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And yet, the longer that Rael spent with Elian, the more he was sure that he was going to do exactly that.
Some of Rael's clan would accept it, Rael knew. His clan had many strong, proud warriors, but they also valued things other than glory, battle, and war: love, connection, duty. They protected what was they cared for — and Rael knew that if he introduced them to his mate, they'd soon come to protect Elian, too.
Others in his clan would be outraged, but they'd come around, Rael knew. Even if they bore grudges against humanity as a whole, they'd find it hard to hate a creature as well-meaning as Elian.
Rael twitched an eyebrow. His second in command was going to be a challenge, though. Taryn was powerful, virtuous, and talented. He was no simple rank-and-file warrior — any clan would have rejoiced to call Taryn their alpha. But Taryn had stuck with Rael when Rael had suddenly become alpha of the clan, and he'd thrown his support behind Rael instead of aiming for a clan of his own.
And after losing his brother in the war, Taryn had good reasons to hate humans.
Rael shook his head. He was too tired to unravel this complex problem right now. First things first: he needed to figure out a plan for crossing the rest of the mountains and getting to the city, and then he needed to find a way to pay for the medicine he needed. After that, the two of them could head back to Rael's territory—
Before Rael could finish his thought, Elian was on him.
Rael's breath left him in a surprised whoosh as Elian tackled him, pushing him down onto the ground. Moonlight shone down on them, the ground hard beneath Rael's back.
Desire burned in Elian's eyes as he straddled Rael's hips. "Rael," he said, his voice low and needy.
"What, my mate?" Rael managed to grind out, even as his pulse sang. Being straddled by an eager human was a hell of a thing, and his body was already responding.
In response, Elian simply leaned down to capture Rael's mouth in a desperate kiss. His lips were hot and hungry, and Rael eagerly returned the kiss.
Desire burned through Rael, fierce and wild. Rael's hands roamed over Elian's body, hot through the layers of his clothes. He gripped Elian's hips, grinding him down against himself, and Elian gasped into the kiss.
It was the work of moments for Rael to flip them over, pinning Elian to the ground. The human didn't seem to mind, gazing up at Rael with hooded eyes and flushed cheeks — and, now, kiss-swollen lips.
Rael growled deep in his chest, unable to help himself. He leaned down to capture Elian's mouth in another kiss, and the human moaned in response.
Elian's hands roamed over Rael, and the next thing that Rael knew, Elian had reached up to his horns.
Borraq horns were hard as steel, used for warfare in days long gone by — but the base around them was sensitive. Pleasure and desire shot through Rael, white-hot and blinding. He groaned, torn between thrusting down against the heat that burned between them, and arching up into the touch that was driving him wild—
But Rael hesitated. Despite the heat of the moment, despite the fierce desire burning through him, something about Elian's expression seemed… off. Distracted.
Rael didn't like that one bit. He wanted to see that smirk on Elian's face again, that fierce satisfaction when he got his way. He wanted to see the human's eyes light up with joy at the taste of a new meal, the sight of a new interesting beast, the rush of a new adventure.
He wanted to spoil Elian, to give him everything that he desired. He wanted to see the human happy again, free from whatever it was that was weighing on him.
And Rael was going to do whatever it took to make that happen.
Rael's blood burned with desire as he gazed down at Elian, flushed and beautiful beneath him. Moonlight bathed them in silver, casting deep shadows across Elian's features. His eyes were half-lidded, his lips swollen from kisses, his chest rising and falling with quick breaths.
Desire wasn't the only thing that Rael felt. It was there, fierce and hot, yes — but it was mixed with something else, something deeper.
He wanted to see Elian blissed-out. He wanted to see him throw his head back and cry out with pleasure, wanted to see his eyes roll back in ecstasy, wanted to see him gasp and moan as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over him, wanted to see him utterly, completely, blissfully sated, with no other care or thought in the world.
Rael wanted to give that to him. More than anything in the universe, he wanted to give that to him.
So he did.
He took his time as he claimed his mate, moving slowly, savoring every moment as he and Elian came together. The joining of their bodies was a slow, sweet burn, pleasure building up between them, growing and growing.
But as the pleasure grew, something else grew in Elian. Beneath the haze of desire in his eyes, there was something else, something that Rael couldn't quite read.
"Rael," Elian gasped, his voice needy. "Harder. Faster. Please."
Desire surged through Rael at the sound of that desperate plea, but that other feeling remained, a small spark of unease deep in his chest.
He complied, thrusting into Elian with all the strength that his body could muster. Elian cried out in pleasure — but as Rael moved hard and fast, taking him, that other feeling in Elian's eyes remained. It was like there was something missing from his desire, something that he was searching for and couldn't quite find.
