Page 48 of Stolen By The Beast
“Promise me we’ll always be together.”
“I already did when I gifted you my saroque. Nothing can break that bond—not the darkness inside of me, not even death.”
She relaxed against me once more, a smile tugging at her lips as she turned her face upward for more of my touch.
Little did I know how soon our bond would be tested.
Chapter Fifteen
Juniper
Ifoughtayawn.It was getting late, but I didn’t want the evening to end.
We’d spent the last three hours of darkness, staring up at the stars, while Karvik told me the stories his species had passed down about each star I pointed to.
I propped myself up on my elbow. “Karvik? You’ve told me that humans hunted your kind, but where did you come from?”
He stayed quiet for so long I thought he wasn’t going to answer. “Where did you come from, little one?”
I snorted, “How should I know? I wasn’t around in the beginning.”
“Then why should I know? I was not the first of my kind. This was not even the first earth in your solar system where we have walked.”
“You’re an alien?!” I gaped at him. “No wonder sex with you was outta this world.”
“There are stars in your eyes. That happens each time you are making a joke I do not comprehend and you are trying not to laugh.” Karvik brushed my cheek with his claw. “It doesn’t matter what I am since I am the last of my kind. I am just a beast now.”
“Maybe there are more of your species on other planets?”
Karvik shook his head. “The legends say my ancestors arrived on this planet together. This was the last world they traveled to. My species existed for many eons, but it was our preference for being alone and our long lives that destroyed us.”
He sighed, “We went far too long without bonding, and humans began to hunt us for trophies faster than we reproduced. As this world became more populated, places we could hide in to escape the chaos of modern civilization dwindled.”
“I’m so sorry Karvik.” Tears filled my eyes and I caught his hand and pressed it to my lips, unconcerned about being scratched by his razor sharp claws.
“It is the natural progression of life. The beasts like me had their turn to exist. Now other lifeforms have their time. Perhaps if we hadn’t been so stubborn in seeking solitude, things would have been different. But that is not the case, so why are you sorrowful for me?”
“Because I love you. Plus it’s a freaking sad backstory, okay?” I swiped at my tears. “Most humans consider extinction of any kind a tragedy.”
“I do not understand how human minds function with such excessive emotions. Perhaps that is what makes the meat of a human taste different than other animals,[1] ” he mused.
I gagged, then tried unsuccessfully to hide another yawn. Needing to change the topic, I batted my eyelashes at Karvik. “How about one more story?”
“It is past your bedtime, small human.”
I pushed out my bottom lip in an exaggerated pout.
Karvik’s chest rumbled in response. “That will not change my mind, little one.”[2]
“Maybe this will change your mind.” I dropped my voice to a seductive purr and climbed astride Karvik’s hips.
The slight catch in his breathing told me he was listening.
Grinding my hips against the bulge of his pouch, I smirked down at him. “How about another story in exchange for a kiss?”
“You have offered a deal I cannot refuse.” Karvik’s hips rocked upward, forcing me to swallow a moan. I couldn’t have him thinking he could get the upper hand so easily.
Scooting up Karvik’s chest, I pressed my nose to his. “And if it is a good story, I’ll let you decide where you want the kiss.”
