Chapter 7
There was no mistaking the sweet yet pungent aroma of Cora’s arousal. Draevan inhaled deeply, savoring the scent as his cock thickened further in his pants. He kept holding out a hand to the little human, hoping she would come to him.
He sensed her fear, however, and more than once, he’d noticed her staring at the bulge in his pants. She might be excited about the prospect of mating with him, but she was also nervous.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she stared at him, her eyes flickering with indecision. She’d agreed to mate with him when she’d signed up for the VAMOB program. Was she having second thoughts?
His spirits sank as he considered that perhaps she no longer wanted to be his mate.
What could he say or do to convince her?
What sort of promises might he make to calm her nerves and make her feel comfortable enough to allow him to claim her?
He would never force her, but he didn’t like the idea of having to keep her sequestered in his home so a rogue, unmated Vaxxlian male wouldn’t try to claim her.
“Cora?” he murmured softly. “I won’t hurt you. Please come here.”
Her throat moved as she swallowed hard, but she finally took a few steps forward. At last, she placed her tiny hand in his much larger one.
A spark of awareness passed between them, and Star God, how it poured life into his soul. As he held Cora’s hand, he marveled at the tenderness he felt for her. They were practically strangers, yet he found himself daring to believe that they could be so much more.
“Do you intend to claim me?” Cora whispered. “I mean… do you intend for us to consummate our mating union tonight?” She swallowed hard again, and her hand trembled in his grasp.
She looked so nervous that he had the sudden urge to wrap her in his arms, repeatedly run his hands through her hair, and promise her that he would always protect her.
He found himself wanting to make all sorts of promises to her, some of them rather poetic and at complete odds with his own perception of himself as a fierce Vaxxlian warrior.
“I had planned to claim you this evening, Cora,” he said slowly, “but I will not take you against your will. I promised never to hurt you, and I meant it.”
“Well… that is a relief.” She flushed. “I mean, I didn’t think you would force me. But… we don’t know one another very well yet. So, as you might imagine, I couldn’t help but worry about what might happen between us tonight and…” Her voice trailed off, and a shuddering breath escaped her.
As he squeezed her hand gently, he gave her what he hoped was a comforting look.
Then he braced himself to ask the question he dreaded asking.
But he had to know the answer before they reached New Vaxx.
“Do you still wish to become my mate and be a mother to Meela?” he asked in a tone that was much calmer than he felt.
Inside, he was raging at the thought of parting with Cora even though they hadn’t even shared a kiss yet.
There was something about her that brought out his possessive side.
“Yes, Draevan, I still wish to become your mate and be a mother to Meela. Very much so.” Her eyes went wide, and she appeared somewhat alarmed.
“I’m not changing my mind. And I will allow you to claim me tonight, even if I am a bit…
nervous. I know that in your culture, a mating union isn’t official until it’s been consummated.
I’m sorry I stepped away from you a minute ago.
It wasn’t my intention to spurn you in any way and—”
“You don’t need to apologize for being nervous,” Draevan said, cutting her off.
He didn’t want her believing he was angry simply because she’d put space between them and hesitated to accept his hand.
“I must confess that I am pleased that you still wish to become my mate and be a mother to Meela. If you were to ask me to return you to Earth, I would do so, but I would not be happy about it. I feel drawn to you, Cora, in a way I cannot quite explain.”
A smile tugged at her lips, and her eyes brightened as she held his gaze. He stared at her, not blinking once, not wanting to miss a thing.
“I feel drawn to you too, Draevan,” she said. “Um, but I must tell you something.” Her cheeks pinkened further as she glanced at the bed. “I’ve never done this before. What I mean is… I am a virgin.” She lowered her gaze, suddenly unable to meet his eyes.
Draevan watched her, wondering if he should inform her that he could detect her arousal. With each breath he took, he inhaled the delectable aroma that revealed she was growing slick between her thighs… that her body was preparing to be claimed by him.
But perhaps such a bold statement would embarrass her. Not only was she blushing, but she still couldn’t meet his gaze. Was being a virgin considered unusual in her culture for a woman her age? Not that he knew exactly how old she was…
He found himself wishing he’d done more research into humankind before he’d come to collect her.
