Page 120 of Rok's Captive
Heat rises to my cheeks at the word, and Kol goes still at the visible change in my skin color. Several nearby clan members shift closer, fascinated by this new development.
“She changes color!” one thinks loudly enough for everyone to hear. “You have enraged her, dra-dam!”
Dra-dam? Leader, I suppose. Kol is leaning forward slightly, focus on my skin so intent, embarrassment makes me blush even harder.
“It’s called blushing,” I explain, taking care to remember to talk in my head while also wishing my face would cool. “It happens when humans are…embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed?” The concept seems to confuse them.
“Uncomfortable with attention,” I clarify. “Or when discussing certain topics.”
“Such as claiming,” Kol supplies.
My blush deepens. “Yes.”
“I do not understand,” Kol continues. It seems he’s genuinely puzzled and I realize something I never noticed before. He, Rok, Tharn, the Drakav in general, do not seem to hide their emotions like humans do. Their minds are open. Their intentions clear.
Something warm develops in my chest as my gaze shifts to Rok. His intentions have always been clear to me. I’ve never had to guess.
“Claiming is simple.” Kol projects, bringing me back to the present. “When a Drakav finds something useful in the dust—a tool, a water source, a hunting territory—he claims it for his use. It becomes his. Rok has claimed you as his useful thing.”
My eyes widen as I realize the misunderstanding. He’s talking about ownership, possession—not the intimate act my mind immediately jumped to. But it’s too late; the memory of Rok’s mouth between my thighs, his tongue exploring places no one has ever touched in so long, flashes vividly in my mind. The heat, the wetness, the way he drank from me as if dying of thirst?—
A collective gasp echoes through the cave, not audible but mental—a wave of shock and confusion that makes me realize, to my absolute horror, that I’ve just accidentally broadcast that explicit memory to the entire clan.
The silence that follows is deafening. Every pair of golden eyes is fixed on me, expressions ranging from stunned to bewildered to intensely curious. Across the fire, Tharn’s mouth has actually fallen open, a very human gesture of shock that would be comical under other circumstances.
Rok goes completely still beside me.
“What…was…that?” Kol finally asks, his mental voice careful, measured even, as if approaching something potentially dangerous.
I want to dissolve into the stone beneath me. Instead, I press my hands to my blazing face, unable to look at any of them.
“I’m sorry,” I manage to think. “I didn’t mean to show that. It was private.”
“That was…” Someone’s thoughts reach me, then stop, seemingly at a loss for words.
“Sharing water,” Rok supplies calmly, though I can feel his discomfort rippling beneath the surface. “It is natural. As natural as breathing.”
“Sharing water…fromthere?” Tharn asks incredulously, gesturing vaguely toward my lower body.
If possible, my face burns even hotter. I’m going to die of embarrassment right here in this cave, surrounded by confused alien males who’ve just gotten an unexpected glimpse of human sexuality.
“All females have water to share,” Rok states, but his gaze darts to me for confirmation. Oh fuck. What should I even say? Cheeks blazing, I nod. Rok’s shoulders straighten with even more confidence. “It is how bonds are strengthened.”
The clan members exchange glances, a buzz of confused mental whispers passing between them.
“This is…claiming?” Kol asks, clearly trying to reconcile this new information with his understanding of the word.
“No,” I hastily correct, the words coming from my lips. They all collectively wince. Shit. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and focus on saying everything in my head. “No. That’s…something else. Something private.”
“Private?” Kol does that thing again where I’m sure he’s turning the word over in his mind. They don’t…they don’t understand what I mean.
Pretty sure I’m digging myself a hole here.
“Private means it isn’t shared with others. Only those we trust the most.”
“I see,” Kol says, though it’s clear he doesn’t see at all. “Your species has strange customs, star-daughter.”
