Page 26 of Primal Vow

Rhys's own arousal grew, a steady throb that echoed the pounding of his heart. He couldn't believe what was happening, couldn't believe that he was here, touching this alien warrior, feeling the heat of his skin, the roughness of his horns beneath his fingers.

Taryn growled again, a low rumble that seemed to vibrate through Rhys's very bones. "Rhys," he warned, his voice hoarse with desire. "You're crossing a line that can't be uncrossed."

Rhys let out a breathy laugh, his voice shaking with anticipation. "Is that supposed to scare me off?"

Taryn's eyes snapped open, his gaze locking onto Rhys's. "It should," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I don't think it will."

Rhys's heart raced, his pulse pounding in his ears. He knew he should stop, knew that this was dangerous territory, but he couldn't bring himself to pull away. Instead, he let his hand drift down from Taryn's horns, tracing a path along the Borraq's jawline, down his neck, and finally coming to rest on his chest.

Taryn's muscles tensed beneath his touch. Rhys could feel the heat radiating off of him, could feel the way his heart raced in time with his own.

Taryn growled again, a deep rumble that seemed to come from the very depths of his being. He reached up, his hand closing around Rhys's wrist, holding him in place. "Rhys," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You don't know what you're doing."

Oh, Rhys knew, alright.

Rhys's heart raced, his pulse pounding in his ears. He'd had plenty of hookups, plenty of fast and frantic couplings in narrow corridors and storage closets. Both of them got what they needed as quickly as they could, before never seeing each other again.

But he'd never felt anything like this before.

He looked at his hand on Taryn's chest, and then the expanse of Taryn's body before him.

It would be the easiest thing in the world to let that hand drift a little lower, and do some applied interspecies exploration…

But then Taryn's expression shifted from one of desire to one of sudden alertness. The Borraq's eyes narrowed, his body going still as he listened to something only he could hear.

"What is it?" Rhys asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Taryn didn't answer. Instead, he quickly got to his feet, his movements swift and efficient. Rhys could see the tension in his muscles, the way his body was coiled and ready for action.

The sound of footsteps approached the camp. Rhys quickly rearranged his expression, trying to fight the pounding of his heart, and act as if everything was normal.

Soren burst into the clearing, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. Rhys could see the blood on his arm, the way his skin was mottled and discolored.

"Soren!" Taryn barked, rushing over to the injured warrior. "What happened?"

Soren's voice was ragged, his breath coming in short gasps. "A… a xytrii snake… I didn't see it in time…"

"Sit," Taryn said. "I will treat it. You will heal."

Taryn snapped into action, getting out supplies to heal Soren in the camp. Rhys glumly sat down again, watching as Taryn expertly cleaned and bandaged Soren's wound.

He couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. Not about the snakebite, though. Soren could keep that one.

Rhys let out a sigh, slumping back down on the ground. Whatever had just happened… It had been intense.

Humans smelled good to Borraq, huh? He must smell like the world's sexiest superstar, to make someone as orderly and commanding as Taryn allow the touch of someone pathetic like Rhys.

Rhys groaned, burying his face in his hands.

His life had gone from bad, to worse, to completely confusing.

Chapter eleven

The rain came down in sheets. It drummed on the thick, lush greenery around them, turning the jungle into a steamy hothouse.

It was the worst kind of weather for tracking. The trails that Taryn and his warriors were following were already challenging to follow, the humans pulling out every trick they could to hide their trails. Now, with the heavy rain, those trails were being washed away entirely.

Taryn clenched his hands into fists at his sides. The humans were getting further and further away from them. They had landed secretly, gathered explosives, and now were heading to their target.

---