Page 97 of Rok's Captive
Yet as I nod my agreement and follow him toward the cave entrance, I can’t shake the growing certainty that I’m in serious trouble here. As we step out into the morning light, I give myself a stern internal lecture about priorities and survival and the extreme inadvisability of interspecies romance.
But as Rok turns back to make sure I’m following, that not-quite-smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, I know it’s already too late.
I am so, so screwed.
And not in the fun way. Yet.
Chapter28
THIS NEW BODY: INSTRUCTIONS NOT INCLUDED
ROK
The dust stretches endlessly before us, vast and unforgiving under Ain’s harsh gaze. Our journey will be long—longer than I initially planned.
I must take Jus-teen on a winding path to avoid the rival clan’s territory. Their scent lingers in the air, faint but unmistakable, carried on the wind like a warning. They are restless, their movements concerning. It is as if they are searching for something—or someone.
Perhaps they sensed Jus-teen’s arrival. Perhaps they simply expand their reach, emboldened by the changing cycles. The calm season is upon us. A perfect time for exploration and travel. But whatever the reason they move, we cannot risk an encounter. Not with Jus-teen so vulnerable.
Not with me in this…condition.
Everything feels different. There is a hum beneath my surface now, a ceaseless vibration that I cannot suppress. An awareness that sharpens every sense, pulls every thought toward her.
Toward Jus-teen.
I lead us in Ain’s rising direction, away from the direct route to my clan’s settlement. The path is harder, winding through broken stone ridges and stretches of loose sand, but it offers safety. I keep to the shadows of the ridges where Ain’s light cannot reach us fully, though even here the heat is unrelenting for the female at my back.
She follows without complaint, her smaller form moving steadily behind me, though I can sense her fatigue growing with each passing solmark.
She is strong for one so small, so soft. Her resilience impresses me, even as I worry for her safety.
And yet, her presence is a torment.
The new appendages between my legs have not returned to their former state. My cock remains fully extended, pressed uncomfortably against the hide covering she fashioned for me. The sacs beneath it feel heavy, tight with some purpose I do not understand but cannot ignore.
I find myself acutely aware of her every movement.
The swing of her arms as she walks. The way her chest rises and falls with each breath. The occasional brush of her hand against mine when the terrain forces us closer together. Each point of contact sends a pulse of heat through me that settles in my stem, making it twitch with renewed interest.
It is…distracting.
During the darkness, as she rested in the cave last dark, I found myself unable to look away from her.
She had curled near the fire, her small body folded into itself like the fragile creatures that burrow beneath the dust. Her breathing was soft, steady, her lips slightly parted. Occasionally, she murmured in her rest, the sound too faint for me to distinguish but enough to make my claws flex against the stone.
Without conscious decision, my claw had wrapped around my stem. My new appendage, so unfamiliar, so sensitive, throbbed at the memory of her taste, the feel of her essence on my tongue.
At first, I moved slowly, testing the sensation, unsure of what my body demanded. The pleasure was sharp, like the sting of cold water on Ain-heated skin, but it pulled me deeper, made me grip harder.
And then the images came.
Not from my mind, but fromhersas she slept.
Jus-teen beneath me, her soft body yielding to mine.
Jus-teen, her thighs wrapped around my waist, her head thrown back in pleasure.
Jus-teen, her hands clutching at my shoulders, her breathless voice calling my name.
