Page 4 of To Quench Her Thirst

Most other Drake Kindred could guide their Drake when it emerged from them—not so with Drago. He had tried to rein his beast in and had failed. Then, to his shame, he had blacked out completely, shortly after his Drake took control. He didn’t know until later, when it finally tired itself out and retreated back inside, what had happened or how much destruction it had caused.

It didn’t help that the beast inside him was huge—as big as one of the humans’ largest airplanes—the kind that carried hundreds of passengers across their oceans. He was told by those who had observed his Drake that it was the largest anyone had ever seen—and the most wild and vicious.

Apparently during his Coming of Age ceremony, other Drakes had attempted to contain it and reason with it but they had failed miserably on both counts. It had burned the closest village to the ground and then it had started a forest fire which wound up consuming huge swaths of the wild lands his people held dear.

As a consequence of his inability to control his Drake, Drago had been exiled from his home world and told never to come back again. He had sworn then, after hugging his tearful mother goodbye—(his father refused to even look at him because of the shame he had brought on their family)—that he would never release his Drake again. And since strong emotions were a path to losing control and releasing the beast within him, he had clamped down on his feelings—hard.

When he met Addison, he knew he ought to keep away from her—the Drake inside him had reacted in a way it never had before. Though it had no words, Drago felt a fierce possessiveness coming from the prison he had built for it inside him. If it had been able to speak at all it would have voiced one word—MINE!

He could feel his other half’s hunger to Claim the diminutive, curvy redhead as their mate but he knew howthatwould go. If he allowed himself to feel for her—to express his longing—the cage he had built inside himself might spring open, releasing the chaos of his Primal Drake. And if the Drake got out, it would cause untold destruction—it might even kill Addison in its eager greed to Claim her!

No, he couldn’t risk it, Drago told himself sternly. But he couldn’t bear to walk away from the gorgeous little human either. Addison drew him so strongly that though he knew he could never have her, he at least wanted to be by her side, guarding her. And so he had agreed to become her Protector, even though deep down he knew it was dangerous and wrong.

To compensate for the risk, he kept a tight rein on his emotions around her. He didn't allow himself to think about her beauty, enjoy her bubbly personality, imagine a future with her, or wish he could hold her in his arms. He didn't even allow himself to think of her when he jerked off—well, hetriednot to, anyway.

It was hard keeping his distance. Everything about her drew him—her quick wit, her long, wavy, flame-colored hair, her big eyes that looked blue when she was sad and green when she was happy, her full Elite figure, and those thick thighs he wished he could feel wrapped around his head as he tasted her sweet pussy and she moaned his name…

Stop it,he told himself sternly.You’re fantasizing about her again. You can’t do that.

Within himself, he felt his Drake stirring restlessly. A feeling of longing and possession so deep and fierce it nearly took his breath away rushed through him like a wave, threatening to wash away his hard-built defenses and force him to tell Addison how he really felt about her…how he couldn’t stand the idea of her with another male, especially one as fake and greasy and untrustworthy as that fucking Lx Sambla.

Drago clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on the steering yoke. At the same time, he tightened his grip on his Drake. He wasn’t going to say a word—not one fucking word. And hewasn’tgoing to give in to his longing or his Drake’s desire to Claim her. He and Addison were coworkers and that wasallthey could ever be. He swore to himself he would never, ever touch her.

He had no idea how soon he would be breaking his promise.

3

ADDIE

“Lssa Addison, how lovely to see you again!” Lx Sambla bowed over her hand gallantly, and Addie felt her stomach quiver, as though a thousand butterflies had just taken off inside.

During their dinner aboard the Mother Ship, the Vargan Ambassador had explained the honorifics of his native language—Lx was like saying “Mr.” and Ls was like “Mrs.” The title “Lssa” was reserved for unmarried women, like herself and it sounded perfectly delightful coming from his thin but elegant lips.

“Lx Sambla, thank you so much for inviting me,” she said, choosing to ignore the fact that Drago was looming right behind her, glaring at the ambassador. If her Protector couldn’t be civil, she would just speak for herself and pretend he wasn’t there, she decided.

“We are honored by your presence at our ceremony, lovely one,” Sambla purred, straightening to give her the full force of his large, dark eyes. “And you’ve come just in time to change before our special feast.”

“Oh, really? I’d love to observe your dining customs,” Addie said, smiling.

“Observe them you shall, my beautiful one,” Sambla assured her. “But first you must get changed.”

“Oh yes. Um, I didn’t bring any clothes,” Addie confessed. “Because I was told that the appropriate outfits would be provided.”

“So they will,” Sambla promised. “If you will take my arm, I’ll lead you into the palace where your ladies-in-waiting await you.”

“Ladies-in-waiting?” Addie asked, taking his arm which felt thin but hard under the long black robe he was wearing. It had a high collar and there was an intricate silver pin at his throat which looked a little bit like a many-legged insect.

“Yes, indeed. For you are an honored guest—ofcourseyou must have ladies to wait on you,” Sambla said smoothly. “Do come this way.”

He led Addie into what looked like a medieval castle built of rough black stone. Overhead the light was dim—Addie thought they must have come just at twilight. The outline of Grimm, which was the name of the ringed gas giant planet that Crimson Moon orbited, could be seen taking up half the purplish sky as the castle in front of them loomed in the gathering dusk.

She was aware of Drago stalking along behind her, but again, she resolved to put the big Drake Kindred out of her mind. Instead, she turned her attention to studying the vast structure they were walking into. The front gates were dull silver metal shaped into something that looked almost like a spider web, she thought.

“These gates—they have such an unusual design,” she remarked, to make conversation with Sambla.

"Ah yes—they are a symbol of Sheelash—whose home this palace is. She is the Goddess all Vargans worship," the ambassador explained. "In fact, we only use this palace one solar month a year, during the Choosing Ceremony where the Queen of Night is chosen. Most of that time is spent preparing forthe Quenching Ceremony in the inmost sanctum—the Room of Sighs, we call it," he added.

"So you actually have two separate ceremonies—one to choose the Queen of Night and then the Quenching Ceremony afterward?" Addie asked.

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