Page 39 of Possessed By the Leonid King

“Labs, perhaps. Marsh ducks in your clumsy paws? Never.” Marcus sauntered off, stripped to the waist, graying gold fur gleaming in the sun until it gave off a platinum sheen.

The salty breeze brought a new scent. Layla. Suddenly, Rupex was glad Marcus was returning to the ship. He wanted to hunt more.

Hunt Layla. Hunt her across the soft marsh grasses until they came to the clear gray pools of fresh water. Chase her in. Grab her by the scruff—no, by the long, shimmering hair so different from Leonids.

Mate her like he did before, only better.

I wish my Layla to roar for me...

“He’s over there.”

Rupex heard Marcus’ voice drift on the cooling breeze, taking Layla’s scent directly to his nostrils, which seemed to be connected to his cock at the moment.

“Rupex! Hi!” Layla bounded across the sandy path, breasts bouncing under the top she was wearing. He supposed it was considered a dress on Layla’s small human frame, but it had been one of Alana’s old swimming tops, the kind a Queen would wear with wetsuit leggings or shorts.

It barely touched her knees. She was beaming as she ran, her hair still damp and holding her fragrance.

A growl started low in his middle. My mate. My Queen.

Look at how she glows with health—so different from the scrawny thing in the cargo hold.

His heart stopped for a second, his breath vanished as she reached him and put her hand on his paw. Imagine how glorious she’s going to look when carrying my cubs.

“What do you want to do today? Marcus showed me the ducks you caught. I’ve never had duck. Only rich people eat duck on Sapien-Three.”

“Marsh Duck is wild game and a Leonid delicacy few enjoy. But...” Rupex shook himself, trying to stop his limbs from moving on their own. He ached to circle her. Stalk her.

Catch her and eat her. Not in the way he’d devour a duck. She’d be screaming, his Layla, but not in pain.

“But what?” Layla moved closer to him. “Are you okay?”

“But we have it fresh in our part of the world. There’s also silverfin in the saltwater and marshfin in the fresh. Would you like to see the pools we used to fish in?”

“I’d love to. I never went fishing, either. The only fishing was on the big industrial trawlers. I did put my contract up for a six-month term on one, but the day I went to sign, I saw the crew that came off. The men looked tired and the women looked scared.” Layla moved closer to him, eyes moving. “There must have been 600 men to ten women. I... I decided it wasn’t a good idea to be out in the middle of the ocean with no place to get off.”

Rupex’s tail gave one violent lash, making the air sing behind him. He could understand Layla’s unspoken fears and in a heartbeat, he shared them. What if his Layla had been on that vessel at the mercy of the sea and outnumbered by men who had no concern for her life? What if he’d deposited her on Lynx-Nineteen, that tiny backwater pebble of a planet? The rumble in his chest made the leaves overhead vibrate.

“Queens would never be treated that way aboard a Leonid vessel, you know. Queens are revered, modeled after Bastet, and givers of life. A King is nothing without his pride, and the pride only grows if there is a Queen.” His reassuring speech was getting shorter and sharper. “We protect Queens... but we do not place them on a pedestal. We view them as gifts. Gifts and equals. With needs and desires.”

Layla looked up at him with her mouth slightly open. “I like the sound of that. I like this island. Rupex, I was wondering—”

But he didn’t get to hear what she was wondering. He seized her and kissed her hard before pushing her ahead of him. “You have needs. You want to be caught. Tasted. Savored. Am I wrong?”

She didn’t answer. She just ran.

HE WAS HERDING HER. Layla ran one way, and Rupex appeared on her left, a flash of fur and fiery eyes. She swerved right, skidding on pebbles and crushing springy grass with her bare feet. Rupex was on her right, fangs snarling.

He’s going to eat me. Bite me.

But not in a bad way.

She wanted him in her again, in that rough, pain-kissed way that made the edges of her vision go fuzzy.

Layla knew her Leonid lover could easily overtake her, but he never did. Instead, if she slowed, his pace slowed. He stayed behind her, stalking, making her uneasy with anticipation until she couldn’t stand it anymore. Then she’d turn and find him silently watching her, hunger seeping from his pores.

This last sprint put her face to face with a perfectly clear, silent pond that was the color of the old Moon that circled Sapien-One. Its gray, shimmering surface was too beautiful to disturb.

She felt the air rush out of her lungs and her feet leave the ground. She was flying, soaring, and any minute there would be a horrible impact, either from the coil of muscles that had just slammed into her, or the depths of the water. “Ru!” she managed to scream as she clutched him, waiting for water to fill her lungs.

---