd looked in that green sundress, the desire that had darkened her brown eyes before fear had chased it away.
Her scent lingered everywhere—in his hair, on his skin, woven into the very fabric of his home. It would drive him mad before morning came.
Tomorrow, he promised himself and his restless panther. Tomorrow I'll find a way to get closer to her again.
But even as he made the vow, he knew Jade would be on guard now, would fight the connection between them with every ounce of her considerable will. And with each passing day, the council grew more impatient for him to choose a mate.
The irony wasn't lost on him—he'd finally found his perfect match, and she was the one person he couldn't simply command.
Dawn light filtered through the carved windows of Raikar's ancestral home, casting elongated shadows across the hardwood floors as he stirred in his massive four-poster bed.
The mahogany frame had sheltered generations of his bloodline, but this morning it felt more like a prison than a sanctuary.
His body ached with exhaustion despite managing a few precious hours of sleep—enough to function, at least, though his mind remained fractured between duty and desire.
The taste of Jade's kiss still lingered on his lips, and her lavender and citrus scent clung to his skin like a brand.
His panther paced beneath his ribs, whining for their mate with an intensity that bordered on physical pain.
Every instinct demanded he track her down and claim her properly.
But the memory of her wide, panicked eyes as she'd pulled away from him served as a cold reminder of reality.
She's not ready. Push too hard and she'll run back to Earth.
He stretched his arms above his head, muscles protesting as he worked out the tension that had kept him rigid throughout the night. Just as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, the sharp trill of his communicator shattered the morning quiet.
The device sat on his nightstand like a coiled serpent, its red light blinking ominously. He already knew what this call would bring—nothing good ever came from early morning summons.
"General Raikar speaking."
"General." Councilor Xylen's precise voice carried through the speaker with arctic authority. "Your presence is required immediately at the council chambers."
Of course it was. The timing couldn't be more perfect—or more disastrous. His mate had just arrived, their first real connection had ended in her retreat, and now the council wanted to discuss his political obligations.
"Understood."