Page 79 of Rok's Captive
I close my eyes, letting my forehead rest more firmly against his, giving myself over to whatever this is. Maybe it’s just an alien version of kissing. Maybe it’s some kind of apology. Maybe?—
“I heard—my light.”
I jerk back, my eyes flying open in shock. That voice—in my head, not my ears, but clear as a bell—wasn’t mine. It was deeper, richer, with an accent I can’t place, lilting and musical yet somehow harsh at the edges. And so much like Rok’s…only…clearer.
Rok is staring at me, his eyes blazing with intensity, his hands still cradling my face.
Oh…
Oh my God…
“Did you…” I swallow hard, my throat suddenly dry. “Was that you?”
Chapter24
NOT SAFE FOR HUMANS
ROK
She is entering the mindspace.
I can feel it.
Xiraxis has allowed her in. Ain has allowed her in. I am certain of it.
Her expression tells me I am not wrong.
The way her eyes widened, the sharp gasp of her breath when she heard me—truly heard me—her mind brushing mine for the briefest moment before it disappeared again. The look she gives me now is one of awe, of disbelief, as if something impossible has just happened.
But it is not impossible.
It is her.
It is us.
She stares at me with those strange, water-like eyes—the same ones that had blurred with heat and desire when I tasted her—and I close my own, pressing my forehead to hers, willing my thoughts to reach her again.
“Speak to me.”
Nothing.
Her mind remains blank to me, a frustrating void, though I hold her there, trembling with the effort. I growl low in my throat, and the sound vibrates between us before I pull back, my chest heaving. Frustration coils tighter within me, and I can feel my claws twitching, needing to release the mounting pressure, aching to sink into something. But not her.
I cannot risk hurting her.
My body, so disciplined, so controlled, is betraying me in ways I cannot comprehend. The glow beneath my skin—once a tool like my eyes, my ears, my hands—now flares beyond my control, responding to her like a storm answering the call of the wind. Mydra-kirpounds erratically, my breathing labored, and the heat coursing through my veins feels foreign, invasive.
But the worst part isn’t the confusion. It’s the fear. The fear that this unstoppable pull toward her will consume me entirely. That I will lose myself. And if that happens, I will loseher.
She is so small, so fragile, and the beast clawing at me—this wild, relentless need—does not care for such things. My claws, my strength, my very being could tear her apart, even if all I want is to protect her. The thought of harming her sends a deep, guttural panic through me. I cannot risk it. I cannot risk her. Not like this.
And so I fight.
I stalk away from her, pacing the chamber like a trapped shadowmaw. My claws clench and unclench, my muscles feeling tight, too tight, with the effort it’s taking to maintain control.
She is watching me. I can feel her gaze following my every move.
I cannot look her way.
