Page 27 of Ragnar

“You truly want to know? You are a female human. The very scent of your skin is an aphrodisiac to all of the species that were placed on this hellish world. They tested its potency on us many times on the journey here. I didn’t realize what it was until I met my own mate. Your scent is calling to males who wish to rut you. They will gang up on Ragnar, kill him and then fight to rut you. You wouldn’t survive it. The only way to prevent this is for Ragnar to claim you. You must wear his scent.” Talnag’s words make my heartbeat pick up and a cold sweat breaks out on my skin.

It brings to mind unpleasant memories, violence and pain. A fate I already survived once, barely. Humans were bad enough, but monsters? I truly wouldn’t survive. Sensing my panic, Ragnar forgets his rage and sends a calming vibration to me. He follows it up by rubbing his snout against my side, comforting me.

“I will not let that happen, Regreee.” He promises vehemently.

“As if you can stop them all.” Talnag snorts.

“Do not let your own failures temper your words now. She is not your mate and her situation isn’t the same. Take care.” Ragnar warns, his eyes glittering dangerously at the other male. The barb hits home, Talnag’s hiss of rage scary enough that I waiver in my resolve to ask, if only for a moment.

“How do you claim me? How will you mark me?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper. It is directed at my mate, needing to hear it from him.

“I promised to give you time.” He whines piteously and that is all the answer I need. Sex. He needs to fuck me to claim me, which is why he never said anything about it. Shit, he might have and I blocked it out.

“I do not pretend to know what your reservations are, but for both of your sake I suggest you overcome them. I can promise you one night of safety, but your time is up after that.” Talnag says, his earlier aggression tamped down. One night.

I have one night to conquer my demons, or I might lose the best thing to happen to me in years. Denial rises from my soul. I want to trust Ragnar, but even someone as massive as him isn’t invincible. I’ve already almost lost him twice. There really is only one option.

“Claim me.” Ragnar reacts like I’ve slapped him, rearing back.

“Regreee…you do not know what you request.” He whines, and my burst of bravery threatens to deflate. He is right, I do not know what it means, nor what it entails. What if they must eat the left arm of their mate during sex? Improbable but not impossible. Still, I want to be able to be with Ragnar without death following us constantly.

“So, tell me. Explain it to me, please!” I beg, more in love with him now than ever before. Even though I am pressuring him for something I know he wants, he is only worried about me. Worried about how his desire might affect me. His gaze shifts to Talnag.

“Not with an audience.” He mutters. Talnag grins, the first real one I’ve seen since he appeared.

“I will gather the others. If we are to get you safely out of town, then I will need help.” His grin falters when Ragnar snarls out his denial. “Do not worry about your precious human. The twins are still young. They haven’t fallen prey to their beasts just yet. They will happily keep watch during the night.” He nods goodbye before taking off at a run.

Ragnar, to his credit, wastes no time. He shifts and leads me into the closest house, a large ranch style home that is mostly intact. Floofy chirps at us, reappearing from one of his various hiding places before following at our heels. He is a slippery bugger, managing to know the exact moment to hide and appear. It must be how he has survived for so long.

Absent-mindedly I reach down to pat him as I am drug behind a very impatient Ragnar. Fear rolls from his stiff back in waves. Even shifted, he still must duck to fit beneath the door frame, careful not to destroy it as he passes. I am given no choice but to run to keep up, my own stomach knotted with fear of the unknown. I asked him to explain, I can’t back down now or he will waiver more than he already has.

My demons will cease to control me. Last night was a turning point for me. I requested time from my mate, but our time has run out. It makes me sad that I have caused this tension between us, but I am ready for it to end. For this weird sexual limbo to end.

At first, I think he means to take me to the bedroom, but his shoulders begin to shake before we have even crossed through the living room. As quickly as he grabbed me, he drops my hand as if it is burning him. Whirling to face me, I can see the emotions flitting across his scaly face. I can’t believe I once felt horrified at the sight of him. He is easily the most beautiful specimen I have ever seen in my life. His long lupine snout, his glistening scales. The raw power that rolls off of him in waves. It Is breathtaking when all compiled together to create my mate. A mate I trust more than anyone else in my life. I love my sisters and I trust them explicitly, but it is different with Ragnar. More intense. Stronger. A swirling mass of emotions that drives my every move.

