Page 60 of K'Vella

"None of the others do this," I murmur, feeling self-conscious at all the females bent over the tables or lying on their backs with their males between their legs.

"None of the others need their mate within biting distance."

He takes one of my upper hands and brings it to his lips. He drags me further up his body until I'm straddling his hips and then moves his hands to my waist, easing me down on him and then removing his hands so he can lean his head back against them.

"Bounce on me and ride me hard."

I run my upper hands over his chest, tracing the lines of his markings before testing my ability to ride him. I lift myself off, tilt my hips around, and find a rhythm that works for me.

I can feel the roughness of his knot before it swells, but I'm more so watching his face. The way his eyes drop down my body, hovering over my breasts, my abdomen, the bites on my neck, and up to my eyes. He makes soft grunts when I move my hips a certain way, so I keep doing that and am rewarded with his biceps flexing and his hips bucking into me.

"That's right, that's my good mate, riding your male so well." Holoth continues to purr even as he clenches his teeth down hard.

I gasp as pleasure bubbles up under my pelt and ride him faster. My breathing catches in my throat, my braids whack against my back and chest, and my flush is so dark and so large it covers the entirety of my chest. It doesn't stop me from taking my pleasure, from finding what makes me feel good and chasing it.

Holoth growls, lifting himself up. He helps me keep the pace of my bouncing on him as he tugs my head into the crook of his neck. He moves his hair to the side, tilts his head, and purrs.

"You bite me when you come, K'Vella. You bite me hard." Holoth grips my hips, making sure I don't slide down to takehis whole knot. Not until I've come. Not until I've taken my pleasure.

I suckle on his neck, the pain in my wrists starting to blister even through Holoth's purr. I whimper. The sound makes Holoth growl low in his throat like he might be able to command the pain away. It's enough. I cry out, his name the only thing that leaves my mouth before I sink my teeth hard into the soft place where his neck and shoulder meet.

He slams me down on his knot, a growl rumbling through him so loud it overshadows all the other sounds of pleasure. I keep my teeth locked in him, the pain in my wrists and elbows, knees and neck finally easing and softening until it's gone. I hold Holoth tighter, tears pricking at my lashes as I keep my teeth in him while he's buried deep in me.

"That's my good, sweet mate. You did so good. You rode me hard. Made sure everyone knows I'm claimed. Now you've got your pretty marks, too. What a good, wonderful mate." Holoth murmurs into my ear, singing my praises over and over.

I don't know what he means by my pretty marks, but I assume he's talking about his bites. My eyes start to feel heavy, my body going limp at all the emotions that I've gone through in such a short time.

"Sleep if you need." Holoth runs his fingers down my hair and tilts his chin upward at someone behind me. "Pull that chair over."

He shifts around with me in his lap, and we stand for a second before plopping down in a chair. A blanket is thrown over me. "I'll get her to the nest once we're not locked together."

He's speaking to someone near us, but I don't open my eyes to see who it is, and I don't remove my lips from his neck. Instead, I listen to their conversation, or as much of it as I can, while I try to fight off my sleep. I can't make out the words of the femalehe's talking to, but Essa's voice is soft and distinct, so I know it's her.

"I'm sorry for making you get all scary."

"No, she's mine. She'll always be mine. You guys were worried about nothing."

"How many of you knew about the babe before me?"

"No, they're beautiful, aren't they? I don't know why I never thought of having her bite me. I mean, it makes sense looking back at how Jovi and Alik got theirs."

"I don't know what the plan is, but I know I'm going wherever she wants to be."

twenty-one

Holoth

K'Vella's body stretches against mine, rousing me from my sleep in the most amazing of ways. She's the first thing I smell in the morning, the first one I see, the first one I feel. I wrap my arm tighter around her, loving how her lower arms are still wrapped protectively over her abdomen, always protecting our child.

"Good morning," I growl low into her ear, nipping at the tip where it's most sensitive.

I run my fingers along her new mating marks, dark bands of black over her wrists, above and below her elbows and knees, around her ankles, and around her neck. Varon symbols of being bonded to another. The same markings I've been trying to get to show up since I rutted K'Vella the first time.

I'm pretty sure she hasn't noticed them on herself. She passed out last night with her teeth still in me and didn't even wake when I took her back to the nest and wrapped myself around her to fall asleep.

"Mmm," K'Vella moans, rolling over so her face can nuzzle against the crook of my neck.

She presses her body into mine, rolling her hips against my aching cock and pressing her breasts against my chest. I can't tell if she's purposefully trying to seduce me because she still looks unconscious.

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