Page 54 of Elas

“So perfect,” I murmur as I work him through his orgasm, using his cum to slick his cock further. “You are so fucking perfect.” His thrusts slow and I pace my hand to follow his lead, and when he finally sags against me, my monster is desperate.

I push it down, promising myself it won’t be long. That soon, he’ll be all mine.

His breathing is heavy, his back rising and falling as he lays against my chest. I hear his thick swallow, almost feel the burn of his cheeks through my armor. He reaches for me again, and I stop him. “This was about you, doc,” I say, surprised by the emotion in my voice.

“Do you not want me to…” He trails off, his eyes seeking as they meet mine.

“August, I want you to do absolutely anything you can imagine to me. This has nothing to do with what I want, because the minute your hands are on my bare skin, I won’t be able to control myself. If you touch me right now, I’ll fuck you against the wall, and I’d rather do that when I can take my time with you.” Reality hits, and he glances over his shoulder.

“Oh… my gods… you just jerked me off in the file room.”

“I did,” I chuckle, tucking his softened cock back into his pants. His release coats my hand, and he watches as I lift it to my mouth and lick my palm. The taste of him awakens that beast inside me, instinct telling me to cover myself inhis scent. His eyes widen as I drag my hand over my neck, spreading the heady smell over my skin.

“What are you doing?” he asks, tracking the movement.

Curious little doc.

“Marking myself with you. Making sure your scent is all over me, so any predators that come too close will know who you belong to.”

He swallows hard again, and the way his eyes dance around my face tells me he’s forming a question. I don’t interrupt his thought process, instead tying his pants and smoothing down his shirt.

“I’m yours?” he finally asks.

“Yes. You are mine, and I am yours.”

“You say it like it’s so simple.”

“Do you not want it to be?” I ask, but he shakes his head. “I can’t predict the future, August. There’s a change coming, though. That much I’m sure of, and I’ve never ignored my instincts. A time may come when a lot happens very quickly. It could be soon, or it could be months from now. There’s no way for us to know.” I reach up and brush my knuckles over his cheek. “In a world that might get very complicated, this can be simple.Wecan be simple.”

“I can get behind that,” he says, another shimmer of tears glittering in his hazel eyes.

“Good, baby. That’s really good.” I press a soft kiss to his lips, and he sighs as I rest my forehead against his. “Now that this entire hallway smells of sex, we need to go home. There are things we need to discuss.”

“What—”

“Later,” I warn, and he nods, glancing towards the back corner of the room. After checking our clothing once more, we step into the hallway. We don’t pass many people on the way out, though I catch Xeni’s eyes through an exam room door. Pure contempt pours from him as his nostrils flare, but I only smirk and lead August out into the early evening sun.

August

Idon’tknowwhatsurprises me the most—finding out Elas is my mate, that impromptu handjob in the file room where anyone could’ve found us, or my lack of freaking out.

We don’t speak as we walk along the path to the barracks. Elas throws me a few concerned glances, his brow furrowed slightly, but I counter them with a reassuring smile.

I guess he expected more panic from me, too.

Instead, I’m floating in peaceful bliss. My entire body is tingling and drowsy, every single muscle relaxed. Naps aren’t usually my thing, but I’m ready to curl into Elas’s warmth and sleep for hours.

Something tells me by the end of this conversation, however, that peace will be gone.

“Need a drink, doc?” Elas asks as we walk inside, and I nod as he closes the door behind us. My anxiety creeps back as I sit on the couch, my spine too straight as hefetches two waters from the fridge. When he notices my rigid posture, he flashes me a teasing grin. “I knew the stress would hit you eventually.”

“I’m not stressing,” I lie, and he rolls his eyes as he walks over and sinks onto the cushion beside me.

“There is so much tension coming off you right now that I’m pretty sure I’m grinding my teethforyou.” He sits the bottles down and leans closer, one of his thumbs dragging along my jawline. “I would’ve thought you’d be more relaxed after that.” My cheeks burn as that troublemaker grin spreads. “There’s my cute blushing doc.”

“Menace,” I mumble, and he laughs as he presses his lips to mine. Unlike the frantic, desperate kisses earlier, this one is controlled and sweet. I savor it all—the heat of his tongue as it brushes against mine, the scrape of his tusks, and the soft panting of breath that blows across my skin.

After a few minutes, he sighs and pulls back, and I grudgingly let him separate us. “There’s a lot we need to talk about.”

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