“Regreee…” He starts, stopping to run a clawed hand up his snout. It is one of his tells when he is stressed, an oddly human trait. Guilt assails me, but then I remember why we are in this situation to begin with. If he doesn’t fuck me, we are screwed. Literally. Laughter bubbles out of me at the thought. Here I was, scared to death someone would force themselves on me and yet I can tell I am going to have to convince Rangar to even touch me. In a strange way, it helps ease any of my remaining fears.

“Ragnar. It is going to be okay. Please, just explain.” I gentle my voice, not wanting to spook him. He has a wild look in his eyes that makes me afraid he might bolt. Carefully I place a hand on his forearm, the scales beneath my palm warm and comforting.

“It isn’t easy to describe to someone not used to our ways. You are human and I am not. I do not wish to say something the wrong way and scare you.” I can hear the reticence in his voice and my heart swells with love.

“We will figure it out. Would it help if I explained human sex?” I ask, blushing at the thought of having to describe such an intimate thing. I think dirty thoughts all day long, but somehow saying them out loud makes it ten times worse. Silently I pray he declines but that comes crashing to a halt when he nods enthusiastically.

“Yes, explain please. Maybe there are similarities I can work with.” Silently I consider how to have the “Birds and Bees” talk with him without wanting the earth to swallow me whole from embarrassment. It doesn’t help that my own parents never had the talk with me or my sisters. They let us discover it organically. Needing comfort, I move to the sofa and curl up with my legs beneath me. Ragnar stays standing, his eyes tracking my every movement. Where do I even begin?

“Humans do not have to be mates to…to mate. Sex doesn’t usually need a bond. Any male can mate with any female. Males can mate with males. Females can mate with females.” My voice cracks at the end when I see the confusion on his face. Okay, so maybe his people aren’t quite as advanced on the evolutionary scale as we are.

“Males and females share reproductive parts?” He asks, confused. There are so many things I could explain or tell him about but for our sake I choose to focus on male/female.

“No. Humans are very creative sexually. Since you are male, and I am female I will stick to the basics. Human men have an appendage called a penis. Human women have a vagina. Usually, the men insert the penis into the vagina for sex.” At this point my face has to be flaming a bright red. Sneaking a look up at Ragnar, I find his gaze burning brightly as he stares down at me.

Silent understanding passes between us. Inadvertently my eyes dip to the smooth scales between his legs. The ones that hide his own cock. A blush heats my cheeks. Though he hasn’t ever overtly flashed me, being in close quarters with him for so long means that I have had my fair share of close encounters. It is nothing like a human’s.

“This is the same for my people, though the names of our parts are obviously different.” He starts, taking my nod as encouragement to continue. “Though, the bond plays a significant part in the mating rituals of my people. During mating with my one true match, my beast and I will become one. To do so, I must sink my fangs into the flesh of my mate. Her blood is the glue that will bond us together. The thread that sews the chasm between us shut. Once her blood hits our tongue, we will become one. Your blood. I will then gain my final coloring. It usually follows the color of our mate’s eyes.” His words come out painfully, as if he doesn’t wish to tell me. Vampire prehistoric wolf. A week or so ago, I would have passed away from the shock of it. Now? I just shrug.

“That is what you were so worried to tell me?” I ask, confused. A little pain to form a bond that is unbreakable seems like a small price to pay. He nods and I can’t help but smile, opening my arms to beckon him forward. His frown deepens, unsure how to process my reaction.

“I do not wish to cause you pain while mating. My saliva is meant to numb my mate but what if it doesn’t work on humans? Hurting you would destroy me.” He mutters, falling into my arms as carefully as he can so as to not crush me, tucking his sails close to his body so I do not get stabbed on accident. So considerate.

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