Page 17 of You're Not My King!

“Ha, isn’t that noble of him?” I laughed a little maniacally, my breath quickening again.

“Just breathe, lovey,” she urged, making me sit down on the edge of the makeshift bed. Voh-ack followed, standing at my side, apparently refusing to leave me. “I know this is a lot to take in, and you didn’t choose this, but Voh-ack will not harm you. You are his mate, now. It is his privilege to protect and care for you.”

“Will he let me go home?” I huffed a sad laugh, and her lips thinned. Voh-ack made a questioning noise, which she waved off with a single word.

She lowered herself onto the furry blankets beside me, muttering something about the beds being too low for old dears like her, before resting a hand on my knee. It was just an innocent, friendly pat, and I didn’t mind her obvious tactileness—she was like my grandma—but for some reason, it set Voh-ack off. He snarled at her, a threatening sound if I’d ever heard one, and I tensed, preparing for a verbal brawl, but she just shot him a warning glare as a mother would her child.

After all of three seconds, he backed down, huffing petulantly.

I liked this woman.

“Take as long as you need,” she reassured me, and it was on the tip of my tongue to bite back with ‘forever.’ “He’s… eager. Mates are a great honor among the lee-zurd, and very important to their species’ survival. It’s something that just is. An instinct. Once they feel the bond, there’s no one else out there for them, so tying is the next obvious step.”

I hated how sweet that sounded. We were like a couple of penguins, and I briefly imagined him scouring the beach to find me the prettiest pebble for our anniversary. It cheered me up some.

“I tried my best with him,” she added, leveling a still-pouting Voh-ack with a sideways glare over her glasses. “But he has yet to grasp that none of this happens in our world. He doesn’t get why it’s not second nature to you as it is to him. But he’ll learn. As will you.”

I nodded, chewing my bottom lip. I didn’t understand half of what she was talking about, my head was still a little fuzzy, and everything sounded like I’d been teleported to a fantasy movie. But thanks to my sister and her early aspirations to become a vet, I knew that some animals imprinted with their life mates, and if this was a similar situation, then Voh-ack had about as much choice in it as I did, he was just more prepared. It didn’t make it any less medieval, but the clarification made it somewhat easier to bear.

My thoughts were broken up by a soft coo coming from Voh-ack, and the hand he tentatively curled around my nape. I frowned, but also melted into it. “What’s he saying?”

“Nothing,” Fiona answered. “He’s using the only trick he knows to calm you. It’s a gesture they use to soothe their young.”

Aaand now I felt bad for the guy. He clearly had about as much knowledge of how to deal with a human as I did an alien. Well, maybe a bit more since he’d spent longer with my kind, but he was struggling in his own ways, and I was a little surprised he wasn’t too arrogant to show it.

“I don’t even know why I panicked,” I half-lied. She didn’t need to know my life story, but in all honesty, it was just as unusual to me that I was this worked up. “He wasn’t hurting me, and he isn’t exactly terrifying. I just…” I sighed, combing my hair with my fingers. “It’s been one hell of a month, and I guess it all just slapped me at once.”

She smiled in sympathy, and it felt nice to be consoled. “Mhm. If it helps…” She waited for my nod to continue before angling herself to face me. “Take control. Tell him what to do, and how to do it. Go at your pace, whether you want to shut your eyes and think of England or make it last all night. He will abide. He’s not a monster.”

I wanted to argue that nice guys weren’t into slave trading, but the doc barreled on before I could respond. “Unfortunately, this was something I couldn’t get him to compromise on. I told him you’d need time to wrap your head around everything, to get used to him, but he was insistent that it be tonight or you’d be at risk.” She gave me a look as if that thought genuinely pained her. “I couldn’t argue with that.”

“It’s okay.” It wasn’t, but for right now, it had to be. “You did what you could, I’m sure.”

“It might not make you feel any better, but this is really more about protecting you and securing the bond than him wanting to get into your pants. Though, by the look of things…” She jerked her head, bringing my attention to the bulge in Voh-ack’s coverings, and tutted. “That part is no hardship either.”

I snorted, already feeling a little lighter. “Yippee for me.” And now I couldn’t stop stealing glances at his dick, which was conveniently at eye level. Thanks, doc. I squirmed, clearing my throat. “You can… you can probably go? I’m sorry. I think I’m okay now.”

She studied me, doctor to patient, and she must’ve believed me, because she smiled, the creases around her eyes deepening. “I understand, lovey. Call if you need anything, and don’t let him get away with himself. You’re in charge here, not him.”

“Noted,” I said, mirroring her smile. “And thank you. I appreciate it.”

She nodded once and stood, saying something to Voh-ack that had him placing his free hand over his heart and dipping his head in a respectful bow, almost like he was offering his word. Satisfied, she gave him a motherly tap on the arm and made her way out, the tent flap dropping behind her.

Silence.

Voh-ack removed his hand from my nape, but didn’t leave my space. I kinda missed the contact, the feeling of someone grounding me, but the closeness was still nice.

It had my senses quickly dialing back from overdrive.

“Hurt?”

I glanced up, stunned and mildly turned on by hearing Voh-ack’s gruff, smoky voice curl around my language. I wondered how much he actually knew. “No, not hurt,” I assured him, watching his expression carefully. “Overwhelmed.”

That word was unfamiliar to him; I could tell by the way he tilted his head as if encouraging me to explain, but I didn’t. He raised his hand again slowly, bringing it to my face, but hesitated, releasing a questioning grunt—asking for permission to touch. I found myself nodding, not moving an inch as Voh-ack brushed his knuckle across my cheek like he had when we stood at the altar, wiping away a tear I hadn’t realized had escaped. “Sad?”

“No,” I said, voice too breathy for my liking, and he studied my face, a curiously soft look in his eyes. It was not the look of a creature who planned on hurting me, and though there was no doubt he could take whatever the hell he wanted, my reluctance be damned, he hadn’t. He’d stopped when I panicked, had guided me through it, and was treating me with patience now that he understood I knew nothing of his culture or lizard mating rituals—even though it meant denying his instincts to do so. It set me at ease and gave me the clarity to assess my situation.

Was it really so terrible?

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