Page 12 of Claimed By the Drakarn Warrior Lord

Magnificent.

But my control was wearing thin. The weight of her closeness, her scent, and the heat of her presence soaked into me like magma against stone. She didn’t yet understand who—or what—I was.

Without a word, I stood, shrugging off the leather armor with practiced ease. My tail curled behind me as the heat in the room licked at my exposed scales, every inch of me unrepentant and bare. I didn’t look away from her as the last piece fell. Herwide eyes snapped to me. Lower, to the thick cords of muscles across my chest. Lower still as her gaze followed the long, scaled length of my tail … the hilt of my cock beneath my abdomen.

Her attention lingered, her pupils dilating, and for a single beat, every shield in her expression fractured. Surprise. Curiosity. Something darker that made the mate-bond growl with triumph. And then she realized I was watching her. Her head jerked back up, her cheeks flushing a deeper shade. She threw her gaze back towards the city.

I let my wings unfurl slightly, the movement calm and deliberate as I stepped into the bath beside her, silent except for the faint lap of the water against stone.

She stilled completely, her shoulders locking tight, her breathing quick but shallow. I could see the tension in her frame, the churning war inside her between fear and something she likely couldn’t name.

“Relax,” I murmured, though I knew the word was foreign to her. My voice came softer than intended, a low rumble that settled into the space between us. She didn’t flinch—good—but those brilliant green eyes tracked my every move.

I sank into the water, the temperature comfortablywarm, not as scalding as I preferred. My wings folded inward, creating a faint ripple that reached her side, and I settled just close enough that we mirrored each other’s height. She had no claws, no scales, her skin bare and fragile-looking in comparison, and still, she met my presence with an obstinate boldness that made the mate-bond pull even tighter.

I reached out slowly, careful not to startle her as I took her arm in my hand. Her skin was alarmingly smooth, so warm and delicate under my touch it felt like the barest whisper of sensation against my clawed fingers.

She stiffened but didn’t pull away. That was a start.

With quiet precision, I lifted her hand and gestured out the expansive window overlooking the city. “Scalvaris,” I said clearly, annunciating each syllable. I pointed across the vista of molten rivers and obsidian towers, my tone firm but unthreatening. “My city. Your new home.”

Her eyes followed my gesture, her focus drawn to the pulsing life of Scalvaris below. For just a moment, awe replaced the fear and tension, softening her expression into something unguarded and raw. My chest swelled at the sight. My mate, alien and utterly foreign to my people, was looking atthe city I ruled with the wonder of discovery. I would show her all of it.

But for now, simple gestures and intention would suffice. I pointed again to the training yards where warrior-screams echoed faintly through the haze of heat rising over stone and steel. “The combat pits,” I rumbled. Then, I shifted my hand to the obsidian tower glinting just shy of the cavern roof’s reach. “Our council.”

Each word was deliberate, shared slowly, my tone even and unthreatening. She didn’t understand the meaning, not fully, but her attention never wavered, her focus locked on both my gestures and my expression as though committing every detail to memory.

She was observant. That was all I could ask for now.

When I shifted to gesture again, her attention caught on the movement, and I felt her gaze dip—briefly but clearly—to my tail.

Ah.

Her frightened posture twitched like a flame. Not with pure terror. Something instinctual flared in her gaze, carefully muted by fear, but noticeable to someone as attuned to her every breath as I was.

No shame, no coy retreat. That tension I’dnoticed, the fire buried under that vulnerable surface, promised far more than mere resistance. It brought an ache to my groin, a patient, steady throb I longed to sink into her softness. But not yet. Not until she understood what she'd awakened.

I turned my head toward her again, leaning just a breath closer, tipping the balance between cautious distance and deliberate proximity. Her eyes snapped back up to mine, startled—the connection immediate.

My lips curved into a slow smile, and I felt a flicker of power shift between us.

“For now,” I murmured, my tone quiet but heavy with intent, “you’ll learn.”

She wouldn’t understand the words—but her gut instincts might. Those flashes of curiosity, the way her body reacted but didn’t fully retreat, whispered to me of possibilities far greater than whatever distant stars birthed her.

One step at a time, my beautiful, fragile mate. I would teach her. About language, about trust, about belonging. About me.

I reached for the crystal fruit first, its translucent, glistening flesh catching the chamber’s dim light. I held it in my claws and said the word clearly. “Krysfruit.” Turning to her slowly, I brought it to my mouth,taking a quick bite while keeping my eyes locked with hers.

She watched silently, her hands wrapped defensively around herself. I held the half-eaten fruit out to her, no words this time, just the offering. This was no trick. I didn’t speak for her benefit, but for mine: “Krysfruit.”

She didn’t move at first. The tension between us lingered, thick as the heat of molten rock.

But after a long moment, she reached out slowly for the fruit, her wet fingers brushing the hard planes of my claws as if testing if I’d snap them closed like a trap. The soft contact of her skin against mine was electric and devastating. It stripped the air from my lungs, leaving only fire and smoke behind.

Mate.Mine.

Her lips parted slightly as she inspected the fruit, her mouth moving as though trying to form its name again. And then, without warning, she bit into it. Her breath hitched, and her eyes widened at the burst of flavor. Surprise colored her face, quickly replaced with something deeper—pleasure? Gratitude? It was fleeting, but I caught it. She inhaled deeply and finished it in two bites.

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