Page 38 of Aria's Ascension

She watched him blink rapidly at her words. A smile began curling his lips before it was replaced with a bemused frown. “Yes. I, em, I am not sure why I… I just… Ineededto claim you. Apologies,aessa. I did not mean to mount you so roughly.”

Smiling wider, she snorted and purred, “It wasn’t a complaint, I promise.” Narrowing her eyes contemplatively, she almost asked about the whole pinning thing there at the end, but that wasn’t the question that came out. “Why no kissing?”

He turned his head to return her look, his frown deepening. “Is kissing customary during coupling among your people?

“Usually, yes. Is it not among yours?”

He appeared vaguely alarmed at the thought. “No. Instinct tells us the female will take the opportunity to inject her venom should we put anything close to her mouth, though Caljaans no longer mate so… violently.”

“Like a black widow,” she realized with a smirk halfway between amused and slightly horrified. “Is that why your fangs are out? Just in case?”

He winced and slid his tongue over one of said fangs. “Ah… no. Males inject a small dose of venom through a bite to… ease the female and enhance her pleasure.”

Aria snorted, “And slow her reaction time so she doesn’t take a chunk out of you mid-coitus?”

He returned her smile, the sparkles in his eyes brightening with amusement. “Just so.”

“I promise not to bite you if you put…thingsclose to my mouth,” she hummed teasingly, dropping her gaze to his cock, still semi-hard against his pearlescent grey stomach.

Instead of looking enthusiastic, or even interested in the prospect of a blow job, he just looked confused. Aria was thrown for a second before she realized having fangs likely wasn’t conducive to oral sex. Shaking her head, she chuckled.

Oh, I cannot wait to show him exactly what he’s missed out on.Tirox, too, come to think of it…

Focusing on him and the inquisitive feeling he sent her, she slowly became serious. She’d missed that, missed the intense curiosity animating his handsome face, missed having his emotions fluttering through her mind like a caress.

Reaching out, she laid a hand on his chest. The strange double thump of his heart beating steadily beneath her palm loosened her shoulders and made her eyes sting with the threat of tears.

Speaking through the lump in her throat, she whispered, “I’m so glad you’re okay. Don’t ever fucking scare me like that again.”

He rolled onto his side and gathered her close. Pressing his lips to her forehead, he spoke against her skin, “I would not leave you,aessa. Not for anything.”

“Damn right,” she sniffed.

Chapter 22

The sound of a scuff had Kix lighting up against her. Glancing over her shoulder, Aria spotted Tirox coming down the sloped tunnel leading to their cave.

His golden gaze zeroed in on them the moment he entered fully. Almost too quick to catch, possessiveness flashed across his face before it was replaced with a teasing smirk.

“Ah. I see you finally managed to entice our mate from her slumber,” he joked, but there was an edge to his voice he couldn’t quite hide, and he turned away almost immediately, heading to crouch by the river and rifle through the bag he was carrying.

Aria watched him walk away but didn’t answer. That flash of possessiveness had worry instantly tightening her chest. More, it made her feel uncomfortable, like she’d done something wrong.

Maybe it was just seeing her in Kix’s arms for the first time and knowing they’d obviously had sex.

Or, maybe he was never truly comfortable with sharing to begin with.

What if he’d only been okay with this unique relationship in theory, but seeing the reality of it was too much?

She knew she should get up, talk to him, but, for the life of her, she didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t even try and understand how he felt, becauseshewouldn’t have been okay with even theideaof sharing, let alone seeing it actually happen.

She didn’t know what to do.

This wasn’t going to work if he got jealous every time she was with Kix.

Aria prided herself on being able to handle just about any situation, but this wasn’t combat or talking some psycho down off the proverbial ledge or analyzing a suspect in order to manipulate them into confessing. This was Tirox.

Emotions made things messy and loving him meant she’d lost every shred of objectivity. On top of that, she just didn’t have the relationship experience to know how to approach this situation.

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