He’d watched news reels so he could catch up on current events and learn about any potential dangers, but beyond that, he hadn’t made an effort to learn very much about humans.
He felt a stab of guilt over this blunder.
Many of the warriors in his unit had human mates, and he could’ve easily asked the females a few questions about Earth and humankind before he set out to retrieve Cora, but he hadn’t.
“Well?” the little human said, lifting her chin. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”
As she finally met his gaze, the hint of defiance in her pretty blue eyes made his cock throb harder.
Fluxx. He’d been quiet for too long. She’d confessed something that made her feel vulnerable, and he hadn’t even murmured a polite reply. What was wrong with him?
“I am a virgin too,” he announced, though virgin was a strange word to him. He preferred the term unmated.
Cora’s eyes widened further, and she drew in a sharp breath. “You’re a virgin?”
He nodded. “Vaxxlians mate for life, Cora, and I have never taken a mate before. At one point, I was betrothed to a Vaxxlian female I’d never met, something my father arranged.
But eventually, not long before the war against the Irrcons started, my father was cheated in a business deal by my mate-to-be’s father, and the engagement was quickly canceled. ”
“Of course. Unmated.” She sighed and gave a brief shake of her head.
“I feel silly for not realizing that little detail sooner. I also feel like a jerk for not asking if you were a widower earlier. Given how many Vaxxlian males were widowed during the war, I should’ve asked you that. That was rather insensitive of me.”
He released her hand, then drew her closer, wrapping his arms around her as he peered down at her, this beautiful little human who would soon belong to him forever.
He could scarcely believe it. “Please do not worry about it, sweet Cora. We come from different worlds, different cultures, and we are just getting to know one another. I will continue to make errors, just as you might. But I promise to be patient and understanding with you and help teach you the ways of my people, just as I hope you’ll be patient and understanding with me as I learn more about humans. ”
She smiled and settled a hand on his chest, touching him right below the neckline of his shirt.
If she moved her hand up just a smidge, her fingers would graze his bare flesh.
A growl simmered in his chest as he imagined her hands roaming over his body when they finally went to bed together.
He hoped she was an eager participant, though he vowed that he would not fault her for being shy during her first time.
“Thank you for making me feel better, Draevan. Yes, I think it would be wise for us to try to be patient and understanding with one another.” Once again, her eyes darted toward the large bed that dominated the room, and more pink flooded her cheeks.
He ran his hands up and down her arms, then reached for her hair, eager to discover just how soft her golden tresses were.
He slowly combed his fingers through her locks, marveling that her hair was even softer than he’d imagined.
Another growl built in his throat, but this time he couldn’t restrain it, and the wild sound drew a gasp from Cora.
“It pleases me that you wish to consummate our union tonight, but if you change your mind or become frightened or simply need to pause, you must promise to tell me immediately. Promise.”
“I promise.”
He leaned closer as he continued stroking her hair, then breathed deep of her scent, savoring the sweet pungency of the slickness building between her thighs.
His tongue vibrated in his mouth as he wondered what she might taste like.
Perhaps before he claimed her and spilled his seed inside her, he could bring her to pleasure with his tongue.
What a thrill it would be to feel her shatter against his mouth.
“Before we begin, sweet Cora, there is something I must give you.” He withdrew his hands from her hair, stepped back, and pulled a syringe filled with nanobots from his pocket. He held the syringe up for her to see. “I must administer your dose of healing nanobots.”
She cast a wary glance at the syringe before directing a questioning look at him. “Healing nanobots? I-I appreciate your concern, but I’m not sick or injured.”
“The injection will prevent you from getting sick, and should you ever get injured, the nanobots will heal your injuries as well. Every warrior is given a dose of healing nanobots to give to his mate. Vaxxlian children are also given a dose of nanobots just after birth. May I administer your injection now?”
“What kinds of illnesses will the nanobots prevent? And what kinds of injuries will the nanobots heal?” she asked with a dubious look.